They love it.

Very good boost for soil fertility.

Also great as a foliar spray. It definitely feeds the plant and some of us think that, when sprayed regularly, it helps control/reduce diseases like black spot.

It is good for many plants, not just roses.

Just don't leave it where the dogs can get at it. They like it as much as the roses do, but after application, they don't smell near so purty.

We have a koi pond and every other week I change about 10-20% of the water. I open the valve and flood the entire backyard and the plants perk up so much (especially in late summer) that is really is a wonderful fertilizer. The water seems on the more acid side and the rhodo and magnolia love it. I will even bucket the water for newly planted/transplanted plants and it helps to conserve water and be better than water straight from the tap. I just have to be sure a goldfish or koi do not swim into the bucket (they hae no fear).

My roses love fish emulsion. I am not sure, but I think it might be a little acidic, because I also put some on my deep pink hydrangea and it began blooming purple. Could be coincidence, etc. But anyway, the roses love it, and it's gentle and organic. The scent is not that bad and doesn't last long ... a small price to pay for something the roses like so much.

Randy

There's only one draw back to using fish emulsion. It will draw raccoons & oppossums to your yard, and they'll dig up
your bushes, while trying to find the fish. I've had this happen too many times, so I've stopped using it.

When I do a partial water change to my aquarium I give the water to my houseplants. SLURRP.

Having difficulty finding a store that handles it. Has anyone seen it lately? Usually I get Alaska brand(?)
But if as Rayrose mentions, it attracts varmits, maybe I will reconsider...

Walmart started carrying Alaska brand in quarts last year. Most garden centers should have it, some hardware stores in larger metro areas too.

My roses love it also. I started a new feeding program last year of applying Rose Tone first in spring, and then after the first bloom is finished I feed every 3 weeks with nothing but fish emulsion.

We should point out that fish emulsion and pond or aquarium waste water are not the same thing. Fish emulsion is everything that's left over from processing edible fishes into food products, like guts, heads, fins... (hey, roses think it's yummy), pondwater is good aged water with some nutrients in it from fish waste - which is also valuable to your plants. but not nearly the same strength as fish emulsion.

Rob:)

I've find it at most big garden centers and big box stores. It smells like the beach after a big fish dieoff but the smell dissipates in a day or two. If used as a foliar spray it tends to leave an oily coating on the leaves which accounts for it's desease control attributes. In hot weather this can cause leaf burn so be careful not to apply to the foliage in hot weather. It's good anytime as a soil drench.

Great stuff. "Neptunes Harvest" has their own web site. They have GOOD stuff.

Big box stores (admitted they did carry fish emulsion but no longer do)and my hardware stores do not carry it but I will make a special trip down to the nearest Walmart to check it out. Will notice if any critter activity increases after I use it.
Brother Cadfael-are you spraying the foliage or drenching every 3 wks?
Greenhaven-do not stand over it when mixing with water-it really smells disgusting. One year I got deodorized but forget where and whether it was cost effective.
Thank you everyone for the help!

Tomatoes love fish too. A fish head in each planting hole and you will be BEGGING people to help you eat all your tomatoes.

Dazi,
Drenching, at recommended strength.

Rob

triple b, how often do you give fish emulsion to your tomatoes? I feed it to my roses every 2 weeks and they love it.

I grew up fishing every summer, and to me it smells just like a bait bucket!
I have bought mine at Lowe's and the hardware store.....And it's cheap!!!

Um I don't anymore. My ex husband is an avid fisherman and when we were married I used to keep all the fish heads and put them in the freezer over winter. (This is from ice-fishing trips). One biggish one or two small heads per hole.
The local fish shop guy is a bit of a capitalist and wanted to charge me over $10 for a bucket of fish scraps. SCRAPS. As in, what he would be throwing away otherwise. Heads, tails fins whatnot.
Guess I should find another fisherperson to befriend. (but NOT marry. I like my spouse I have right now, thank you)