Make your own liquid fertilisers

[ChanellG]

Found an interesting article on the subject and will be making a seaweed compost tea first chance I get! Just have to find an area to let it steep away from the house, lol. Collecting it won't be an option since I'd have to drive a ways to the gulf to get it (if there's any there) and the water is rather polluted in the gulf, especially after the BP spill.

 

[Jed]

Bloke I know hangs dead badgers above his Chicken run for that reason

What a great idea.

We have lots of tout in our rivers and some anglers hang dead wallaby in a tree overhanging the water for the same reason to feed these fish pests.The anglers go back to the carcass dropping maggots by which time the trout are hanging around and are easier to catch.

 

[ChanellG]

Hey everyone, I just found this interesting article about using banana peels to make liquid fertilizer! You soak the peels in water to ferment and then use the liquid in the garden. Seems a lot simpler than messing with stinky fish guts.

Here's a link: http://www.ehow.com/how_5577028_use-banana-peels-flowers.html

 

[Jed]

Seems a lot simpler than messing with stinky fish guts.

Here's a link: http://www.ehow.com/how_5577028_use-banana-peels-flowers.html

Fantastic. I'll have to give it a go.
You bet. I wouldn't want to mess with stinky fish guts for quids.
I was watering some plants with commercial fish emulsion yesterday and was thinking I wouldn't bother making my own. I'll leave it to the professionals.

 

[dhrynio]

Hey everyone, I just found this interesting article about using banana peels to make liquid fertilizer! You soak the peels in water to ferment and then use the liquid in the garden. Seems a lot simpler than messing with stinky fish guts.

Here's a link: http://www.ehow.com/how_5577028_use-banana-peels-flowers.html

Ooh, that is interesting!! I keep going back and forth with the fish idea, but I really don't want to mess with it. Can you imagine the stink if the bucket knocked over? GAG!! I have considered the Native American idea of burying a fish and let it rot and fertilize the soil on it's own, but I think the liquid fish bucket is out for me.

So the banana one could be a really good option!

 

[ChanellG]

Danni, tell me more about this burying a fish option. Maybe that could work if I used a bucket of dirt and placed some fish in the bottom.

I hope the banana peel option works out well because we always have bananas around. I have another week of steeping before I can test it out.

 

[dhrynio]

I was told by an old gardener to take fish heads and guts or a whole fish and bury it deep, so that it would decompose and leech out into the soil.

Here are a few quote about it I found.

The next time you find yourself preparing to throw out spoiled fish or fish remains, stop for a second and reconsider. Fish makes a very good natural fertilizer. In fact, it works so well that many Native American horticulturalists buried a fish at the base of each crop plant. You can grind your fish parts up to make your own fertilizer (we recommend using a hand grinder rather than a blender) and then spray it on your plants or work it into the soil, or you can bury chunks of fish at the roots of your plants. Be aware, however, that dogs and some wild animals are fond of strong smells, and may dig up your garden if you use fish as fertilizer. Be sure to bury it deeply, or fence in your garden.

This one however says to mix the fish parts and epsom salts with water, let it sit a for 24 hours then put 2-3 cups of the mix into yrou soil, mix or till and then plant.

 

[Jed]

I was told by an old gardener to take fish heads and guts or a whole fish and bury it deep, so that it would decompose and leech out into the soil.

Fish waste would be a good fertiliser.
Though this brings back a memory of when I was a lad.
Fish were in abundance back then. It was not unusual to catch a heap of blue mackerel from the docks.
I would only catch as many as I needed but other fishers would catch bucket loads. I found out that they took them home to bury under their rose bushes.
To think of this today, I am horrified that such waste like this was so common.
No wonder fishing is difficult these days from the jetties.

 

[ChanellG]

Thanks, Danni! I'll have to do some reading up on it and then maybe I'll ask someone to save their fish scraps for me after fileting the catch of the day. Fish emulsion was highly recommended, and making stuff is often cheaper than buying, but this may be the exception to that!

Jed, that is exactly what I don't like about hunting. So many people are in it just for sport and it is such a waste.

 

[dhrynio]

I agree jed, that is such a waste. To catch and use the ski, bones, head and guts as fertilizer is great. But to take whole fish that could be eaten and just bury them? Wastful and sad.

And I agree Chanell. Anyone who hunts for sport and not for food is shameful. My family are big hunters, but they do it for food. They use everything and at my dads hunting camp he spend a lot of time making sure they are fed all year. The have respect for the animals and treat them humanely.

 

[zigs]

I enjoy fishing, but if i'm not going to eat what i've caught, I carefully put it back.

 

[ChanellG]

But Zigs, are you fishing with a hook? Isn't that like hitting a deer with an arrow, taking it out and turning the deer loose again? Not to mention the stress of being trapped; I'm sure the poor things have heart trouble afterward, or at least panic attacks. Think about it.

 

[zigs]

In danger of going wildly off topic here, so i'll carry this on in the non gardening section

 

[ChanellG]

So many of you have put coffee grinds on your plants or into the compost, but did you know you can use leftover coffee in the garden? Check out this article from TLC Use Diluted Coffee to Fertilize Plants.

 

[zigs]

Just read an article in a gardening mag about using coffee to kill slugs, they say you need filter coffee which has the highest caffeine levels, its sprayed onto the soil around the plants.

The article stated twice that its illegal to do this in the EU. Wonder where they carried out their experiment Mind you, we have the channel islands nearby, they're not in the EU.