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Blood fishs and bone

MeomyeMeomye Posts: 949
in Problem solving
Last month I sprinkled some bf and f around the garden as recommended for a 'spring feed'. I have been reading that this can be done every four to six weeks during the growing season but notice a lot of posters only do it the once (in spring) I believe that this is because you have good quality soil that you have been improving for years. As I have quite poor quality soil would it be beneficial for me to use it more often? tia
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  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Better to feed the soil with lots of organic matter - compost/manure/leaf mould etc, on  a regular basis.
    That improves all kinds of soil - helps drainage with heavy soil, and does the opposite with lighter, sandier soil by giving it more heft and moisture retention. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    I tend to do it in Autumn and Spring but mostly on my raided beds outside when I top them up.  I don't need much as I add other stuff over the winter.
    As @Fairygirl says tho, if you can lay your hands on as much organic matter as possible, it will improve the the actual structure of your soil if you can manage to do it year on year .
    The BFB is handy but it is slow acting ( fairly expensive too I think ?) and won't actually improve the structure of your soil as such.
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited May 2023
    The people who recommend constant feeding are the plant food manufacturers for obvious money reasons.  And their "useful idiot" followers.

    Best to make your own compst and work on your soil.  And it's not, like BFB,  attractive to carnivores.

    For NPK, buy the cheapest.. Growmore.

    I feed the "best" lawn, which feeds the compost heap, whivh feeds the beds.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    edited May 2023
    You could NOT feed the lawn, which would still feed the compost heap, and which would still feed the beds.
    Growmore has been shown to have harmful effects on earthworms, so I think BFB is better, although I agree it can be a problem with Foxes.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • DaveGreigDaveGreig Posts: 189
    My dog tries to eat the garden if I use blood, fish and bone.
  • Winston_The_Gravity_ManWinston_The_Gravity_Man Posts: 263
    Do animals of a carnivorous disposition, including cats and rodents, still attempt to 'eat the garden' if the BF&B is forked-in a bit ?  Serious question.
    When there's always biscuits in the tin, where's the fun in biscuits ?
  • DaveGreigDaveGreig Posts: 189
    BF&B was my fertiliser of choice for years. My cats didn’t go for it but it turns my Staffie into a digging machine and I can’t use it at all. Plants get ripped out, holes excavated. BF&B is a recipe for disaster in my garden. I don’t actually know if she eats the dirt but even the slightest whiff turns her OCD up to 11.
    It’s just not worth it.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I never use BF&B in the front garden because of foxes, as they certainly have a dig @Winston_The_Gravity_Man .

    Most of the front would be suitable for it - shrubs/hedging etc, but it's all just left to get on with it. I don't think it's ever been a problem when first planting those, when it's down deeper, but I can't really remember.
    Bl**dy cats are a far bigger problem - in a different way.  :|
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Meomye said:
    Last month I sprinkled some bf and f around the garden as recommended for a 'spring feed'. I have been reading that this can be done every four to six weeks during the growing season but notice a lot of posters only do it the once (in spring) I believe that this is because you have good quality soil that you have been improving for years. As I have quite poor quality soil would it be beneficial for me to use it more often? tia
    Sometimes it's because we don't get around to it.....
    My soil is pretty poor and if I don't give a bit of extra feeding in addition to as much mulch as I can manage, things tend to flag in mid to late summer. I should probably give mine another dose when I pull out the forget-me-nots and honesty in a couple of weeks, if the weather is suitable. No point in me feeding if it's going to be dry and hot - it needs rain to wash it in. for general sprinkling around the borders I prefer chicken poo pellets rather than bfb which I occasionally use for specific plants if I think something needs a boost, or for mixing into compost for containers if it's older compost or I'm re-using it.


    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    punkdoc said:

    Growmore has been shown to have harmful effects on earthworms, so I think BFB is better, although I agree it can be a problem with Foxes.
    Hmm   @punkdoc You've got me a bit worried now about the Growmore/worms.  I'm lucky that I have a good healthy population of worms - both in my raised beds ( veg mainly ) and throughout the garden in general.
    I only sprinkle a wee bit of Growmore round some of my veg when I plant out in Spring but I'd not realised any potential risk to the worms.  Perhaps if you'd be so kind, you could point me towards any research source ?  TIA
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