Blood Meal vs Bone Meal …

Are you considering adding an organic fertilizer to your grow? Bone meal and blood meal are both popular fertilizers among organic gardeners. I created this blood meal vs bone meal fertilizer guide to answer some fairly common questions. Hopefully by the end of this short blog, you will understand when and how to apply and the difference between them.

What is Blood Meal?

Blood meal is a fast acting soluble nitrogen fertilizer. Animal blood is dried, boiled and ground into a powder form that is then packaged and sold. It usually comes in a 12-0-0 npk ratio. Blood meal provides an excellent organic source of nitrogen for lush, green garden vegetables and colorful blooms. It is definitely one of my favorite nitrogen based fertilizers. I use it in all my vegetable gardens and for my grow. It is perfect for plants and vegetables that require additional nitrogen for sustained vegetative growth.

Be careful not to over apply. This fertilizer runs hot! It can definitely burn your plants. For established potted plants, a reasonable blood meal application rate is 1-2 teaspoons per gallon of soil. Many organic gardeners use blood meal to side dress heavy feeders such as corn, spinach, broccoli, and leafy green vegetables. Blood meal can last up to 4 months. Apply blood meal 1 to 2 times during the grow season.

What is Bone Meal?

Bone meal is an excellent source of phosphorus. It also contains trace amounts of nitrogen, calcium and potassium. Look at the packaging to confirm the npk ratio before purchasing. Bone meal NPK ratios can vary greatly. Some bone meals have more nitrogen than others. For example, this bone meal has a ratio of 6-8-0, whereas this bone meal has a ratio of 3-16-0. Thats a huge difference! Both bone meals run under $15.

Bone meal promotes early growth, strong root development and aids in fruit, bud and flowering types. Bone meal is made by grinding beef bones. It is then steamed it to increase its availability for plants. When applied in your garden, this animal based fertilizer breaks down slowly and lasts up to 4 months. Do not over apply bone meal. Many soils already have sufficient levels of phosphorus so only apply at the rate directed. Don’t inhale bone meal either.