A good friend of mine after a days fishing.

Fish Emulsion is my favourite additive for my Organic Garden, it has a multitude of advantages, it isn’t just a great Liquid Fertiliser.

I grew Tomatoes and Runner Beans in a Commercial Greenhouse operation. Every week I applied a leaf spray of Fish Emulsion, man it stunk but I never had a Pest problem for the entire crop, something that is unheard of in a Greenhouse environment. It was always applied at the end of a day to ensure it dried slowly and the smell had mostly worn off by the morning!

Toward the end of the crop, I applied a BT for a few caterpillars that had settled on top of a handful of plants, apart from that there wasn’t a single Gremlin to be seen. (BT is an Organic Insecticide, Dipel is a common brand name)

Fish Emulsions Pest Deterrent effect comes from its oil content, using the right Fish Fertiliser is important as they are not all created the same.

Use a product that is pure Fish Emulsion or Fertiliser, no added Nutrients which dilutes the oil content. Read the label, if it says Fish “based” Fertiliser it means that Nutrients have been added to the Natural product. The Oil content is critical to a successful result for Pest Resistance. Choose a brand that advertises the fact that it is completely natural with no additives. Deep sea fish is best but not completely essential.

The Oil leaves a film on the plant that gives the Pest deterrent effect, I am not completely sure how it works but I just know it works. I think the Oil also has the same effect as a White Oil, it suffocates smaller Insects and kills any Insect eggs that may have been laid on the plant but without the harshness that White Oil has.

In greenhouse culture, White Fly is a given, but I never had a single fly, to the point where a Consultant that called in from time to time just didn’t believe me that I hadn’t sprayed any Chemical Insecticides.

The key is to keep the sprays regular, don’t wait until Pests turn up to start applying, get on the front foot right from day one, I grew my own plants and used the Fish Emulsion from germination onwards.

As a Fertiliser again I have had and continue to get really great results using Liquid Fish Fertiliser as a plant food. As a natural product, it can be used with regularity without fear of burning or over dosing your plants as can be the case with Chemical fertilisers.

It is an excellent soil conditioner as well, apply liberally to the soil to feed both the plant and soil to boot.  The Natural content feeds the soil microbial life creating an environment that is conducive to good root growth and those roots ability to mine Nutrients from the soil.

If you were to have only one Fertiliser in your Garden shed make it Fish Emulsion because it is my belief that it is the perfect all-round addition to your Organic garden.

Be Happy,

Barry.

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