An old Indian trick...putting fish in the ground

[JustSumTomatoes]

With the Crappie fishing picking up in the near future I'm going to hopefully be enjoying many fish dinners. Once cleaned I'll have plenty of fish carcasses left, which normally just get thrown away...but an idea popped into my head. What if I put them into the ground as fertilizer just like the Native Americans did?

Obviously there are many fish based fertilizers out there and the fish will be high in nitrogen and calcium. Critters are drawn to it but if I put the fish farther down in the hole and drop them a month prior to planting I'm hoping I wont run into too many problems as my garden is also surrounded by chicken wire fencing.

Has anyone else tried this before? I figured I'd go ahead and give it a try this season.

 

[xxPeacePipexx]

Been doing it since I learned about this watching my mother burying the scaps of salmon every fall deeply under the gardens. The only thing I have not liked about this is the scent of the fish that can be detected in the first initial crop. It's a lot like using fish emulsions, anyone who has used knows what I'm talking about. Otherwise this really is a catalyst for a super charged growing bed if you take the time and don't mind things being a little fishy..

 

[GOT_BUD?]

I did that with carp I caught in my youth. Buried them in mom's garden.

Next year we had awesome veggies.

I have to imagine hugelkulture beds mixed with some added fish carcasses would be a real winner.

 

[troutman]

If you try this idea in a guerilla setting get ready to have animals dig them up.

 

[Dog Star]

Yes wild pigs will be all over it... friend used fishmeal in forest and founded
huge holes,pigs eated soil beside plants...

Only if garden is protected with fence,than there is logic to made this move with
fish in a ground.. but Stinging Nettle extract looks to me better than underground fish,
Nettles grow everywhere..

 

[troutman]

You could always use a new Indian trick.

Eat the fish and poop it out. Then nobody will dig anything up.

 

[BOMBAYCAT]

I fed a outdoors patio plant with fish emulsion and it only lasted a few nights before the damn Raccoons dug it up looking for the fish. They also tore up the garlic in the garden one year. This is in a suburb of a major city.

 

[JustSumTomatoes]

You could always use a new Indian trick.

Eat the fish and poop it out. Then nobody will dig anything up.

Hahaha knowing the raccoons around here they would love the smell of my shit and dig that up too. I mixed a bone meal based fertilizer in with soil last year and the bastards nearly dug up every plant. One even showed up for more action while I was out there repairing the plants and holes.

 

[big315smooth]

worked a campground when younger had cleaning station for salmon. way back in property we would backhoe huge holes and dump 1000 of gallons of the scrap fish and cover it. wonder how that stuff would be to dig up and use its gotta be 14-15 years old. what a horrid stench it was

 

[Drewsif]

I've tasted and even smelled so much fish bud, I'll find my protein based ferts elsewhere.

 

[Treevly]

The plants would love fish, as would cats, dogs, foxes, coyotes, wolves, raccoons, possums, bobcats, pigs, and species I haven't thunk of. Bloodmeal: same thing. It keeps deer and rabbits away and attracts carnivores like ninety.

 

[scouts]

great idea, except it attracts every animal under the sun like other posters have mentioned.

 

[St. Phatty]

I'm about to bury a deceased pet bird & was planning to plant a fig tree on top of her.

Seems to work well, last year one of my best performing apple trees was the one planted on top of the compost pile with roadkill deer remains buried underneath.

I'm not sure the exact depth to escape being dug up ... but DEEP !

 

[f-e]

We dig 6' for a reason

 

[JustSumTomatoes]

Maybe if I use the ashes of a deceased family member/friend I'll be able to communicate with them after consuming the bud? Probably would have lots of potassium in it.

 

[Chunkypigs]

I've always used fish products outdoors, usually in meal form, and seldom get harassed in my garden by predators, try it out, there were plenty of wild animals around in the Indian days too...

 

[Treevly]

Maybe if I use the ashes of a deceased family member/friend I'll be able to communicate with them after consuming the bud? Probably would have lots of potassium in it.

Potassium

By the way, the richest source of potassium is ground-up possum.

 

[TheScorpion]

I've placed a dead sunfish under each plant the past two seasons and have never had them dug up, but then, my green pets are always behind a fence.

It works!
Once the roots make it down to the decomposing matter, it's already giving off organic nutrients that won't ever burn your plant.
I love doing this, and as soon as I get the soil in pots and ready for planting, I go down to the local pond and catch a dozen or so bluegills/redears/bream... whatever there is too much of.

The strains I grow don't really LIKE being fed fertilizers, but they DO love the compost I make ad add to the soil before each season, including the fish at the bottom of the hole.