Hello.
I've been researching some info on Fish Hydrolysate. A horticulture teacher was advocating it as a liquid fertilizer over fish emulsion.
He explained that it had 'better properties' than fish emulsion, only it was more expensive and harder to source.
I've (only) recently looked it up, and found similar claims and explanations:
(from http://www.nofrillsfertilisers.com.au a local manufacturer of fish hydrolysate )
(from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_hydrolysate)
Sorry if this should be in the fertilizer forum, but I thought it'd be more appreciated here...
anyone ever used this stuff? any problems?
any extra info?
I've been researching some info on Fish Hydrolysate. A horticulture teacher was advocating it as a liquid fertilizer over fish emulsion.
He explained that it had 'better properties' than fish emulsion, only it was more expensive and harder to source.
I've (only) recently looked it up, and found similar claims and explanations:
(from http://www.nofrillsfertilisers.com.au a local manufacturer of fish hydrolysate )
NF Hydrofish is 100% pure fish. It is made by an enzyme digestion process that produces a pure hydrolysate. No water is added. It is made from Australian processed wild caught Tuna, from a sustainably harvested catch.
Fish hydrolysate is better and more effective than a fish emulsion. This is because emulsions have been cooked to remove valuable oils. This process denatures the protein. NF Hydrofish is packed full of natural proteins, amino acids, vitamins and trace elements. They are natural chelating agents that make nutrients immediately available to plants and also stimulate soil microbes.
(from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_hydrolysate)
Fish hydrolysate, in its simplest form, is ground up fish carcasses. After the usable portions are removed for human consumption, the remaining fish body, which means the guts, bones, cartilage, scales, meat, etc., is put into water and ground up. Some fish hydrolysate is ground more finely than others so more bone material is able to remain suspended. Enzymes may also be used to solubilize bones, scale and meat. If the larger chunks of bone and scales are screened out, calcium or protein, or mineral content may be lacking in the finished product form. If purchasing fish hydrolysate for agricultural applications, one should look at the label carefully for the concentration of mineral elements in the liquid. Some fish hydrolysates have been made into a dried product, but most of the oil is left behind in this process, which means a great deal of the functional food component would be lacking.
Comparison with fish emulsion:
If fish hydrolysate is heated, the oils and certain proteins can be more easily removed to be sold in purified forms. The complex protein, carbohydrate and fats in the fish material are denatured, which means they are broken down into less complex foods. Over-heating can result in destruction of the material as a food to grow beneficial organisms. Once the oils are removed and proteins denatured and simplified by the heating process, this material is called a fish emulsion. The hydrolysate process has substantially lower capital and production costs compared to fish emulsion production.
Sorry if this should be in the fertilizer forum, but I thought it'd be more appreciated here...
anyone ever used this stuff? any problems?
any extra info?