Full question…
Hi 🙂 I’m a newbie to gardening and I’ve been following the videos you have posted and find them really helpful and encouraging! thanks!!
But I have a problem…. I put sheep pellets on my vege bed and now the house is full of flies! argh… I’ve put a layer of pea straw over the bed and this has helped plus tried all sorts of natural things inside to keep them out like clove oil etc in the burner & keeping dishes off the bench BUT still a huge problem. I have a small yard so placement of garden has to be close to the house unfortunately. What am I to do?? Any tips would be most appreciated.
Our response…
If sheep pellets are attracting flies the best thing to do is cover them over with soil. Sheep pellets are a great food for plants, so maybe you could use them by dissolving a handful in a watering can and using it as a liquid fertiliser instead. Otherwise we’d recommend your using a fish and seaweed liquid fertiliser for your plants rather than sheep pellets. Let us know how you get on.
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9 Responses
Thanks for your reply, I will try watering in pellets in future.
I have foraged some seaweed & started it soaking in a bin – that sounds more pleasant somehow than soaking pooh in water (but both worth their weight no doubt).
I do also wonder – if you’d be so kind – where do you get/buy rock dust? (I bet that doesn’t attract flies)
The best thing is NOT to put them on your garden.
Try using blood and bone instead.
Many years ago I went to the site in NZ where they were made.
I have never used them since.
I always know when a neighbour has put them on their garden.
We like sheep pellets because they’re slow-release and they’re a balanced fertiliser – they have N, P and K in them whereas blood and bone doesn’t have any K (potassium). That’s okay for leafy greens but not for fruiting vegetables. If you have trouble with flies or smell, we would recommend you bury them in the soil.
Hi Lynda
If you live in Auckland you can buy Natures Organic Fertiliser (we call it rock dust) at Kings Plant Barn St Lukes, Henderson and Silverdale. If you live out of Auckland, try contacting Environmental Fertilisers http://environmentalfertilisers.co.nz/contact/ Keep in touch 🙂
thanks 🙂
I put my sheep pellets in the planting holes so covered with soil but our dogs had a great time digging them up! So I have been soaking my sheep pellets in water and using them that way but still have infestation of flies – we have short grass and ensure there is never any dog poop around so assume that the smell of sheep pellet juice is still in the garden and that attracts the flies! I would love to know what I could use in place of them as they certainly making my garden so lush but don’t want the flies.
Hi Cathy The warmth and humidity we’ve been experiencing certainly do increase fly numbers! It’s the nitrogen in animal manures that promotes lush growth, but the smell of animal manure also attracts flies. Our suggestion is to go back to putting sheep pellets in the planting holes, which controls the flies, then net your plants to protect them from your dogs. You can use rock dust as a fertiliser, but its nitrogen content isn’t as high as animal manures. Our only other suggestion is to buy outdoor fly traps – something like this… https://www.mitre10.co.nz/shop/easytrap-outdoor-fly-trap-bottle/p/227325 which we understand are very effective. All the best 🙂
We will try a couple of the fly traps and see how we go.
Thanks for your prompt response.
Pleasure. Let us know if they work for you 🙂