Author Topic: Fish Emulsion  (Read 3417 times)

Clay

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Fish Emulsion
« on: May 06, 2018, 01:22:10 PM »
I've read several threads about using fish emulsion to feed fruit trees (mangos, citrus, apple), both as a foliar spray and directly on the soil. I picked up a gallon of the Fish Fertilizer at Home Depot yesterday. I wanna vomit from the smell of rotting fish! No one mentioned that. Anyone know of a de-odorized product that might be less offensive? How long should I expect my yard to smell like a fish dump? Should I sell the house and move elsewhere?

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z_willus_d

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Re: Fish Emulsion
« Reply #1 on: May 06, 2018, 01:30:21 PM »
I've read several threads about using fish emulsion to feed fruit trees (mangos, citrus, apple), both as a foliar spray and directly on the soil. I picked up a gallon of the Fish Fertilizer at Home Depot yesterday. I wanna vomit from the smell of rotting fish! No one mentioned that. Anyone know of a de-odorized product that might be less offensive? How long should I expect my yard to smell like a fish dump? Should I sell the house and move elsewhere?

Clay
Clay, the way the fish emulsion is processed will impact the smell.  They have some, generally more expensive, products that don't smell as bad as the heat/pressure produced products you're likely to find at H.D.  For example Neptune's Harvest is a product I've used that doesn't smell so bad:
https://www.neptunesharvest.com/

I think they use a cold-press process if I"m not mixing it up with my EVOO.

Jack, Nipomo

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Re: Fish Emulsion
« Reply #2 on: May 06, 2018, 01:48:33 PM »
Another issue with fish emulsion is it can attract nearby raccoons, possums, and neighborhood cats.  Had to stop using it as animals dug up the applied area to get to the source.  They broke into the greenhouse to get to the smell's origin.  Maybe a less smelly product would be better.

pineislander

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Re: Fish Emulsion
« Reply #3 on: May 06, 2018, 07:01:23 PM »
I make my own fish emulsion by up-cycling scraps from a local fish market and fermenting it like wine/cheese. Last year I made 40 gallons. It does smell similar to fish but with a sour/sweet component and may not be acceptable in a close neighborhood but the process had virtually no smell and even vegans found the smell to be tolerable. We do have raccoons and they caused no problem.

I basically scaled up this process using a 60 gallon sealed Greek olive barrel with an airlock. Whole fish was added to a lactic acid culture with sugar, the bacteria did the rest over a few months to liquefy everything except scales and bones. So, if you want something less smelly try fish hydrolysate instead of emulsion. It is a very good amendment and made use of something otherwise thrown into the bay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyTUQHjOfS0

Clay

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Re: Fish Emulsion
« Reply #4 on: May 06, 2018, 11:00:36 PM »
I make my own fish emulsion by up-cycling scraps from a local fish market and fermenting it like wine/cheese. Last year I made 40 gallons. It does smell similar to fish but with a sour/sweet component and may not be acceptable in a close neighborhood but the process had virtually no smell and even vegans found the smell to be tolerable. We do have raccoons and they caused no problem.

I basically scaled up this process using a 60 gallon sealed Greek olive barrel with an airlock. Whole fish was added to a lactic acid culture with sugar, the bacteria did the rest over a few months to liquefy everything except scales and bones. So, if you want something less smelly try fish hydrolysate instead of emulsion. It is a very good amendment and made use of something otherwise thrown into the bay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyTUQHjOfS0

The home beer maker in me thinks this sounds like a really fun and interesting project. Unfortunately, the vegan in me still thinks it sounds gross... The organic gardener in me is often at odds with the vegan in me, because so many of the organic fertilizers are based on slaughterhouse waste, manure and the like. I was hoping that buying the ready-made fish fertilizer would make it less repulsive, but the look and smell of the stuff is really pretty bad. I am hopeful that the smell will dissipate quickly. I got a gallon of the stuff, so I'm committed to trying it out. If all my fruit trees and veggies go nuts over it and start producing like crazy, I may learn to get along with it. Nasty stuff!
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spaugh

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Re: Fish Emulsion
« Reply #5 on: May 06, 2018, 11:23:55 PM »
It is nasty stuff but seems to work well.  I wouldn't expect any miracles though, it's just fertilizer.  The smell only lasts a day or so.  Once you water over it it won't smell any more.  Try watering hundred's of pots in an enclosed greenhouse with it.  Really smells up the place.  I mix it in a 30 gallon barrel and use it all inside the GH.
Brad Spaugh

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Re: Fish Emulsion
« Reply #6 on: May 06, 2018, 11:44:50 PM »
I make my own fish emulsion by up-cycling scraps from a local fish market and fermenting it like wine/cheese. Last year I made 40 gallons. It does smell similar to fish but with a sour/sweet component and may not be acceptable in a close neighborhood but the process had virtually no smell and even vegans found the smell to be tolerable. We do have raccoons and they caused no problem.


that sounds like good stuff, here in Thailand many farmers are turning to make their own "jurinsee"  จุลินทรีย์ - it translates as microorganism (fertilizer).  Chopped green waste, like bananas are very popular, they are chopped up finely and mixed with water and molasses, and some old "jurinsee" if available.  After a bit of time it is strained and then put in clear plastic bottles in the sun, after some time it will change to a red color, and then it is ready to use.  But others are also using spent milk, and fish sounds like a good thing as well.

Funny about your method, is that people in Thailand make fish sauce open air with whole fish just fermenting in water, it smells like vomit and excrement mixed together and can be smelled a mile away. 

barath

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Re: Fish Emulsion
« Reply #7 on: May 07, 2018, 02:23:01 AM »
Also, with fish is there a risk that it brings in heavy metal contamination, depending on the kind of fish?

Mike T

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Re: Fish Emulsion
« Reply #8 on: May 07, 2018, 03:41:08 AM »
Fish emulsion is often used on seedlings to strengthen them and make them resist fungal attack.

behlgarden

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Re: Fish Emulsion
« Reply #9 on: May 07, 2018, 06:11:54 PM »
I had the same problem of using fish emulsion in my plants, found burrows from animals around roots. I believe we need to use little, too much is too overpowering. diluted half of recommend and frequent use might be better than one time full dose.

pineislander

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Re: Fish Emulsion
« Reply #10 on: May 07, 2018, 07:22:13 PM »
I had the same problem of using fish emulsion in my plants, found burrows from animals around roots. I believe we need to use little, too much is too overpowering. diluted half of recommend and frequent use might be better than one time full dose.
Maybe more animal control would allow more use of fish emulsion? I have raccoons, opossums, coyotes, armadillos on my place regularly judging by footprints but no attraction to my version of fish fertilizer.

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Re: Fish Emulsion
« Reply #11 on: May 08, 2018, 10:21:07 AM »
I make my own fish emulsion by up-cycling scraps from a local fish market and fermenting it like wine/cheese. Last year I made 40 gallons. It does smell similar to fish but with a sour/sweet component and may not be acceptable in a close neighborhood but the process had virtually no smell and even vegans found the smell to be tolerable. We do have raccoons and they caused no problem.

I basically scaled up this process using a 60 gallon sealed Greek olive barrel with an airlock. Whole fish was added to a lactic acid culture with sugar, the bacteria did the rest over a few months to liquefy everything except scales and bones. So, if you want something less smelly try fish hydrolysate instead of emulsion. It is a very good amendment and made use of something otherwise thrown into the bay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyTUQHjOfS0

The home beer maker in me thinks this sounds like a really fun and interesting project. Unfortunately, the vegan in me still thinks it sounds gross... The organic gardener in me is often at odds with the vegan in me, because so many of the organic fertilizers are based on slaughterhouse waste, manure and the like. I was hoping that buying the ready-made fish fertilizer would make it less repulsive, but the look and smell of the stuff is really pretty bad. I am hopeful that the smell will dissipate quickly. I got a gallon of the stuff, so I'm committed to trying it out. If all my fruit trees and veggies go nuts over it and start producing like crazy, I may learn to get along with it. Nasty stuff!

as a vegetarian (almost vegan), i had concerns with fish also.
but most of it is waste, and would go to waste if not used as fert.

i am pretty happy with the stuff.
lately, i have been doing more chop+drop.
using leaves, grass, coffee grounds etc...
wither making compost, or, at the base of the trees as green mulch.
in both cases, i will use the fish to wet the mulch layer (in a fairly thin solution)
THis seems to get the biology roaring.
when it rains (or gets watered) all those microbes wash down into the roots.

Jct

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Re: Fish Emulsion
« Reply #12 on: May 08, 2018, 04:24:12 PM »
My dog loves the fish emulsion that I bought.  She dug up every vegetable and into every fruit tree plot looking for the smelly fish.  She even returned the next day after I tried to repair everything. I had some of the prefab wire fencing that I used around the veggie bed, but she just hopped over it.  So I can't vouch for how well it works, just how much my stupid dog likes it!
LaVerne Manila Mango; Pixie Crunch, Honeycrisp & Gala Apple Trees; Violette De Bordeaux & Black Mission Fig; Santa Rosa Plum & Snow Queen Nectarine; Nagami Kumquat, Pixie Tangerine, Lemon, Australian Finger Lime & Washington Navel Citrus; White & Red Dragon Fruit; Miracle Berry Plant