Author Topic: Buring dead fish under newly planted trees  (Read 9527 times)

Kona fruit farm

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Buring dead fish under newly planted trees
« on: April 11, 2016, 10:48:41 AM »
Hi guys.  I caught bunch of fish last week and some are junk fish.  I kept them around to bury under a big mango tree I'm going to plant.  Mango tree is a big one in 30 gallon pot. (5 years old).  I would bury the fish deep and make sure there is a few inches of soil between them and the root ball.   Is this a good idea?   I just figure in time the fish will decompose and the roots will grow down and use up all the nutrients as deep fertilizer.  Time release concept.
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LivingParadise

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Re: Buring dead fish under newly planted trees
« Reply #1 on: April 11, 2016, 11:05:55 AM »
Fish remains have been used for fertilizer for thousands of years. As long as you bury them at least a foot deep where dogs and other mammals are not likely to dig them up, they will release nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, and trace minerals to roots. While you're at it, throw in any other scraps you may have of vegetables, egg shells, banana peels, etc. This is the circle of life, and where all dirt comes from in the first place - decayed organic matter. Just don't use too many - one or two per plant is plenty. Spread the wealth around to all of your plants!

treefrog

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Re: Buring dead fish under newly planted trees
« Reply #2 on: April 11, 2016, 11:55:14 AM »
my brother plants a bone (usually beef) under trees that he plants.  he does this to give the tree a long release source of phosphorus.  he has some healthy looking trees.  i just use a handful of bone meal.  phosphorus makes for happy trees!
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Vernmented

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Re: Buring dead fish under newly planted trees
« Reply #3 on: April 11, 2016, 12:07:34 PM »
DO IT! I buried a bobcat two feet under my Angie mango. :)
-Josh

knlim000

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Re: Buring dead fish under newly planted trees
« Reply #4 on: April 11, 2016, 12:26:21 PM »
When my dog goes to heaven, she'll be protecting my mango tree for me.

cmichael258

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Re: Buring dead fish under newly planted trees
« Reply #5 on: April 11, 2016, 12:41:35 PM »
When my dog goes to heaven, she'll be protecting my mango tree for me.

Same with my wife  8)
Michael

gnappi

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Re: Buring dead fish under newly planted trees
« Reply #6 on: April 11, 2016, 02:51:45 PM »
DO IT! I buried a bobcat two feet under my Angie mango. :)

Wow must have been a big hole... no need for iron drenches... hope you removed the VIN :-)

Seriously. I dumped saltwater fish carcasses regularly under a transplanted root hacked peach mango and it grew like gangbusters and had more fruit than everyone who wanted it in the neighborhood could eat.

Regards,

   Gary

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Re: Buring dead fish under newly planted trees
« Reply #7 on: April 11, 2016, 03:08:19 PM »
Dr. Richard Campbell specifically said that burying fish with a mango tree will kill it at a talk he gave a couple of years ago due to the ammonia, to which mangoes are very sensitive. I've never tried it myself.
Jeff  :-)

palologrower

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Re: Buring dead fish under newly planted trees
« Reply #8 on: April 11, 2016, 05:01:31 PM »
Hi guys.  I caught bunch of fish last week and some are junk fish.  I kept them around to bury under a big mango tree I'm going to plant.  Mango tree is a big one in 30 gallon pot. (5 years old).  I would bury the fish deep and make sure there is a few inches of soil between them and the root ball.   Is this a good idea?   I just figure in time the fish will decompose and the roots will grow down and use up all the nutrients as deep fertilizer.  Time release concept.

you shot roi?  until last year a bunch of us would go kona every summer to go shoot the roi to help the reefs.  some local farmers would take the roi and use it in their composting.  however, one of our friends mentioned that you need to rinse off the salt or it may cause problems.

one year, we gave the roi to our friend's dad who planted like 100 poha plants.  hugest poha berries I've ever seen.

wonderfruit

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Re: Buring dead fish under newly planted trees
« Reply #9 on: April 11, 2016, 11:09:10 PM »
After digging I drop logs then soil and after the new tree. The principle is the same, slow fertilization. But it s only trial and error. Thats anybody have any experience for bad or good. Thanks
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Kona fruit farm

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Re: Buring dead fish under newly planted trees
« Reply #10 on: April 12, 2016, 02:41:36 AM »
good stuff..  well i put the fish in a big bucket full of water for about 6 days before i  planted the tree today..   i dumped the nasty fish water next to my mangosteen tree. and i buried the fish under the mango tree.  i really hope it doesn't die.   :/   its a big mature Rapoza..  about 5 years old..  was in a 30 gallon pot
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tropicbreeze

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Re: Buring dead fish under newly planted trees
« Reply #11 on: April 12, 2016, 04:38:47 AM »
I bury what's available, as long as it's organic. Years ago I buried fish carcasses when there was a good supply from filleted fish. That worked really well. I usually bury road kill from out front of my place. Some people in the area dump dead farm animal carcasses out bush. I often collect the bones after a year or so. There's a lot of bones in cattle or horses. I also kill all Cane Toads I find on my place and they go into burial holes near plants. When I have it, I usually put wood ash/charcoal in the holes as well, for 'fresh' dead animals. It helps absorb some of the smells and leaves less chance of other animals digging down. The biggest holes I've had to dig were for feral pigs, wallabies and one time a full sized head of a buffalo. I planted a mango over the buffalo head and the plant rocketed off at a hell of a rate. No apparent problems from ammonia, but I did put a lot of charcoal around it. Mostly though, I bury anything that may become putrescent further away from plants so their roots don't have immediate contact with it. The plant can choose when it wants to 'dip in'. 

Kona fruit farm

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Re: Buring dead fish under newly planted trees
« Reply #12 on: April 12, 2016, 05:19:34 AM »
Yes palolo grower.  A couple of the fish were roi.  And the rest were carcasses of uhu and opelu kala. After I had filleted them.

I am going to perform an interesting study.... Tomorrow I am going to plant a Keitt mango tree.  It is also 5 years old and in a 30 gallon pot.   I dug the hole for this mango tree about a month ago and dumped the remains of a pig I had butchered in the hole.  Head. The entire hide.  And all the guts.  It was a huge amount of organic matter.   I put about 6" of soil on top of the pig remains after I dumped them in the hole.  It's been raining a lot and I suspect that a significant amount of the pig remains have broken down.  Tomorrow I will plant the Keitt and compare how it grows with the Rapoza I planted today. (Shame they aren't the same variety of mango...  I realize there will be inherent growth differences based on the trees being from different cultivars. But it will still be a good experiment. 

Maybe in a year I'll come back and revisit this post with results.  But it sounds like many of you have done this with great results too.  So I'm optimistic. 
With 3 acres of prime real estate for growing tropicals... why not create my own garden of eden?? Work in progress

Tropheus76

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Re: Buring dead fish under newly planted trees
« Reply #13 on: April 12, 2016, 11:35:41 AM »
I am curious since I am relatively familiar with reef fish(yet another hobby) what the heck is a roi?

Kona fruit farm

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Re: Buring dead fish under newly planted trees
« Reply #14 on: April 12, 2016, 01:04:05 PM »
Peacock or spotted grouper.   Invasive in Hawaii. 
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Tropheus76

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Re: Buring dead fish under newly planted trees
« Reply #15 on: April 12, 2016, 06:10:23 PM »
Ohhh those guys. Sucker fish as in only new guys to reef tanks get suckered into buying those cute white and black polka dotted fish for their tanks. Guessing several were released by some suckers in years past and they found each other. Kind of like our lionfish problem. Are they at least good eating like a lionfish?

palologrower

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Re: Buring dead fish under newly planted trees
« Reply #16 on: April 12, 2016, 06:17:20 PM »
Ohhh those guys. Sucker fish as in only new guys to reef tanks get suckered into buying those cute white and black polka dotted fish for their tanks. Guessing several were released by some suckers in years past and they found each other. Kind of like our lionfish problem. Are they at least good eating like a lionfish?

even worse.  the state decided that they wanted to introduce shallow/mid water grouper/snapper game fish in the 50-60's.  I think they introduced like 9-12 species. Only 3 took.  However, I hear reports that the other species pop up here and there very rarely. 

Too bad the roi has ciguatera problems. THey are very delicious.

Kona fruit farm

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Re: Buring dead fish under newly planted trees
« Reply #17 on: April 12, 2016, 09:45:57 PM »
The pictures with the red mulch are of my Rapoza.  Planted in the front yard, About 6' tall.   I planted this on top of about 4 fish carcasses.   With maybe 3-4" soil between fish and the root ball. 




The pictures with brown mulch are of the Keitt.  Planted in my pasture.  It stands about 7' tall. This was planted in a huge hole.   With all the decomposed pig remains and lots of ash.







We will have to wait and see how the trees grow.
With 3 acres of prime real estate for growing tropicals... why not create my own garden of eden?? Work in progress

Rispa

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Re: Buring dead fish under newly planted trees
« Reply #18 on: June 14, 2022, 03:36:46 AM »
Kona I'm so curious I made an account here. How did your experiment pan out?

RodneyS

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Re: Buring dead fish under newly planted trees
« Reply #19 on: June 14, 2022, 01:37:38 PM »
I'd be concerned with the salt from saltwater fish.  But, freshwater fish?  I compost them in my DIY wormbin

Rispa

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Re: Buring dead fish under newly planted trees
« Reply #20 on: June 14, 2022, 02:44:40 PM »
I was wondering about the salt too, but i came upon this through googling and read on some of the other search results that they work well, so maybe it's Small enough amount or with water dilutes enough that it isn't a problem.