It's a little scary that people read what I post.I just till it into my garden. In a garden it is 1/2 to 1 pound for ever 50 sq feet.
For a potted plant I would use a small amount (probably half a teaspoon) and mix it into the soil if I were repotting. If I weren't repotting, I'd just mix it into the water. It is a slow release fertilizer. It takes 30-60 days to release into the soil.
Native Americans used to simply place a whole fish in the soil a few inches under the seeds, I think. Since the meal isn't the whole fish, tilling it into the soil seems the sensible thing to do!
Yes Sage, you are right about this. Have you heard about the 3 sisters? It is companion planting that I read about involving fish.
Legend has it that the native americans taught the pilgrims to grow things as three sisters. It includes corn, beans and squash. A small dead fish was dropped into each hole before the corn was planted.
I'd heard the beans / corn / squash combo described as the three sisters before, but never heard about the addition of the fish before. I imagine my cats would dig the dead fish back out before they had a chance to do the plants any good at all!!
Originally Posted by Green-Moo
LOL!
I think sprinkling a little cayenne pepper around the garden would keep those pesky cats from doing any digging! You could also plant catnip in an area far removed from the garden to draw their attention away.
I didn't know about the cayenne pepper SageMother. Thanks for the tip. I'm not using whole fish, but sometimes the fishmeal does draw their attention.
I had never heard of burying the whole fish before. So this doesn't attract cats. I have one that comes around and would hate for him to start digging things up.
adding fish to your gardens
Burying fish when planting a garden is what the Native Americans taught the Pilgrims.
Rose White, author
"Easy Gardens A to Z"
Thanks very much for the guidance, mom2manyboyz. Since I originally posted this thread I've found another big bag in the shed, so I'm doubly grateful! I'll do it your way. Can you put it down on grass too or do you think that would be a waste? I've no idea if it's expensive or not but if it is, the grass can do without LOL.It's a little scary that people read what I post.
For a potted plant I would use a small amount (probably half a teaspoon) and mix it into the soil if I were repotting. If I weren't repotting, I'd just mix it into the water. It is a slow release fertilizer. It takes 30-60 days to release into the soil.
Love the three sisters story too, thanks for sharing that! That was new to me.
I believe it runs around $5.00 per pound. I don't know about the grass. I don't think I would put it directly on the grass. If I had an area of weeds that I had tilled in the spring to replant grass seed, I might add some fishmeal during the tilling process.
Good luck
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