How to use fishmeal as fertilizer in the garden

Experienced farmers know that various food products make excellent plant food. Let's look at how to use fishmeal as fertilizer on your site and reap abundant harvests. The product is often used as livestock feed. However, its unique composition opens up new possibilities. Let's take a closer look at valuable organic fertilizer. We will also find out why fishmeal is needed on the farm.

Characteristics of fishmeal

The primary purpose of fishmeal is as an additive to the feed of farm animals and birds. Nutritional value is based on the content of protein, essential amino acids, vitamins and mineral components. Due to the high content of phosphorus, nitrogen, calcium and microelements, the substance is also beneficial for plants.

The product is produced using special equipment from different types of fish, crustaceans and marine mammals. The raw materials are sequentially boiled, pressed, dried and ground to a powder state. The production of nutritional supplements is carried out by specialized enterprises and fishing ships. The quality of the product is controlled by GOST 2116–2000.

The specific amount of nutrients in the powder depends on the type of raw material.

The composition useful for garden crops looks like this:

• crude protein 50-75%;
• phosphorus 4-5.5%;
• nitrogen up to 5-10%;
• calcium 5-9%;
• iron, sulfur, selenium;

The price of fish powder depends on the type of raw material and protein content. The cost of fishmeal is from 45 rubles per kilogram.

To understand the cost-effectiveness of a product, you need to compare the content of mineral components in it with the indicators of other organic fertilizers that can be bought in the store.

In terms of the content of nitrogen, phosphorus and other elements, granulated chicken manure is closest to fishmeal. Its cost is from 75 rubles per kilogram. It turns out that using fishmeal in the garden is beneficial.

Reviews

• Ekaterina, 32 years old : “I always try to use natural fertilizers to feed my plants. I tried a lot of options, but decided to stick with fishmeal. After reading information on the Internet, I learned that this product contains a large number of useful components. Thus, high yields can be obtained even on poor land. And although the soil at my dacha is fertile, I had problems growing cucumbers. Either they wilted or the fruits were small. But when I started using fishmeal, this problem disappeared. I applied fertilizer in the fall and then in the spring to each hole. Last year I managed to harvest a decent harvest. I was able to please my family with fresh vegetables and even can them.”
• Sergey, 46 years old : “I have known the beneficial properties of fishmeal for a long time. When my aunt used this method. But I lived half my life in an apartment. And when I bought a dacha 5 years ago, my wife and I began to think about growing vegetables and a garden. But the land at the dacha was poor. Nothing grew on it except weeds. Then I immediately remembered fishmeal. In the fall we brought it to the site, then dug it up. And in the spring they planted tomatoes and cucumbers. As soon as the seedlings grew, they added flour to each hole. After this, abundant watering was performed. Thanks to the described manipulations, we were able to harvest. Of course, we can’t call it too huge, but there were enough fresh vegetables for our family.”
• Inna, 35 years old : “I don’t really like growing vegetables, so I planted my garden with fruit trees. My soil is fertile, black soil. I didn’t use much fertilizer, as it contains nitrates, which are then transferred to the fruit. But several years ago I began to notice how the apple tree stopped blooming, bearing fruit and even drying up. I consulted with one specialist, and he recommended adding fishmeal. Of course, I hesitated for a long time to use it, because I was not sure of a positive result. But when I fertilized the tree several times, it came to life in the spring. Flowers appeared on it, and then fruits. Other than that, no more dead branches. Now I will buy fishmeal and apply it regularly not only to the apple tree, but also to other trees.”

Fishmeal is a natural organic fertilizer that allows you to saturate plants with all the components necessary for full growth. Since fishmeal is a safe ingredient, it is used for almost all vegetable and horticultural crops. This must be done in the fall, before digging up the site. You will be able to appreciate the benefits of such feeding the next year when harvesting. But how to apply and use bird droppings is indicated here.

Advantages and disadvantages

Fishmeal has almost the same effect on plant development and productivity as complex mineral fertilizers. But due to the lower content of nutrients, it is less pronounced. Unlike synthetic fertilizers, it has a long aftereffect of up to 2-3 years after application.

What does the use of fertilizer provide:

• Increasing soil fertility . Once added to the soil, organic matter is processed by soil microorganisms, resulting in the formation of humus. Garden soil becomes loose, allows air to pass through well, and absorbs water and nutrients.
• Increased productivity . By feeding plants with phosphorus, nitrogen and other minerals, plant germination and development are accelerated, and fruits are actively produced in larger quantities. Vegetables, fruits and berries are rich in sugars and vitamins.
• Strengthening plant immunity . Garden crops are more resistant to various infections, drought, and cold weather.
• Safety . Mineralization of organic matter occurs gradually. There is no risk of transferring fertilizer and causing plant poisoning. Nitrates do not accumulate in fruits. The substance is harmless to humans and pets.
• Convenience and accessibility . The product is inexpensive, does not take up much storage space, and is easy to use.

Fertilizers also have disadvantages. Any organic matter cannot fully meet the needs of garden crops for essential nutrients. Modern plant varieties are highly productive and therefore require large amounts of quickly absorbed forms of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium during the growing season.

Using fishmeal, it is impossible to cure plants depleted due to lack of nutrition. Only chemical fertilizers with fast and strong action can cope with this task.

Stern

Fishmeal is also used for animals. In fact, it is the same nutritious product as fish oil, which is used by humans. Fishmeal contains large amounts of protein, amino acids that are not synthesized by animals, but are necessary for them to create proteins. Therefore, regular addition of this product to feed will bring tangible benefits:

• Helps animals gain muscle mass faster
• Strengthens the immune system due to its high selenium content
• Will have a positive effect on growth and development
• Increases the ability of animals to reproduce

It is enough to mix fish meal into the feed once a week at the rate of:

• For cows and cattle – half a kilo per day
• For small animals, this product is added at the rate of 5-7% of the diet
• For poultry – from 2 to 7% of the diet.

Using fishmeal in the garden

The organic additive takes time to decompose and mineralize. Therefore, it is mainly applied in the fall when digging the soil. But given the constant leaching of active substances from the soil, the gradual decomposition of the substance, it is better to use fertilizer during the growing season of plants. This ensures constant nutrition for garden crops.

The fertilizer rate depends on the type of soil. In light sandy, clayey, depleted soils, add 200 g of powder per 1 m2. In fertile chernozems and loams, 100 g per 1 m2 is enough.

The measured amount of powder is distributed on the surface of the site and embedded to a depth of 10-15 cm. Annual digging of the soil with the application of fertilizer helps maintain its fertility.

Do not work fishmeal into the soil too deeply. For the decomposition of any organic matter, air and heat are needed. Under the thickness of the soil, this process stops.

What does organic matter affect, the principle of soil restoration

The most important thing that fishmeal can give to the soil is the restoration of the humus layer with the help of soil microorganisms. If you constantly use mineral fertilizers, their amount gradually decreases, since the soil lacks the necessary organic substances to feed bacteria.

Humus is the main indicator of fertility. On nutritious soils, plants develop better and faster, set more fruits and do not shed them due to nutrient deficiency. Humus contains growth activators that stimulate seed germination and prevent crops from weakening due to unstable environmental conditions.

Together with fishmeal, green manure and ash can be incorporated into the soil. If the soil is acidic, then adding fishmeal will only aggravate the problem, as active oxidation of organic residues will begin. Additions of wood ash neutralize excess acid and restore the natural soil balance.

Feeding various crops

Fishmeal is suitable for all plants. Nightshade crops are especially responsive to it.

Potato

The nutritional composition is applied a week before planting potatoes. The powder is scattered on the surface of the site at the rate of 100 g per 1 m2 and the soil is dug up. The composition can also be added to each hole, but this will take more time.

Tomatoes, eggplants, peppers

Fish powder is added during planting of seedlings. 20-40 g of the substance is added to each planting hole and mixed with soil. Half the dose of fertilizer can be mixed with granulated chicken manure 1:1.

Fruit and berry crops

At the periphery of the crowns of mature trees, a trench is dug in a circle. Powder is distributed in it at the rate of 200 g per 1 m2, covered with soil and watered abundantly. Berry bushes are fed in the same way, only less fertilizer is applied - 100 g per 1 m2. Feeding is carried out 3 times a season.

Any fertilizers negatively affect the survival rate of seedlings. Young trees begin to be fed in the second year after planting.

Seedlings and indoor flowers

Nutrient flour is used to enrich homemade soil mixture for seedlings, which is prepared in the fall. The disinfected soil is mixed with the composition at the rate of 1 kg/1 tbsp. l.

In the same way, you can enrich the soil mixture when replanting indoor flowers. Subsequently, 10 g of nutrient powder is added under the flowers twice a year, combined with watering.

There is no need to add fertilizer to purchased soils. They contain enough of all nutrients; an excess of them will harm the seedlings.

Ornamental plants

In addition to autumn fertilizer, powder is applied to the beds under garden flowers in the spring 2-3 weeks before planting. To do this, apply 50 g of the substance per 1 m2 of soil and water it with water.

Beets, carrots and other root vegetables

The nutritional supplement is applied during the first thinning of seedlings. The powder is distributed in rows at the rate of 50 g per 1 m2, the soil is loosened and watered.

Norms for applying flour from fish skeletons when planting plants

Having understood the main crops that respond well to mineral-rich flour, it is worth giving some general recommendations on application rates that will help the novice gardener increase his harvest. According to them, organic fertilizer is applied no more than once a year, mainly in spring or autumn. In the first case, flour is added to the holes when planting plants, while in the second it is supposed to be scattered over the ground with further digging, which is carried out two weeks after harvesting.

Compost enrichment

Most compost consists of plant debris that is placed in a bin, hole, or just a pile. Any organic substances are added to them: manure, garden soil, kitchen waste, sawdust, straw shavings, etc.

Finished compost often lacks phosphorus. To make it a universal fertilizer, fishmeal is added to it. The powder increases the content of macro- and microelements in it, accelerates the decomposition of plant residues.

To distribute the composition evenly, the compost is laid in layers 20-25 cm thick. Each layer is sprinkled with powder. Then they spill it with water.

Composition of the product

Recently, gardening has begun to use an unusual fertilizer - fish powder. It is successfully used both in open ground and in greenhouses and greenhouses.

High-protein fish powder is produced from non-edible varieties of fish, fish residues (heads, fins, ridges), crustaceans, and seafood by drying and grinding. Includes:

Important! A low quality product contains insoluble chemical additives, sand, and wood ash. First-class flour consists of 70% protein.

Organic fertilizer can be used for different purposes:

Selection rules

Very often, products based on it are sold under the guise and price of 100% fishmeal. These are various mixtures of fishmeal with plant and animal components, inorganic nitrogen (urea, ammonium nitrate, etc.). Chemical nitrogen artificially increases protein levels, and unscrupulous sellers take advantage of this property. By law, such products must cost less than natural meal and be called a “fishmeal product.”

Such a powder will not cause harm, but there will be significantly less benefit. Supporters of organic farming will not like the chemical content in the fertilizer.

To avoid buying counterfeit products and overpaying, choose a reliable manufacturer with product quality certificates. As a rule, photographs of documents are posted on the company’s website. Flour should not have any foreign odors: mold, mustiness.

Fish powder is a tricky product. If stored incorrectly, mold and ammonia will form in it. A damaged product must not be used.

Storage rules:

• protection from moisture and rodents;
• optimal air humidity up to 75%;
• air temperature no more than 30 °C;
• shelf life 12 months.

You can buy fishmeal in manufacturers’ online stores. The nutritional composition is also sold in garden stores. There is not only 100% powder, but also fertilizers based on it. Some of them are developed for specific crops and are enhanced with additional nutritional components.

How do you get it?

Powdered fishbone meal is produced in two ways.

On fishing boats at sea

Flour is produced on the ship from fresh fish of non-edible varieties and those that have not been frozen, as well as from production waste. A first-class powder is obtained, in which the content of chemical ingredients is minimal. The raw materials from which flour is made determines the quality of the final product.

A disadvantage is considered to be 2-5% of sand impurities. But when using the powder as fertilizer and not feed, this flaw is not of great importance;

On the shore in the factory floors

Production is carried out using fish flour machines. In this case, foreign components are often added to the powder, reducing the cost of production. High-quality flour contains at least 70% protein, but such a dosage is rare.

The technology for manufacturing fish food consists of several stages:

• cooking or heating to remove excess fat from raw materials;
• pressing to reduce liquid content;
• drying using fire (the powder becomes black due to the destruction of the protein) or steam (a gentle method in which the protein is preserved in the composition) methods;
• grinding to a flour-like state.

Important! Fishmeal is a valuable fertilizer. Often you can find counterfeit products on sale, the benefits of which are much lower or absent altogether.

For home use in the garden, you can make your own fertilizer from any of the cheapest fish or waste. If the fish has soft bones, then the carcass is cut and passed through a meat grinder. It should be slightly frozen. If the bones are hard, then they must first be boiled before chopping.

The twisted fish can be frozen in a plastic bag for future use. The puree is diluted in a ratio of 1:5. The resulting concentrate is consumed immediately, dissolving an additional 100 g of the mixture in a 5 liter watering can.

Our video on how to prepare homemade fertilizer from fish waste will definitely help you achieve excellent results in gardening.

DIY fishmeal

To obtain 1 kg of fertilizer, you need to process 4-6 kg of raw materials. Even when buying the cheapest fish, the cost of homemade flour will be significantly higher than the finished product. Making your own powder is beneficial for gardeners who are keen on fishing.

To do this, the fish is cut into small pieces and dried in the oven until it turns brown. After cooling, the raw material is crushed using a crusher to a powder state.

Gardeners who adhere to organic farming have difficulty providing adequate nutrition to their plants. It is especially difficult to provide plantings with nitrogen and phosphorus, the lack of which becomes the main reason for low yields. In addition, not all gardeners have the opportunity to bring tons of manure to the site. Fishmeal helps solve these problems and will also be useful when used in combination with agrochemicals. After all, synthetic fertilizers do not increase soil fertility.

Where did this method come from?

Fertilization with fish and fish remains is a method that has proven itself well in the last century. It is not known for certain who came up with the idea of ​​​​using the remains, but it was definitely noticed that in the places of former reservoirs, vegetable gardens and collective farm fields were more fertile than areas fertilized with manure.

Amateur gardeners who lived during the Soviet Union and state farms located in the Krasnodar Territory and other coastal areas used the cheapest fish to fertilize their lands - anchovy, sprat or sprat. It rotted quickly and was useful. At the same time, the cost of feeding was minimal, because the price of a kilogram of product was low (about 10 Soviet kopecks).

Chemical composition of fertilizer. The role of nutrients in plant development

Bone meal contains many useful substances, which, in turn, include most of D.I. Mendeleev’s table.

Among them it is important to highlight:

The percentage of phosphorus in bone meal is the highest, therefore the product is classified as a phosphate fertilizer (find out → types of phosphate fertilizers).

Phosphorus is the main part of DNA, the genetic memory of plants.

The contribution of the element to plant life is invaluable; phosphorus is

• The basis of DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid), with the help of which accumulation and transmission occurs in the nuclei of cells. This guarantees the preservation of morphological and biological characteristics from generation to generation.
• Only in its presence does photosynthesis occur - the formation of chlorophyll, a specific green pigment . Under the influence of sunlight, complex organic compounds ATP (adenosine triphosphoric acid) are formed. It, in turn, controls respiratory and metabolic processes in plant tissues.

What else does phosphorus affect in bone meal (click to expand)

• Takes an important part in the growth of young roots and strengthening of the adult root system in perennial crops.
• Regulates the process of laying flower buds.
• Affects the brightness of the color of decorative flowers.
• In its presence, glucose, sucrose, starch are formed, that is, those substances that are responsible for the size and taste of the fruit.
• It is part of phytin, the largest amount of which is found in seeds and affects their germination.

In other words, without phosphorus most vital processes are impossible. That is why, the lack of an element negatively affects all, without exception, plant organs, both above-ground and underground. The deficiency can be easily replenished with the help of bone meal, which is rich not only in phosphorus, but also in other useful compounds.

For rooting seedlings

When planting tomatoes, fertilizer is applied to each hole.
In order for the seeds to germinate and take root, a light peat-sand substrate is needed (find out → how to use peat as a top dressing + reviews). For seedlings, it is important that the soil contains enough phosphorus. It is he who is responsible for the appearance and growth of young roots. When preparing the mixture, high-moor peat is used, its acid-base balance is pH – 3, that is, a strongly acidic reaction. In combination with bone meal, an effective result is achieved, provided the dosage is 1:100. In other words, for 100 parts of substrate, 1 part of flour is needed.

Storage rules

Features of storing fishmeal depend on the composition of the fertilizer. The most common two types of feeding are fatty (22% fat content) and low-fat flour (up to 10%). For proper storage, the following recommendations should be followed:

It is not advisable to use fatty fishmeal that has been stored open for more than a month. Within 30 days, the amount of crude fat in the composition is reduced to 40%.

• Both types of fishmeal can be stored for 30 days from the moment the package is opened. Humidity should not exceed 14%, and the air temperature should be up to 20 degrees;
• During long-term storage of fatty flour, ammonia may be released. If a strong characteristic odor appears, it is advisable to refuse to use the fertilizer;
• Both fatty and lean fishmeal are not recommended to be stored at low temperatures. This will degrade the quality of the product, and the process of protein breakdown will also begin;
• at high humidity and temperature, the substances included in the fertilizer begin to enter into a chemical reaction, which not only affects the quality of fishmeal, but can also cause harm to the soil. In addition, excessively high temperatures lead to a decrease in the amount of B vitamins and PP in the supplement.

When purchasing fertilizer, it is difficult to monitor compliance with all storage conditions for the fertilizer, so it is advisable to purchase fishmeal only in specialized stores, and also choose a product produced in Peru or Mauritania.