Madagascan Bat Guano
R425.00
Description
Madagascan Bat Guano – 5 kg bags
Bat guano is a particularly powerful fertilizer as it is generally deposited in caves and is not leached by rain. It consists of the remains of insects and other bat food sources and the remains of the bats themselves. It decomposes rapidly and builds up in a slightly acidic layer on the cave floor.
SENSI Madagascan Bat Guano is completely environmentally friendly, significantly improves any soil to which it is added and increases the flavor and quality of produce as well as increasing disease resistance. High-phosphate guano is particularly prized as a flowering fertilizer, greatly improving flower and fruit set and final yield.
This guano is specially selected and is among the richest in the world. It is very high in calcium and phosphorous and has significant amounts of nitrogen and potassium as well as a broad range of other essential nutrients.
The guano is completely sterilized and is imported subject to the Department of Agriculture health requirements at port of entry.
High-phosphate guano is particularly important as it provides organic phosphate in both readily accessible and slower release forms at a level which is rare in truly organic fertilizers. While nitrogen is important during a plant’s vegetative growth stage and it always likes good levels of potassium, our guano provides that abundance of organic phosphate which plants love during and toward the end of their flowering periods. Phosphate is also important for root development at the beginning of a plant’s life-cycle.
Critically important when growing organically with bat guano is that the phosphate is in a form very highly accessible to beneficial mycorrhizal fungi which should be utilized in symbiosis.
Madagascan Bat Guano DIRECTIONS FOR USE:
- Use it as an amendment when first preparing your soil at the rate of 1 tablespoon (15 ml) per liter of soil. (Use more if you like, it won’t burn the plants like a chemical fertilizer. Some internet sources recommend double this amount.) Use a purchased “super-soil” or put together your own soil combination.
- An excellent soil mix is 4 parts good quality potting soil to 1 part fresh vermicompost (or substitute normal compost if you really can’t get vermicompost), 1 part composted manure (chicken litter pellets are widely available but any well composted manure will do) 2 parts coco coir (well washed) and 1 part perlite or vermiculite.
- Add the guano, as recommended above, and crushed dolomitic lime at a rate of around 5 to 7.5 ml per liter of soil. Guano and some other organic fertilizers can be mildly acidic. Healthy soils regulate their PH naturally, but crushed dolomite helps buffer any excess and releases calcium and magnesium. It is a basic agricultural item and every garden center or nursery near you will stock it. This is particularly important if you are using fish emulsion as a supplementary feed as it can be very acidic. Volcanic rock dust and dried kelp meal are also beneficial but are not essential.
- Inoculate with mycorrhizal fungus spores. This is highly recommended. A good way is to dust the root ball of your cutting or seedling with the spores as you plant them in the soil. If planting seed directly dig the spores in around the planting site before planting. (If using Trichoderma (Harzianum or Asperellum) don’t add them at this stage. Allow the mycorrhizae at least 2-3 weeks to colonize the plant’s root systems before introducing them.)
- Your young cuttings or seedlings will thrive in this mix. The guano breaks down and the phosphate drives root growth. Supplementary feeding with aerated compost and manure teas, Lucerne tea and kelp, fish emulsion/hydrolysate, seabird guanos, blackstrap molasses, concentrated molasses solubles (CMS) etc. will boost N and K and ensure explosive all-round growth.
- Worm tea and other microbial additions are very beneficial. You can be as elaborate or as simple as you want. (You can make fish emulsion and molasses or CMS your easy, go-to, supplementary feed and get more creative as and when you have the inclination and time.)
- For grows with a relatively long vegetative growth period (more than 4-5 weeks) you may want to give the guano a boost with top-dressings during the vegetative stage. (See the top-dressing instructions under flowering.) For long outdoor grows which may veg for several months, use your discretion.
