Yet, both of these naturally derived fertilizers can provide vital nutrients to your plants.
Blood meal and bone meal are commonly available in the fertilizer section of garden centers.
Both arevaluable soil amendments, but don’t assume they can be used interchangeably.
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Otherwise you might end up harming your plants.
When used properly, these productshelp plants form strong root systems and lush foliage.
What is blood meal?
Nitrogen is key tomany aspects of healthy plant growth.
Because blood meal is derived directly from a natural source rather than being manufactured, itsconsidered an organic fertilizer.
Some organic fertilizers are hard to quantify when it comes to nutrient make up.
Blood meal has a generally consistent chemical formulation of 12-0-0.
This formulation is blood meals Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Potassium (N-P-K) ratio.
It contains 12-percent nitrogen, 0-percent phosphorus, and 0-percent potassium.
Blood meals extended release period can be beneficial to plants when applied according to package directions.
Applying too much blood meal can flood the soil with nitrogen and burn your plants.
Always follow label instructions to avoid overdoing it.
What is bone meal?
As you might guess from the name, bone meal is derived from animal bones.
Blood meal is high in nitrogen while bone meal provides varying amounts of phosphorus and calcium.
The quantity of phosphorus and calcium, unlike nitrogen, is relatively stable in the soil.
Special note: mycorrhizae are particularly good at gathering phosphorus from the soil.
Too much soil phosphorus also can damage nearby water systems.
Excess phosphorus will run off in storm water or overflow fromirrigation systems.
Once it makes its way into freshwater systems, it promotes algae growth and degrades the water quality overall.
When to Use Bone Meal vs.
Soil tests can be done at any time of the year.
A soil test report will include levels of nutrients andrecommendations for soil amendments.
For easy math, lets assume the area you are fertilizing is 1,000 square feet.
Remember that blood meal’s N-P-K ratio generally is 12-0-0, or 12% nitrogen.
That means there are 12 pounds of nitrogen in every 100 pounds of blood meal.
Mix bone and blood meal into the soil so plant roots can easily access it.
For large, open areas like anew vegetable garden, use a broadcast spreader to uniformly distribute the product.
Then use a tiller to work it into the top 3 to 4 inches of soil.
Both fertilizers can also be added to planting holes of new plants if a soil test indicates a need.
Always follow fertilizer package directions exactly when applying blood meal and bone meal.
This will help you avoid wasting the product, harming your plants, andpotentially harming the environment.
Fall and winter applications of bone meal are just as good as applying it during the growing season.
Apply blood meal at planting time or when plants are actively growingusually spring and summer.
