Application rates & directions
Each amount below is the weight of bone meal for one application, mixed into the soil at planting time. Weigh it on a kitchen or postal scale; this page gives no cup or spoon amounts, because the weight of a spoonful of this product has not been measured. The amounts come from university Extension publications, converted to this product’s 15% phosphate, and the sources are listed under Product documents & sources.
Check your soil pH first. Colorado State University reports that bone meal phosphorus is available to plants only in soil below pH 7.0. A home pH test or a lab soil test will tell you. If your soil is at 7.0 or higher, use Monoammonium Phosphate 11-52-0 instead.
Quick guide: how much to use
These amounts are for gardens without a soil test, except where a row says a test is needed. If you have a soil test, the tables further down give the amount for your result.
How much Bone Meal 3-15-0 to use for one application, by what you are growing
| What you are growing | How much | How to apply it |
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| Vegetable garden, flower bed, or raised bed | About 5.3 g per square foot, or 1.17 lb (529 g) per 100 sq ft. A 4 × 8 ft raised bed takes 169 g (6 oz). Greenway suggests the same for a new flower bed | Spread it evenly and mix it into the top 4 to 6 inches before planting |
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| Large vegetable plants, such as tomatoes and melons, one at a time | 26 g (0.9 oz) per plant | Mix it into the soil over the plant’s space, about 5 sq ft, before planting |
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| Smaller vegetable plants, such as broccoli, one at a time | 13 g (0.5 oz) per plant | Mix it into the soil over the plant’s space, about 2.5 sq ft, before planting |
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| Pots, planters, and potting mix | 4.5 g per gallon of potting mix, up to 9 g. A 5-gallon pot takes 22 g (0.8 oz) | Mix it evenly through the potting mix before you plant or repot |
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| Bulb beds that come back each year | About 6 g per square foot, up to 9 g, or 1.33 lb (605 g) per 100 sq ft | Scratch it in as new shoots appear in spring or after the flowers fade, not both. Not usually needed at planting |
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| Roses and perennials | New beds: about 5.3 g per square foot, the vegetable-garden amount, which Greenway suggests for flowers too. Established plants: only where a soil test shows low phosphorus, at the amount for your result | New beds: mix it into the top 4 to 6 inches before planting. Established roses: spread it in a band 18 inches wide, starting about 6 inches from the stems (about 12 sq ft per bush), and scratch it lightly into the soil |
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| New fruit trees | 42 g (1.5 oz) per cubic foot of backfill, up to 83 g (2.9 oz). A hole 2 ft wide and 18 inches deep takes 196 g (6.9 oz) | Only where a soil test shows phosphorus is low. Mix it into the soil that goes back around the roots |
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| Established trees, shrubs, and berry plants | Usually none. Where a soil test shows low phosphorus: 151 g (5.3 oz) to 1.33 lb (605 g) per 100 sq ft | Shrubs and berries: spread it under the branches and work it lightly into the soil. Trees: place it in deep holes, as described below |
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| New lawns | The amount your soil test calls for | Work it into the soil before seeding or sodding |
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| Established lawns, seed-starting mixes, plants already growing in pots, hydroponics, drip, and sprays | Not suited | See “Uses with no rate on this page” below |
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Treat each amount as one application: at planting time, or for established plants, once in the season shown. Phosphorus builds up in soil that is fertilized year after year, so before you add it again in later years, a soil test is the way to know whether the soil needs more, less, or none.
Vegetable gardens, flower beds, and raised beds
Without a soil test, Penn State Extension’s general recommendation for a vegetable garden supplies 0.175 lb of phosphate per 100 sq ft for the season. In this product that is 1.17 lb (529 g) per 100 sq ft, or about 5.3 g per square foot: 85 g (3 oz) for a 4 × 4 ft bed, 169 g (6 oz) for a 4 × 8 ft bed, 254 g (9 oz) for a 4 × 12 ft bed, and 11.67 lb (5,292 g) for a 1,000 sq ft garden. Penn State gives this amount for vegetable gardens. Iowa State Extension uses the same phosphate amounts for flowers, perennials, and bulbs as for vegetables at every soil-test level, so Greenway suggests the same amount for a new flower bed. Spread it evenly and mix it into the top 4 to 6 inches before planting. Around established perennials, use it only where a soil test shows low phosphorus, spread around the plants and worked lightly into the soil.
One plant at a time. Oregon State University counts a large plant, such as a tomato or melon, as about 5 sq ft and a smaller plant, such as broccoli, as about 2.5 sq ft, and gives each plant the 100 sq ft amount divided by 20 or by 40. Without a soil test, that is 26 g (0.9 oz) for each large plant and 13 g (0.5 oz) for each smaller one; 8 tomato plants take 212 g (7.5 oz). Mix each plant’s amount into the soil over the space it will fill, rather than dropping it into one spot.
If you have a soil test, use the amount for your result:
Bone meal for vegetable gardens, flower beds, perennials, and bulbs (no soil test: Penn State Extension; by soil-test phosphorus: Iowa State Extension and University of Minnesota BU-01731, Table 23)
| Your soil test | Per 100 sq ft | Per large plant (5 sq ft) | Per smaller plant (2.5 sq ft) |
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| No soil test | 1.17 lb (529 g) | 26 g (0.9 oz) | 13 g (0.5 oz) |
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| Bray 0–5 ppm or Olsen 0–3 ppm | 2.67 lb (1,210 g) | 60 g (2.1 oz) | 30 g (1.1 oz) |
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| Bray 6–10 ppm or Olsen 4–7 ppm | 2 lb (907 g) | 45 g (1.6 oz) | 23 g (0.8 oz) |
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| Bray 11–15 ppm or Olsen 8–11 ppm | 1.33 lb (605 g) | 30 g (1.1 oz) | 15 g (0.5 oz) |
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| Bray 16–25 ppm or Olsen 12–18 ppm | 302 g (10.7 oz) | 15 g (0.5 oz) | 7.6 g (0.3 oz) |
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| Over Bray 25 ppm or Olsen 18 ppm | None | None | None |
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Your lab report names its phosphorus test next to the result; the University of Minnesota uses the Bray-P1 test on soils at pH 7.4 or below and the Olsen-P test above. An Olsen-P result usually means alkaline soil, so check that your pH is below 7.0 before using bone meal. The table rows supply 0.40, 0.30, 0.20, and 0.10 lb of phosphate per 100 sq ft, from tables written for the Upper Midwest and not split by crop. For 1,000 sq ft, multiply the 100 sq ft amount by 10. If your soil test comes from an Oregon lab, Oregon State University’s own bone meal table (EC 1503, Table 4C) uses different soil-test levels, so follow it instead.
Pots, planters, and potting mix
A Cornell organic potting mix for larger plants and containers, published by eOrganic, mixes 2 to 4 lb of bone meal into each cubic yard of mix (about 202 gallons). That is 4.5 to 9 g per gallon of potting mix. Start at 4.5 g, and mix it evenly through the potting mix before you plant or repot.
Bone meal for pots and potting mix, at 4.5 to 9 g per gallon of mix (Cornell organic container mix, published by eOrganic)
| Potting mix in the pot | Start with | Up to |
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| 1 gallon | 4.5 g (0.16 oz) | 9 g (0.3 oz) |
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| 3 gallons | 13 g (0.5 oz) | 27 g (1 oz) |
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| 5 gallons | 22 g (0.8 oz) | 45 g (1.6 oz) |
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| 10 gallons | 45 g (1.6 oz) | 90 g (3.2 oz) |
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| 15 gallons | 67 g (2.4 oz) | 135 g (4.8 oz) |
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| 25 gallons | 112 g (4 oz) | 225 g (7.9 oz) |
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| 1 cubic foot of mix (about 7.5 gallons) | 34 g (1.2 oz) | 67 g (2.4 oz) |
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Go by how much potting mix the pot holds. The recipe pairs bone meal with blood meal for nitrogen, so plan a nitrogen source too; bone meal supplies little. Many bagged potting mixes already contain fertilizer, so check the bag first. Iowa State Extension notes that nutrients in potting mixes run down quickly as plants take them up and water drains through, so during the season, feed potted plants with a fertilizer made for containers rather than adding bone meal on top. Bone meal needs a mix below pH 7.0, so check your potting mix’s pH if you can.
Bulbs
Iowa State Extension says fertilizer is not usually necessary when you plant bulbs, and that it matters more for next year’s bulbs than for this spring’s flowers. For bulb beds that come back each year, without a soil test, Iowa State gives 2 to 3 lb of a 5-10-5 fertilizer per 100 sq ft, which supplies 0.20 to 0.30 lb of phosphate. In this product that is 1.33 to 2 lb (605 to 907 g) per 100 sq ft, about 6 to 9 g per square foot: 109 g (3.8 oz) to start for a 3 × 6 ft bed. Scratch it into the soil either as new growth appears in spring or after the flowers fade, but not both. With a soil test, use the garden table above. Bulbs you replace every year, such as hybrid tulips planted fresh each fall, do not need it. Work it into the soil rather than leaving it on top: University of New Hampshire Extension warns that bone meal can attract skunks, raccoons, and dogs that dig bulbs up.
Roses and perennials
For a new rose or perennial bed without a soil test, Greenway suggests the flower-bed amount above, about 5.3 g per square foot, mixed into the top 4 to 6 inches. That extends Penn State’s vegetable-garden amount, because Iowa State gives flowers the same phosphate as vegetables; University of Illinois Extension notes that phosphorus helps roses get established. Around established roses and perennials, add bone meal only where a soil test shows low phosphorus, at the garden-table amount for your result. Iowa State Extension feeds roses in a band about 18 inches wide, starting about 6 inches from the base of the canes, worked lightly into the soil; that band covers about 12 sq ft around one bush.
Fruit trees, berries, trees, and shrubs
Planting a new fruit tree. Where a soil test shows phosphorus below optimum, the University of Connecticut’s tree-fruit guide mixes bone meal into the soil used to backfill the planting hole at 2 to 4 oz per cubic foot. Its figure is for a 1-11-0 bone meal; for the same phosphate from this 3-15-0 product, use 42 g (1.5 oz) per cubic foot of backfill, up to 83 g (2.9 oz), and mix it thoroughly with the soil that goes around the roots. A hole 2 ft wide and 18 inches deep holds about 4.7 cubic feet: 196 g (6.9 oz) at the starting amount, or less with a large root ball. Skip it where the soil test shows phosphorus is adequate or high.
Shade trees, shrubs, and established plantings. Iowa State Extension says it is generally not necessary to fertilize healthy trees and shrubs, Washington State University says landscape trees and shrubs seldom need phosphorus, and UC IPM says adding phosphorus to most California soils is rarely beneficial to landscape plants. Washington State University’s Linda Chalker-Scott adds that high phosphorus inhibits mycorrhizal fungi, leaving new transplants more likely to suffer transplant shock, so leave bone meal out of planting holes for shade trees and shrubs unless a soil test calls for it. Where a test shows low phosphorus, use the amount for your result:
Bone meal for fruits, berries, trees, and shrubs, per area fertilized, by soil-test phosphorus (Iowa State Extension; University of Minnesota BU-01731, Table 27)
| Your soil test | Per 100 sq ft | Per 1,000 sq ft |
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| Bray 0–5 ppm or Olsen 0–3 ppm | 1.33 lb (605 g) | 13.33 lb (6,048 g) |
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| Bray 6–10 ppm or Olsen 4–7 ppm | 302 g (10.7 oz) | 6.67 lb (3,024 g) |
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| Bray 11–25 ppm or Olsen 8–18 ppm | 151 g (5.3 oz) | 3.33 lb (1,512 g) |
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| Over Bray 25 ppm or Olsen 18 ppm | None | None |
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For a new berry bed or other new planting where the whole area is dug, mix it into the top 4 to 6 inches before planting. Around established shrubs and berry plants, spread it evenly over the area in fall or spring and work it lightly into the soil. For established trees, the University of Minnesota places phosphate deep: holes ½ to 2 inches wide and 12 to 18 inches deep, about 2 feet apart, from at least 3 feet out from the trunk to 2 feet beyond the branch tips, with the amount divided equally among them.
Lawns
For a new lawn, work in the phosphate your soil test calls for before seeding or sodding, using the soil-test formula below. The University of Minnesota’s new-lawn recommendations, 1 to 5 lb of phosphate per 1,000 sq ft depending on the soil test, come to 6.67 to 33.33 lb (3,024 to 15,120 g) of this product per 1,000 sq ft. This page gives no amount for established lawns: bone meal needs to be worked into the soil, and University of New Hampshire Extension warns that it can attract animals that dig. Some states and cities restrict phosphorus on lawns, so check your local rules.
If your soil test report gives a phosphate amount
Some reports give the phosphate to apply, in pounds of P₂O₅, instead of a phosphorus level. To turn that into bone meal, divide by 0.15: each pound of phosphate takes 6.67 lb of this product.
Bone meal needed for common soil-test phosphate recommendations, at 15% P₂O₅
| Your soil test calls for | This product per 100 sq ft | This product per 1,000 sq ft |
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| 0.5 lb P₂O₅ per 1,000 sq ft | 151 g (5.3 oz) | 3.33 lb (1,512 g) |
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| 1 lb P₂O₅ per 1,000 sq ft | 302 g (10.7 oz) | 6.67 lb (3,024 g) |
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| 2 lb P₂O₅ per 1,000 sq ft | 1.33 lb (605 g) | 13.33 lb (6,048 g) |
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If your report gives phosphate per acre, divide by 43.56 for pounds per 1,000 sq ft. For a field, 60 lb of P₂O₅ per acre is 400 lb of this product per acre; for large orders, email questions@greenwaybiotech.com for a bulk quote. Some reports state the fertilizer to buy rather than the phosphate needed; email us and we will convert it.
Your package label
This page gives university rates and does not restate the directions printed on your package. If the directions on your package differ from this page, email questions@greenwaybiotech.com before applying.
Uses with no rate on this page
This page gives no amount for established lawns, seed-starting mixes, or side-dressing vegetables and annuals that are already growing, because bone meal works best mixed into the soil before planting. For plants already growing in pots, and for houseplants between repottings, use a fertilizer that dissolves in water. Bone meal does not dissolve, so it is not for hydroponics, drip or injector systems, or foliar sprays. For any of these, email questions@greenwaybiotech.com with your plants and growing method.
Frequently asked questions
What is bone meal’s NPK, and what does it contain?
3-15-0: bone meal with 3% nitrogen, 15% available phosphate (P₂O₅), and 24% calcium, and no guaranteed potash (K₂O). Each pound supplies 68 g (0.15 lb) of phosphate, 14 g (0.03 lb) of nitrogen, and 109 g (0.24 lb) of calcium. The phosphate is held in bone mineral, which does not dissolve in water.
Does bone meal work in alkaline soil?
Not well. Colorado State University reports that phosphorus from bone meal is available to plants only in soils below pH 7.0, because the bone mineral needs an acidic soil solution to release it. Test your soil pH first. At pH 7.0 or above, use a phosphate that dissolves in soil water, such as Monoammonium Phosphate 11-52-0, instead.
How much bone meal should I use in a garden?
Without a soil test, use about 5.3 g per square foot, or 1.17 lb (529 g) per 100 sq ft: Penn State Extension’s vegetable-garden recommendation, converted to this product. A 4 × 8 ft raised bed takes 169 g (6 oz). With a soil test, the Iowa State and University of Minnesota phosphate amounts come to 302 g (10.7 oz) to 2.67 lb (1,210 g) per 100 sq ft, depending on the phosphorus level, and none where it tests above 25 ppm Bray-P1 (18 ppm Olsen-P). Apply it once, before planting, and mix it into the top 4 to 6 inches.
How much bone meal per plant or per pot?
Without a soil test, Oregon State University’s per-plant method gives 26 g (0.9 oz) for a large plant such as a tomato or melon and 13 g (0.5 oz) for a smaller plant such as broccoli, mixed into the soil over the space the plant will fill. For pots, a Cornell organic container mix published by eOrganic uses 4.5 to 9 g per gallon of potting mix: start with 22 g (0.8 oz) for a 5-gallon pot. For a new fruit tree where a soil test shows low phosphorus, mix 42 g (1.5 oz) per cubic foot into the backfill, about 196 g (6.9 oz) for a hole 2 ft wide and 18 inches deep. This page gives weights, not spoon or cup amounts, because the weight of a spoonful of this product has not been measured.
How long does bone meal take to work?
Colorado State University lists a release time of 1 to 4 months for bone meal, and notes that the soil microbes that release nutrients from organic fertilizers need soil warmer than 50 °F and enough moisture. Phosphate also moves slowly in soil, Oregon State University notes, so work it into the root zone before planting rather than adding it once plants show a problem.
Will bone meal prevent blossom-end rot in tomatoes?
No. Iowa State University Extension traces blossom-end rot to a shortage of calcium in the developing fruit, caused mainly by inconsistent watering, and says adding calcium to the soil is generally ineffective. Keep soil moisture even, with regular watering in dry weather and a mulch. Use bone meal where a soil test calls for phosphorus, not as a blossom-end rot treatment.
Should I put it in planting holes for trees, shrubs, or bulbs?
For a new fruit tree, only where a soil test shows phosphorus below optimum, at the backfill amount above. For shade trees and shrubs, only if a soil test calls for phosphorus: Washington State University says landscape trees and shrubs seldom need it, UC IPM says adding phosphorus to most California soils rarely benefits landscape plants, and Washington State University’s Linda Chalker-Scott notes that high phosphorus inhibits mycorrhizal fungi, leaving new transplants more likely to suffer transplant shock. For bulbs, Iowa State Extension says fertilizer is not usually needed at planting; for beds that come back each year, its amount comes to about 6 to 9 g per square foot, scratched into the soil as shoots appear in spring or after the flowers fade. University of New Hampshire Extension warns that bone meal can attract skunks, raccoons, and dogs that dig the bulbs up, so work it into the soil.
Does bone meal supply nitrogen?
A little. It contains 3% nitrogen, 14 g per pound, in organic form that soil microbes must break down first. At 1.17 lb per 100 sq ft it adds about 16 g of nitrogen, so plan the crop’s nitrogen from another source, such as Feather Meal 12-0-0.
Bone meal or fish bone meal: which should I use?
Both carry their phosphate in bone mineral, so both need soil below pH 7.0. This product supplies 15% phosphate and guarantees 24% calcium; Fish Bone Meal 4-17-0 supplies 17% phosphate and 4% nitrogen, with no calcium guarantee. This product takes 6.7 lb per pound of phosphate and fish bone meal 5.9 lb, so compare them by price per pound of phosphate, and choose this one if you also want the calcium.
Can I use it in hydroponics, drip irrigation, or a foliar spray?
No. It does not dissolve in water, so it cannot be fed through a reservoir, drip line, or sprayer. For phosphate in water, use a fully water-soluble source such as Monoammonium Phosphate 12-61-0 or Monopotassium Phosphate 0-52-34.
Can I use it in certified organic production?
No OMRI listing or California Organic Input Material registration is on file for this product, so we do not sell it for certified organic production. California requires fertilizing materials intended for organic crop production to be registered as Organic Input Materials. If you farm under organic certification, your certifier decides which inputs you may use.
Does bone meal attract animals?
It can. University of New Hampshire Extension warns that bone meal can attract skunks, raccoons, and dogs that dig. Work it into the soil rather than leaving it on the surface, and keep the bag sealed and out of reach of children and pets. If a pet eats it, call your veterinarian.
