How to Fertilize Vegetables With Fish Emulsion

Fish emulsion is an organic fertilizer that is high in nitrogen. If you are growing organic vegetables or just need a simple fertilizer for your home vegetable garden, fish emulsion may be a good option. This fertilizer is released rapidly, so it is useful early in the season, when delayed-release fertilizers are not yet effective. Fish emulsion is more expensive than synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, but synthetic fertilizers cannot be used in organic gardens.

Instructions

1. Mix one tablespoon of fish emulsion with one gallon of water.

2. Pour the diluted fertilizer solution over the soil around your vegetables. Fertilize in the morning or evening, but not during the hottest part of the day.

3. Water your vegetables thoroughly after fertilizing. You can fertilize your vegetables with fish emulsion once a week, or as needed, throughout the summer.

Tips & Warnings

• Many gardeners use fish emulsion early in the season and switch to fish meal or bone meal later in the season.

• Seaweed extract is a good complementary fertilizer. Dilute seaweed extract at the same one tablespoon to one gallon of water ratio, and use the solution at the same time as your fish emulsion mixture to provide balanced nutrition for your vegetables.

References

• The Organic Gardener: Fish Emulsion and Fish Meal
• University of Minnesota Extension: Maintaining Soil Fertility in and Organic Fruits and Vegetable Crops System