Frass & Composting

[SashaShiva]

I recently was talking to someone that is completely new to growing, and I use Ladybugs in my grow to eat Aphids and stuff; and he asked me if Earth Worms would be good for his Soil, and I told him that it would, but that if you are going to do that you should just make/get a compost container, and start throwing Egg Shells, and Apple Cores and Banana Peels and stuff in there. Then I remembered that you can Compost Meat also, so I suggested that if he wanted to Compost Meat he should get Black Soldier Fly Larvae, because they Compost Meat and Wood.

Then I thought about it and I knew about Black Soldier Flies because they Compost Meat and Wood, but I didn't really know what they were and hadn't seen one before. So I looked into them and even just right on the Wikipedia page it says that they make a "valuable product called Frass". So I looked at what Frass is, and it is basically a plant Steroid, with tons of Nutrients in it, that works by making your plant think it is being attacked by bugs, and giving it Chitin to use in its fibrous structure. Similarly to how Venus Flytraps eat Bugs, when Chitin is on your plant it basically digests it and uses it. And Frass comes out of Black Soldier Fly Larvae the same way goo comes out of Slugs, and it is basically Wood that is digested and released on plants, and contains all the Nutrients plants need, plus some Chitin from the bugs.

So I got some Frass right away, and I am using it on my plants now, and have sprinkled it on the Soil.

But I am wondering, is anyone Composting with Black Soldier Flies currently? And if anyone reads this and does it, post a link or pictures or both here. Because if this starts becoming a regular thing, and Soil with Frass in it becomes as common as Soil with Worm Castings in it, that could change everything. Instead of getting Bags of Frass and using it on grows, people could just have it in their Soil already. Or people could make it by Composting with Black Solider Fly Larvae.

And you can get them right on Ebay for pretty cheap. Frass is on Amazon.

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[SashaShiva]

Ok, so I have had some ideas recently, and I will be getting deep in to some frass based topics in my upcoming grow.

 

[SashaShiva]

Follow this thread for updates

Bloom Boosters & Plant Steroids

Some people might know about Silicate, but there are certain forms that are better for Plants to absorb. When I was like 14 someone came to my parents house once looking for investors for a Silicate product that allowed Banana trees to absorb more Silicate, and they were larger, held more...

www.420magazine.com

 

[Stunger]

I'm in NZ where so far I have not seen any Frass for sale, nor crab/crustacean meal, which I wanted for the same reason, Chitin, so I ended up first getting some dried shrimps for an Asian food shop which I will soak/flush out the salt component before amending it to my container soil and let in compost in. But I saw an interview with Clackamas Coot where he points out that Chitin can be made available with Diastatic Malted Barley because it contains Chitinase as one of it's several enzymes. So for the coming grow season I will still use the dried shrimps I got and let them compost into the soil for 2 or 3 months before planting but I will also add some diastatic malted barley.

 

[Mike N]

I have a worm compost bin which is overrun with bsfl. I have used the frass with good results in my super soil mix.

 

[Mike N]

To expand on this:
I feed counter scraps, old fruit and vegetables from the garden, fish carcasses, scrap meat, etc and (dewormer free)dog poop to the bin. Dog poop is the primary feed. I use peat moss as bedding and add crushed lump charcoal to the bin for inoculated bio char.
I’ve had good success feeding the frass to my non infested worm bin. The worms seem to really like the stuff.
I have used this on a couple outdoor few cycles for both 420 and regular gardening with good results.
BSF self propagate in the bin. Pupae out migrate or hatch in the bin to emerge, and adults fly in to lay eggs. Birds are constantly picking off pupae and adults with very little harm to the colony population. The larvae eat most things in short order.
I harvest the bin in late winter ( Central Valley Ca) to prep my super soil. I also harvest the liquid leachate throughout the growing season and apply directly to my soil.

I would say my results with using just BSFL frass and worm castings from a separate bin is on par with my results from a DIY subcool super soil mix. The soil doesn’t burn baby roots, I’ve not had a nutrient block so ph seems to be okay, pests haven’t been an issue, growth has been good, harvested flowers is smooth and potent. My vegetables love growing with this in their soil too.
In summary, if you’re into organic growing, start a BSFL bin this year and give it a shot in a year or two. You might be pleased with the results.
M N

 

[SmokingWings]

To expand on this:
I feed counter scraps, old fruit and vegetables from the garden, fish carcasses, scrap meat, etc and (dewormer free)dog poop to the bin. Dog poop is the primary feed. I use peat moss as bedding and add crushed lump charcoal to the bin for inoculated bio char.
I’ve had good success feeding the frass to my non infested worm bin. The worms seem to really like the stuff.
I have used this on a couple outdoor few cycles for both 420 and regular gardening with good results.
BSF self propagate in the bin. Pupae out migrate or hatch in the bin to emerge, and adults fly in to lay eggs. Birds are constantly picking off pupae and adults with very little harm to the colony population. The larvae eat most things in short order.
I harvest the bin in late winter ( Central Valley Ca) to prep my super soil. I also harvest the liquid leachate throughout the growing season and apply directly to my soil.

I would say my results with using just BSFL frass and worm castings from a separate bin is on par with my results from a DIY subcool super soil mix. The soil doesn’t burn baby roots, I’ve not had a nutrient block so ph seems to be okay, pests haven’t been an issue, growth has been good, harvested flowers is smooth and potent. My vegetables love growing with this in their soil too.
In summary, if you’re into organic growing, start a BSFL bin this year and give it a shot in a year or two. You might be pleased with the results.
M N

You have not had any problem with rats, possums, raccoons or other scavenger animals showing up to get at the meat and fish?

When I have fish I bury it in the garden. Same with cooked bones. But, raw or cooked meats, even buried seem to attract the wrong type of small animal.

 

[Mike N]

No issues with critters. My bin is a 2’x4’ galvanized water trough, I placed a plywood cover on top. The lid is heals slightly ajar with thin strip of wood. This lets the adults in and the pupae out.
The only issue I have had are a few ants and some spiders. Otherwise the bin is trouble free.