Fish hydrolysate is a liquid made by breaking fish protein down into peptides and amino acids. Phishy is our version, and it comes in 16 fl oz and 32 fl oz bottles with a label grade of 2-6-0. Growers ask the same handful of questions about it: does it smell, is it vegan, how is it different from fish emulsion, and how much do you actually use. Here are straight answers, plus how to dose it without stinking up the house.
What Fish Hydrolysate Is
Hydrolysis means splitting a large molecule with water. Here the large molecules are fish proteins, and enzymes, sometimes acid, do the splitting. The result is a thin liquid of peptides and amino acids, with whatever oils survive the process. You dilute it and pour it on.
The Phishy label gives the details:
- Derived from: fish protein hydrolysate, stabilized with phosphoric acid.
- Grade: 2-6-0. That is total nitrogen 2.00% (1.60% water-soluble, 0.40% water-insoluble) and available phosphate (P2O5) 6.00%. The final 0 means no potash.
At those numbers it is a low-analysis liquid that leans toward phosphate. In our program it is a Step 3 "Power Up" booster that goes on top of Microbes and Veg or Bloom, not in place of them. Much of the nitrogen in a protein-based feed reaches plants after soil microbes process it, so these products make the most sense in soil with living biology.
Cold Process vs. Emulsion
The two terms get used loosely, and labels rarely say how a product was made. In general, fish emulsion is made with heat and hydrolysate means enzymes did the breaking down, so check the maker's description before you assume anything.
Phishy is made by cold-enzyme hydrolysis, with no heat. Our product notes say that preserves amino acids, peptides, lipids and enzymes, and that hot-processed emulsions lose them. The notes credit those oils and enzymes with feeding soil fungi and bacteria.
- Breakdown method: Phishy uses enzymes and no heat. Fish emulsion in general uses heat.
- Amino acids, lipids, enzymes: preserved in Phishy, per our product notes. Lost to heat in hot-processed emulsion, per the same notes.
- Smell: fishy either way.
- Vegan: neither.
We do not publish side-by-side test results against specific fish emulsions. Treat the difference as a difference in how the product is made, not a promise of a particular result in your beds or pots.
Dose and Use
The feeding chart is the source of truth for dosage. It lists 1 to 5 ml per gallon of water (about ¼ to 1 tsp), with a base dose of 1 ml per gallon. Phishy goes on as a soil drench, and our notes also describe foliar use. The rhythm in our product notes is weekly for potted plants and monthly in the ground, through veg and bloom. Our notes say it is especially useful for transplant recovery and early canopy growth.
Here is how far a bottle goes at the top of the range, 5 ml per gallon:
- 16 fl oz (473 mL): 94 gallons of feed.
- 32 fl oz (946 mL): 189 gallons of feed.
At 1 ml per gallon the same bottle covers roughly five times as many gallons. Work from the bottle size on the label, never from shipping weight.
Older Growganica material lists 1 to 2 tsp per gallon for potted plants. That runs past the chart's ceiling of 5 ml (about 1 tsp), and where the two differ the chart wins. Start at 1 ml and stay inside the range.
The chart lists one per-gallon range and no separate foliar dose. We do not publish a pH, a shelf life, a filtration or particle-size figure, or guidance for hydroponic and drip systems. If you spray it, stay inside the chart range and test a few leaves first.
What to Do: Mixing and Applying Phishy
- Pick the spot. Outdoors and in garden beds the smell is easy to live with. Indoors, our product notes point to Vitamin Sea or Kelp It Real instead.
- Shake the bottle. Oil separation is normal. Agitate before you draw your dose so the oils are mixed back in.
- Measure small. Use a syringe, or a ¼ tsp measure for the 1 ml starting dose. More product generally means more smell, and the chart tops out at 5 ml.
- Mix in a container you can rinse. Fish smell can cling to plastic. Rinse the jug and the measuring tool right after use.
- Add products one at a time. If you use Microbes with Phishy, measure each into the water on its own, Microbes first. We do not publish a separate mixing sequence for Phishy, and a sensible habit is not to pre-mix concentrates in a cup.
- Keep it away from other mineral fertilizers. Our spec says not to mix Phishy with them. If you are not sure whether something counts, give Phishy its own watering.
- Water it in at the soil line. If you do use it on potted plants indoors, water them outdoors or in a sink, let them drain fully, then bring them back. The smell is usually strongest right after application and fades as it soaks in.
- Mix what you will use that day. We do not publish a hold time for a mixed batch.
Where Growganica Fits
Phishy is the fish hydrolysate in our line. It is a Step 3 booster for veg and bloom, sold in 16 and 32 fl oz, with a label grade of 2-6-0. It suits outdoor beds and growing spaces where the smell is not a problem.
Microbes is the recommended pairing. Unlike Veg and Bloom, it is not a requirement for Phishy: our product doc lists it as recommended, not required. The Microbes spec says to apply it with a microbe food, and Phishy is one of the foods it names, alongside Veg, Bloom and King Krustacean. The chart dose for Microbes is 1 to 3 ml per gallon.
Phishy is the wrong pick in a few cases:
- You grow indoors. Kelp It Real is the houseplant booster, and Vitamin Sea is the mineral option. Neither lists nitrogen or phosphate in its grade, so they do different jobs than Phishy.
- You grow vegan. Our documentation lists Kelp It Real and Vitamin Sea as vegan. Phishy is not, and the Microbes derived-from list includes fish protein hydrolysate too.
- You want chitin. Phishy has no significant chitin. King Krustacean is the chitin product.
For plant-by-plant schedules, see the feeding schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Phishy smell?
Yes. It is fish, and it smells like fish. That is easy to live with in a bed or outdoor containers and a poor fit for a room you live in. The smell is usually strongest right after application and fades as it soaks in. Using more product generally means more smell, and the chart tops out at 5 ml per gallon, so start at 1 ml.
Is Phishy vegan?
No. It is derived from fish protein hydrolysate. If you grow vegan, our documentation lists Kelp It Real and Vitamin Sea as vegan. Note that the Microbes derived-from list also includes fish protein hydrolysate.
How is fish hydrolysate different from fish emulsion?
Mainly the process. In general, fish emulsion is made with heat, and hydrolysate means enzymes did the breaking down. Phishy is cold-enzyme processed with no heat, and our product notes say that preserves amino acids, peptides, lipids and enzymes that hot processing loses. We do not publish side-by-side test results against specific fish emulsions, so treat it as a difference in how the product is made, not a promise of a particular result.
Can I use liquid fish fertilizer indoors?
You can, but we would not pick it for a room you live in. If you do use Phishy on potted plants indoors, water them outdoors or in a sink, let them drain fully, then bring them back. For indoor growing our product notes point to Vitamin Sea or Kelp It Real instead.