Hi all,

I've never used fish emulsion and was wondering what the shelf life of
fish emulsion is once the bottle is opened? Also, I have a 1 gal.
sprayer. If I mix according to directions (1/4 tsp per gal. of water)
how long will the fish emulsion keep in the sprayer if I don't use all
of it in one watering?

Thanks,

Layne

sarcasm Oh, use it quickly or it will begin to smell bad!/sarcasm

Seriously, I've never had a problem with it 'spoiling', although an older
jug may have to have a little water added to make it less gloopy.

Dave

Layne wrote in message news
Hi all,

I've never used fish emulsion and was wondering what the shelf life of
fish emulsion is once the bottle is opened? Also, I have a 1 gal.
sprayer. If I mix according to directions (1/4 tsp per gal. of water)
how long will the fish emulsion keep in the sprayer if I don't use all
of it in one watering?

Thanks,

Layne

Layne wrote in message news
Hi all,

I've never used fish emulsion and was wondering what the shelf life of
fish emulsion is once the bottle is opened? Also, I have a 1 gal.
sprayer. If I mix according to directions (1/4 tsp per gal. of water)
how long will the fish emulsion keep in the sprayer if I don't use all
of it in one watering?

Thanks,

Layne

Once opened, the bacteria in the air, and in the bottle might start to grow
and break down the fish emulsion. Maybe it might stink a bit more. Organic
fertilizer doesn't go bad, if anything if it's started to rot, it means it
will be absorbed by the plants even faster.

Synthetic fertilizer doesn't go bad either, but it can absorb moisture, and
create clumps. Just break up the clumps, and it's good to use.

Snooze

Would refrigerating or perhaps freezing the fish emulsion bottle after
I open it be okay? Again, I'm thinking of ordering some online, but
I'm apprehensive if the fish emulsion will go bad quickly once I open
it and would like to know this before I buy and waste my money. I only
have a few plants on my balcony and even 10oz. will be a lot for me.

Thanks again!

Layne

On Tue, 15 Jun 2004 01:05:43 GMT, "Snooze"
wrote:

Once opened, the bacteria in the air, and in the bottle might start to grow
and break down the fish emulsion. Maybe it might stink a bit more. Organic
fertilizer doesn't go bad, if anything if it's started to rot, it means it
will be absorbed by the plants even faster.

Layne wrote:
Would refrigerating or perhaps freezing the fish emulsion bottle after
I open it be okay? Again, I'm thinking of ordering some online, but
I'm apprehensive if the fish emulsion will go bad quickly once I open
it and would like to know this before I buy and waste my money. I only
have a few plants on my balcony and even 10oz. will be a lot for me.

I just leave mine in the unheated storage closet that's on the balcony.
If the bottle's too full, the content can leak out when it expands as it
ferments more or if it freezes.

I still using my bottle and it seems to be working - it's not killing
the plants, and my lemon tree usually puts out a lot of flowers just
after getting a bit of the fish emulsion.

hope that helps!

Marj
--
Mediterranean Garden Advice and Shop: http://stores.tiefert.com/garden/
Also: http://www.mindspring.com/~mtiefert/...gardening.html
In Sunset zone 14-mild

Layne wrote in message . ..
Hi all,

I've never used fish emulsion and was wondering what the shelf life of
fish emulsion is once the bottle is opened? Also, I have a 1 gal.
sprayer. If I mix according to directions (1/4 tsp per gal. of water)
how long will the fish emulsion keep in the sprayer if I don't use all
of it in one watering?


It seems to have an indefinite shelf life in the bottle. I have had a
bottle for years--no problems yet.

However, once it is mixed, it should be used ASAP. I find that old
mixture tends to clog the sprayer more often than fresh does.


J. Del Col

Layne wrote in message ...
Would refrigerating or perhaps freezing the fish emulsion bottle after
I open it be okay? Again, I'm thinking of ordering some online, but
I'm apprehensive if the fish emulsion will go bad quickly once I open
it and would like to know this before I buy and waste my money. I only
have a few plants on my balcony and even 10oz. will be a lot for me.

Thanks again!

Maybe I didn't explain myself clearly, let me try to tell you this in a
different way.

Compost is good for plants, the best compost is well rotted, often for a
year or more. During the time that the compost is rotting, bacteria,
insects, mold, fungus and all kinds of microscopic creatures are eating the
plants in the compost pile, and turning it into compost.

Nobody says "oh this compost has gone bad, better toss it out, and make some
more", it's the same thing with fish emulsion. If it rots in the bottle, be
happy that the plants will be able to use the fertilizer faster.

Snooze