Liquid Fish Emulsion Fertilizers: Effective, Organic, and Sustainable

By Tina Hull

What fish and parts of the fish are used for making fish fertilizer? By-products or waste materials from various types of fish are used. And although technically several varieties of fish can be used, mostly Menhaden fish that contain few amounts of meat and used for making animal feed are used.

The first step is to cook the fish and to squeeze its juice and oils by pressing. The oil is removed while the leftover solids can be ground and baked into protein meals and fed to animals. The juice of the fish is brought to a boil until it becomes more concentrated and results in a fish emulsion.

To prevent decay and gas fermentation, a minute quantity of phosphoric acid is mixed with the fish emulsion. However, this mixture is still considered organic since the preservative is below 1%.

Although formulations vary, fish emulsion liquid fertilizer typically contains approximately four to five percent nitrogen (N), two percent phosphorus (P), two percent potassium (K), and trace elements. Trace elements, also called micronutrients, are chemical elements that plants need in minute quantities in order to thrive.

Adventurous gardeners make their own liquid fertilizer from fish. It's a smelly, messy process, but it could be economical for gardeners with a ready supply of fish waste.

Fish emulsions stand out from the other natural- based fertilizers because of its speedy delivery of nutrients to plants. This makes them a great assistant for farmers and gardeners during seed planting and transplanting. Fish emulsions first need to be mixed with water before it can be applied on the soil or sprayed to the plant leaves.

Instructions must be followed in using fish emulsions as fertilizers because over-application can burn the roots of the plant. And be prepared for the strong odor but it wanes in a day or so. Since it is organic, the fertilizer must be used at once it has been diluted and it cannot be exposed to heat.

Production of liquid fish emulsions fertilizers is environmentally sound from start to finish. Only fish parts that are unused or are considered as waste by fish and feed processing companies are used. Thus, the use of fish emulsions organic fertilizers thus decrease toxins in our food and helps make zero waste possible.

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