DIY: Fish Emulsion

Fish makes for good fertilizer.

Fish emulsion is a commercially available fertilizer product for gardening. Applying fish emulsion to plants provides nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, the three ingredients in a complete fertilizer. Making your own fish emulsion results in a lower cost end-product than is commercially available, and homemade fish emulsion contains beneficial aerobic bacteria that commercial fish emulsions cannot provide, according to the Shenandoah Rose Society.

Things You'll Need

• 5 gallon bucket with lid
• Fish parts
• Brown material
• Epsom salts
• Molasses
• Paint stirrer
• Water

Instructions

1. Fill the 5 gallon bucket halfway with fish parts, including guts, bones, skin, flesh and heads.

2. Fill the remaining space in the bucket with organic brown material, such as sawdust, grass clippings, straw or leaves. Add 2 tbsp of Epsom salts and 1/4 cup of molasses. Combine the mixture using a large paint stirrer and secure the lid to the top of the bucket.

3. Allow the mixture to rot in the bucket for two weeks. Stir the mixture every other day to allow air into the emulsion.

4. Mix the emulsion with water at a rate of one part emulsion to two parts water. Use 3 gallons of completed mixture to fertilize 100 square-feet of garden.

Tips & Warnings

• The sugars in molasses aid in odor control.

References

• Shenandoah Rose Society: Making Your Own Fish Emulsion
• University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service: Make Your Own Complete Fertilizer