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crab meal

Gascanastan

Gone but NOT forgotten...
Veteran
I have incorporated it in compost topdress mixes ...curious,what do you aim to achieve with crab shell as a topdress in flower?
 

koolkush

Member
Veteran
I'm not sure just was seeing if it would help with flavor and yield. What do u think do u think it will help r do u think it just better to compost
 

Gascanastan

Gone but NOT forgotten...
Veteran
We use crab shell meal for one component really.....the 'chitin' in the shell....for controlling insects that make a reproductive loop through the soil.

Some secondary benefits include the easily broken down form of calcium 'calcium carbonate'...and some sequestered nitrogen that will act as a slight slow release.

Topdressing with it...for me....is done with the intention of recycling the soil anyway.

There will be little benefit for a crab shell meal topdress in flower...unless you plan on recycling your soil.
 

Neo 420

Active member
Veteran
Chitin also helps with defensive mechanism in plants to help fight diseases.

Chitin, a polymer of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, is an important component of fungal pathogenicity, since fungal pathogens with defects in chitin synthesis are significantly less virulent on the original susceptible hosts.5,24 Although plants lack chitin, they do secrete chitin-degrading enzymes.18,22 During fungal infection, plant cells secrete chitinases that release chitin fragments (chitooligosaccharides or chitin oligomers) from fungal cell walls that can act as an elicitor to induce plant innate immunity against the invading pathogen.3,18,22,23,25 In agreement with this, overexpression of chitinase in plants led to enhanced resistance to fungal pathogens.4,11,18 Furthermore, pretreatment of plants with chitooligosaccharides enhances plant resistance against various pathogens.26,29 Additionally, recent gene expression profiling studies demonstrated that chitooligosaccharides were a potent regulator of plant gene expression.6,20,29,30 All this suggests that a chitin perception and signal transduction pathway is present in plants to mediate plant disease resistance.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2634388/
 

ClackamasCootz

Expired
Veteran
Crab meal in worm bins.

The commercial Crab meals are a very, very fine grind. Smaller than a grain of sand and the sizing is very consistent.

HTH
 

ClackamasCootz

Expired
Veteran
That's one thing nice about kelp meal - the smell reminds me of living at the beach in Southern California. Days of Future Past

Fish meal - not so much
 

koolkush

Member
Veteran
Cool thanks guys I will put sum in my worm bin. What do u guys think about brewing it in a tea for 24
 

ClackamasCootz

Expired
Veteran
Koolkush

No benefit whatsoever - at its core as others have noted we're talking about Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3) at 96%

Carbonates are not water soluble. It would prove very difficult for crabs, lobsters, shrimp to have much of a growth pattern if their shells were water soluble. (inside joke)

CC
 

Gascanastan

Gone but NOT forgotten...
Veteran
Crab meal in worm bins.

The commercial Crab meals are a very, very fine grind. Smaller than a grain of sand and the sizing is very consistent.

HTH

...oh hell no..you're wrong and I'm telling mom.

I've been getting two types of product up here..the finer type from Concentrates and another type that seems to have larger bits of shell in it.

Not sure what that's all about....off brand maybe?
 

ClackamasCootz

Expired
Veteran
Not sure what that's all about....off brand maybe?
With the behemoth crab industry in the PNW it's probably a local product.

A specific product from MarionAg (Salem, Oregon) offers a Crustacean Meal that includes Dungeness Crab and Shrimp shells from the Oregon Coast. It's not unusual to find inconsistencies in that product. It is available in late December through February depending on supply.

That's the one I get every year.

CC
 

Gascanastan

Gone but NOT forgotten...
Veteran
Massive crabbing on the coast for sure...hard to imagine those guys not utilizing the shell.
 

ClackamasCootz

Expired
Veteran
Gas

Here is how it was explained to me: Wilbur-Ellis is the dominant packer of Crab Meal products. They handle the 3 main production areas in the USA - Alaska, Gulf Coast and Mid-Atlantic.

The Dungeness crab deal is tightly controlled by regional associations that go back to the late 1800's and there is enough regional demand that brokering it to Wilbur-Ellis isn't necessary.

I like using local products when possible......
 

Gascanastan

Gone but NOT forgotten...
Veteran
Gas

Here is how it was explained to me: Wilbur-Ellis is the dominant packer of Crab Meal products. They handle the 3 main production areas in the USA - Alaska, Gulf Coast and Mid-Atlantic.

The Dungeness crab deal is tightly controlled by regional associations that go back to the late 1800's and there is enough regional demand that brokering it to Wilbur-Ellis isn't necessary.

I like using local products when possible......

Cool to know....
 

Microbeman

The Logical Gardener
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Be aware that chitonase or crab shell powder can kill beneficial bacteria/archaea, protozoa, beneficial insects, beneficial nematodes, worms and most importantly established fungal networks which includes endomycorrhizal. Research and use accordingly.
 

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