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Is Alaskan Fish Emulsion Fertilizer Worth Trying Out?
Azamax, neem oil, liquid seaweed, and bat guano are just a few examples of organic pesticides and fertilizers. As a result, it can be quite confusing to differentiate a proven
Please Read This -This article is a review of Alaska Fish Fertilizer, which Lilly Miller manufactures. It is a brand of organic fish fertilizer. Granted, it is a highly rated brand. Nether less, the fish byproducts used by Lilly Miller are not special, and fish are not even from Alaska.
Therefore, the description, pros, cons, etc., of fish fertilizer will be based on generic fish fertilizer and not specifically Alaska Fish Fertilizer. I will, though in a separate section, review the Alaska product.
Why Not Chemical Fertilizer?
Obviously, you can use both chemical and organic (“AKA synthetic”) fertilizer simultaneously. In fact, unless you are selling organic weed or you are, for whatever reason, opposed to synthetic fertilizers, you should consider chemical fertilizer. Therefore, I would highly suggest that you take a look at the end of this post, highlighting the pros and cons of chemical fertilizer.
The Three Types of Fish Fertilizer
There are three common ways that fish fertilizer is made. Fish emulsion, Fish Meal, and hydrolyzed fish. Each of these methods will be explained below.
- Fish Emulsion is a liquid fertilizer made from the liquid that remains after fish are processed for the market. It has the least nutrients of the three types; however, it is also the cheapest, and it is quite versatile.
- Fish Meal-It is made up of fish meal, which is ground up and dried fish. It comes in a powder or cake form and is known for being the slowest acting fish fertilizer, which isn’t necessarily negative.
- Hydrolyzed Fish– It is a commercially made form of fish fertilizer that is made into a compost tea. It is manufactured by a process where whole fish is partially digested via enzymes. A major advantage of this method is that all the fish is used to fertilize. Additionally, liquid seaweed and liquid kelp are often added.
Fish Emulsion Fertilizer -Alaska Fertilizer uses Emulsion. Therefore, unless stated otherwise, any fertilizer mentioned from now on will be Fish Emulsion Fertilizer
Why Fish Fertilizer?
Fish fertilizer helps with both soil health and fertility. Specifically, it provides the following benefits.
Slow Release
Fish fertilizer slowly releases nutrients into the soil. At first, slow-acting fertilizer seems like a negative. Slow-release fertilizer, though, for some purposes, is actually better than quick-release chemical fertilizer.
Another enefit is that slow-acting fertilizer before it becomes useful for plants must first be eaten and digested by microbes and other organisms like worms, beneficial fungi, and bacteria. This digestion results in more soil microbes and other good stuff (i.e.., beneficial bacteria and fungi) for your soil These microbes, and other organisms, break down nutrients. In turn, the breaking down of nutrients makes it easier for plant roots to be nourished.
As for soil fertility, it can provide these benefits and more.
- Natural-A natural source of 5-1-1 nutrients.
- Nutrient Burn– As the nutrients levels are less, and it is slow acting there is less chance of nutrient burn. (an OD of nutrient that can harm a plant or soil)
- Secondary Nutrients- Unlike synthetic fertilizers, fish fertilizers will, almost always, have secondary nutrients.
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Can You Assume that Fish Fertilizer is Organic?
It seems like a dumb question because, after all, fish is natural. So, you should rightfully assume that most fish-based, plant food would also be organic.
This assumption, though, can be wrong based upon two points. The first reason is that some aquatic fertilizer companies may add synthetic chemicals to their product. The second reason is that a certified organic product does not have to be 100% organic, as organic certification only requires that it be composed of only 99% natural products.
How is Fish Emulsion Fertilizer Made
It only takes three steps for emulsion.
1. Mix Up-A variety of fish are mixed into a slushy, stew-like solution.
2. Remove-Essential oils and fish meal are then removed from the solution.
3. Add– To ensure lower soil PH and prevent harmful microbes from growing, sulfuric acid is added.
Alaska Fish Fertilizer Review
Alaska Fish Fertilizer is under the Lilly Miller Brand and is affiliated or manufactured by Pennington Company. Per Lowe’s Alaska, fish comes from the Gulf of Mexico. So, the only relationship that this fertilizer has with Alaska is its name.
Nutrient Profile
Alaska fish fertilizer (5-1-1) has a nutrient ratio of 5% nitrogen, 1% phosphorus, and 1% potassium. Additionally, it contains numerous essential minerals like sulfur, magnesium, sodium, and calcium.
Ingredients
The type of fish used is Menhaden fish, which is a bony fish primarily from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.
PROS and CONS
PROS
• Safe– As It is slow release and its nutrients levels, at 5-1-1, are quite low, there is little chance of nutrient burn.
• Organically Certified-It is OMRI certified.
• High Ratings– It is very highly rated with over 400 reviews an overall rating of well above four.
• Versatile-It can be used in various ways, some of which are a foliar spray, soil amendment, and potentially a compost tea.
CONS
• Smell-It smells awful, which is expected as it is made from fish by-products.
• Expensive-Compared to other organic fertilizers, it is quite expensive. It is not as expensive as it looks as 2 tablespoons are mixed in a gallon of water, which covers 25 Sqft.
• Outdoor Use– It can be used both indoors and outdoors. However, because of the smell, it should only be used indoors in a grow tent.
• Gimmicky-Not a big issue, but I find that their marketing is a bit deceptive as the company doesn’t have any relationship with Alaska
• Unnecessary-One reviewer noted that Alaska Fish Fertilizer might work fine, but you can get the same results using cheaper, organic fertilizer.
Is Alaska Fish Fertilizer Recommended For Your Cannabis Plant?
All plants, which includes a marijuana plant, require nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. Alaska Fish Fertilizer provides all of these above nutrients. As a result, Alaska fertilizer will work as well on
Final Thoughts
Alaska Fish Fertilizer is a highly praised product that’s valued by both
APPENDIX
Pros and Cons of Chemical Fertilizers
PROS
• Cheaper-In comparison to its organic counterpart, chemical plant food can be considerably less expensive.
• Faster Results-Synthetic fertilizer nutrients are quickly absorbed into the soil and used by your plants. This means by using chemical fertilizer; you will get the results in days and not weeks.
• Ease of Use-Although Alaska is liquid. Most organic fertilizer comes in a powder that is easier to apply and mix.
CONS
• Limited Nutrients-Chemical fertilizers get their nutrients mostly from oil, rubble, and other substances. These non-renewable resources, unlike organic, only contain the three fertilizer nutrients of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
• Pollution-Synthetic pollution fertilizer runoff can cause nearby water sources to be overrun by algae, which in turn can fish and other lake-dwelling species to suffocate.
• Nutrient Burn-Chemical fertilizer is very potent. As a result, it can easily over-sprayed and cause instant damage like fertilizer burn, root burn, and damage your soil PH.
• More Applications-One of the advantages of chemical fertilizers is that they are quick acting. That advantage is also a disadvantage because it works quickly; chemical fertilizer also must be applied more.
• Heavy Metal Toxicity-Synthetic fertilizer has been shown to have toxic levels of cadmium and even led.
