Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gardening

What you need to know about using blood meal for plants

Mark Wolfe
By

Gardeners use a variety of natural products to maintain healthy plants. Blood meal and bone meal are two of the most popular natural organic fertilizers for garden soil. They deliver essential plant nutrients in a minimally processed form that supports good soil health. Blood meal is especially helpful because it’s a significant source of nitrogen, which plants use in higher quantities than other nutrients.

using blood meal fertilizer
Image used with permission by copyright holder

What is blood meal?

Blood meal is a valuable byproduct of beef, pork, and poultry processing plants. Blood is heat treated to eliminate pathogens and remove impurities, and then dried. The dried blood contains 12 to 13 percent nitrogen by weight, making it one of the richest non-synthetic sources of nitrogen plant food.

Recommended Videos

hands beside a seedling

Benefits of using blood meal for plants

Blood meal offers a host of benefits for garden soil, plant health, and the environment.

  • Provide high organic nitrogen content. In order to raise plants with lush foliage, nitrogen is critical. If you’re growing organically, blood meal is the most affordable and efficient plant food for nitrogen-hungry plants.
  • Improve soil quality. This rich source of all natural and organic nitrogen nourishes the beneficial microbes that live in the soil, boosting the soil’s organic content. Higher soil organic content fosters deeper root development, improves drainage and water holding capacity, and reduces nutrient leaching.
  • Grow healthier plants. A steady supply of organic plant food nourishes plants more efficiently than the up and down levels provided by water soluble alternatives. Blood meal can help you grow a healthier, more vibrant garden.
  • Reduce pollution. Blood meal delivers nutrients at nature’s pace. It doesn’t dissolve, but breaks down through biological action. Nitrogen becomes available as plants need it, virtually eliminating fertilizer burn and runoff from over fertilization.
bonemeal or blood meal
Image used with permission by copyright holder

How to use blood meal in the garden

Gardeners use blood meal primarily as plant food. It also works as a compost starter and animal repellent.

Related

Fertilizer

Blood meal is a dry, powdery, or gritty product that is neither “fast acting” nor “slow release.” It doesn’t dissolve in water like a synthetic fertilizer does. Instead, microbes in the soil digest the blood meal particles and then release the nitrogen in a form that plants can absorb. Apply the fertilizer directly on the soil and work it into the surface.

The following numbers are suggested application rates for using blood meal. For best outcome, follow the guidance of soil test results.

  • At 13 percent nitrogen, 7.69 pounds of blood meal contains one pound of nitrogen.
  • One pound of blood meal is 2.5 cups.
  • New garden beds: Apply one to three pounds per 100 square feet.
  • New potted plants: Apply one to two teaspoons per gallon of soil.
  • Transplanting seedlings: Apply one teaspoon per hole.
  • Established garden plants: Apply one to two teaspoons around the root zone monthly.
  • Established potted plants: Apply one teaspoon per gallon of soil monthly during the growing season.

Compost starter

Compost systems work most efficiently when the ingredients have a carbon to nitrogen ratio of about 30 to one. Wood chips, straw, dried leaves, and shredded paper products provide much-needed carbon. Weeds, grass clippings, and vegetable scraps are higher in nitrogen, but also contain carbon. Adding high-nitrogen blood meal to the mix will kick start microbe growth for faster composting.

Animal repellent

When deer or rabbits devour garden plants, the best solution is to install a fence. The second best solution is to use an animal repellent. The scent of blood meal scares many plant eaters away for a fraction of the cost of other products. Just sprinkle it in the area that needs protecting and remember to reapply regularly. However, if cats, dogs, or other meat-eating animals are the problem, blood meal could make it worse.

view of a vegetable garden
ifiStudio / Shutterstock

Organic alternatives to blood meal

Blood meal is a safe and economical organic fertilizer. It makes use of a waste product from the food supply chain that could otherwise cause pollution, so in some sense it closes an ecological loop. It’s one of the most affordable sources of organic nitrogen plant food. Plus, blood meal fertilizer works with nature’s processes to feed plants and build soil. Some gardeners, though, may prefer to use other options, and several good ones exist.

High-nitrogen organic substitutes for blood meal

  • Feather meal, 12 percent nitrogen
  • Fish meal, eight percent nitrogen
  • Bat guano, seven percent nitrogen
  • Cottonseed meal, six percent nitrogen
  • Neem seed meal, six percent nitrogen

Feeding your garden healthy, organic fertilizer doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. Blood meal supports overall garden health with a steady supply of high-quality nitrogen. It’s safe, inexpensive, and easy to apply.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Mark Wolfe
Mark Wolfe
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Mark Wolfe is a freelance writer who specializes in garden, landscaping, and home improvement. After two decades in the…
How to make sure your garden is set up to transition from summer to fall
How to get your garden ready for fall
Blooming perennial flower garden along a walkway

Taking care of a vegetable or flower garden during spring and summer is fairly straightforward, as long as you know what your plants need. The transition from spring to summer is simple, too. Preparing your garden for fall can take a bit longer, though, as you'll need to start fortifying your garden against cold weather. It can feel overwhelming if you aren't sure where to start, but don't worry! This simple guide on how to transition your garden from summer to fall will walk you through each step. You can even use it as a checklist to make sure you're fully prepared.

When should you begin transitioning your garden?
Depending on the climate zone you live in, you can begin to transition your garden from summer to fall from July to September. In general, you should start your preparations before the nights get too cold. In addition to your local weather forecasts, the plants in your yard and garden can provide valuable information about the changing seasons. Many summer fruits and vegetables are ready to harvest during the transitional stage, and you should begin seeing a few leaves changing color as well. This is a good indicator that it's time to start your preparations.

Read more
Curious when pumpkins grow? Here’s our guide to growing your own
Get your timing just right for a healthy pumpkin harvest
Medium-size pumpkin growing on a vine

Pumpkins are a fun seasonal gourd with so many uses. There are pumpkins for pies, jack-o'-lanterns, and displays. You can grow tiny pumpkins or massive pumpkins. If you’d like to start growing pumpkins in your garden but aren’t sure what to expect, then you’ve come to the right place! While there are some differences between pumpkin varieties, this general guide for pumpkin plant growth is a great place to start. Understanding when pumpkins grow and when to harvest them will ensure that you get the freshest picks for fall.

Pumpkin germination
Growing pumpkins from seed is easy and fun, but there is something to be aware of first. Different pumpkin varieties will grow at different speeds. When buying seeds, the packet should tell you how long it takes to be ready for harvest. If not, you can look up the specific variety you have. If you aren’t sure what type of pumpkin you have, though, most pumpkin varieties take between 90 and 110 days to fully mature and produce fruit.

Read more
Turn your hydrangea leaves from brown to green – make your plants healthy again
Get rid of brown spots and restore your hydrangea's health
Purple and blue hydrangeas

Hydrangeas are beautiful flowers that can be found in many gardens, container gardens, and even as cut flowers. They come in several shades of pink, blue, and white, and some of them can even change color. As beautiful as these flowers are, though, they're not without fault. Proper hydrangea care can keep most of their common problems at bay, but they might still develop brown spots on their leaves.

Brown spots on hydrangea leaves can be caused by several different things, although the most common causes are fungal infections. Keep reading to figure out what is causing your hydrangea leaves to turn spotty and to find out how to treat it.

Read more