Origin, composition and use of the natural fertilizer

the essentials in brief

• "Guano" means dung; it is excrement from seabirds that is used as fertilizer.
• guano(€ 9.82 at Amazon *) contains many nutrients such as minerals, enzymes, trace elements, proteins and good bacteria.
• Purer guano is rare; usually only a small part of guano is mixed with chemical or natural fertilizers.
• Bats also produce good guano; which can also be collected by yourself.

What is guano?

The word guano comes from the language of the Andean people, Quechua, which refers to the origin of this once so highly competitive fertilizer. Translated it means "dung" because it is nothing else. Guano are the excrement of seabirds - mostly the remains of penguins - which contain an immensely high proportion of Contain nitrogen and phosphorus as well as many trace elements and are therefore excellent for the natural fertilization of garden and indoor plants suitable. The organic fertilizer is not for everyone, however, as it smells pungent and unpleasant.

Ingredients and uses in the garden

Guano fertilizers provide the soil and thus the plants growing on it with a balanced mix of nutrients, as the material also contains phosphorus and nitrogen

• many enzymes
• Minerals
• Trace elements
• Egg whites
• and beneficial bacteria.

The specific proportion of the respective nutrients fluctuates greatly and depends on various factors, for example the mining area and the diet of the seabirds. The subsoil and the age of the mining site are also important for the ingredients, because over time the bird droppings mix with the calcareous rocks below. After all, it is an organic product that, like all organic fertilizers, is subject to fluctuations in its composition.

The types of guano fertilizers

Guano fertilizers are commercially available in various forms and compositions. Pure guano is only rarely sold, as the manufacturers usually offer synthetic or organic NPK fertilizers with a certain amount of guano. How high this percentage is differs from manufacturer to manufacturer and can range from a minimum percentage to 70 percent.

Furthermore, guano fertilizers are available in different forms:

• powder
• Granules or pellets
• Liquid fertilizer
• Fertilizer stick

Guano in powder or other solid form is best applied directly to the soil and easily incorporated. Then don't forget to water it so that the fertilizer gets deeper into the soil and thus closer to the roots. However, you can also dissolve this solid guano fertilizer in water and then use it as a foliar fertilizer. Simply spray the agent onto the plant leaves. Due to the unpleasant smell, you should only use special ones for indoor plants Fertilizer stick(€ 9.82 at Amazon *) or use appropriately labeled liquid fertilizer.

Digression

What is bat guano?

Areas of application and possible uses

However, guano is not only suitable for fertilizing garden, container and house plants, but is also used for other purposes in the garden bed:

• Stimulation of the soil organisms: Thanks to the enzymes and bacteria it contains, guano improves soil life so that an application also changes the composition of the soil structure - but only to a great extent slow.
• Improvement of the soil quality: With regular guano fertilization, both the texture and the drainage of the soil improve over time, which is due to the increased activity of the soil organisms.
• fungicide: In addition, a highly concentrated guano fertilizer can also be used as a fungicide, for example by using Fight fungal diseases - which often occur in many garden plants - through foliar fertilization respectively. prevent.
• Compost activator: Due to its ingredients, guano is also very suitable as a compost activator and as such accelerates the decomposition process in the compost heap. The result is high quality Compost soil.

Which types of fertilizer contain guano?

Commercially available guano fertilizer only rarely consists of pure or even highly concentrated guano. Most manufacturers use bird droppings as part of an NPK fertilizer, which also contains other ingredients of either organic or synthetic origin. The proportion of guano is not always specified, but it rarely contains more than 30 percent of the material.

Using guano correctly in the garden

The use of guano fertilizer depends primarily on the form in which you use this fertilizer. You work solid guano directly into the soil, ideally at a depth of about seven to ten centimeters, and then water vigorously. You can also fill the fertilizer directly into the planting hole when planting. Make sure that no fertilizer residues stick to the leaves, as this can cause chemical burns and thus leaf damage.

Guano is in liquid form, on the other hand, is no longer corrosive and can therefore be used both for direct pouring on the ground and for foliar fertilization. Mix the liquid fertilizer with the irrigation water according to the instructions on the package and apply both to the plants immediately.

Guano is also available in stick form for indoor plants

For indoor and other potted plants, however, fertilizer sticks are suitable, which you can simply attach individually Edge of the plant pot - but at a distance of about one to two centimeters from it - into the ground put. In the coming weeks, the stick will continuously release nutrients to the plant so that you no longer need it re-fertilize have to.

Like all fertilizers, guano is best used in the growing season between March and September. With the exception of pure house plants, garden and balcony plants are in a dormant phase from this time on and therefore do not need any fertilizers.

dosage

Since the specific ingredients of the various guano fertilizers fluctuate greatly, no specific statements can of course be made here. It is best to observe the relevant information on the product packaging. Some general statements with regard to the dosage can still be made:

• Guano fertilizer can be dosed sparingly.
• Count on 40 to 80 grams of guano per square meter of garden area.
• Fertilize with this amount once in spring at the start of the season.
• If necessary, repeat this fertilization in June, but no later than the beginning of July.

Dilute liquid fertilizer with guano with the irrigation water, shaking the bottle vigorously before use. This is necessary so that the sediment sticking to the bottom dissolves and mixes again with the remaining liquid in the bottle. Dosing is very easy with most liquid fertilizers, as you can simply measure the required amount with the bottle lid.

It is best to fertilize weekly during the growing season, whereby you should make the amount of nutrients dependent on the actual needs of your plants. After all, some species need more food than others, and they can get by on significantly less.

Digression

Cons of guano

Make guano liquid fertilizer yourself

If you have solid guano at home, you can easily use it to make liquid fertilizer yourself

If you have pure guano at home, you can use it to make individually dosed liquid fertilizers yourself. How much of the material you actually need per liter of water and per square meter of planting area depends largely on the specific composition of the agent and your soil. On average, you use between 40 and 80 grams of guano per square meter of floor space, which also shows how You actually get little of the fertilizer compared to other organic fertilizers like manure or compost to need. And this is how you make the liquid fertilizer:

• Guano tea: Loosen approx. Add one to two tablespoons of guano to five liters of water, leave the mixture to stand overnight and water your plants with it the next morning.
• Guano brew: Let the guano tea stand for about 24 hours so that the mixture throws bubbles and thus indicates fermenting activities. Pour the brew directly onto the ground below the plants. Not only do the plants themselves benefit, but also the organisms and beneficial animals in the soil.

Use these two remedies only in the fresh air, i.e. in the garden. The self-made liquid fertilizers are unsuitable for fertilizing indoor and other container plants as well as greenhouse plants due to their penetrating smell.

Origin and occurrence

Not only seabirds are responsible for the huge occurrences of guano, especially in South America, too various mammals living there such as seals contribute with their legacies at. Furthermore, the deposits also contain the eggshells as well as the carcasses and bones of these birds and have become Over time, piled up on hills several meters high - some of these hills are up to 30 meters and more high.

Most of the deposits are on the islands off Peru. Century and from there took the first rehearsals to Europe. There are also deposits in Egypt and India. Nowadays, however, not only are natural deposits being extracted more and more frequently, but artificial "guano islands" are also being created. To do this, you use various tricks to lure seabirds onto these platforms floating on the sea, which then leave their valuable droppings there. According to scientific calculations, the roughly one billion seabirds on earth produce around 600,000 tons of nitrogen and 100,000 phosphorus - per year. Only the amounts that the birds drop on land are included here - the occurrences in the sea are not taken into account.

The mining sites for bat droppings, on the other hand, are mostly in Europe.

Digression

Influence of guano on the climate

Guano - ecologically questionable

The Humboldt penguins depend on guano

As positive as all these descriptions of guano sound and as much as the manufacturers advertise the material as organic, the degradation of the bird droppings is ecologically questionable. Not only that the raw material for guano fertilizer comes to us from practically the other side of the world should make one suspicious: on this journey Even the transport of the agent causes large amounts of climate-damaging CO2, even though we have enough fertilizers that are just as valuable Have at home.

But the Humboldt penguins also suffer from the degradation of their guano sites, because the animals dig their breeding caves in these hills as protection from the cold and other bad weather. However, if the guano deposits disappear, the penguin will no longer find any place to nest. The result is that the populations have declined sharply since mining began.

Alternatives to guano

Instead, you can fall back on numerous local and no less beneficial organic fertilizers that do not harm nature or ecosystems. In addition to compost, as well as horse and cattle dung, nettle and others are also included Herbal manure as well as composted chicken manure as a local guano substitute. Chicken guano is also rich in nutrients and minerals and can be made yourself according to this scheme:

• Collect fresh chicken litter.
• Put this in a compost bin.
• Water the manure vigorously.
• Mix in bedding (mainly chopped straw).
• Apply the mixture thoroughly every few weeks on a regular basis.
• The chicken manure is composted after about six to twelve months.
• It can now be used as a fertilizer in the garden.

frequently asked Questions

Is guano poisonous? What do I do if I accidentally swallow the fertilizer?

Rest assured: guano is not poisonous, but can only have a somewhat corrosive effect on the mucous membranes and in the respiratory organs. If you have inhaled or swallowed some of the dust, get some fresh air and take a deep breath. It also helps to drink plenty of water and thus practically flush yourself. If, on the other hand, something gets on the skin, wash it off with soap and water; if it comes into contact with the eyes, rinse off the remains with clear water. You only need to see a doctor if you feel unwell afterwards.

Doesn't guano fertilizer smell terrible?

Guano fertilizer actually smells quite pungent, but this is not noticeable when used in the fresh air.

Is guano also suitable as a long-term fertilizer?

Guano is very suitable as a Slow release fertilizerbecause the nutrients are released very slowly anyway. For example, when planting, you can put about a tablespoon of the powder per plant into the planting hole, so that your plants are well taken care of right from the start.

Is guano fertilizer also suitable for orchids?

Some liquid guano fertilizers that are sold explicitly for indoor and balcony plants are also suitable for orchids. As a rule, a dosage recommendation is given on the packaging.

Can I also use fresh chicken manure for fertilization?

Unfortunately, fresh chicken manure is not suitable as a fertilizer, as it is too corrosive and would practically kill the plants. In addition, there is a risk that the use of fresh manure will transmit pathogens such as salmonella to the plants and enter your body through them. For this reason, even composted chicken manure should be added to the ground some time before the plants are planted. The same applies to other bird droppings, such as those that arise when keeping pigeons. However, duck and goose droppings should not be used, as both types often permanently excrete salmonella.