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| I ahve been reading a whole lot of posts that recommend using fish emulsion, what ius this, and what does it do for your plants??
Thanks Tracy |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by hopefulauthor z5IL (My Page) on Sun, May 6, 07 at 14:46
| Hi Tracy..Fish Emulsion is used as a fertilizer via soil or foliar spray..I buy citrus from this one woman in Fl, and we got to talking on the phone..she sprays all her citrus w/fish emulsion and swears it keeps scale at bay. So,in autumn, as a last feeding/insecticide spray, I'll mist plants using 1 capful of fish emulsion per 16oz sprayer of water. Add fish emulsion, shake bottle, spray.. They sell two types, (several brands) one is odorless.. The standard type does emit a fishy smell, but doesn't last long. The odorless is less, fragrant..LOL.. It's an organic food and won't burn roots if overfed/ by accident. Though I don't recommend overfeeding w/any fertilizer..in fact I use half the dossage manufacturer lists on container.. I alternate fish emulsion on cactus/succulents/ferns.. I recived an olive tree via mail a few yrs back, which arrived w/scale..I didn't notice it at first..But once I did, I decided to follow the woman in Fl's advice and spray w/FE..it worked fine..No scale. But tracy, I don't use insecticides. For one, I have birds and they sometimes land on plants..I don't want to take the chance they fly on a plant sprayed w/chemicals..u know? Birds are sensitive so you really have to watch what you use around the house. Be it a cleaner or something for plants. ARe you going to buy it? It's sometimes sold at HD, but I order online..I find it cheaper in the long run. I think www.homeharvest.com is one place. www.plumeriapeople.com another..I order from PP because I buy a speical hibiscus ferilizer there (can't find it anywhere else) so when I run low on FE I throw it in..Toni |
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- Posted by trace00969 zone 2 (My Page) on Sun, May 6, 07 at 21:00
| I have been reading about people using and I wanted to know why, what are the benefits, although the scale thing is a good one. I use a weakened dertilizer already so I dont want to overdo it. Tracy |
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- Posted by hopefulauthor z5IL (My Page) on Sun, May 6, 07 at 21:13
| Tracy, if you happy with your fertilizer, there's no reason to change..but it really does rid scale. At least cut down the population. Though my olive is now scale-free. Thank goodness. LOL I'd think many people use it because it's organic instead of chemical.. Like I said, I use FE for palms, cactus and succulents. And in fall, I do foliar spray..Toni |
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| To answer your question, it is a low nitrogen, slow-release fertilizer with lots of micronutrients. Even the 'non-organic' folks should use it (or something like it) every once in a while. Many of the popular house plant fertilizers don't contain micronutrients. It's the 'oil' in fish emulsion that keeps the scale insects at bay. Should also work with mealies, spider mites, etc. ;-) |
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| Rhizo...would you say that Eleanor's VF-11 has similar micronutrients to FE? I've smelled that stuff and it's awful! At least out of the bottle...I'm sure it dies down like Toni said. Also, if it's the 'oil' that keeps the insects at bay, would Neem oil do the same thing in terms of keeping those creepers away? Thanks, Gabi |
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| I'm afraid that I don't know anything about the Eleanor's product. Neem acts in different ways than fish oil. It does provide some short term physical control (oil), but is most effective an an anti-feedant. Mites, scale, aphids, etc. just hate to feed on a plant that has absorbed some neem oil! |
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- Posted by hopefulauthor z5IL (My Page) on Tue, May 8, 07 at 14:56
| Gabi, I've never tried Eleanor's V11, but my friend uses and vows by it..she said her plants look fantastic since. Toni |
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| Gabi, I'm kinda skeptical of products that I have to HUNT to find a label, lol! It took a little while, but I finally found something with the ingredients in the Eleanor's product. That way, you can compare percentages with other micro products. When it comes to these minor elements, it really doesn't matter where it comes from...just as long as the plants have access to them occasionally. I don't see a single thing listed (in the attached link) that would make this product special at all, but perhaps it's not the complete ingredient list. I wish that someone who actually HAD a bottle of this stuff would list the active ingredients for us. ;-) |
Here is a link that might be useful: Ingredient list
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| I have been using Eleanor's for quite some time now, and I really do think it works wonders. I have no scientific evidence, but my plants have just improved so much since using it. And I've never seen so much growth. I use it both for soil fertilizing (with every watering, all year round), and also as a foliar feed. Rhizo, |
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| Here's info on the Alaska Fish Fertilizer: Alaska Fish Fertilizer is a 5-1-1 preparation. The following ingredients are from the bottle. Total Nitrogen is 5% |
Here is a link that might be useful: Alaska Fish Fertilizer
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| .15%-.85%-.55% Al, |
Here is a link that might be useful: VF-11
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| Thanks, mentha (this is rhizo from Alabama (Dorie) and not Al). I'm not interested at all in the product, but others may be. ;-) There would be no 'secret ingredient' in the product. It's simply that when we begin using some trace elements (FINALLY) on our poor captive house plants, they respond to it. I'm happy to stick with the fish emulsion, or whatever else I happen to have on hand. It's always fun to experiment, though. Especially when the results can be so rewarding. |
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| Sorry rhizo, For some reason I thought there were two Al's on this forum. My mistake :) I do use Eleanors and I love it, I'm lucky I live somewhere where there are places that sell it for $4 for half a gallon on sale about twice a year. So I stock up whenever it is. I know somebody who raises hoyas and epiphyllums that used to be on this forum who swears by it, and to look at her orchids and such, it would be well worth searching out. I also make my own fertilizer sometimes using the controversial beer formula, which also helps yellow deficient leaves recover. Surprisingly it doesn't make your house smell like a brewery either. |
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| Ok This is 2-1-2011 and on my bottle of Alaska Fish Fertilizer It doesn't say anything about Chlorine at all Are you guys sure it says 4 % ? |
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- Posted by phxplantaddict (My Page) on Tue, Oct 25, 11 at 17:36
| Yea baby!! |
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