fish carcasses form fertilizer - Page 2

augiedog55 · January 19, 2012

With catfish you have to watch the spikes right behind both gills too. They are like the one that comes out the top fin.. They will put the hurt on you if you sare not careful

January 19, 2012

Many moons ago I had a buddy... who put fish carcasses underneath his "cough" plants. The racoons tore every one of them up getting at the fish. He put more fish carcasses in and replanted his "plants" and the racoons came back and destroyed them all [for the most part].
If you do have racoons in your area... I would keep a vigilante eye out to see what happens.

My garden is on a farm so I can dispose of racoons if they become a nuisance [because of our grain operation]. And raccoon poop carries diseases that can be transferred through hay consumption to animals.
So whether you live-trap your raccoons and remove them to another area, or you shoot them, or you choose to wrestle with them in various ways, one should address their presence in or near your garden(s) that has fish scraps.
My friend's uncle used to shoot the racoons with a BB gun to scare them off. It was his funny little way of "bonding" with the racoons. He did this for years. But this would not be practical in a garden operation designed to bring in family income. Of course, certain tactics will depend upon a myriad of factors.
In any case, these things must be taken into account when a garden for food, or income is being planted.
You can "have fun" dealing with the raccoons, or you can "be serious"; it depends upon your situation.
The prices for raccoon furs also must be taken into account. For many years, going on 15 I believe, fur prices have been WAY down. This has resulted in an overpopulation of raccoons, and thus disease and rabid raccoons have been way up in numbers. In my area we keep a watchful eye on our raccoons.
But for the most part we let the raccoons do their thing and leave them alone. So please think about these things before you put fish in your garden. I am sure the Indians had to address this situation too.

bower · February 15, 2012

Different kinds of fish have to be used differently - the oilier the fish, the longer it takes to break down.

We have a fish here called caplin that is important for farmers, because it breaks down really fast. We use them to trench the potatoes in late June or July by piling the fish around the plants then covering with a shovel of soil. By the time you dig the potatoes in the fall, there isn't a trace of the fish, not even a bone.

I've buried all kinds of fish in my garden, with the oiliest being mackerel and salmon. You have to bury them deep so the roots won't contact it during the growing season, or bury in the place you will plant the next year. Great for perennials, but can take a long time to fully break down. Especially here, where it's cold.

To avoid trouble from animals, make sure you bury the fish clean with no scraps left around or too near the surface, rinse your tools and buckets and pour that into a hole and cover as well. Use a hose or sprinkler to water the garden after you buried fish, to take the scent away.

Tracydr · February 16, 2012

You could ALS compost the scraps, then put the compost in the garden. Maybe that would be the easiest way to avoid predators. Easier to block the compost pile off then the garden?

Tracydr · February 27, 2012

I buried a pound of smelt that my pets didn't want. I didn't bury it very deep,in a corner of the garden. Never saw a sign of it again.
I think fish melts away pretty quickly.

bower · February 27, 2012

One time I was offered 3/4 of a metric ton of caplin that was going to be dumped at the fish plant. It took me ten days to bury it all in my garden, working from dawn until sunset each day. It was pretty smelly at the end, but that was the last I ever saw of it.

On the other hand, I buried a few mackerel in a spot one year, and when I dug there to plant the following year they were nearly good as new. :/

TnMurph · February 28, 2012

I'm in the same spot as augiedog in that I've got to figure out the best way to utilize all the fish carcasses left over after I fillet them. It seems a waste to put them too deep for the plants to use, but I'm new to all of this. We are talking a LOT of fish so any ideas are good to give a try.

I don't know how tomato roots spread horizontally and vertically, but want to make the best use of a great resource! Being totally new to grow veggies, I am up for experimenting so just throw out some ideas and we can give it a go!

bower · February 29, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by TnMurph

I'm in the same spot as augiedog in that I've got to figure out the best way to utilize all the fish carcasses left over after I fillet them. It seems a waste to put them too deep for the plants to use, but I'm new to all of this. We are talking a LOT of fish so any ideas are good to give a try.

I don't know how tomato roots spread horizontally and vertically, but want to make the best use of a great resource! Being totally new to grow veggies, I am up for experimenting so just throw out some ideas and we can give it a go!

Well, except for very oily fish waste (salmon, mackerel) this is what I would do: I assume your tomato transplants are in 4" pots. Dig your hole 6" deeper than you intend to plant. Spread some fish waste at the bottom of the hole, not more than a couple inches of fish and cover that with 3-4 inches of soil. The tomato seedling can be planted on top, but the roots should be protected from direct contact with the unrotted fish, or it will burn them. By the time the roots have grown down to the fish, the flesh parts will be decomposed, and the bones don't matter, they can break down more slowly and supply some N and P during the season. In fact, plain bones can be crushed and dug into the soil without worrying about root contact.

Another method would be to dig a trench next to the row where you intend to plant your tomatoes, maybe 18" deep, pour the fish waste into the trench and cover with a foot of soil. Leave six inches between your tomato transplant hole and the fish trench, so that the fish has time to rot before root contact.

willyb · February 29, 2012

Fish is one of the best. Takes 2 months in a warm climate and a year here in Canada. Talking from experianece, compost it in the back fourty as far as possible from your next door friends. Also dig a 12" hole under your planned tomato location, stuff in the fish and some lime or bonemeal. Stand back!

TnMurph · March 1, 2012

Stand back - lol! Thanks for the ideas. I was thinking some lime would help, but not sure how much or what kind. I have dolomitiic I believe. Would that be good and about how much per pound of fish?

willyb · March 2, 2012

Dolimite is the best. Sorry, I don't measure things. I dust on lime until the fish is mostly covered.

January 19, 2012	#17
WillysWoodPile Guest Posts: n/a	Many moons ago I had a buddy... who put fish carcasses underneath his "cough" plants. The racoons tore every one of them up getting at the fish. He put more fish carcasses in and replanted his "plants" and the racoons came back and destroyed them all [for the most part]. If you do have racoons in your area... I would keep a vigilante eye out to see what happens. My garden is on a farm so I can dispose of racoons if they become a nuisance [because of our grain operation]. And raccoon poop carries diseases that can be transferred through hay consumption to animals. So whether you live-trap your raccoons and remove them to another area, or you shoot them, or you choose to wrestle with them in various ways, one should address their presence in or near your garden(s) that has fish scraps. My friend's uncle used to shoot the racoons with a BB gun to scare them off. It was his funny little way of "bonding" with the racoons. He did this for years. But this would not be practical in a garden operation designed to bring in family income. Of course, certain tactics will depend upon a myriad of factors. In any case, these things must be taken into account when a garden for food, or income is being planted. You can "have fun" dealing with the raccoons, or you can "be serious"; it depends upon your situation. The prices for raccoon furs also must be taken into account. For many years, going on 15 I believe, fur prices have been WAY down. This has resulted in an overpopulation of raccoons, and thus disease and rabid raccoons have been way up in numbers. In my area we keep a watchful eye on our raccoons. But for the most part we let the raccoons do their thing and leave them alone. So please think about these things *before* you put fish in your garden. I am sure the Indians had to address this situation too. Last edited by WillysWoodPile; February 27, 2012 at 07:20 AM.

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January 19, 2012	#16
augiedog55 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: oak grove mo Posts: 406	With catfish you have to watch the spikes right behind both gills too. They are like the one that comes out the top fin.. They will put the hurt on you if you sare not careful

February 15, 2012	#18
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	Different kinds of fish have to be used differently - the oilier the fish, the longer it takes to break down. We have a fish here called caplin that is important for farmers, because it breaks down really fast. We use them to trench the potatoes in late June or July by piling the fish around the plants then covering with a shovel of soil. By the time you dig the potatoes in the fall, there isn't a trace of the fish, not even a bone. I've buried all kinds of fish in my garden, with the oiliest being mackerel and salmon. You have to bury them deep so the roots won't contact it during the growing season, or bury in the place you will plant the next year. Great for perennials, but can take a long time to fully break down. Especially here, where it's cold. To avoid trouble from animals, make sure you bury the fish clean with no scraps left around or too near the surface, rinse your tools and buckets and pour that into a hole and cover as well. Use a hose or sprinkler to water the garden after you buried fish, to take the scent away.

February 16, 2012	#19
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	You could ALS compost the scraps, then put the compost in the garden. Maybe that would be the easiest way to avoid predators. Easier to block the compost pile off then the garden?

February 27, 2012	#20
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	I buried a pound of smelt that my pets didn't want. I didn't bury it very deep,in a corner of the garden. Never saw a sign of it again. I think fish melts away pretty quickly.

February 28, 2012	#22
TnMurph Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: NW Tn Posts: 8	I'm in the same spot as augiedog in that I've got to figure out the best way to utilize all the fish carcasses left over after I fillet them. It seems a waste to put them too deep for the plants to use, but I'm new to all of this. We are talking a LOT of fish so any ideas are good to give a try. I don't know how tomato roots spread horizontally and vertically, but want to make the best use of a great resource! Being totally new to grow veggies, I am up for experimenting so just throw out some ideas and we can give it a go!

February 29, 2012	#24
willyb Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Sherwood Park Alberta Canada Posts: 147	Fish is one of the best. Takes 2 months in a warm climate and a year here in Canada. Talking from experianece, compost it in the back fourty as far as possible from your next door friends. Also dig a 12" hole under your planned tomato location, stuff in the fish and some lime or bonemeal. Stand back!

March 1, 2012	#25
TnMurph Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: NW Tn Posts: 8	Stand back - lol! Thanks for the ideas. I was thinking some lime would help, but not sure how much or what kind. I have dolomitiic I believe. Would that be good and about how much per pound of fish?

March 2, 2012	#26
willyb Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Sherwood Park Alberta Canada Posts: 147	Dolimite is the best. Sorry, I don't measure things. I dust on lime until the fish is mostly covered.