Bat Guano

[M O]

First off hello to everyone. I am new to organic growing and have read the stickies but still have a few queztions about topdrsssing bat guanos vs guano tea.
So I have made a base mix of 1 cu ft earh grow...its a potting mix composed of peat moss perlite compost made from forest product sand.

To this I add one cup dolomite garden lime fine powderd
one half cup kelp meal
four heaping , so proly more like five, cups worm castings
Four heaping cups perlite
Two tablespoons granular humic acid

Mix it all up and potted my freshly rooted clones in it.

So here's my main question. I have mexican, indonesian, andperuvian se bird guanos. From what I understand about teas u feed them with it up to every single time u water. From instructions on bags of guano u top dress every 2 to 4 weeks. Now honestly I have no clue, like I said I'm new to organics. Why would
You feed them so often with making teas rather than simply top dressing. Does top dressing not work as good?

you m

 

[Seandawg]

Top dressing with guanos can influence the pH of the soil if it hasn't been properly cycled (or cooked in the soil).

I personally don't use guanos because it influences the flavor profiles in a way that simply doesn't suit my preferences.

Say by chance that wasn't my primary concern (you like the way bat shit tastes) then I would continue to use the product but I would include it in my amendment mix and cycle it properly before use.

Just my two pennies...

SD

 

[BlueJayWay]

agreed ^^^^ why so much bird/bat shit man? And I'd do what you're thinking of doing, just top dress 'ahead of time' and let it work it's way in slowly....

...also, don't hesitate to flip flop your amounts on the dolo and the kelp I know i would...

 

[Easy7]

Bird guano tested alkaline. Top dressing is good if your outdoors and a period of rain is expected. I never noticed a taste from guano.

 

[SilverSurfer_OG]

I use Indonesian bat guano pellets. Picked up a 20kg bag for about $20 over a year ago and i like to topdress with it. It is strongly alkaline just like my biochar and can stuff up a cycle or three if overdone. But it adds the great benefits of being fossilized and therefore being plant available from the get go.

It is comprised of Phosphorous, Silica and Calcium. The silica comes from all the insects that have lived and dies on the cave floor eating the bat poo. I can only source Ag-Sil and the like from USA and shipping is prohibitive. This makes up that gap for me plus already chelated P and C is excellent for healthy root and flower formation.

This 20kg bag will literally last me for years and years as it is highly concentrated. So i dont feel so bad for any ecological damage which may have occurred in its place of origin. But its poo right? What else is it good for???

I used to buy 5 litre bottles from the hydro store for a ripoff price and it was basically just this stuff plus some water and maybe a preservative or two... hehe.

No doubt it works, i ran a test with the liquid version years back and flower development was BIGGER and FROSTIER. Goddam science bitches!

 

[SilverSurfer_OG]

In answer to your question i certainly don't topdress with it every 2-4 weeks! Outdoors in spring i give all me veggie beds a light sprinkling. A little more where i am growing tomatoes, peppers etc

Indoors i topdress in veg (1-3months) that way it will be nicely breaking down come flower. Perhaps a tea or two if i feel the flowers need a boost.

Less is more.

 

[M O]

Thanks for all of the replies. I do appreciate all of yalls input.
BJW I don't plan to use all those shits at the same time. Each one has a different NPK ratio...and to clarify I am growing outside in 3 gallon containers to be veged for one month and then gonna cut the pull a blackout tarp over em at correct time each day to bloom them.
The mexican I just top dressed with yesterday. Its for veg its 10-1-1. I was afraid to mix it in my mix cause I wasn't sure if the freshly rooted clones culd handle it or not so I let them sit in my mix for two weeks now I top drrssed them an was gonna let em veg a month then hit em with the peruvian....its 12-11-2 for the first month of flower...then I plan to use the indonesian which is 0.5-13-0.2 for the last month of flowering. That's why so many different and why I was hesitant on puttring the bat shit in my soil mix.

But like I say its my first time organic so I am just trying to learn...so from what I did read it sounds like I culda mixed in the mexican bat shit from the start and put fresh rooted clones into this mix....I wasn't sure if that wuld burn em or not was only thing that made me hesitate on that.

I'm also growing out a ten pack of SLH from GH and a 18 pack with one extra in it cause he's sooo nice...of medicine man from Mr. Nice and 5 freebie Blue Satelite. Out of those I had 1 SLH 1 BS and 2 medicine men that didn't pop. All the rest have only there first set of true leaves so far. My clones are trainwreck , grandaddy p x with AK 47, Alabama Love, and some cheesy smellin cross not sure what she is but she's nice..

So the dolomite I mixed in shuldnt it keep me from having to worry about top dressing with the guanos altering my ph? That and the cal and mag was my reasoning for adding it.

 

[RanchoDeluxe]

Hey man great job so far. You did the right thing being concerned about burning up little seedlings. Can you get ahold of any kelp meal? Not much K in your mix. It would be great to make a tea w/ the guanos. First page of Organics for Beginners has tea recipes for guano. I never had the need to use them in veg. Years ago I would use the guano tea listed there every damn watering. Probably didn't need to. I stopped using guano over ecological concerns and the teas are just nasty...not to mention I would wear a dust mask when scooping it out of the bag. Wars have literally been fought over it.

Basically, if youre plants are light green, perhaps a couple lower leaves have yellowed or died, it's time to feed em. If you're plants are dark green and maybe even have some burnt tips, it may be time to back off from feeding so much. Very rarely do I ever flower a plant INDOORS in a 3gal container. If I was growing outside, the minimum container size would be 30gals. Doesn't sound like a patio grow to me anyway, the talk about light dep makes me think greenhouse. If you light dep them when they are under 18" tall...maybe the 3gal will work. All I'm trying to get at is, the more soil you allow them to grow in, the less you have to worry about feeding and watering them.

Good Luck
RD

 

[Easy7]

I saw a movie, about mercaneries taking over an island.............for the guano. It was fairly stupid, but practicle. Gauno is a rich organic fert, I am going to get some in the future. I still have some all inclusive Epsoma fert.

 

[M O]

Thanks Rd anSS an everyone.
K. So no green house realy.I have. Some hoops made like bare no covering ...just enough to support the tarp when the time comes and I did mention that I put a half cup of kelp meal per cu ft of soil mix. I was gonna transplant the seedlings into some 15 gallon containors that I have but I was gonna start the clones in about a month an they shuldnt be much taller than 18 inches by then an I have anothwr cycle comming right behind them...but I do plan to grow some through the whole year and those I will put into larger pots. So does my 3 gall pots need to be more considering that's the reason for light dep is tp go ahead and get a crop an my clones aren't grown they are only going on two weeks after sprouting roots from the peat cubes filled with soil that I cloned them into. I do have the moms from those clones in bloom now also buut there in 15 gal pots...can cut plenty new moms an clones from these in veg to take the grown moms places that provided these cuttings...

I have read the stickies and have made a tea from the recipei damn ur right that tea shit sure is stanky an nasty but boy did my blooming babies LOVE it. It was my first tea but Id rather side dress an tea as needed if it works as good instead of tea all the time...I have to make about 200 gallons of liqued to wet up all my plant sites.

I ro my water an use a large pump an garden hose with wand on end to disperse my liquids. That's just a lot of tea to be makin vs side dress em every now an then an just dispence ro water the rest o tha time...

 

[OrganicOzarks]

Mix a little guano in your compost teas, and your plants will thank you.

I do it weekly all the way through flower.

 

[BugJar]

for feeding with guano use 2 tbs per gallon of RO water.

I use molasses as well and feed every watering.

the peruvian I use is pelletized I would throw a teaspoon as a topdress or crush it up for tea

continue to feed with guano and your plants will thank you

I would add it into the soil and compost for best effect top dressing poo poses possible physical risks from inhalation

there are some health concerns when it comes to guano so be careful handling it.

 

[John Deere]

Thanks for all of the replies. I do appreciate all of yalls input.

I'm guessing you're from the southern part of the USA?

 

[VerdantGreen]

i find it best to mix the guano into the soil before potting up (not for seedlings though)

i use 5-10g of high P guano per litre of soil and 3-5g of high N guano per litre of soil.

not the same brands as yours as i am in the UK but that should give you an idea.

VG

 

[Easy7]

i find it best to mix the guano into the soil before potting up (not for seedlings though)

i use 5-10g of high P guano per litre of soil and 3-5g of high N guano per litre of soil.

not the same brands as yours as i am in the UK but that should give you an idea.

VG

That seems like a lot, how big are your plants when you re-pot?

 

[M O]

Lol uea Jd. Ima country boy deep south tryin ta survive...I thought someone might key on that. HeyI see where sone peps responses get checked found post useful...I do find yalls post useful bit I'm on a smarter than me phone ...all I have atm to connect to web and I dobt know how to do that. How to sau someone's post was helpfull other than like this so to everyone you are helpful and thanks. I'm a bit concerned mabee my 3 gals are two small. There the extra large 3 gal an obly vegging till bout 18 inc tall...to small o pot site??? I think it'll be fine just reading comments makes me wonder.

I'm doing the backyard boogie so I'm always available to wet soil as needed???
Ima mix mexican bat guano into soil mix from now in though. And I will get some mollases...I lije using it.

So does anyone know why u can feed guano as a tea so often but u can only top dress every now and then. Is it because u strain all solids out or do u open sticking and mix soluds as well or just dispose of what's left in stocking. I have noticed my girls shouted hells yea when I gave em some tea...

 

[Easy7]

^^^^ Probably since a tea is controlled dilution and a top dressing is not controlled dilution. If you get a lot of rain, then you can top dress more.

 

[RanchoDeluxe]

The answer to your question about the 3gal pot being large enough is...it depends. Small plants should be OK...larger ones won't do so well. Alot of this will depend on your skills as a grower. Larger pots will simply make life easier and you won't have to worry about it. You do realize that you can recycle your soil?
If I was growing outside in a greenhouse or whatever I would build raised beds about a foot high or so. This way you can plant in it season after season.

If you want to make a tea with some science backing it up take a look at microbeman's website. Just google microbeman and it will pop up. Whenever you make a tea, the leftovers still have alot of NPK, secondary metabolites, etc. This always goes into the compost, wormbin, or I will use the leftovers as a topdress. I'm too lazy to use a stocking when making a tea. I highly suggest continuing with teas. Another method to get through the season is to topdress w/kelp and use fish hydrolysate.

 

[VerdantGreen]

i repot more than once, but i'll use that amount on a young plant from seed or clone as long it has grown a bit and rooted into it's first small (1 litre or less) container

 

[M O]

Thanks VG an everyone else. I think I have the gist of it now. Got lotsa work to do so I'm back at it again...