Can you grow healthier tomatoes using this bizarre method?
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Gardening enthusiasts and home growers, it's time to let you in on a secret that might revolutionise how you cultivate your tomato plants.
There's an unexpected byproduct of the sea that could be the key to a bountiful tomato harvest: fish heads.
As bizarre as this may seem, this method is deeply rooted in understanding the nutritional needs of plants.
According to Lifehacker Australia writer Amanda Blum, all plants require a mixture of nutrients for optimal growth—Nitrogen (N) to encourage lush, green growth, phosphorus (P) for root expansion and flowering, and potassium (K) for fruit development and overall plant health.
These vital elements are marked on your fertiliser packaging as NPK values.
‘For instance, a 5-5-5 fertiliser will be a balanced mix of equal parts nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium,’ Amanda said.
‘A 17-1-1 fertiliser will be almost entirely nitrogen. While plants need all three elements all the time to some degree, they benefit more from each at different phases of the lifecycle.’
She said that among the various garden plants, tomatoes exhibit an outstanding aptitude for growing new roots along any buried part of their stem.
‘You can actually just cut a branch off an existing tomato plant, stick it in the soil, and it will form roots,’ she noted.
‘Tomatoes are so effective at growing roots that the fertiliser we top-dress with or even put into the planting hole may not get to the roots, which is where it’s needed.’
This extraordinary talent, however, may lead to fertilisers on the surface or within the planting hole not effectively reaching the root system, where these nutrients are absorbed.
Enter the humble fish head.
Rich in nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus, these all too often discarded waste products offer precise sustenance for your tomatoes.
‘If you bury it deep enough, it will begin this decay around the time the roots meet it in the soil. This will result in a boost to your plant at precisely the point the plant needs it,’ Amanda said.
Amanda assured that transitioning to this method of planting tomatoes doesn't require much effort.
‘Save fish heads by throwing them into a bag in your freezer,’ Amanda said.
‘You could ask the fish department at your grocery to save some for you, too.’
‘In either case, when it’s time to plant tomatoes, dig a two-foot deep hole, and chuck a frozen fish head into the bottom. Cover it with dirt up to the depth you’ll plant your tomato (this will depend on how big your tomato seedlings are, but plant as much of the stem as you can).’
Amanda noted that a two-foot depth helps to keep critters from unearthing your buried plant.
She also said you could add some slow-release fertiliser or lime to the planting hole. However, she didn’t recommend adding materials like banana peels or eggshells for this method.
‘It will just take too long for those items to break down to be helpful at the time they need to be,’ Amanda said.
‘Chuck them in the compost instead.’
Now that you have a thriving garden, you might occasionally witness your plants succumbing to viruses or surrendering to swarms of aphids.
A thriving garden doesn't mean it will be devoid of obstacles but rather equipped to deal with them better, and that's where insect allies come in.
A previous story discussed how certain insects combat garden pests and keep your garden free from harsh chemicals. You can read more about the story here.
Have you tried burying fish heads in your garden? Let us know in the comments below!
There's an unexpected byproduct of the sea that could be the key to a bountiful tomato harvest: fish heads.
As bizarre as this may seem, this method is deeply rooted in understanding the nutritional needs of plants.
According to Lifehacker Australia writer Amanda Blum, all plants require a mixture of nutrients for optimal growth—Nitrogen (N) to encourage lush, green growth, phosphorus (P) for root expansion and flowering, and potassium (K) for fruit development and overall plant health.
These vital elements are marked on your fertiliser packaging as NPK values.
Are fish heads the secret to growing bountiful tomatoes? Credit: Unsplash
‘For instance, a 5-5-5 fertiliser will be a balanced mix of equal parts nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium,’ Amanda said.
‘A 17-1-1 fertiliser will be almost entirely nitrogen. While plants need all three elements all the time to some degree, they benefit more from each at different phases of the lifecycle.’
She said that among the various garden plants, tomatoes exhibit an outstanding aptitude for growing new roots along any buried part of their stem.
‘You can actually just cut a branch off an existing tomato plant, stick it in the soil, and it will form roots,’ she noted.
‘Tomatoes are so effective at growing roots that the fertiliser we top-dress with or even put into the planting hole may not get to the roots, which is where it’s needed.’
This extraordinary talent, however, may lead to fertilisers on the surface or within the planting hole not effectively reaching the root system, where these nutrients are absorbed.
Enter the humble fish head.
Rich in nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus, these all too often discarded waste products offer precise sustenance for your tomatoes.
‘If you bury it deep enough, it will begin this decay around the time the roots meet it in the soil. This will result in a boost to your plant at precisely the point the plant needs it,’ Amanda said.
Amanda assured that transitioning to this method of planting tomatoes doesn't require much effort.
‘Save fish heads by throwing them into a bag in your freezer,’ Amanda said.
‘You could ask the fish department at your grocery to save some for you, too.’
‘In either case, when it’s time to plant tomatoes, dig a two-foot deep hole, and chuck a frozen fish head into the bottom. Cover it with dirt up to the depth you’ll plant your tomato (this will depend on how big your tomato seedlings are, but plant as much of the stem as you can).’
Amanda noted that a two-foot depth helps to keep critters from unearthing your buried plant.
She also said you could add some slow-release fertiliser or lime to the planting hole. However, she didn’t recommend adding materials like banana peels or eggshells for this method.
‘It will just take too long for those items to break down to be helpful at the time they need to be,’ Amanda said.
‘Chuck them in the compost instead.’
Now that you have a thriving garden, you might occasionally witness your plants succumbing to viruses or surrendering to swarms of aphids.
A thriving garden doesn't mean it will be devoid of obstacles but rather equipped to deal with them better, and that's where insect allies come in.
A previous story discussed how certain insects combat garden pests and keep your garden free from harsh chemicals. You can read more about the story here.
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