fish emulsion ???'s
 

Went to Lowes looking for Neptune Harvest fish emulsion because I had read someone else was using it for foliar spray. Lowes instead had one called Alaskan Fish Emulsion on clearance (left over from last season) big bottle probably quart size for $5.36 ($8 something reg.) Our Walmart is also carrying this same brand at regular price.
What is the shelf life for fish emulsion? Would you buy this or keep looking for the Neptune Harvest?? Thanks, Patty

I ended up buying a bottle of the Alaska because of that same price deal. Actually I think it was even less, maybe $5 a bottle. But I have not heard great things about it. First, it's 5-1-1 which may not be what your plants need.

Neptune's Harvest is twice as expensive at $15-18 a quart online, but seems to have a lot better numbers (2-3-1) and more micronutrients. I have no idea where I'd buy some though.

Feldon30

I haven't used it but it sounds like you can order it directly from the company. [url]http://www.neptunesharvest.com/[/url]

Linda

And I say support the Neptune Harvest Co b'c it's from the former owner, his children now run it, that I got the seeds, thru an intermediary, for the variety now known as Neves Azorean Red.:lol:

And it was he, I'd have to look up his name, who gave me all the background info on this variety re Tony Neves and the Azores, etc. The deal between Tony and the owner was that Tony brought tomato fruits to him in exchange for fertilizer for his veggies. My kinda guys as in the ole barter system.;)

In the past I've used both fish and seaweed preps, and do prefer, as Morgan said, a more balanced NPK content than not.

Carolyn, Thanks for the inside scoop.....I will also look for Neptune Harvest. Can you tell me the shelf life of this type product in general? Do you need to use it in one season or two would still be ok?? That might make a difference in what size to buy. Thanks, Patty

My local greenhouse sells "Bionide" brand and it's content is 2-4-0.5 for $8.89

Still wondering if this will be just as good if used in the second season??

I hope you guys don't mind, somewhat off-topic:

There is a fish store in town, I am thinking of asking them to give me their fish scraps and bury them deeeeep in holes I will be digging.

1. Which is more effective (better)? fish or fish emulsion?
2. How much fish should I throw in the hole, One lb? two lbs?
3. Can you make your own emulsion?

thx

dcarch

"Still wondering if this will be just as good if used
in the second season??"

It would probably last 20 years if the cap was on tight
and still be good for fertilizer. If you buy a gallon,
I expect that you would use it up before it dries up
in the bottle (and even if it did, you could simply
add water to make it usable again).

Be aware: raccoons and possums like fish (in salmon
country, they hang around streams and rivers when
salmon are spawning and feast on spawned-out
salmon). If they are in your neighborhood, you may
find places around your plants where they have been
digging after fertilizing with fish emulsion. (They
are not very persistent about it, they seem to give
up quickly when they do not find a fish a few inches
under the surface of the soil, but then they go on
to the next seedling and try that one, .... Some kind
of barrier around the transplants, even nothing more
than some short, stout sticks stuck into the ground,
seems to prevent them from accidentally stepping
on the transplants while searching for "the mysterious
invisible fish".

My fish emulsion (bought this year) has a date 7/2010. It doesnt say best buy or use by, but I can guess you have a few years if stored properly and sealed tightly.

dcarch:

"1. Which is more effective (better)? fish or fish emulsion?"

I expect that whole fish has a composition similar
to fish meal (dried, ground fish), perhaps with
extra trace elements, more calcium, etc. You can
probably look at the documentation on a bag of fish
meal at a feed store or farm supply and know about
what to expect from whole fish. The nutrients in fish
emulsion are probably available to plants sooner
(similar to getting faster compost from more finely
ground organic matter) than nutrients from fish
meal or whole fish, but whole fish has a more
balanced N-P-K supply (although some fish meal
products seem to be very low in Potassium, even
if they have sufficient nitrogen and phosphorus
to make a good fertilizer).

"2. How much fish should I throw in the hole,
One lb? two lbs?"

That would perhaps depend on how rich your
soil is before adding any fish product. You
probably want to do this by volume rather
than by the pound (how many pounds a given
volume of fish weighs depends on how long it
has been out of water). Say, a 2-lb coffee can
full per plant? Half full?

One could experiment with herring by the dozen
to get a better idea.

"3. Can you make your own emulsion?"

GW has a guide for this:

[url]http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/organic/2002080041031662.html[/url]

Most guides seem to recommend composting
it to make your own fish emulsion (probably
makes the odor more bearable after it has been
in a container awhile).

dice is right, if you live where there's a lot of wildlife, don't bury fish under your plants! I tried it last year under a few hills of corn (using the cleanings after a good fishing trip) and turkey buzzards completely destroyed those hills by trying to dig up the fish. You can't bury it deep enough and if you do, it probably won't do any good anyway. ☺

patty_b, Johnny's carried Neptune's Harvest.
[URL]http://www.johnnyseeds.com/catalog/product.aspx?category=292&subcategory=303&item=9573[/URL]

If you are worried about not using the product fast enough, you can buy the smaller 18 oz size.

I just got some Neptune's, but previously was very happy w/ Organic Gem Liquid Fish Fertilizer from Seeds of Change.
[URL]http://www.seedsofchange.com/garden_center/product_details.asp?item_no=PS16259[/URL]
This product didn't stink as much as other fish ferts, and my plants responded very positively to it. The only reason I stopped using it was because Seeds of Change will now only ship this within continental U.S., so I can't buy it anymore. :(

It's not fish, but another organic fertilizer that worked very well on my plants is Earth Juice.
[URL]http://www.seedsofchange.com/garden_center/browse_category.asp?category_id=490[/URL]
This can also be used in hydroponic systems.

I have used Neptune's in the past, a gallon kept over a season or two seemed to be just as effective. This year I tried a fish emulsion from Fedco for about $16 a gallon, like it just as much and I don't think the odor is quite as strong as I remember Neptune's being.

How often are you using the fish emulsion on your plants? Do you put it on all of them? How about flowers?
I know alot of questions, but never used the product before!
Thanks,
Carol