Blood meal is one of many things used to create rich soil. It is part of the decomposition process we rarely think about. As an animal corpse decomposes, every part of its body adds something back into the soil.
While we might be lacking a lot of what nature has to offer, a lot of it can be emulated pretty closely.
A blood meal is one such innovation worth considering for use in your garden.
What Is Blood Meal Fertilizer, And How Do You Use It?
A blood meal is a surprisingly nutritious supplement for your plants.
It’s an all-natural solution that can even be made at home.
What Is Blood Meal?
Blood meal is dried and powdered animal blood. The term generally refers to cow blood, which is widely available.
However, the term can also be used for any animal blood, and any butcher or meat processing plant that produces blood meal will often mix the blood of multiple species to create the final product.
Here in the US, we often have an aversion to handling blood, either from a religious perspective or a sanitary one.
In reality, the Judeo-Christian aversion to touching blood was based on the knowledge that the blood of dead animals led to disease, even though those ancient peoples weren’t necessarily aware of microbial life such as bacteria.
But blood is an important ingredient in foods around the world (such as blood sausages, black broth, or even blood bread), so the idea of giving blood to your plants (unless that plant happens to be named Audrey II) shouldn’t be as bizarre to Americans as it is.
All of that said, blood meal and bone meal are two valuable fertilizer supplements produced as a by-product of processing meat.
A blood meal is perfectly safe to handle and adds a lot of nut5rients to the soil.
Best of all, a blood meal is a great way to uphold the Native American teaching of “use all parts of the animal you kill,” even if you get your meat from a grocery store.
Be warned, the blood meal used for fertilizer is usually pure blood but can have additives.
It is also used as a livestock supplement, but this form has molasses and other ingredients which aren’t so great for your plants, so make sure you buy blood meal specifically listed as a fertilizer.
Nutritional Value
First and foremost, you might notice something interesting when comparing packages of blood meal – the NPK values.
As an organic material, blood meal is naturally high in nitrogen.
However, the amount of phosphorus and potassium tends to be very small, varying from one animal to another and even by diet.
As a result, you’ll often see an NPK of 12-0-0 or only the nitrogen content appearing on the label, but it can be as high as 13.25-1.0-0.6
This high nitrogen content makes it perfect for several plants that require higher levels, such as:
- Asparagus
- Broccoli
- Corn
- Cucumber
- Eggplant
- Okra
- Melon
- Peppers
- Pumpkin
- Squash
- Tomato
But nitrogen isn’t the only thing blood meal brings to the table.
Blood meal also supplies a good amount of iron and trace amounts of other important nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, and sulfur.
Other Benefits
In addition to the nutritional value, a blood meal can add acidity to your soil.
It’s also great for balancing the nitrogen to carbon ratio when using organic compost.
But one other benefit you might not be aware of is that using blood meal in the soil can deter several pests.
Rabbits and deer especially will take one whiff, then turn the other way thinking a predator’s nearby.
Finally, blood meal is an excellent activator for your compost pile.
Beneficial nematodes and other nitrogen-loving organisms will flock to the blood meal and begin breaking it down.
In the process, they’ll also give your compost or soil a jump-start by boosting the heat and processing the meal into its base nutrients.
Making Your Own Blood Meal
You can actually make your own blood meal fertilizer at home.
If you hunt, you already have access to blood during the gutting process; otherwise, you will need to pay a visit to the local butcher.
The Fast Method
The first (and nastiest) step is to boil the blood down.
This kills any bacteria or parasites and makes drying it out much easier.
Just be warned, you’ll want to do this outside as the boiling process takes several hours and can be quite nasty-smelling.
Boil the blood until only about 10% percent of the initial volume is left and it has the consistency of molasses.
The next step is to dry out your blood slurry, which may be done in several different ways.
If you live in a dry, sunny area, spread the slurry into a thin layer on a tarp and allow the sun to dry it until it turners into cracked, brittle flakes.
You can also set an oven to 170° or 180° degrees Fahrenheit, spread the slurry on parchment-lined baking sheets, and slow-bake until you get those brittle flakes.
Third, you can use a food dehydrator set to around 120 (this can vary based on the dehydrator) and leave it there until it reaches the proper consistency.
You’ll know the blood is ready if it easily crumbles between your fingers.
The final step is to grind the blood into a fine powder that can be applied to the garden.
The Slow Method
This method is a lot slower, but there’s far less smell.
The resulting meal may also have improved nutritional value and be less likely to attract predators if you own chickens or other vulnerable livestock.
Simply mix the blood with an equal amount of hardwood sawdust and bury the mixture in a container.
It will take about a year to cure properly, and the mixture of carbon and nitrogen will result in a slightly less nitrogen-rich mixture that will be less likely to cause nitrogen toxicity.
Using Blood Meal
Whether you buy a premade blood meal or make it yourself, the application is almost the same.
Mix a single tablespoon per gallon of water and add to a watering can for a 3-month or 1 teaspoon per gallon for a 1-month treatment (and for more sensitive plants).
Remember that most blood meal products are NOT water-soluble, so you’ll be creating a suspension that can gum up spray bottles.
Give the first treatment as soon as you see new growth beginning to form.
The meal will last up to 4 weeks before breaking down completely, but keep in mind that there will still be nitrogen left over.
If you’re using a blood and sawdust mix, you can add some directly to the soil before planting.
Also, keep in mind that blood meal can be stored for up to a year in an airtight container before it starts to lose its potency, at which time you can just toss the leftovers into your compost pile with some extra organic material such as dried leaves.