Fish fertilizers are organic fertilizers that contain essential nutrients for your plants and lawn. There are different kinds of fish fertilizers, though, so you should carefully investigate any fish fertilizers you might purchase. The difference could be between a decent fertilizer with some nutrients and a great fertilizer that is packed with nutrients.

Kinds of Fish Fertilizers

The most common fish fertilizer is called fish emulsion. This is made from menhaden, an oily, bony fish that has little meat on it. The fish is cooked and then pressed for oils. These oils are used for cosmetics, paint and the like. Then the remaining fish is used for protein for animal feed for both livestock and household pets. What is left is made into fish emulsion for fertilizer.

Liquid fish fertilizer is concentrated, to be diluted later by the consumer. The fish used in liquid fish fertilizer are cold pressed to preserve the vitamins and minerals in the oil. The resulting product is called hydrolysate and is much richer in proteins, vitamins and minerals than fish emulsion. From this kind of fish fertilizer you get a much more powerful fertilizer, even more effective than most chemical fertilizers.

Most fish fertilizers will smell like fish, so be prepared to deal with that. When you're spreading fertilizer outside, it's usually not going to create a bothersome smell. Your pets, though, may be quite intrigued by the fishy smell. If you have a dog, you may find it digging through your garden looking for the fish. Try to keep pets out of any areas you've treated with fish fertilizer.