HOMEMADE FISH EMULSION - AKA: WHY YOU SHOULDN'T FLUSH YOUR DEAD GOLDFISH
This is actually one of my favorite natural fertilizers.
I'll skip over the gross dead fish rotting in a bucket phase, but honestly, it really works well. Check out this vlog where I share about how I make and use this excellent fertilizer.
HOMEMADE FISH EMULSION VIDEO
BASIC PROCESS AND GENERAL IDEA
If you look around the soil surface in my raised beds, you'll probably notice a lot of tiny bones. Since "fish emulsion" is one of my favorite natural, organic fertilizers, I wanted to try making my own. Basically, fish emulsion is a liquid fertilizer made from fish or the waste parts of fish after the meat is removed. Both the harvested fish carcass and smaller fish too small for a meal can be used in the process.
For a couple months now, I've been experimenting with this. I've been putting raw, dead fish into a five gallon bucket of water and covering it, allowing it to sit out in the hot, Arkansas sun. Within a few days the fish looks almost "baked" and the flesh is falling off the bones. I continually strain the bucket and use the liquid to water my plants before refilling the bucket and allowing it to sit again. In less that two weeks, just a small pile of clean bones is all that is left.
The bones will also help build up the soil over time, but it is all the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that I'm in it for. The richer my soil is and the more nutrients are available to my plants, the better. So far I think that we've been having really good results. This fish emulsion, combined with the compost, rabbit manure, and stinging nettle fertilizer should make for an excellent harvest this year. We will see.
Have you ever used fish emulsion as a fertilizer? Have you ever made your own? I've used it before, but this is my first time experimenting with making it, and I really like the results s far!
As always, I'm @papa-pepper and here's the proof:
proof-of-all-that's-left
Until next time…
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I’ve seen some videos where you can pump water from your fish tank to feed plants with I’m sure it’s got something to do with Hydroponics , will you be rotating your crop from time to time.
And don’t forget peas are very good for the Nitrogen replacement in your soil. Cheers mike
I like hydroponics too. Doing a small scale experiment right now, but would like to get into it eventually.
I will rotate the annual crops yearly.
Yup, peas & beans and Austrian Winter Peas (my overwinter replenish method) will all be used! Cheers!
This is truly an amazing idea
Good stuff. My Granny taught me this when I was young. I've used it over the years too. She used to do this to her fruit tree's when I was younger. When I moved into my home a few years back there were Blue Spruces that had been planted and were not doing well at all. They were young and pretty much dying. I caught some bass and buried them next to the tree's. They're huge now and have recovered very nicely.
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Ha love the title 😅, and great to see a no waste approach to your homesteading 👍
I thought it was clever. Thanks!
I keep telling my father in-law to do this with his garden but to no avail yet.
Did you tell him "Papa-Pepper does it?" That might help. LOL!
native Americans would stick a kernel of corn in a trout's mouth and bury it tail down, burying an egg under when planting a tomato plant works pretty great too. I like the idea of homemade fish emulsion, the commercial varieties can have high heavy metal content.
Good point on the heavy metal!
This is a cool idea!! I have only ever just thrown my dead fish to the chickens... I will have to give it a try! I cant believe I have not thought of doing this!
I like burying the fish too, but sometimes something will dig them up. This way, there is nothing to dig for. (I was supposed to mention that in the post, oops)
Makes sense. Burying the fish HAS occurred to me before too, but that was what I was worried about, dogs or raccoons digging them up...
your way is better because then you get chicken and you still get fertilizer.
Haha! That IS true... Those chickens put splats of fertilizer all over the place.... :D
post is very useful @papa-pepper, I just know if the fish can be organic fertilizer
@papa-pepper you can't get any more nutritious than FISH Fertilizer..............
I love it! Thanks @stokjockey!