Uhhh why? What benefit do you think it would provide? Oil and soil isn't usually a good combo.

Dave

Just a vague idea that since it came from fish the plants might like it.
So no, then?

Why not just eat them yourself. As long as they aren't spoiled they should still be edible. They might have lost some of their potentcy, but something is better than nothing or wasting it on a compost pile.

Sounds like a great idea (and a new one to this forum, I think). Why chance eating rancid fish oil? By sinking the capsules in the garden an inch or two you'll get a slow release fertilizer, without attracting animals.

Fish oil is more like vegetable oil than motor oil. I don't see a problem with it decomposing harmlessly. Fish meal, liquid fish fertilizer and raw fish all have oils in them, which are the main source of their unique fragrance, I believe.

I put some expired Omega3,zinc,magnesium in my compost pile last winter.

I'd put them in the soil around your plants rather than the compost pile.

Deanna

I am certainly going to use my huge bottle of yucky fish oil pills on my garden. If fish emulsion and fish fertilizer are good for plants than fish oil certainly wont hurt them. I will first try this out on something less important to me than my tomato plants like my lemon balm, parsley etc. But, what the heck, go for it.

It won't hurt them but keep in mind that oil has basically no nutrients. Vegetable and animal oils are fatty acids - hydrocarbon chains with a weak acid group on one end similar to vinegar. Because of the long chain they are less acidic than vinegar. Anyway there is no N, P or K in fish oil except for maybe the traces of stuff that makes it smell fishy. I'd compost them as a carbon source.

I mixed my expired fish oil caps in the compost last fall. Had a lot of yard worms juveniles in it this spring, more than usual.

I had the same exact question. Have half a Costco jar full of expired fish oil pills, and am afraid to use them myself or even give to the cats since they are probably somewhat rancid. Did some googling and was happy to see, it seems that it could be beneficial in the garden. I hate throwing out supplements, and any type of animal product. Something gave it's life for that. The least we can do is try to put it to good use, instead of dumping it into the landfill.

Indeed. And the earthworms will have very healthy cardiovascular systems as a result. :-]

I’m going to make small holes around my plants, place, place my omega 3 capsules, then cover them up with soil. I am hoping that the watering will break them down and then feed the plant it’s nutrients.

I do , I cut mine in half and add them to my garlic water then let them soak together for the week and then add some of the jar to my dish soap and water to spray as a bug killer/ fertilizer for the lawn... my grass greens up fast.

If you remember your history of the pilgrims, when they planted it all died and local Indian tribe taught them to plant it with fish and their plants grew healthy … … would it be the same with fish oil?

No, because fish flesh contains protein which has a lot of nitrogen in it, and also bones which have a lot of phosphorus. That's 2/3 of the major NPK nutrients. Whereas oil is just fatty acids, which are nothing but carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. In composting, oil is a brown.