What is Bat Guano?
Bat Guano consists primarily of excrement of bats (no surprises there - eh?) It also contains the remains of bats. As guano ages it can undergo a array of complex decomposition and leaching processes.
Marijuana growers in recent years have discovered how amazing bat guano is. As such bat guano is readily available at most hydroponic grow stores. Making a tea for marijuana plants is actually as easy as adding the proper amount of water to fertilizer. With bat guano follow the directions on the fertilizer package. Good marijuana growers use less bat guano until they can determine the beneficial outcome the marijuana fertilizer is having on their marijuana plants. For best results follow the directions on the fertilizer package. And ask general question of the salesperson.
Bat guano is found as deposits in some caves that have been inhabited by these little flying mammals. Bat guano has many horticultural uses. Its presence can help to guarantee efficient soil regeneration. When used as a fertilizer or tea, bat crap fosters abundant harvests of a high quality. Making it an invaluable marijuana fertilizer for producing outstanding organic herb. Many dedicated organic farmers insist that bat guano brings out the best flavors in their organic herbs. The bottom line is bat guano has many excellent properties that give it great value for growing an organic product of the highest quality. It may very well be possible to justify the boast that bat guano is "superior to all other natural fertilizers".
Why Organics? Why Guano?
Mainly, organic gardening produces a cleaner tasting final product than something grown with chemical fertilizers. This is the subject of much argument, but organic gardening, when done correctly, should perform just as well as chemical fertilizers with the added benefit of being all natural and having a cleaner taste. Why do you think organic tomatoes cost more than hydroponic ones? Better taste. This is not meant to incite argument, this post is just to outline another way of gardening besides gardening in soil with chemicals or hydroponics. If you have great results with chemical fertilizers then more power to you.
Bat Guano is natures super fertilizer, it contains many necessary macro and micro nutrients as well as a whole host of beneficial micro-organisms that cannot be duplicated by a chemical fertilizer. Also, bat guano, when used correctly, makes it virtually impossible to inflict your plants with accidental nutrient burn.
How to feed.
Bat Guano should be made into a tea for regular feedings. It can also be added to the soil dry as a time release fertilizer, although quantities for this are entirely circumstantial.
Tea preparation is as follows:
I use guano (3 tbls.) to 1 gal. of water. I mix this in a large bucket using 3 quarts of warm (not hot) water and 1 quart of cold water. The reason for this is I feel it breaks down the bat pellets better if you are going to add it directly to the feeding water, which is what I do. I stir the 3 quarts of warm water as I add the 3 tbls. of bat guano, mixing continually. Then I gradually pour in the 1 quart of cold water. Also, let it sit at LEAST overnight or up to 48 hours before feeding to your plants. Then cover loosely, if the cover is solid, punch air holes in it. I water 3-4 times a week. A dilute mixture for young plants can be made with 2 or as little as 1 tbls. and still remain effective and non-burning for younger plants.
Try making tea in cold water, you'll find out the hard way like I did it just sinks to the bottom NEVER to be absorbed into the water. Don't waste your sh*t!
Now Sunleaves says 3 times a week is max feeding for bat guano, however organic gardening is not an exact science. I feed based what the plant needs, and I feel if you have good enough drainage in your soil and have run-off every time you water then it is fine to feed this often.
Once bat guano is feed to the marijuana plants the first essential element released is nitrogen, which oxidizes and forms nitrates that are often dissolved and leached by water. The phosphorus contained in guano comes partly from bat excrement, but is generally from skeletal remains (it may also come from mineral elements in the cave.) Many of the decomposition processes work to concentrate phosphorous levels in bat guano deposits as they age, and this provides some of guano’s greatest value to gardeners. Large amounts of phosphorous is required to induce marijuana budding.
Potassium is often the least represented of the three essential macro-elements, due to the solubility of its compounds, which are usually washed out of guano deposits by natural cave conditions.
During decomposition the actual proportion of the different fertilizer components of the guano change. As the guano breaks down, the levels of organic matter, nitrogen, and potassium will fall.
This product is rich in nutrients, outclassing all other existing organic fertilizers, with a better balance of essential nutrients (N-P-K), a wealth of micro-organisms and much higher levels of organic matter.
A great variety of different agrochemical analysis have been carried out on bat guanos through the years. All the different analysis show that the nutrient and micro-organism content of bat guanos make it the best organic marijuana fertilizer. Learning to grow marijuana using bat guano will ensure bigger more bountiful harvests.
Types of Guano.
Bat guano comes in different types. The N-P-K ratio of the guano is dependent on what the type of bat it came from and what it’s diet consists of. For instance, Mexican bats eat bugs so their guano is high in nitrogen. While Jamaican bats feed on fruit, so their guano is high in phosphorus. Lets explore some different types of guano and their application.
Mexican Bat Guano (10-2-1). This type of guano is very high nitrogen. This makes it perfect for the vegetative stages of growth. Even when the plant is young it can be fed a dilute mixture if the soil happens to contain very little nutrients. This type of guano can be used throughout the vegetative stage of growth.
Peruvian Seabird Guano (10-10-2) This type of guano is NOT bat guano. It comes from Peruvian seabirds and is then transferred into dry-pellet form. This type of guano, because it is not from bats, is very “hot”, meaning it will burn plants very easily if prepared incorrectly or over applied. Do not exceed the recommended amount when preparing the tea and allow it to sit for at least 72 hours before feeding your plants. This is 24 hours longer than bat guano because the pellets are harder to break down as well as the high potential for burning the plants otherwise. Peruvian Guano is both high in nitrogen and phosphorus making it ideal for the transitional phase of growth when you are finishing the vegetative phase and beginning to flower. The nitrogen will sustain the plant through it’s initial stretch and the phosphorus will allow for root expansion and as a result better yields. On a side note, many people have poor results with this type simply because they do not prepare the tea properly or let it sit long enough the end result being damage to their plants that is beyond repair.
Jamaican Bat Guano (1-10-0.2) This type of bat guano is high in phosphorus. It is perfect for the early-mid flowering cycle once females are well established. I like to use this type for most of my flowering phase in conjunction with Fox Farms Tiger Bloom at ½ strength for massive blooms.
Indonesian Bat Guano (0.5-12-0.2) This type of guano is the ultimate low-nitrogen, high-phosphorus bat guano. It is perfectly suited for the end of the flowering cycle before the final flush. This drops nitrogen levels low to cut growth and signal the autumn harvest as well as provide a huge resource of phosphorus to bulk up buds and add to trichome count.
In conclusion, you can now see that bat guano is perfect for growing your own clean organic cannabis. It is easily customized to every stage of the plants growth from seedling to harvest. Organic gardening is by no means an exact science. Depending on your atmosphere, light, and type of plant you may need to feed more, less, or perhaps amend your feeding water with something that bat guano does not contain, for instance to stabilize pH etc. However you grow, remember it is a life affirming process to grow and smoke your own cannabis do NOT base your grow on calendars, weight, and dollar signs, as such things are truly insignificant to this process.
Excerpts taken from these websites
http://www.420magazine.com/forums/soil/ ... orman.html
http://www.marijuanafertilizers.com/bat-guano.html
