I picked up some Alaska Fish Fertilizer 5-1-1 "All purpose deodorized fish emulsion" last spring because, after hearing good things, I wanted to try it again to see if it smelled better. Applied once and my 4 cats went nuts so I spent the next 2 days trying to keep them away from the plants. I just brought the bottle to the computer to copy the info correctly, one cat is currently trying to lick it... Husband and I both thought it stunk, not as bad as seriously low tide in a mud flat in hot summer, but close. Perhaps there is a brand that is truly deodorized. Two votes here it stinks :)

hello, angeleyedcat, your story gave me a good laugh.. i did not realize you were referring to the 4 legged cats at first..i thought it was your liberal use of the English language to create a picture for us. (lol)
i use the fish emulsion by "muskie". it has a hint of fish only. i use bio-gro seaweed and dynagro fertilizer. i also use a concotion of beer, molasses, epsom salt & amonia. and superthrive. i alternate amongst these. unless i overwater and drown the poor thing, they seem to grow with nice green leaves. but i think it is the proper lighting which is the most important in getting them to flower. i use these fertilizer because i like to feed ... plants, people, animals but not bugs and slugs..
and i got carried away by all the different posts here and there - now i have enough products to last me a life time.
sue

I found that fish emulsion, being an animal product, caused root burn on the orchids. I stopped using it and then the roots were okay. Fish emulsion works best on the plants outdoors, in regular soil.

I do like liquid seaweed. Being a vegetable product, it is easy on the orchid roots and helps them to grow. Seaweed can grow as much as a foot a day.

Angeleyedcat, too funny. I thought the same as littlecat. Took a double take.

Forget the idea. I tried fish emulsion years ago and my house did stink. Won't go there again.

Orchid126, I assume you mean that Seaweed grows a ft. a day, not your orchids. Wouldn't that be cool! Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Jane

i use FE because a very knowledgeable person on fragrant forum suggested using it as a foliar spray to prevent scale when plants are brought indoors for the winter and it has the added bonus as a foliar fertilizer. i spray the medium and the pot with it too. I can't say that it does not "burn" the roots because i did not pay that much attention especially since the seaweed extract i use dyes some of the roots black and i tend to overwater -- which is a bigger problem in my case but i can't seem to control myself. in any case, yesterday afternoon, i sprayed everthing with FE and when I checked today, all the roots look Ok. maybe because it rained last night so the FE did not stay on that long.
sue

Sue, sorry I got your 'name' wrong. My computer is messed up and half the page is off the screen. I need to get someone to help me out.

Are you saying FE repels or kills scale! That would make it worth the stink. I have one Ondont which has been a constant battle all summer and I might have to trash it. Breaks my heart because its spiking and I love its flowers. I won't use strong chemicals indoors. None of my regular concoctions have worked.

Jane

hello, Jane, that is what i understand. i have been using it as a prevention: I have not had a scale problem on my orchids since using it that way. maybe, instead of spraying your whole plant, use a small sponge "brush" and "paint" the solution on the affected areas and see what happens. one method i find effective in taking off bugs (any kind) is to use clear packing tape on the affected areas similar in a way using lint removers to pick up link of clothes. i press the tape onto the affected areas and then peel them off. it does not damage the leaves. the clear packing tape allows you to see what the bugs were if any. also, you don't end up dropping the bugs into the medium. after doing that, then i use whatever liquid treatment i need to "wash" the plant, the medium and the outside of the pot and the area surrounding the plant. the "muskie" FE is not that bad.. and the smell goes away totally in a couple of hours. good luck and if you do decide to try it, let me know the results.
sue

Fish meal is high in phosphorus which is linked to leaf burn in orchids. Bird doo + wood ash. N + K. Orchids don't need a lot of P as they don't have many roots. Bird doo can be bought as pelleted chicken manure or Potassium Nitrate (guano).