I sprayed Neptunes Harvest fish/seaweed fertilizer on my blackberries for 3 years, but have since stopped. If you use it, make sure you don't forget to use soil fertilizer as well. If you use it as a foliar spray, it delivers nutrients to the leaves, but I (wrongly) backed off on the ground fertilizer thinking the nutrients were also getting down to the roots and my plants suffered over the long term because of it. Maybe since most vegetables are annual crops, this won't be an issue.

I use it regularly on outdoor stuff - have for years. I like it, though I really couldn't say I find it to be head & shoulders above stuff like Osmocote or MG. Though it makes no difference to plants where they get their nutrients from, in the back of my mind I have this feeling that the lower the concentration of fertilizer salts in a container, the less the likelihood of problems with water/nutrient uptake. Frequency of applications vary by plant. Because I am a bonsai grower, I often fertilize at and above recommended doses, but there are plants whose development I want to slow, too. In actuality, the best fertilizer program for best plant health doesn't usually include the inducing of the most robust growth. Heavily fertilized plants will usually be found to have less energy in reserve to fight off insects & infection with various pathogens. In addition, the highly succulent growth produced by heavy applications of nitrogen is favored by insects, making them a more likely target for infestations. Though some might argue the point, it is near impossible to keep containerized plants happy without supplemental nutrients (except for the small percentage that prefer a very spare soil). For most container growers (and I'm talking about the average Joe/Jill) a good policy would be to watch leaf color carefully. If you see signs of chlorosis, or venation, give the plant a half dose of your favorite balanced fertilizer. If, in a week or so, color doesn't improve, another dose is in order. Though the minors (micro-nutrients) are beyond the scope of your question, scarcity of certain elements, particularly in containers, can be a problem. I use a micro-nutrient frit in all my container soils, but as of yet, I have only found it in 50 lb bags & it is expensive (but dosage is small & a little really goes a long way). There is a major producer of fertilizer that has a liquid product on the market that advertises it contains the minor elements. Though I haven't tried it, I would really recommend you try it for containers & houseplants. I'm not sure, but I think Schultz makes it. Perhaps some one can help me here? Good luck. Al

I personally like to use fish/seaweed emulsion and blend in neem oil with an emulsifier (cheap soap). Neptune's harvest - which I personally prefer as it is a cold process type (retaining the moist micro/macros) and the least offensive smell. It's 2-3-1, but the thing is, you'll be applying it more often. It's also (supposedly) absorbed more effectively. I, personally, once a week mix up a tablespoon of neem oil with an emulsifier (I use dr. bronner's soap unscented), I generally use a tablespoon or less. I then mix in an 1/8 cup of fish/sea weed emulsion. This is then mixed into a gallon of water and I use it as a soak/spray for all my plants once a week. Usually late in the day towards sunset or first thing in the morning. I don't advise doing in the morning because the risk of photo-toxicity. I like the effect of neem mixed with it because it provides a harmful insecticidal defense as well as a pathogen defense and seems to keep the critters away from the otherwise tempting scent of fish emulsion. Here is a link that might be useful: more info than you can shake a stick at on the full nutrient profile of fish emulsion

Michaelg, I feed the roses that arrived last year as bands, and are planted, weakly weekly (hit or miss), with fish emulsion. I got it in my head somewhere that is was a fertilizer safe enough for me to use on the bands and own root 1 gallon roses. It is a real pain, as everything else is fed Rose Tone that goes around the bush root zone. Using Rose Tone is a much easier process compared to mixing up the fish emulsion in a 2 gallon bucket over and over, and dividing it among these own root roses planted in various places throughout my yard. I do not have a hose end sprayer, as all I saw at the big box store was a M.G. version that came complete with their fertilizer which I did not purchase. My poorly communicated evolving question is when can I stop using fish emulsion and feed all of the roses Rose Tone, or is it more beneficial to switch to fish emulsion/seaweed, or do some of you all go back and forth between both? Also, in the past, on established roses at previous homes, I used granular fertilizer, but never during June, July, through mid August. Are products like fish emulsion or Rose Tone safe to use when it is hot? I am guessing that the application rate is decreased if so? Lynn