Cricket Poo or Cricket Frass is 100% pure “cricket litter”. It contains pure cricket poo and shed cricket skins (exoskeletons) and shreds of paper chewed by the crickets. Frass isn’t sticky but it has a dry, sand-like texture, and very little or none odour.
It can be used as a dry fertilizer or as an additive for soil conditioners. Also, it is used in the preparation of liquid teas. Cricket Frass contains natural chitin, which is also known to trigger natural defense systems of a plant. It’s a unique fertiliser that is 100% organic, a natural food for plants and sustainable.
Closely related to cellulose, chitin is a naturally occurring molecule that is found in the shells of crustaceans like lobsters and crabs, as well as the exoskeletons of insects. In many cases, it is also found in algae and yeast. Chitin’s benefit to plants is that it causes them to be fortified from their cell walls out.
When used in fertilizer, chitin triggers the immune systems of plants. Thus, causing them to rev up and defend themselves against predators like root-feeding nematodes and disease pathogens in the soil. The presence of chitin triggers plants to think that insects are eating them. Thus, causing them to build up their cell walls and release natural insect toxins as a defense. Though chitin doesn’t act as a pesticide, its presence prepares plants to better withstand a pest-filled onslaught, should one come.
Before applying cricket frass to your garden, it’s usually best to pre-mix it into soil or compost. However, if your plants are already growing you can mix some insect frass in water and let it steep for several hours. Then, use it to drench the roots of your plants.
How to Apply
For fertilising raised beds: Plan to add a pound of insect frass to 20 square feet of garden space. Then, gently dig the top half foot of soil up, watering it thoroughly before mixing in the frass. For continued benefits, you can top dress the bed with more frass every few weeks throughout the growing season.
For making a mix for potted plants: Plan on adding one cup of insect frass per cubic foot of potting soil. Then, add a sprinkling on top of the soil every few weeks for added benefits.
For an insect frass tea extract: Add a ½ cup of insect frass into a gallon of dechlorinated water and use it to drench the roots of your plants within two hours of mixing it. If you have extra you can store it in the fridge for up to a week. This is due to storing it at room temperature causing it to go bad quickly.
To find out more:
http://crickagarden.com
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