Going to add Organic Bat Guano at 10-2-1 to my veggin plant, for the nitrogen boost. Now my question is: Is it better to top dress the soil with this, or dilute it into my regular water feed? I ask because I noticed it said 1% water soluble nitrogen, 9% water insoluble nitrogen. As far as I remember soluble is more of a instant feed and insoluble is more of a time released feed? Clearly there's going to be a difference (I'm assuming) in how the plant is going to get the nitrogen, if it feeds top dressing rather than water diluted, it my Guano has that 1%-9% thing. What would be better if your opinion?
Either method is tried and true, if you top dress and water in, the water will take the guano into the soil the same as mixing it into a gallon of water. The best way to ensure uptake is to make sure there is an active and lively microbe colony in the Rhizosphere. Watering in your guano with a bacterial oriented tea will help fix nitrogen uptake. The importance of Actively Aerated Compost Teas (AACT) is paramount to successful organic gardening/farming. If you were to use a high phosphorus guano, you would want a fungal oriented tea. Fungal microbes play a major role in the uptake of phosphorus. A simple worm casting tea made with wormcastings/molasses and water will be bacterial oriented. A tea with wormcastings/hydrolyzed liquid fish fertilizer/liquid kelp/molasses(only a tsp/5gallons will create a fungally active tea which is kick ass for flowering. See the link in my signature on fungal flowering teas and how they affect plants. Hope this helps you out, let me know if there's anything else you need to know. chunk
Chunk, Was wondering if it's possible to make one tea that would be both bacterial and fungal? And, I know you mainly focus on fungal tea for flowering / phosphorus uptake... But, what's your gameplan in veg? Is it just the bacterial tea / nitrogen uptake in veg, and fungal only in flower? Or do you mix it up at all?
Melkor, I have played around with different ingredients in my teas, and found that there are many ways to "mix it up" as it were. The more diverse the ingredients in your tea, the more food sources for the various bacteria/fungi. I've found that mixing it up is the method that works for me. I like to add EWC, Humic/Fulvic Acid, soluble kelp, Fish Hydrolysate and molasses to all my teas. When I'm flowering, I'll culture fungus in EWC by adding oat flour and letting it sit in a warm place for a few days, then use the culture in the tea. Remember that phosphorus helps with root development, so some fungal activity is good while in veg also. Take care, chunk
Thanks for breaking it down for me Chunk! Learning more everytime I come on this site! Thanks again, Melkor