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

The main bed I've put them in is roughly 20x24. I've been doing it for a few years. What happens is that my brothers ice fish, so they save all their guts for me, and i just build up a good pile. In spring they thaw out, my garden thaws out and I bury them about a foot down. My nutrient levels are probably through the roof. Its amazing that most of the fish is just tossed in the garbage. You guys are right about animals. I swear my neighbor dog was digging in my fish guts a few years back after i had buried them. An option would be to put down a big board or some heavy fencing (cattle panel) over the top of the guts for a few weeks.

Anniew, I'm not sure if it is a proportioner or not. Can you help me out? I found the documentation that came with the feeder on the web. It is here: http://www.lillymiller.com/labels/Alaska/09300011.pdf Documentation on the fish emultion is here: http://www.planetnatural.com/site/alaska-fish-fertilizer.html Squeeze, Good point. So what application rate is a good starting point? I suppose you should know a little about my soil: - Clay loam structure - 4 - 8 inches of well composted horse manure - Vegetables include tomatoes, beets, bell peppers, hops, kale, swish chard, herbs, carrots, eggplants, kol rhabi, arugula, etc... I'm looking to simply augment the horse manure during the growing season. I was mixing 1 gallon batches and direct feeding, but the garden has gotten huge and just don't have time to hand water the whole thing so I was hoping to spray feed the fish emulsion. Thanks for all the replies so far :) Here is a link that might be useful: Documentation for feeder

Don't be a slave to numbers, unless it's fun for you. I get the impression from some of your postings here that you tend to stress out about all the little factoids of organic gardening and composting. (you've said you were going crazy over it in fact) People have been growing fantastic food without tracking the percentages of micronutrients since the dawn of time. The stuff that plants really need to grow can be found in...plants. They incorporate it into foliage, etc. Compost that stuff, and you should have what you need. You're right if you're thinking that some of those micronutrients are at levels that just probably won't help anything at the dilution rate for fertilizing as listed on the bottle (even "micro" nutrients have a level at which they're not really contributing). I love how everyone talks about the numbers of micronutrients in their products. Anyone know how many micronutrients are in a compost pile of shredded leaves and coffee grounds? How about just shredded leaves? I'm guessing lots. I'll guess "lots". I can't blame the companies that list numbers of micronutrients- from the number of people here that say "ooh- this one has 70!", or whatever- it seems to sell the product. Neptune's Harvest has a good reputation, so if they sell a little more, then good for them! I drove to Hampton Beach and picked up 2 kitchen bags of seaweed. Made a thick tea with some of it and composted the rest. Why did I get it at all? We were there (my little dogs love the beach). Free compostables. You could do the same and not worry about numbers- percentages matter little when you have lots of material (low percentage times larger amount still means more total nutrient added). Reports that I've read make all sorts of claims about disease resistance and other stuff for seaweed/kelp micronutrients. I don't have any plant disease problems, but hey- it was free and probably won't hurt.