Bat House Forum

[jbker]

I have been collecting the sun dried guano from under my bat houses. Everyone says great fertilizer. Have tried googling it up and everything is commercial with high $$'s and comes from mining caves.

Would like to make "bat tea" so that I can add it to water in self watering containers with veggies. tried just adding the guano to 5 gal of water. YUK , you do not want to get within a country mile of it after a few days. Then saw on a garden forum that you need to aerate it with a pump and stone. Did that and put some on a spot of my grass to see results. Then saw where you should put worm castings in " paint strainer bag" for 8 hours with air , then another 24 hours without bag but air , then use immediately.Emailed the author and he said it should work with guano. Have tried that on another section of grass. Not sure how strong to mix, etc. If anyone knows of someone with experience with fresh guano would sure like to pick their brain!

bernie

[cloudman75]

Bernie,
I use bat guano in two forms for flowers. My wife won't let me put it on tomatoes or squash in the garden.
I take a shovel and scoop it up and put it in a ring around flowers. Also, I keep a plastic bucket under one house
and collect the guano for weeks at a time. It rains in it and when it gets near full, I take a stick, stir it up and put the smelly awful looking stuff on flowers and some fig trees I set out. There is nothing scientific about the way I use it but the flowers love it and seem to respond well. I have never burned anything using it, don't know what the strength is just know it makes the grass grow high and green under the bat houses especially after some rain. A lot of the stuff you see on the net about guano is an attempt to keep things sanitary, and of known strength for the end user. Mine stinks, attracts flies and even I don't want to put it on my veggies in the form I use it. The plants don't seem to mind.
Sorry I can't be more specific about converting it to something like one can buy in a package.

[Terry Lobdell]

I have read that bat guano is roughly 10-5-5 fertilizer. 10% nitrogen, 5% phosporous and 5% potassium. I have experimented some with it but not enough to learn much about it.

[jbker]

cloudman, What do you use on your tomatoes and squash? chemicals or animal compost? If you use cow compost, chances or it was made from feedlot manure which comes with cattle that are way overdosed on antibotics because of the unsanitary and crowded conditions ! I grew my tomatoes with this stuff last year , but am making my on horse compost this year to use next fall. Might get your wife to really investigate what you are using if she is concerned.

bernie

[waiting]

I did a little organic horticulture back in college. I used to make a tea out of guano and worm castings, but it was the dried guano you buy, not fresh. I let the water sit for a few days to evaporate off the chlorine before adding the guano and castings. I can't remember the specific quantities, but I used a 1 gallon milk jug, and I'm guessing maybe a couple table spoons of each. I also used liquid seaweed mixed with water in a spray bottle and sprayed the bottom on the leaves. The plants absorb the nutrients, but more importantly, the nutritional film deterred pests, like spider mites. Worked very well.

[cloudman75]

Bernie,
I have used well aged horse manure by digging a hole filling it part way, then miracle grow potting soil to set the plants in. I get the horse manure free for going to get it at a friends house. I usually get a small pickup load in the spring
or as long as my shovel arm holds out. I only have about ten tomato plants and 5 squash plants plus some watermellons and cantelope. I also use chemical fertilizer on the tomatoes and squash. I buy a low nitrogen number like 4 for the tomatoes. I also buy pure nitrogen for the squash and mellons.You don't usally find these at walmart. Our local Ace has a pretty good supply. I spray the tomatoes with blossom end rot prevention spray and an insecticide early on but not too close to harvest. We are bothered by tomato worms and blossom end rot. Right now I have four baby guineas,keets, in a box with a light to turn loose on the bugs about August. We have 6 !/2 acres here mostly woods. Between the bats and guineas I hope to reduce the bugs around here. I have never used cow manure. I went out tonight to check my little brown bats and saw a couple in labor. They hang upright to have pups. All you can see is their black wings and tail parts kinda folded over to catch the little pup when it drops.

Frank

[jbker]

No problem Bernie:

Hi Frank, This is a 1.5+ lb brandywine I just harvested from one of my 5 gal SWC's (self watering container but that is joke, it is really a bottom watering bucket (BWB) that wicks the water from the bottom as needed. Got another off that vine today that is over a pound. Joe if this pic did not come through, you do not need to bother putting it up. I am composting about 2yd3 of horse stable cleaning's for wife's garden next year.

Still holding at over 600 bats a day since we are getting rain regular now.

bernie