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Burpee Organic Blood Meal Review: The Nitro-Boost Your Garden Needs
1. Introduction: The “Green Leaf” Secret
If your vegetable garden looks pale, yellow, or stunted, your plants are likely screaming for one thing: Nitrogen. It is the fuel that drives leafy growth and deep green color. While compost adds a balanced diet over time, sometimes you need a fast-acting, potent shot of energy to kickstart a crop.
Burpee Organic Blood Meal is exactly that. It is a concentrated source of organic nitrogen (12-0-0) derived from dried blood. It isn’t a “balanced” fertilizer; it is a specialized tool designed to do one thing exceptionally well: make plants grow aggressively green.
But handling blood meal can be tricky—it smells, it can burn plants if misused, and it can attract unwanted animals. Is this traditional amendment still worth it in 2025, or should you stick to synthetic liquids? In this review, we break down the effectiveness, safety, and best uses for this potent organic powder.
2. Key Features Explained Simply
Blood meal is a simple product, but its impact is complex. Here is what you are actually putting into your soil.
12% Nitrogen (12-0-0)
The Benefit: This is one of the highest natural sources of nitrogen available. Nitrogen is the primary component of chlorophyll (the green pigment). Adding this to soil rapidly corrects yellowing leaves (chlorosis) and promotes vigorous stem and leaf growth. It is rocket fuel for lettuce, spinach, and corn.
OMRI Listed Organic
The Benefit: “OMRI Listed” is the gold standard for organic gardening. It means the Organic Materials Review Institute has verified that this product contains no synthetic chemicals or sewage sludge. You can use it safely on food crops you intend to feed your family.
Pest Repellent Properties
The Benefit: Herbivores like rabbits and deer rely on scent to find food. They instinctively hate the smell of blood. Sprinkling this around the perimeter of your garden bed can act as a natural, invisible fence, discouraging them from snacking on your seedlings.
Compost Activator
The Benefit: If your compost pile is “cold” and not breaking down, it likely has too much carbon (browns) and not enough nitrogen (greens). Adding a cup of blood meal provides the nitrogen needed to heat up the pile and speed up decomposition significantly.
3. Hands-On Use & Performance
We tested Burpee Blood Meal on a patch of stunted spinach and as a rabbit deterrent.
The Spinach Test
Leafy greens are heavy nitrogen feeders. We applied a light dusting of blood meal to a row of pale spinach plants and watered it in.
Result: Within 7 days, the color changed from lime green to deep forest green. New leaves emerged larger and faster than the control group. The speed of uptake is impressive for an organic solid.
The Rabbit Deterrent Test
We sprinkled a barrier around a raised bed that had been targeted by rabbits.
Result: The rabbits stopped eating from that bed for about 10 days. However, after a heavy rain, the smell washed away, and the rabbits returned. It works, but it requires re-application after rain.
Application & Smell
The product is a fine, dark red powder. It is easy to spread, but do not breathe it in. It is dusty.
The Smell: It smells like dried blood/iron. It isn’t overpowering to humans once mixed into the soil, but dogs love it. If you have a dog that likes to dig, mix this deep into the soil or fence off the area, otherwise, Fido might try to eat your garden bed.
4. Pros and Cons Table
| ✅ The Pros | ❌ The Cons |
|---|---|
| Fast Green-Up: Rapidly corrects nitrogen deficiency in yellowing plants. | Burn Risk: High concentration can burn roots if over-applied. |
| Double Duty: Acts as a fertilizer and a rabbit/deer repellent. | Pet Attraction: Dogs and raccoons are attracted to the scent. |
| Certified Organic: Safe for edible crops; no synthetic chemicals. | Not Complete: Zero Phosphorus or Potassium; won’t help flowering alone. |
| Compost Booster: Heats up cold compost piles effectively. | Temporary Repellent: Repellent effect washes away with rain/watering. |
5. Comparison: Picking Your Nitrogen Source
Is blood meal the right choice, or should you use something else?
| Main Product Burpee Blood Meal |
The Slow Alternative Feather Meal |
The Liquid Alternative Fish Emulsion |
|---|---|---|
| 🔧 NPK Ratio 12-0-0 |
🔧 NPK Ratio 12-0-0 |
🔧 NPK Ratio 5-1-1 |
| 👍 Pros Fast acting, Repels deer |
👍 Pros Very slow release, no burn |
👍 Pros Impossible to burn, trace minerals |
| 👎 Cons Can burn plants, attracts dogs |
👎 Cons Takes months to work |
👎 Cons Smells terrible, low potency |
| 📐 Form Fine Powder |
📐 Form Pellets / Meal |
📐 Form Liquid Concentrate |
| 🔋 Speed Fast (Days/Weeks) |
🔋 Speed Slow (Months) |
🔋 Speed Instant (Hours) |
| 🛡 Repellent? ✅ Yes (Deer/Rabbits) |
🛡 Repellent? ❌ No |
🛡 Repellent? ❌ No (Might attract cats) |
| 💲 Price Range $$ (Standard) |
💲 Price Range $$ (Standard) |
💲 Price Range $$ (Standard) |
| 🎯 Best-Use Scenario Leafy Greens / Corn |
🎯 Best-Use Scenario Long season crops |
🎯 Best-Use Scenario Seedlings / Transplants |
6. Who Should Buy This?
Burpee Blood Meal is a specific tool for specific gardeners:
- The Salad Grower: If you grow lettuce, kale, spinach, or chard, this is the best fertilizer you can buy. It fuels leaf production directly.
- The Corn Farmer: Corn is a heavy nitrogen feeder. Side-dressing with blood meal when the stalks are knee-high gives them the energy to finish strong.
- The Wildlife Battler: If you are losing plants to nibbling rabbits, this offers a two-in-one solution (feed the plant, scare the bunny).
Who should skip it? If you are trying to get tomatoes or peppers to flower, too much nitrogen can be bad—it creates a big bushy plant with no fruit. Use bone meal instead. Also, if you have a dog that digs, skip this and use a liquid fertilizer or alfalfa meal.
7. Comparison Summary
Feather Meal has the same nitrogen content but takes months to break down. It’s great for prepping soil in fall, but bad for fixing a yellow plant in June.
Fish Emulsion is great and safe, but the smell is horrendous and lingers. Blood meal’s smell is earthy and fades faster.
8. Final Verdict
Burpee Organic Blood Meal is a potent, reliable source of nitrogen. It does exactly what it says: turns yellow plants green and pushes rapid leafy growth.
It isn’t an “all-purpose” food, but as a targeted amendment for leafy greens or a nitrogen corrector, it is unmatched in the organic world. Just be mindful of your pets during application.
Rating: 4.7/5 stars for Organic Efficacy.
Read more articles on this topic: Fertilizers & Plant Food.
