27/01/2022
What is Frass?
Frass is the left-over product from growing Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL), including larvae waste (p**p), exoskeleton sheds and remaining feed ingredients.
BSFL frass contains the only plant-digestible form of chitin which signals plants to protect themselves from an insect attack. Plants know that when insect chitin is present, predators are about to harm them, so a plant's autoimmune system responds in many ways to protect it. Plants do have the ability to protect themselves, but there must be chitin present to stimulate the response. The result of this immune response is that plants become more vigorous from root zone to leaf tip, and are able to more fully express their phenotype.
Chitin also causes the plant to create the enzyme chitinase, a biopesticidal enzyme that breaks chitin down into nitrogen and chitosan, a biofungicide that kills powdery and downy mildew, early and late blight, and grey mold. Chitinase kills root-feeding nematodes and all plant-chewing insects. It also kills fungus gnats within 24 hours after a single top-dress application.
BSFL frass does not transmit disease and defends against it, thereby a consistent addition of frass to soil in your garden can contribute to the prevention of fungal disease from pathogens like Rhizoctonia, Fusarium, and Pythium.
Insect Frass contains every macro- and micronutrient, with high levels of natural silicon, and very low levels of sodium and chloride. The nitrogen in Frass is predominantly organic nitrogen (NH2). There is virtually no ammoniacal nitrogen (0.11%) or nitrate nitrogen (0.02%), which means Frass can be used throughout the life of the plant-from starts to flowers- without concern for creating hermaphrodites.
Frass contains potassium which is 100% soluble. Phosphorous is 50% soluble, with 50% waiting to be chelated. Calcium-magnesium ratio is 1:4. pH is 5.9. Organic matter is 90%, carbon content is 42%, and carbon to nitrogen ratio is 11:1.
Frass contains an inconceivable 6+ trillion colony-forming units per gram of every functional group of beneficial bacteria (heterotrophic, nitrifying, phosphorous solubilizers, and psuedomonads), cellulose degraders, chitin utilizers, fungal spores, amoebae, flagellates, and ciliates, as well as tens of thousands of plant-beneficial biological colonies and groups found in no other product.
When used in growing crops, production increases in the presence of chitin. It also has beneficial properties for plant/crop growth as it is rich in bioavailable compounds like high levels of phosphorus
It may also improve pathogen and disease resistance in crops as it promotes resistance to biotic and abiotic stressors. For example, BSFL frass has been proposed to have insecticidal qualities. It was shown that when applied as an insecticide through this method, the frass reduced wireworm populations which can benefit potato and rice farmers.
Additional nutrients from frass may serve as a supplement or substitute for the inorganic fertilizers that are applied during typical crop production. Decreases in inorganic fertilizer use can reduce the subsequent environmental problems, such as eutrophication.
