Is Bat Guano a Sustainable & Environmentally Friendly Fertilizer?

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Many of us who choose to grow organically do so, at least in part, because we want to grow in a more sustainable and environmentally friendly way. But just because a product is certified organic doesn’t necessarily mean it’s sustainable or environmentally friendly, especially when compared to other alternatives. If you shop on Amazon, you can support OYR simply by clicking this link (bookmark it too) before shopping: http://www.amazon.com/?tag=oneya-20 "The Truth About Garden Remedies" by Jeff Gillman: http://amzn.to/2ahkgtq "Decoding Gardening Advice" by Jeff Gillman: http://amzn.to/2ahkj8z "The Truth About Organic Gardening" by Jeff Gillman: http://amzn.to/2aN5iKc "The Informed Gardener" by Linda Chalker-Scott: http://amzn.to/2ahkjFJ "The Informed Gardener Blooms Again" by Linda Chalker-Scott: http://amzn.to/2a7lK6x 0:05 - Introduction 0:24 - What is Bat Guano? 0:51 - High Phosphorus Bat Guano 1:36 - High Nitrogen Bat Guano 1:58 - Micronutrients & Beneficial Microbes 2:46 - Sustainability 3:25 - Environmental Impact 4:19 - Why are Bats Important? 5:01 - Better Alternatives 5:37 - Conclusion Sources: "The Myth of Phosphate Fertilizer" by Linda Chalker-Scott: http://puyallup.wsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/phosphate.pdf "How Plants Work" by Linda Chalker-Scott, pages 79-81 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guano "Jamaican Bat Guano and Cave Preservation": http://www.jamaicancaves.org/jamaican_bat_guano.htm "Economic Importance of Bats in Agriculture": http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/bat_crisis_white-nose_syndrome/pdfs/Boyles2011EconomicsofBats.pdf "Ecosystem Services Provided by Bats": http://www.bu.edu/cecb/files/2009/08/Kunz-et-al.-Ecosystem-Services_ANYAS-2011.pdf White Nose Syndrome: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_nose_syndrome One Yard Revolution is all about growing a lot of food on a little land using sustainable organic methods, while keeping costs and labor at a minimum. Emphasis is placed on improving soil quality with compost and mulch. No store-bought fertilizers, soil amendments, pesticides, compost activators, etc. are used. Join me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oneyardrevolution Channel Page: http://www.youtube.com/user/OneYardRevolution

Comments

Bat guano would be more sustainable, environmentally, friendly, and cheaper if you build a bat box for the insect eating bat to live in and a bucket for the droppings to fall in to.

Very informative, I have a thesis proposal with this bat guano and the crop is the celery, I really appreciate the information.

bat feces is explosive

Appreciate the information.

We have insect-eating bats. What should be done with the accumulating guano? We're concerned it (in a very non-exotic location!) will drain into one of our natural (nearly year round) creeks, located only 25'-30' downhill, due to all the rain. Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I always find it amusing (in a smug kind of way) to see what people are willing to buy to add to their soil, when they have bags of leaves, sticks and grass clippings ready to go to the city dump. Thanks for educating and informing.

Insect eating bats live under a bridge 1/2 mile from my house. I can collect several cups of fresh bat poop in just a few minutes!

One yard-- I have watched many of your vids and enjoyed them but on this one I have a difference of agreement with you my friend. I cant say much about bat guano, but what I decided to try is peruvian seabird guano with an NPK of 12-11-2. On my simple overwintered cuttings which are in pots Im seeing a boom in flowering in which my lower jaw has dropped considerably never before seeing this from a cutting. As for how it might affect my gardens I cannot say ,,, yet.

You could use guano if you have a bat box at your house. Just add it to your compost.

well sourced info, thanks!

Great info :) Thanks for sharing!!!

Locally acquired resources are the best. Bat guano cannot be considered local.
Viable bat colonies are a much more valuable resource than their guano.

Great points! How do you feel abut composting bat droppings collected under bat boxes?

Good point Patrick, altough I've never seen bat guano being sold over here!

I have been trying to compost much like you do in your geo bins (with leaves and kitchen scraps). After almost three months there has not really been much progress. Any clue on what I could be doing wrong?

Thanks so much for raising awareness.... Everything is connected..yes yes and yes. Thanks for all the love you put in your videos. love love love. Baba Bear

Outstanding video.... and, very informative. Thank you.

While I have used guano products before, I generally look at these products as a temporary jump start only and even then only for highly degraded land taken out of production due to harsh chemical dependant conventional agriculture. In my opinion relying on them on a yearly basis is no better than chemical inputs. They will give you a good jump start though. After that it takes understanding biological cycles to not need further inputs.

Very informative and I loved the fact that you were very considerate about the habitats that such products disturb.

Id say Bat Guano is just a bunch of sh!t. ;-)