With great beetle breeding comes great beetle poop!
These are the frass pellets and sheds of flower beetle larvae which make a high quality, 100 % organic soil fertilizer for gardens and potted plants.
It is a natural product made out of the beetle larvae’s excrements, pupal cells (cocoons) and sheds (molts). The pellets are obtained by filtering the residual compost where the larvae have been growing and feeding until they metamorphosed into beetles.
All my beetle larvae are fed organic oak leaf and wood compost which results in frass pellets containing massive amounts of beneficial micro organisms, micronutrients, amino acids and plant available chitin.
Plants immune systems have receptors for chitin and when these are activated the plant will create toxins which will fend off its natural enemies like pests and fungal pathogens. Adding extra chitin to your soil will help your plants become more resistant to powdery mildew, blight, grey mold, root rot and root-feeding nematodes! These plant created toxins will not kill any beneficial insects or nematodes you might have.
All together, it’s the extra nutrition and defence your plant needs to improve health and overall crop yield.
It’s what nature intended for plants. Excrements from insects that aid in decomposing plant materials as a source of plant nutrition. From plants, through insects and right back to plants.
How to use
- Soil Amendment: You can add the beetle frass pellets to your soil mix prior to planting. Add 100 gr per 10 litre of bagged soil or potting medium.
- Top dress: simply spread a thin layer (1-2cm) of beetle frass pellets around the stem of each plant. Then, water each plant deeply taking care to soak the beetle frass pellets that you just spread which will help soak the nutrients down into the soil.
- Compost Tea: If your plants are already potted, add about 2 tablespoons to 4 litre dechlorinated water. Actively Aerate for 24 – 48 hours and apply to root or leaf zone. Optional; add kelp, earthworm castings and molasses. Tea should be kept aerated until it is applied, refrigerate for up to 1 week. Do not store at room temperature.
- Foliar Spray: Use 2 tablespoons per 4 liter of dechlorinated water and apply weekly to leaves in the evening or early morning, make sure your plants leaves can dry before they are exposed to direct sunlight.
Use within 2 hours of mixing, discard excess as root drench or refrigerate for up to 1 week. Do not store at room temperature. - When transplanting: After preparing the new plant holes, wet the inside and sprinkle in beetle frass pellets where the plant root ball will come. Water thoroughly after transplanting.
For best results use dechlorinated or filtered water, benificial microbes are best used alive and kicking.
Tried and tested!
The following plant examples had the same germination and transplant date.
One plant was grown in regular store bought potting soil only, the other plant received a supplement of beetle pellets mixed through the soil.
The early results already show better growth with more and larger foliage for the plants that were supplemented with beetle pellets. Why don’t you try it and see for yourself?