Blood Fish and Bone
I have noticed a lot of people mention that they use blood fish and bone. Could someone tell me what are the benefits of it? and when and how to use it please? I confess I have never used it because I was led to believe it attracted cats because of the 'fish' element, is this just a myth?
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It's a well-balanced, natural, slow-release fertilizer which is very gentle and doesn't burn the foliage or roots of plants like some of the chemical fertilizers do and it's relatively cheap. What's not to like really?
It can indeed cause foxes and other carnivores/omnivores to dig the soil up where it is used though - I think they believe there is carrion buried in the area. However, I don't see much of that at all here and lots of the aforementioned animals regularly visit my garden.
I use it and 'tickle' it into the ground with a hoe or rake - rain soon dissolves it and it loses any smell - we get the occasional visit from the neighbours' cats but there's no difference in the number of cats or visits whether I've used FB&B recently or not.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
all the dogs/cats/foxes love anything of animal origin. My neighbour's dog used to come over and eat from bags of 6X chicken manure.
In the sticks near Peterborough
It is indeed good for most plants but do watch if you have a dog.It may be obvious that dogs like bones but it is poison to them in this form and besides which you will find your garden dug up.
Thankyou all for your replies, may I ask when would be a good time to start using FB and B? and is it o.k to use around all garden plants and with all soil types? Mine is chalk.
I've never found it a problem to scatter it on the soil and as I've said 'tickle' it in with a hoe or rake and water it in or let the rain do it.
I've had many dogs in the past and they've never been interested in the flower beds when I've used it - I only use a light sprinkling and ensure it's watered in - and I've kept notoriously greedy labradors amongst other breeds.
Of course, it's important that quantities should be stored in a dog-proof/vermin proof container in a locked shed - as with all fertilisers.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
In drier weather and I think most soils are ok and certainly plants get a boost.
I use BFB at the beginning of a season, either scattered around perennials or shrubs and then tickled in, or as 100g per sq metre in the veg patch and forked in before planting or sowing seed.
Blood is fast acting source of Nitrogen and promotes leafy growth early in the season.
Fishmeal is medium acting and feeds through the season. The bonemeal is long acting/slow at breaking down, and helps root growth for older plants.
Meomye - Sometimes I think to decide what is the best fertilizers to use for a specific purpose, it pays to know what it consists of.
Blood fish & bone has an NPK rating of 5-5-6.....meaning it has 5% nitrogen (for leaf growth) 5% phosphates (for root growth) and 6% potash (for flower growth).
Which is really why it's known as a balanced fertilizer.