How important/useful is crab meal? I am trying to improve the health of mah soil and was recommended crab meal which is kinda pricey. I pulled the trigger and so I am adding it to a soil that already contains Kelp meal Alfalfa meal Oyster shell meal Bone meal Worm castings Perlite Promix hp Chicken manure Fish bone meal Glacial rock dust Actinovate Nitrogen bat guano Phosphorous bat guano and Dolomite lime All In proper proportions. I like the chitin idea from the crab meal. It just sounds like a great organic amendment. Anybody used it?
A quality crustacean meal is always on my "must have" list and I prefer crab meal over shrimp but if I had access to lobster meal I would have to seriously consider crab over lobster. The chitin based meals are thought to enoucurage fungal activity in a biologically diverse soil. Specifically with fungi, chitin, and crustacean meals, the fungi that attack and feed on the chitin will increase overall fungal population growth and encourage fungi to acctack nematodes, if present, which have a chitin exoskeleton. The fungi will keep nematodes in check. Otherwise, quality crab meal is a great addition to a living soil, organic horticulture concept. I'm not discounting lobster or shrimp meals. I only have expericence with crab meals.
Hey, Would you please expand your nice discussion about crab meal and address what amounts you have found best in mixing soil? Also when using it as a top dress, do you prepare it in any particular way such a soaking with a surfactant like yucca root powder or. I am curious if anyone scorches their crab meal as I have heard done to other hard substances? Soaking it does seem to get some of it loosened especially if I grind it in a coffee mill first. I also wonder about putting it into some damp ew castings and covering with a damp cloth at 80 F as some do to cultivate fungal strands with baby oatmeal. My dogs like to eat it. Esp when I used to make it my self after eating crabs. Now I have 50# and will probably grind and bake some to see how it breaks down. Someone suggested planting clover as it helps break down green sand and I suppose this route would be good with crab meal too