Hooray
For Poop!
Alternative
Sources of Organic Manure
Tried and True
Everybody loves poop. Well organic
farmers all do at least, and most of them have one point used it in
their growing operations. The most commonly used manures currently
include Guano (Bat Droppings) and Worm Castings.
Guano is most easily found for purchase
in a powdered form and has many uses and proven results. There are
some negative aspects to guano though including respiratory issues
from the powder becoming airborne during mixing and its price because
it has to be shipped from overseas.
While not necessarily thought of as
manure, worm castings are the end product of a worm's digestive
system. This microbe and nutrient rich material is a must have for
organic growers. Veganic growers are likely to really think out
their morals before passing on this animal product.
Both of these manures are quite well
known within the cannabis community and were likely considered new
compared to horse, pig, and chicken poo at one time, but now lets
take a look at some more interesting possibilities.
Small Mammals
Oooh that little guinea pig is soooo
cute! At first it is at least until it starts squealing every
morning at 5 A.M. But wait a minute don't manhandle the little guy
just yet! With the right set-up you could have your very own manure
machine and cute/annoying pet all in one!
It turns out small herbivorous mammals
such as rabbits and guinea pigs make great manure. Unlike “hot”
manures that need to be composted before use, rabbit and guinea pig
excrement is ready to go right away. This is because the digestive
systems of these creatures are special.
In a “normal” herbivorous mammal
like a cow the microbes that break down their food are found in their
stomach, or stomachs, breaking down what it can and excreting the
whats left.
In rabbits and guinea pigs they must
let the microbes gather on their already passed stool. After this
they once again ingest the stool with the microbes so that it can
properly metabolize in their digestive systems. Gross but true, and
because of this their poo is very nutrient rich and chock full of
beneficial microbes.
At the very least a rabbit or Guinea
pen could be set up above a worm or compost bin for easy
supplementation. Just make part of the bottom of the hutch or pen
with appropriate sized wire fence and the excrement will just fall
through to your collection device.
Invertebrates
Worms reign
supreme here. They are arguably one of the most important animals as
far as organic cannabis farming goes. An organic soil without worm
castings is hard to pull off, though if you are using a good compost
it likely contains them as well. For years many have taken advantage
of the great humus like leftovers of these abundant creatures.
They also are
great for aerating your soil and I recommend adding them to your pots
as long as you reuse your soil (or grow outdoors), keep it moist, and
don't use chemical or bottled nutrients.
While so far there
have been no challengers to the great worm in this category there
could be a contender if they were given some time and experimented
with...
Millipeds. You
knoe those little brown/black striped guys with hundreds of little
legs. Turns out they are great composters as well, and highly under
appreciated in the cycling of herbaceous materials into available
nutrients.
I got a hold of
Dr. Paul Marek from the University of Arizona, one of if not THE
leading millipede expert in the U.S. I brought up my questions and
this is what he had to say;
“Yes,
I've thought a bit about this. I think the best kind are NOT the
Polydesmida (the flat-backed ones,
e.g. http://www.apheloria.org/Paul_Marek/Images.html).
You'd be better off with the Spirobolida, especially Narceus (if
you're in the eastern U.S.) or Tylobolus (if you're in the western
U.S.). It really depends on your location and dryness of your
compost. Desert millipedes in the genus Orthoporus (different order
Spirostreptida) would be good too but they're much more dry-adapted
and will not do well in humid/wet environments. (These genera are
common and you can see images of them by Googling their names.)
I had a stellar culture of Narceus (the very common brown millipede in the eastern U.S.) for a really long time while living in Chicago. They really liked moist oak leaves and pieces of wood. I had them in an aquarium and kept adding leaves and other detritus, and they would eat and eat and eat - decomposing and reducing the detritus level in the aquarium.
Millipedes in general are good for breaking down bigger pieces of organic matter (like big wood chunks) into smaller pieces so that earthworms and other decomposers can take the process even further. They'd probably complement the earthworms nicely if you have larger pieces of compost the earthworms take awhile to eat. (However, there is evidence of competition between earthworms, especially introduced species, and millipedes - e.g., work by Bruce Snyder). Another thing is that some millipedes (and Narceus seems to have a broader diet) are specialists and eat only one or a few types of decaying leaves.
I don't think a lot of folks have tried composting with millipedes! I'd love to hear your experiences if you give them a try!”
I had a stellar culture of Narceus (the very common brown millipede in the eastern U.S.) for a really long time while living in Chicago. They really liked moist oak leaves and pieces of wood. I had them in an aquarium and kept adding leaves and other detritus, and they would eat and eat and eat - decomposing and reducing the detritus level in the aquarium.
Millipedes in general are good for breaking down bigger pieces of organic matter (like big wood chunks) into smaller pieces so that earthworms and other decomposers can take the process even further. They'd probably complement the earthworms nicely if you have larger pieces of compost the earthworms take awhile to eat. (However, there is evidence of competition between earthworms, especially introduced species, and millipedes - e.g., work by Bruce Snyder). Another thing is that some millipedes (and Narceus seems to have a broader diet) are specialists and eat only one or a few types of decaying leaves.
I don't think a lot of folks have tried composting with millipedes! I'd love to hear your experiences if you give them a try!”
If
any of those names are a little confusing your not alone. That aside
it definitely seems like millipedes are something worth experimenting
with.
Here
are a few other links if you want to look further into Millipedes;
A
site with a bunch of millipede
varieties
http://shop.bugsincyberspace.com/Millipedes_c7.htm
http://shop.bugsincyberspace.com/Millipedes_c7.htm
-BDBuds
No comments:
Post a Comment