Because of its composition, this fertiliser is attractive to rodents. I find that a topical application often results in the soil in pots being tossed about - as they search for the meat/carcase which the smell of the fertiliser makes them believe is there. Any ideas as tho what to use instead ? Pelleted chicken manure also has a strong odour so might cause the same issue. Does Growmore 7-7-7 [UK product] have the same issues ?
1 Answer
Growmore has no odour at all and is not attractive to rodents, so fine to use in pots; it is not an 'organic' fertiliser in that it contains no animal products. It's also useful as a general fertiliser lightly turned into the soil in spring around planting in the garden; because of its granular formulation, it slowly releases nutrients over a period of six weeks.
Fish, blood and bone and bonemeal are really only useful in the ground, preferably at the bottom of a planting hole when you're putting in a new plant. As you've discovered, used on or near the surface of soil or in a pot, all kinds of animals are attracted by the smell (including dogs, foxes and cats as well as rodents) with fish, blood and bone having the strongest odour.
