is it ok to replace worm castings with bat guano in soil mix?

Ok, it seems my local feed and seed is going to stop carrying the large bags of worm castings, but they still have the large bags of bat guano, is it ok to replace the worm with bat guano in my soil mix, my previous mix was 30/30/20/20 spag moss,perlite,vermiculite,worm castings

this bat poop is rated with 10-0-1 I think, and the worm was 1-0-0
if I can replace what should my new ratio be? or should i just leave the organics out of the soil mix altogether, I am using botanicare cal-mag, lq karma, pro blend soil bloom, berry sweet for nutes .



https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/122142-offgridgrowers-journey-iss-vsog-stadium.html

I do know that you use way less bat guano then worm castings. The castings can be up to one third the mix. Bat guano is like tablespoons per 10liters. The guano should have a mix rate on it.

I use both, The nice thing about the castings is that it is real gentile on the seedlings. But the bat guano will be much better one they veg.

Personally i would just stick with the guano, get some blood and bone meal, maybe some greensands, rock phospate, and skip the liquid supplements.

SimpleSimon said:

I do know that you use way less bat guano then worm castings. The castings can be up to one third the mix. Bat guano is like tablespoons per 10liters. The guano should have a mix rate on it.

I use both, The nice thing about the castings is that it is real gentile on the seedlings. But the bat guano will be much better one they veg.

Personally i would just stick with the guano, get some blood and bone meal, maybe some greensands, rock phospate, and skip the liquid supplements.

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thanks for the reassurance! I am only using this mix while I save to convert to an all aero system, so until then heh....

My two cents: stop saving up for an aero system, organics is cheaper, easier, and just flat out better lol. I learned that the hard way (spending $$$ to run aero and then realizing that organics is SO much better) so hopefully I can keep you from making the same mistake. Also, castings are not really replacable by guano, because they serve as completely different things in the soil. Worm castings add micronutrients and a little NPK (1-0-0 roughly) but they are mainly just a great organic ingredient that tends to make soil better. Guano is for adding macronutrients (N-P-K) and the guano you are talking about using is for grow (high N guano). Without NPK plants wont be able to function, so high N guano is a good organic supplement for nitrogen. If you just straight up replace the amount of worm castings you had with guano, you would be adding WAY TOO MUCH and you will burn the shit out of your plants. Look on the bag and it should give some info on how much to add (usually between 2-3 tbsp per 5 gal bucket). Worm castings add such little NPK that having a mixture that is 30% worm castings wont mess up your plants, but if you had a mixture that was 30% guano you would be in serious trouble. Hope this helps...

- Cann

why replace? just use both.guano is verry verry good for plants and soil adding micronutrients as well as benificall bacteri.

Offgridgrower.... Save yourself some grief, don't mix the bat guano directly into the soil mix, unless you intend to allow it to properly cure (one month min.). Instead, just top dress it or make a tea and water it in. Bat Guano is allot more powerful than worm castings - like the numbers reflect - at least ten times more powerful.
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Read Subcool's thread on Super Soil (at the top - a permanent thread) in his Subcool's Old School Organics Sub Forum. It has a great receipe for Super Soil, but that soil has to cure before use and you do not plant directly into it.
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Top dress or Tea..... direct mixing is dangerous - if not done properly.....
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Keep it Real.... Reasonable...

Cann: what makes soil easier than aero , IMO aero done properly can out grow any organics with way less work, sure theres more work in the beginning setting up the system an all, but after its up its all about changing the rez and adding nutes. sure theres pros and cons to it all, but what makes you lean towards soil more? please dont tell me it was because you had 1 bad encounter with aero and gave up.



bonghits: im replacing because my local feed and seed is not carrying my worm casting anymore ( it think i was the only person buying the big bags, hehe)

ohsogreen: I think im going to go with ur suggestions, and top dress and use the tea, next question 4 ya, if I only give my plants 1-2 weeks of veg and they take 8-9 weeks in bloom, which phase should i top dress or tea, like im thinking tea for veg, and top dress for bloom what ya think?

Offgridgrower.... Start topdressing High P Bat Guano or water in tea (divide sediments equally between your plants), the week before you flip the lights to 12/12. Then continue on, until the last two weeks of flowering.
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Keep it Real... Organic....

offgridgrower said:

Cann: what makes soil easier than aero , IMO aero done properly can out grow any organics with way less work, sure theres more work in the beginning setting up the system an all, but after its up its all about changing the rez and adding nutes. sure theres pros and cons to it all, but what makes you lean towards soil more? please dont tell me it was because you had 1 bad encounter with aero and gave up.

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Nah, I just feel like with soil there isnt much that can go wrong (as long as you have good soil, lights, and ventilation) and with aero you have to worry about rez temp, ph, res level, ppm, etc. just alot of things that can go wrong i feel like. also if there is a power outage and the pump stops going...youre screwed. For me soil and organics just seems easier and like there is less to worry about. Also organic soil grown weed is much tastier than aero, and i just like the fact that its all natural. Just my opinion...and yes aero can probably outgrow soil, but it would be close and i think you would find that the organic bud was better. Just my opinion...let me know if you wanna hear more lol

- Cann

you have some solid points, an growing is personal to each grower, I like quicker response aero gives me over the patience you have to have when using soil, there are soil mix's out there that you have to wait a whole month b4 you can even use them!!! Today I can feed my aero plants totally organic nutes and not all the bs chem nutes from back in the day. I am actually using botanicare nutes on this grow, in the soil and in the system when it is up. I mean if taste is from what you feed it, how should it matter in what medium its in to feed? the floor is your sir... lol

Guano is the shit! I have easy access to heavy (for me, others may scoff) bags of worm poops. But any kind of guano? Not even seabird or chicken shit. But! As the others say it cannot be substituted for worm castings.

offgridgrower said:

Ok, it seems my local feed and seed is going to stop carrying the large bags of worm castings, but they still have the large bags of bat guano, is it ok to replace the worm with bat guano in my soil mix, my previous mix was 30/30/20/20 spag moss,perlite,vermiculite,worm castings

this bat poop is rated with 10-0-1 I think, and the worm was 1-0-0
if I can replace what should my new ratio be? or should i just leave the organics out of the soil mix altogether, I am using botanicare cal-mag, lq karma, pro blend soil bloom, berry sweet for nutes .



https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/122142-offgridgrowers-journey-iss-vsog-stadium.html

Click to expand...

Try seabird guano for vegging. Bat for flowering.

id just leave out the worm castings and use a top quality soil like bio bizz and then use the guano as a top dressing during flowering.

be carefull with the guano though its very unforgiveing and hard to put right if you add to much

do u need to add nutes to your plant if they arleady have nutes in the soil?

PIMPLORD said:

do u need to add nutes to your plant if they arleady have nutes in the soil?

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good question, I dont thinks so in my case because my soil mix wouldnt have enough micro nutes or the correct nutes for bloom to not add nutes via a tea or nuted water. but if you had a soil mix that included that in the mix then I would guess not, what say you veterans of soil?

offgridgrower said:

you have some solid points, an growing is personal to each grower, I like quicker response aero gives me over the patience you have to have when using soil, there are soil mix's out there that you have to wait a whole month b4 you can even use them!!! Today I can feed my aero plants totally organic nutes and not all the bs chem nutes from back in the day. I am actually using botanicare nutes on this grow, in the soil and in the system when it is up. I mean if taste is from what you feed it, how should it matter in what medium its in to feed? the floor is your sir... lol

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Yeah I can agree that aero is faster than soil, if done right. And organic nutes in aero will taste better than chem nutes (ew) but I still think soil has a better taste. I dont really know the science behind it lol but to me it definitely tastes better. Also, I just like the idea that I'm growing it just like nature (minus the sun cus im doin indoor) and aero is really like manmade and anti-organic lol i cant really explain it (maybe its just cus im super baked). Anyway, you can grow however you want but if I were to choose a way it would be just how mary grows in the wild, soil

How baked are you again?


(This was what I got when I Googled "super baked muffin".)

lol on the google search, seamadien haha
aero is technology taken to another level, im a tech guy, I love tech but I'm just as much a nature guy too, but if tech gives me a chance to do something quicker or easier im going to go that way, for now at least, maybe when i'm rocking the grey, I'll have more patience for better soil mixs but for now I want the new and improved!!

ive been mixing 25% moo doo compost..1.50 a bag..a cheap bag of top soil.from mennards...another buck fifty..id say about a ft of dirt in it...a bag of lime..around 5 to 8 dollars for a fifty pound bag....throw a couple of nice handfulls into the dirt and moo doo mix..mis it all up...then add around 40% perlite 15 dollars a 2 cu ft bag at the greenhouse supply....and the whole world is great..anything else i can throw it into the nute soup...

Old saying.... Slow and steady wins the race. I agree with Cann in that taking your time and putting some loving care into what your doing will give you a better product. YES you are going to be harvest more often and with more ease(if you have a reliable non bootleg system). I had some serious issues growing aero. But I think there is something to the whole organics thing and I guess that why I use organics. Good luck with the aero and if you have any issues with it Im here to help... and Im sure Cann would be too, wouldn't you Cann?? I have black hair by the way.