OK, I got a jug (3/4 gal) of very old stinky fish emulsion

[BrotherBuzz]

I want to use it up by applying it to my (800 sq ft) lawn. I want to apply it with a hose fertilizer sprayer (1-10 tablespoons per gallon settings) and need some help on the settings because the old jug label disappeared about thirty years ago. Any ballpark numbers on settings? Can I over apply and damage my lawn? How long will it stink? How many applications and time between applications would be appropriate to get rid of three quarts of stinky old fish emulsion. My lawn is in Northern California and have at least another month or two of strong growth before the winter slowdown. Thanks in advance for any advice.

[bvar22]

1. Be careful

Apply some to a small experimental patch and let it sit for a couple of weeks.

There is really no telling what type of chemical processes have been at work over 30 years, or what someone else may have put in that old bottle.

If you are using a hose sprayer, you may also need to screen out any particulate matter that has fallen out over the years.

If this solution is 30 years old, the risk amy be greater than the reward.

[BrotherBuzz]

2. Well, it's actually almost fifty years old

It came from my folks home and I remember mixing it in the watering can for the vegetable garden as a kid. I'm very positive nothing was added, and it did, indeed, settle a lot. I decanted it in a new vessel and shook it up well, but the remaining stinky gunk in the old jug needed water to dissolve. I poured the on some ivy in the side yard; that will be my test. What would you think about using in the compost heap if you were positive nothing foreign was ever added to it?

[Imalittleteapot]

3. Pour it

on the compost pile, if you have one. If you don't have one, start one. Now is a good time with leaves falling.

[BrotherBuzz]

4. That is now my plan

I compost, and take pride in running high temperatures in it. My present pile is in the worm stage and ready to be turned out for the next crop. I figure I'll use the fish emulsion, diluted, in stages through the leaf season which is still weeks away in California.