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From Fish to Fish Fertilizer
Yes, fish fertilizer started out as fish. There are three types of fish fertilizer on the market: organic which contains only .01% additive, amended fish fertilizer which contains more than .01% additives and enzymatic fish fertilizer which is cheaply manufactured.
The Organic Fish
All fish are organic, but only one type of fish is used in organic fish fertilizer. It is called menhaden and is about eight inches long and is found in the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean. It is an oily, bony little thing with almost no edible meat and is used only for fertilizer and as an additive in pet food.
The fish are caught, cooked and pressed to separate solids from liquids. The solids are processed into fish meal, animal feed and a few other industrial products while the liquids continue on their merry way to the magical land of fish fertilizer.
Although the liquid, called stickwater, from this inedible fish sound like humble stuff, pure fish oil is worth more on the market place than crude oil. The oil is separated from the heavier solubles in a centrifuge and the solubles are boiled to thicken into fish emulsion, the main ingredient in fish fertilizer.
Less than .01% of phosphoric acid is added to drop the pH to 4.5 or below. This prevents the solubles from decaying which creates gasses leading to a very bad smell and the danger of expanding in the container to the point where it could explode.
Fish emulsion can be used as flavoring for pet food, protein additive for farm animals, and for fish fertilizer. Once shipped to a fertilizer company, the pH is adjusted again, a deodorizing ingredient is added, and its mixed with the other ingredients and is bottled.
The Non Organic Fish
Amended fish emulsion is made in a similar way but has more than 1% synthetic additives, usually urea. It can be made from any type of fish since the pH levels and other requirements can be adjusted through additives.
The least expensive fish fertilizer is usually enzymatic. It uses enzymes to decay fish scraps. The oil is separated from the solubles and phosphoric acid is added to lower the pH to below 4 in order to kill the enzymes. Potash is then added to bring the pH level back up. It is usually manufactured and bottled in the same place, saving shipping expenses and thats how little fish become fish fertilizer for your plants to enjoy. |