[all natural]

Hi I have just recently read about insect frass and purchased a small amount to try, about a half a pound of it. I have only watered a few plants with it so far. the claims about insect frass are intereseting and I was wondering if any of you organic growers have used it? and what your thoughts on this product are? here is a statement on the onfrass.com website about insect frass:

Insect Frass naturally contains the nutrition plants require, beneficial micro-organisms, and the only immediately plant-available source of chitin (pronounced “Kite-in”). Chitin fortifies a plant from the inside out, causing an "auto-immune" response that signals a plant to produce natural toxins which fend off its natural enemies like pests and fungal pathogens. The EPA says that chitin and chitosan (see FAQ's) defend against botrytis (grey mold), powdery mildew, early and late blight, fungal pathogens in the root zone (root rot) and root-feeding nematodes. Insect Frass does NOT cause a plant to kill beneficial insects or beneficial nematodes.

[ClackamasCootz]

Is this from Black Soldier Flies (BSF) by any chance?

BTW - Crab, Shrimp and Lobster contain Chitin at high levels. Plus you pick-up 96% Calcium Carbonate - same compound as Oyster shell powder & Calcite Lime

>>shrug<<

[all natural]

I got mine off amazon. I dont know what the black soldier flies are? they sound fierce haha.
So a crab meal would probably be a better option then. calcium plus chitin. mmmmmmm

BTW I checked concentrates product list and i cannot find the basalt you mentioned they have. Is the basalt the cascade minerals rock dust? i remember when i was there an employee was telling me about that stuff and how it is sourced out of oregon.

Also I know they used to sell neem seed meal but couldnt find it on their list so maybe they stopped carrying it?

[all natural]

just looked up bsf, and i dont know if this is made by them. It doesnt list where the frass comes from.

this is on the FAQ:

Q: What is Insect Frass?

A: Insect Frass is the excrement of herbivore insects.

Q: What do you feed the insects?

A: Vegetables, Cactus and Wheat Bran

Q: What makes insect Chitin better than crustacean Chitin?

A: In simple terms, insect chitin is the form used by plants in nature. Crustacean chitin is trapped in the calcified shell. In order to get the chitin from inside the calcified shell, it must be boiled in potassium hydroxide acid (tremendously toxic and very dangerous, certainly not organic). On the other hand, the chitin in insect frass is broken down by the plant naturally, by the chitinase enzyme produced by the plants own immune-response-system. That’s organic!

Hey all natural. I use a bit of meal worm frass in my gardening. It seems to suppress fungal gnats completely is my only documentable experience. It also goes into my soil in small portions. I need to find someone to email regarding the amount of microbe life it contains.

[ClackamasCootz]

all natural

Cascade Minerals - Basalt rock dust

They have never sold neem - not that I haven't tried to get them to carry it. I understand because that's not their business - retail sales. Last year they sold over 200 tons of just the Gaia Green Glacial Rock Dust (brand name) - just that one single amendment. Big numbers on their other products as well. Their volume allows them to give small gardeners prices very close to wholesale.

Yeah - you've dipped into the BSF world and I'll politely bow out but you might want to run this text string through even Google to see what you might see - "chitin bacterial chitinase"

[all natural]

hmm I swear i saw neem seed meal some where before. Naomi's does not carry it either I dont think. Where do you get this from ? I swear i have seen it before because I remember not buying it because i wasnt sure what to do with it. my only knowledge of neem was with the oil prior to this.

Interesting about the chitinase. That is what I sort of thought, that the bacteria would break the shells down to release the chitin. So the frass isnt necessary for chitin but there may be other benefits? but for the price tag im sure that these benefits could be found from other sources already in my soil. and for a lot cheaper.

[ClackamasCootz]

Black Soldier Fly Blog - the epicenter on this

There are time-lapsed videos at YouTube that will amaze you

[ClackamasCootz]

Originally Posted by all natural

hmm I swear i saw neem seed meal some where before. Naomi's does not carry it either I dont think. Where do you get this from ? I swear i have seen it before because I remember not buying it because i wasnt sure what to do with it. my only knowledge of neem was with the oil prior to this.

You can buy Down-To-Earth Neem Seed Meal at several stores in Portland - no big deal.

CC

[OrganicBuds]

Insect Frass is kind of like an insect vaccination. It triggers the plant to release natural defenses against bugs by introducing dead bugs. In theory this all sounds great, but I have heard of possible hermi issues with this product. I even talked with the owner at Max Yield Indoor Gardening Expo.