Blood meal fertilizer may not sound like something you want in your garden, but it is a helpful gardening product. Many plants benefit from blood meal fertilizer, including fruits, vegetables, flowers, shrubs, and trees. Brassicas (cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts) and alliums (onions, garlic, and chives) produce well when using blood meal.
It is widely available at major garden centers and home improvement stores. It can also be used as a deer, squirrel, and rabbit deterrent. However, it can attract unwanted other critters to your vegetable patch. Read on to learn more about blood meal and how to use it.
Blood meal fertilizer is popular among gardeners for its ability to provide a quick boost of nitrogen to plants. However some gardeners have concerns about whether blood meal attracts unwanted animals to their gardens. In this article we’ll take an in-depth look at whether blood meal really does attract animals, and what gardeners can do to protect their plants.
What is Blood Meal Fertilizer?
Blood meal is made from dried, powdered animal blood, usually from cows or pigs. The blood is a waste product from slaughterhouses. When processed into a meal and applied to soil, it provides a fast-acting source of nitrogen for plants.
The nitrogen in blood meal is water-soluble, so plants can absorb it quickly. This makes blood meal ideal for giving an instant boost to plants showing signs of nitrogen deficiency, like yellowing leaves or poor growth.
Blood meal also contains small amounts of phosphorus and potassium. It’s a popular organic fertilizer choice for vegetarians and vegans, since it avoids using animal-derived bone meal.
Does Blood Meal Attract Animals to Your Garden?
One of the most common concerns about using blood meal is that it could attract unwanted animals like dogs, cats, raccoons, or coyotes. These animals may dig up garden beds to get to the blood meal.
So does blood meal really attract animals? The answer is yes, it can, but not always. Here are some key points:
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Dogs and cats are often attracted to the strong scent of blood from the fertilizer. They associate the smell with food.
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Raccoons, foxes, coyotes and other wildlife are also drawn to blood meal for its scent. These nocturnal scavengers have an excellent sense of smell.
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Rodents like squirrels don’t seem to be attracted by the scent. Blood meal is actually recommended to deter rabbits and deer.
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Insects like mosquitos are sometimes reported to swarm plants fertilized with blood meal.
Precautions When Using Blood Meal
If you want to use blood meal but are concerned about attracting animals here are some tips
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Apply blood meal sparingly and only to individual plants rather than broadcasting across entire beds. This limits the overall scent.
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Water plants well after applying blood meal to help wash the fertilizer into the soil and reduce scent.
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Mix a small amount of blood meal into potting soil when re-potting containers. Avoid sprinkling it on the soil surface.
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Apply blood meal to the base of plants and cover it with mulch to contain the scent.
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Use blood meal primarily on plants located away from prime animal activity zones, like under trees or shady corners.
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Avoid applying right before expected rain. Rain will quickly leach nutrients away rather than into plant roots.
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Choose alternative fertilizers like compost tea, coffee grounds, or feathers. These pose less risk of attracting animals.
With some careful planning, blood meal can still be a viable option for gardens frequented by local wildlife. But gardeners should weigh the pros and cons carefully first.
Alternatives to Blood Meal for Nitrogen
If the risk of attracting animals is still a concern, consider these alternative sources of nitrogen fertilizer:
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Compost or compost tea – Provides a gentle nitrogen source, without strong scents.
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Coffee grounds – Can be soaked in water overnight to make “coffee fertilizer” high in nitrogen.
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Cover crops – Growing nitrogen-fixing cover crops like beans or clover boosts soil nitrogen levels naturally.
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Manure – Composted manure from cows, horses, chickens, etc. contains nitrogen and nutrients.
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Feather meal – Made from ground feathers, this provides nitrogen without the blood scent.
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Fish emulsion – Fish waste and bones make this very concentrated, stinky fertilizer high in nitrogen.
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Seaweed or kelp – Dried seaweed is an excellent source of micronutrients like nitrogen, as well as potassium.
With all fertilizers, moderation is key. Test soil first and only apply as needed, based on plants showing signs of nutrient deficiencies.
Blood meal fertilizer can certainly attract animals like dogs, cats, raccoons, and coyotes to gardens through its strong blood scent. But with some careful application techniques, and by using it moderately, the risks can be reduced. Gardeners should also weigh alternatives like compost, coffee grounds, or fish emulsion to minimize attraction of animals. While not guaranteed to be risk-free, blood meal can still be a helpful occasional nitrogen boost for plants when used judiciously.
Disadvantages of Using Blood Meal
Be careful not to overuse blood meal. Follow package instructions so you do not harm your plants. Blood meal is a concentrated form of nitrogen, and excessive use can reduce flowering or fruiting, burn foliage and roots, or kill them.
- Poor choice for alkaline-loving plants: Not all plants like the acidic soil resulting from blood meal.
- Expensive: Bags of blood meal are costly for use in extensive gardens. Buying in bulk is preferred. A 25-pound bag can cost about $30 or more.
- Attracts carnivores: Hungry dogs, cats, and other roaming predators are attracted to the smell of blood and can dig up your garden in the hunt for food.
- Mosquito magnet: Mosquitoes need blood to survive and have been known to swarm blood-meal-supplemented plants and gardens.
Benefits of Blood Meal
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The main benefit of blood meal as a fertilizer lies in its high nitrogen content. The NPK sequence on the blood meals package indicates whether it has only nitrogen or predominantly nitrogen with a bit of phosphorous and potassium. Blood meal can provide a boost for plants suffering from nitrogen deficiency.
Blood meals other benefits include:
- Deters pests: Blood meal has a strong smell, which repels deer, rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, and moles. Sprinkle blood meal lightly across the leaves and at the base of any nibbled plants in your vegetable garden.
- Organic: Blood meal is organic, so you are not using a chemical fertilizer in your garden.
- Acidic: Acidifies your soil, which benefits acid-loving plants.
- Slow release: Blood meal is a slow-release fertilizer (one to four months).
- Small packages: If you want to experiment with blood meal to amend the soil or to deter pests, small 3-pound bags make that easy to do, all for around $10.
How To Use BLOODMEAL To Get Rid of Pests – DEER, RABBITS, SQUIRRELS, CATS, RACCOONS, CHIPMUNKS, etc.
FAQ
What are the disadvantages of blood meal?
Blood meal, while beneficial as a nitrogen-rich fertilizer, has several disadvantages. These include the potential to burn plants if overused, attracting animals, and being relatively expensive compared to other fertilizers.
Do animals like blood meals?
Blood meal helps keep out squirrels, rabbits and raccoons as the smell is associated with predators. It needs to be reapplied after rain or watering and is a natural fertilizer. Wood ashes repel rats, mice, ants and roaches as well as slugs and snails.
What does blood meal attract?
Many animals (carnivores) naturally eat blood as part of their diet hence are attracted to blood meal. This includes pets (dogs and cats) to raccoons and other animals.
What animals don’t like blood meals?
Blood meal is fairly cheap, fast acting and weighs very little so it’s convenient to cover large areas. It will keep deer and rabbits away in the short term. The cons are, it’s blood so it’s a mess when it gets wet and it will attract animal attention.
Does blood meal deter pests?
Upward of 40% of crops around the world are lost to pests each year. Fertilizers like blood meal provide nutrients and deter pests. Blood meal’s other benefits include: Deters pests: Blood meal has a strong smell, which repels deer, rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, and moles.
What animals eat blood meal?
Good Answer! Blood meal helps keep out squirrels, rabbits and raccoons as the smell is associated with predators. It needs to be reapplied after rain or watering and is a natural fertilizer. Wood ashes repel rats, mice, ants and roaches as well as slugs and snails. Good Video Answer! Does blood meal repel rodents? Does blood meal attract animals?
Does blood meal attract animals?
Attracts Unwanted Animals: While blood meal is effective at repelling certain pests, it can also attract other animals that are drawn to the smell of blood. Dogs, raccoons, and other wildlife may be enticed by the scent and dig up your garden in search of the source. This can lead to damage to your plants and frustration for the gardener.
Does blood meal attract deer?
Blood meal can be used to deter pests but can also attract them too! Animals such as deer or rabbits that can quickly destroy a garden hate the smell of blood meal so is a fantastic deterrent for our leaf eating friends.
Are dogs attracted to blood meal?
Unfortunately, there are several accounts of pets and wild animals digging up gardens treated with blood meal in search of the source of the aroma. While deer and rodents like rabbits and squirrels may be repelled by the blood scent, it seems dogs and carnivorous wildlife are attracted to it.
Does blood meal attract raccoons?
Blood meal may also attract unwanted visitors, such as dogs, raccoons, possums and other meat eating or omnivorous animals. If you cannot find blood meal or you do not want to use blood meal in your organic garden, you can instead use feather meal or the vegetarian alternative, alfalfa meal. Does blood meal repel raccoons?