# Does any one compost their roach detritus?



## Cocoa-Jin (Mar 31, 2009)

Its that time of year, plants are blooming, trees are sprouting.  My bonsai trees arent immune, they are starting their spring revival.  

Well I just cleaned my roach enclosure and I have all this waste debris...I dont want to waste it.  Does anyone have experience using this detritus for plant food?


----------



## bareass (Mar 31, 2009)

i don't see why not. people use water from their fish tanks to feed thier plants.


----------



## Cocoa-Jin (Mar 31, 2009)

Im curious about how to go about administering it, how much should I dilute it(if I mix it into water) or should I just sprinkle it on dry and how much per inch of planter/pot? 

I'm concerned that the wste may be to "hot"...I dont want to chemical burn my little bonsai trees.


Aquarium water for plants...thats a new one for me.  Very intersesting, though the nutrients would be so diluted in aquarioum water I wouldnt be concerned with "burning" my plants.


----------



## bareass (Mar 31, 2009)

i can't see roach waste and sheds and other debris being stonger chemically then all other fertilizers.  i mean cow waste must be much worse.  
i mean i wouldn't use it instead of soil, but mixing it in i'm sure would be fine, and it would continuously become diluted by watering and microbes eating it.  that what i think is the whole reason i would use it.  feed the little guys that help my plants.  i've never cleaned my gecko tank's soil and its growing great.  i have a millipede to eat plant matter, and soon a couple of red worms to eat milli matter!  the wood lice didn't make it through the first night ... oops!


----------



## Cocoa-Jin (Apr 1, 2009)

Believe it or not, one of the "hottest" is chicken manure...a little of that stuff goes a long way.


----------



## blazetown (Apr 1, 2009)

I use my aquarium water for my plants when I do water changes. I figure if I'm changing it to remove nitrates and fish waste that the plants could likely use at least some of the nutes. I was just thinking about using roach detritus for fertilizer aswell. I'm actually in the process of starting some seeds for bonsai. I wouldn't think that they would have too high of nutrient content in the droppings to cause burns or anything but you never know. Try some experiments I guess.


----------



## blazetown (Apr 1, 2009)

Cocoa-Jin said:


> Believe it or not, one of the "hottest" is chicken manure...a little of that stuff goes a long way.


High phosphorous or something?


----------



## Cocoa-Jin (Apr 1, 2009)

blazetown said:


> High phosphorous or something?


I think its ammonia...birds expel both metabolic and undigested waste together...its pretty well concentrated I guess.

I have some, but Im scared to use it.


----------



## Uehling (Apr 1, 2009)

Yep, It would be ammonia in chicken poop. Very nasty stuff!


----------



## Nikos (Apr 1, 2009)

I use roach poop for my balcony plants and they are OK. Especialy some of my cactuses seem to really appreciate this stuff.


----------



## bareass (Apr 4, 2009)

again, i'm sure the little bugs in your soil will appritiate the extra treat now and then! i would go for it.  i've found milli poop works good.  i got it occurring naturally in my gecko/ AGM setup!!


----------



## OldHag (Apr 4, 2009)

When I clean out my chicken coop, I just throw it all in the garden... same with the roach frass. Just lob it into the garden and till er in.   Ive heard chicken poop will burn your plants and such, but I havent had any problems with it... yet...


----------



## elportoed (Apr 4, 2009)

I do vermicompost with red worms.  The ways to use it is either to use the casting (poops) mix with the soil or dilute it with water and feed the plant that way.  I suppose you can do the same with roach frass, if you add water, so you can ensure that it isn't too hot.


----------



## calum (Apr 4, 2009)

this sounds like a really good idea.. I'm guessing the same would work with cricket faeces?


----------



## Cocoa-Jin (Apr 5, 2009)

elportoed said:


> I do vermicompost with red worms.  The ways to use it is either to use the casting (poops) mix with the soil or dilute it with water and feed the plant that way.  I suppose you can do the same with roach frass, if you add water, so you can ensure that it isn't too hot.


yeah, I need to do it water.  I put the frass in a zip-loc bag and fill it with water.  I cant chance any nymph slipping by...they'll love this SoCal weather.  

I just need an idea of how much to dilute it...I guess I'll just have to try it out.


----------



## gvfarns (Apr 5, 2009)

I keep my Blatta lateralis on deep substrate and have red wrigglers in it.  They eat a good bit of the frass and keep the smell down somewhat.  It gets composted as it gets generated.  Gotta keep the substrate moist to keep them alive but that helps the (roach) egg cases hatch too.


----------



## 8 leg wonder (Apr 30, 2009)

blazetown said:


> High phosphorous or something?


high nitrates and ammonia


----------



## rm90 (Jun 8, 2009)

Has anyone done any tests to see if it helps plants grow faster/better? I have been saving dubia frass for a while now maybe I will get a few of the same plants and do a test to see if it helps growth.


----------



## spiderfield (Jun 9, 2009)

Ryan Maguire said:


> I have been saving dubia frass for a while now maybe I will get a few of the same plants and do a test to see if it helps growth.


Have you been saving the frass for a reason? :}   To the OP, I would suggest just tossing it onto the topsoil, maybe work it in if you like, and just water.  It'll all work its way into the soil and roots eventually.  Whenever I do enclosure maintenance on my feeders (crickets and dubias) I just toss their frass into the yard.


----------

