Understanding fish fertilizer | Interview with Neptune's Harvest

It is one of the most recognized fertilizer brands amongst small organic flower farmers and gardeners, yet many of us have never heard of the origin story of Neptune's Harvest. We talk about what it takes to make this fertilizer, the difference between a cold process, hydrolyzed fertilizer vs a fish emulsion, and when/how to apply fish fertilizer. I hope you'll enjoy this interview as much as I did!
Neptune's Harvest has their own KZbin Channel, which you can find here: / @neptunesharvest
Want to buy Neptune's Harvest fertilizer? The company offers free shipping within the contiguous US. You can find the range of their products here bit.ly/3Wy2oSy
You can also buy the 2-3-1 fertilizer that Ann spoke about (and the one I use) via amazon here via my affiliate link: amzn.to/3UBjvjX
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[@coloradotulips]

Wellllll … there goes another hundred bucks on gardening supplies. Hello, Neptune’s Harvest fish fertilizers. 😜

[@bareflowerfarm]

Lol!! Hopefully the investment in higher quality fertilizer = more blooms to sell!

[@cbak1819]

What is the shelf life ? Answered at the end, thanks Jessi.

[@firehorsewoman414]

What a phenomenal way to pivot in one’s business model. Beyond impressed.

[@bareflowerfarm]

💯

[@laurie2596]

Another great interview! Anne is so knowledgeable -Excellent information..AND I miss that MA accent! (used to live up there -miss it) Jessi -I've been following you for awhile now -also local to you -jersey shore -and the coop peeps-I think you are doing a wonderful job on KZbin with your choice of content. Kudos! Keep it coming!

[@bareflowerfarm]

Thank you! Appreciate the love especially from a local! Where in Jersey shore are you?? I grew up in Old Bridge used to go down to Pt pleasant a lot back when I played the weekend beach volleyball tournaments!

[@cbak1819]

Jessie thank you for this interview flower friend🎉 one of your best! Great questions. I have PM as well! I will definitely be using the products. Feed the soil and it will feed you🎉🎉 Thank you Ann for taking your time out to answer these great questions💜

[@bareflowerfarm]

Thank you 😀

[@adb534]

Im sold! Going to purchase some online

[@valerieoster8049]

Wow! I have been a slacker!! I need to get out there and improve my soil and protect my plants from pests.

[@bareflowerfarm]

lol! you and me both. I feel like there is always more to do to improve soil health! :)

[@mimlauj6869]

Thanks for answering my question! I did not use Neptune's harvest. It was Alaska fish fertilizer, which is emulsified, which she did a good job of explaining the difference in process and price. I'll have to see if I can find Neptune's harvest locally now 😊

[@bareflowerfarm]

Ah thanks for that clarification! I hope you're able to find it locally, if not, they offer free shipping in the contiguous US!

[@moceri55]

Amazon carries it

[@gabeolson-jensen8676]

@@bareflowerfarm The free shipping is great, especially when you buy 5 gallon pails of it.

[@ElderandOakFarm]

Really, really, enjoyed this video Jess! I always try to buy from family owned or local companies.But it's not always feasible for me to research.Those local or family owned companies for every product I buy... I usually buy Neptune's when I can aff0rd it, & Alaska when I can't, but from now on I will be attempting to buy Neptune's 100% of the time. On top of being a family owned company, Absolutely.Love the fact that they use multiple varieties of fish, they use fish from a cleaner part of the ocean, & they use a process that does not destroy all of the minerals and enzymes! I did not know that there was that big of a difference!

[@bareflowerfarm]

Agreed! I think often times, we see it is "organic" and "OMRI" certified but don't really ask- what is actually in there. That stuff was interesting and made me realize that there's probably other stuff in flower farming I should be a bit more "curious" about ;-)

[@ElderandOakFarm]

@bareflowerfarm very true!

[@smz506]

This was such a great interview! I learned so much! Thank you!

[@stevo4535]

I was just getting ready to buy fertilizer… great timing for this interview!

[@bareflowerfarm]

Haha glad the timing worked out!

[@dig_grow_cook]

Great interview! She is so knowledgeable and had great information. I bought “Brand X” years ago before I knew better. It’s been sitting around so maybe I’ll use it up in the landscape this year and be done with it. 😆

[@bareflowerfarm]

Haha! Yeah, don't let it go to waste! But glad this was helpful!

[@dig_grow_cook]

@@bareflowerfarm the video motivated me to go fertilize with the good fish and kelp products I have. 😁 What’s nice about Neptune is it’s both in 1 versus I currently have a fish and a kelp from my region that are separate products.

[@Cherryparfait41]

Thank you! Love that you got this interview! The history, process and information only compound why I’m a big fan I am of their products. My seedlings success has boomed since using Neptunes Harvest!

[@bareflowerfarm]

Agreed!!

[@margarethairsine8648]

Fantastic interview Jessie! Exactly the info I needed and I really enjoyed hearing the family history of the company.

[@bareflowerfarm]

I also love learning about the origins of a company! :)

[@tiff-tiff548]

Great interview! I will be a forever buyer of Neptunes now! I love how earth friendly they are! Yay!

[@bareflowerfarm]

Aww yay!! I have a passion for sustainability and am glad to hear this matters to others too ☺️

[@ande4003]

Such a helpful interview. Thank you so much!

[@bareflowerfarm]

Glad it was helpful!

[@BecomingMrsPost]

This video was so valuable for me! Thanks so much!

[@bareflowerfarm]

I'm so glad!

[@rbrown2746]

This great Jessiie Thank you so much! I bought another brand, but im switching back. I thought they were the same

[@bareflowerfarm]

Yeah! I think alot of people end up buying fish emulsion bc of the price difference but to Ann's point, it still works!

[@bryonyhellis]

Fascinating! Thank you both

[@emkn1479]

I’ve used plenty of Neptune’s Harvest and let me say, it definitely smells rough, to me at least. I had to stop using it indoors this year since my grow room is also my closet and office, but do use it once seedlings go outdoors. I won’t use the other readily available brand because I’ve heard that they harvest fish for it vs using waste products. I sprinkled a bag of the shell fertilizer in my garden this year…so happy to know about the potential passive pest fighting benefit! That could be a game changer, we’ll see this season.

[@bareflowerfarm]

Haha I hear you! We got a new jug that came in. My husband asked if I farted or if the baby pooped. The jug was unopened 😂 I’m looking forward to getting some of the shell fertilizer. I do want to say- I think this stuff can work. But pests are a natural part of the ecosystem and I don’t think a single product can eliminate those pests unfortunately!

[@emkn1479]

@@bareflowerfarm hahaha the smell is intense sometimes. And yeah I know pests are natural…we just had what felt like an unnatural invasion last year 😩

[@toniasgarden3550]

Just curious if you have noticed a difference with the pest issues and using the shell fertilizer? Thanks!

[@emkn1479]

@@toniasgarden3550 too early to know. I haven’t planted their favorites yet. I have seen them around though. Plus there are countless variables…

[@sallyazzato3481]

Excellent

[@denvertom7627]

super interesting! thanks for the info

[@rachellek6239]

Wonderful interview and so interesting. She explained everything so well and I really enjoyed hearing about the process. So fun to hear a fellow New Englander!

[@bareflowerfarm]

I’m glad you enjoyed this interview! Thanks for taking the time to leave this comment 🤗

[@robertbell4604]

Great Info

[@michelleodell1236]

Great interview. If you do the test with soaking seeds I would do a sample soaked in plain water as the control.

[@bareflowerfarm]

Tell me more! I was going to just do a control of no soaking- any reason why you would soak in water? My thinking was no soaking would be what I would be doing anyway.

[@michelleodell1236]

@bareflowerfarm Oh, gotcha. Maybe do all 3 then. My thinking was water softens the seed coat allowing it to break open easier. If you do the experiment without a group in water you aren't really proving if it's the Neptune's Harvest making a difference in that group or if it's just the water you mixed with it.

[@bareflowerfarm]

@@michelleodell1236fair point! You have convinced me to do a control of just water 😁

[@toniasgarden3550]

@@bareflowerfarm did the soaking help in the germination rate on the Floret Seeds? I'm getting ready to start some more since the slugs and snails decimated mine...

[@rachelle3445]

Thank you

[@margielliott6389]

Amazing interview, so very informative and interesting! Thank you both so much! 🤩

[@PetrasGarden]

So interesting1 Thanks! Still have issues with the smell but it is worth it😊

[@bareflowerfarm]

Agreed! I use the fertilizer outdoors. Eric is more impacted by the smell than me but I really do think it makes a difference vs other fertilizers.

[@ErinWright-pd6zz]

Loved this! Super helpful!! Thank you!

[@bareflowerfarm]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mhubertcfi]

Thanks for this interview. I didn't know anything about this brand or the difference between it and others

[@mhubertcfi]

Definitely will try and can't wait to see your refractometer tests

[@bareflowerfarm]

It’s funny bc it’s the first organic fertilizer I learned about since I follow Flower Hill farm and she uses it. And now I realize that I was wrong- a lot of flower farmers have never heard of it so glad it was awareness exposure for a family business that’s helping divert so much food waste!

[@Ang.0910]

Anne and I had the same reaction when u included NH in the list of products with fertilizer burn. Umm no! Definitely no burn with Neptunes Harvest

[@bareflowerfarm]

Agreed, the user made a mistake!

[@clairegill7891]

Great video 👏🏻 we can’t get hold of Neptunes here in the UK so I’ll have to find another one that’s similar 🌸

[@bareflowerfarm]

One of these days, I’ll have a UK interview for you 😁

[@HomeSweetHomewithKaren]

So interesting! I wonder why a lot of videos out there have such rave reviews about the 5-1-1 emulsion. I guess it’s better than not? How would you describe the smell of Neptune’s Harvest? The smell of 5-1-1 and the flies that swarm after application is driving me crazy.

[@bareflowerfarm]

Hi! To Anne's point, fish emulsion does work! So do synthetic fertilizers like Miracle Grow. Most fertilizers work in achieving the outcome of growing plants. But sometimes an output of quality fertilizer is something we may not be able to measure nor know how to measure/attribute to better fertilizer if that makes sense. Like soil health, health of plants, etc. My husband cannot stand the smell of Neptunes but I find it to be mild. I will say, I don't get flies after application. My dog, however, is very interested lol

[@bill.Latham]

Hello I am growing tree collar green plants at the present I am using 5-1-1 but that does not have all the micro nutrients that tree collars green plants need. Do you have a product that contain micro nutrients for tree collar greens plant and also a high number in nitrogen any suggestion? Thank You

[@neptunesharvest]

I would use the Fish Fertilizer 2-4-1. It's full of micronutrients. The Nitrogen may seem low, but it's chelated so it can be absorbed by the plant the day you apply it, so you get a lot more bang. I'm sure you'll see great results. If you want to test it, do one plant only with it, and see the difference. Thank you, Ann

[@user-jb4zi8es8r]

Floret germination is fine. I think there are a number of factors that make people think they aren’t including - overloving, being more careful to only put one seed into each cell because of the cost, lack of experience in starting seeds, etc.. I can’t tell the difference between my trays of Benary’s and Florets without looking at the tag.

[@bareflowerfarm]

That's good to hear! I had 2 experienced growers, including a grower at our cooperative who has been growing Golden Hour for years and she had she had pretty terrible germination. So I'm crossing my fingers those were one offs!

[@delightfulgardensbydebbie]

Can you update the KZbin channel for them. Link isn’t working

[@bareflowerfarm]

Not sure what happened but updated!