Why fish as fertilizer?

[Primalclaws1974]

Many tribes of Native Americans that lived close enough to bodies of water, had used fish as fertilizer when they planted food. Squanto supposedly showed this technique to the white people in came in contact with. What made them do this? How could they have learned this from watching nature? It is easy to learn from another human being, but decidedly tough when you are a somewhat primitive people that have to learn it all on your own.

 

[DrCase]

I think it would be natural to bury something that stinks.

Then all someone would have to do is remember burying fish in the spot that's real green

 

[Cereus]

It's dual purpose really. They're putting what's essentially food waste to use by using it as fertilizer. Plus it keeps the smell of rot from attracting bugs and animals. We pretty much do the same thing right now with compost piles. I think over the years people have learned that the soil needs to be replenished after planting or else it becomes barren. There's techniques where fields are left fallow and certain crop rotation in order to keep land viable for production.

 

[headfullofbees]

Fish, blood and bone is still my favourite all-round fertiliser, the blood and bone come from fish too.

 

[claudine]

I think they learned it by chance.
If I started to bury fish in my garden, my Yorkie would become the happiest dog in the whole world He loves fish and he's great at digging.

 

[zigs]

Yep, trial and error is the usual way.

Someone found out that if you put fish remains in ash and wee wee it breaks it down and makes it easily available for plants too

Don;t ask me how they worked that out

 

[Primalclaws1974]

I have heard that if you dilute your pee to about 10% urine and 90% water, it makes a great fertilizer. That may be true, but I would have a hard time eating vegetables I knew grew in pee, even if it was my own! Likewise, I could not use feces of any sort. I don't think I want to know if store-bought fertilizers contain such things.

 

[zigs]

I have heard that if you dilute your pee to about 10% urine and 90% water, it makes a great fertilizer. That may be true, but I would have a hard time eating vegetables I knew grew in pee, even if it was my own! Likewise, I could not use feces of any sort. I don't think I want to know if store-bought fertilizers contain such things.

Blimey Claws, don't ever go to a farm, you'd end up starving yourself to death

All soil is made up from organic matter, be it poo, dead bodies, rotting fish, dead plants.

Otherwise it would just be rock dust made up of minerals.

Yes you could grow plants in just rock dust, but they wouldn't do brilliant, it's the organic matter that holds the moisture and nutrients that the rain would otherwise wash out.

When I was about 7 I had to live with an Aunt and Uncle, my Uncle used to kid us that he fed his Tomatoes on Sheep's wee

Met him again at a Funeral last year and asked him what it actually was, he said he'd found an old Septic tank and was using that to feed them

They were some good Tomatoes

 

[zigs]

Found a pile of composted human poo a while back, covered in tomato plants as the seeds survive being eaten.

The farmers spread it on the fields before planting the next crop

 

[steve bossie]

Urine is sterile as it comes out of the animal or person. It doesn't take long before bacteria colonize it due to the high nitrogen. Fish are also high in nitrogen . They should compost pretty quick.

 

[Fernsdaddy]

For those old enough to remember houses, they use to get moved every few years when they were filled up and the area was use for a garden, seems like every thing was tossed down the hole in the out house.

 

[Corzhens]

There is one nursery farm that we went to some years back. It has lots of trees, big and small, plus some vegetables. The business is to sell their products, from seedlings to harvests. I noticed a small fish pond with some fresh water fish. It measures about 5 by 10 meters maybe. I thought the fish was for their food. But the purpose of that fish pond is to use the water as fertilzed irrigation. The water in that pond is rich in minerals that plants love, that is according to the caretaker. So if you have a big land then it is good to have a small pond for the fish that can provide food and fertilizer.

 

[Pat]

I have found the fish water to be very good for my plants. The smell is horrible but it works.

 

[neoclix]

Fish gills is a natural fertilizer,specially if you put it in a permentation process.If there's someone wants to try the process just put your fish gills in a container,put a liquid sugarcane called molases(if you don't have the molases sources,brown sugar is good alternative).

Mix it together with fish gills,this will removed the bad odor.Then cover and sealed it for three weeks for permentation process.

After three weeks,you already have Fish Amino Acid organic fertilizer.Just put a cup of it in every 12L of water,and you are ready to go.

 

[Douglas Gossard]

I use fish fertilizer as a foliar spray, stinks but works wonders. (esp. for my neighbors)