Bone Meal—A Phosphorus Boost for Your Plants

Bone meal is an all-natural source of phosphorus. Phosphorus helps stimulate early root development and aids in fruit and flower formation. Its NPK (nitrogen/phosphorus/potassium) rating is usually 4-12-0, while some preparations have an NPK of 1-13-0.

It's all natural and approved for organic gardening. It's applied as a slow release fertilizer to supply phosphorus to the soil.

Bone meal is a safe fertilizer selection if you have pets or children.

It's a slow-release fertilizer used mainly for its phosphorus. It's also a superior organic source of calcium.

These two elements are found in sufficient quantities in soils that are not used for intensive growing.

However, they're usually in short supply in heavily used soils.

How It's Made

Bone meal is a by-product of meat production (rendering factories). It consists of animal bones that have been cooked and sterilized, then ground into a meal.

What Bone Meal Is Good For

This meal helps develop sturdy root systems and stimulates plant growth.

This meal is an ideal supplement to fertilizers for bulbs, flowers, and roses.

It's often used to fertilize spring-blooming bulbs, however, it also works well in vegetable gardens, lawns and in containers. It encourages root growth, which makes it an excellent organic fertilizer for root crops.

Bone meal is a soil amendment all gardeners should have on hand as its use is right for reducing transplant shock and encouraging extensive and healthy root systems. Since kelp meal does not contain adequate phosphorus, using it in a mixture with bone meal makes the mixture better than either fertilizer on its own.

Things To Remember

Dogs might lick and scratch at this soil amendment if it's used as a top dressing. To avoid that, incorporate it into the soil, or use it only in the root zone for the type of plant you want to grow.

Blood meal is basic in pH (slightly alkaline). Refrain from using it on acid-loving plants like rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias.

Fine ground bone meal is thought to act more rapidly than coarse ground so you can add it to the soil nearer to the time of planting.

This meal is available at any good nursery or garden center and is not expensive.

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