It is the land shrimp (cicadas) we in the mid Atlantic can soon be adding to our compost.
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I did some research and the amount of studies on chitin clearly show itās an excellent amendment. Unlike many this has been proven to be extremely beneficial in numerous ways.
@lordkiwi Great research links you posted. I looked around and the web is full of the praises of chitin.
Not many soil amendments have been documented so well with proof positive of the benefits.
This study tested it in potting soils. Since I garden as much in containers as I do the ground this interested me.
In this study chitin in the potting soil for lettuce increased yield, increased root mass.
What really floated my boat was that chitin doubled the biomass in the soil. Important as in containers I on occasion use soluble fertilizers which can hurt the biomass. This is a work around as far as Iām concerned.
This study confirms the benefits to the biomass
I could easily list 10 more studies. All come to the same conclusion.
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I also applied shrimp crab and lobster meal with my milky spore and Btg and today while getting some soil samples I found a infected grub. Made me smile
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I saw a study done once on strictly sea salt alone and Iām a believer something as inexpensive as salt water in small quantities is great for the garden soil. In large quantity it kills plants. Itās very likely many are deficient in trace minerals like boron as well. These things are all very inexpensive. If you apply shrimp shells to your garden do I believe itās beneficial ? Yes and like lobster shell a few dollars yes ofcourse! Bone meal is equally very good or better at supplying trace minerals as well so use both ofcourse. Do I believe in spending lots of money? No I have bought very expensive powders and their are often cheaper ways like I mentioned.
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The study in Pub Med is evidence that it is helpful for growing lettuce in artificial soil which is relatively sterile and not very indicative of its affect in real soil that is teeming with micro-organisms and rich with nutrients to begin with. However, it does spur my interest in experimenting with it in my starter mix for veg plants, but the experiment involved a 2% chitin content which I would assume would be unrealistic to obtain in real soil.
What is more, if it is this helpful for other vegetables or even just lettuce in greenhouse conditions, I have no doubt it will not be a secret magical ingredient for very long. Hot houses are very energy expensive and their use in vegetable and fruit production is a billion dollar industry at this point- including to produce lettuce for restaurants year round.
It is difficult for me to fathom how this industry and the university land grant system with all their researchers would overlook a study like the one in Pub Med- a study completed about 5 years ago.
In the search I just made, the only study about real affects to plants is either in reducing pest pressure in greenhouse settings or the single one you found about lettuce- plus the nematode article (nematodes arenāt a big issue in my region),also in an artificial greenhouse setting. Reveal these other studies you claim to have found, please, I cant find them. I didnāt even find anything about an experiment in controlling nematodes in an actual orchard or even in real soil. Maybe you can find that in the copious collection of research you referred to.
Proving a point for the sake of winning an argument isnāt my goal here. I donāt want this forum to become a conduit for unproven claims that are often a bit like conspiracy theories containing some scientific jargon and rationalization but very little real world evidence when there is a world of people interested in achieving larger harvests for less money. I trust capitalism to sort out what is real and what is religion in horticulture, but mostly it in the realm of commercial production, because farmers canāt afford to throw away money.
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This makes no sense to me- what are you guys eating 
What is the pH of your compost?
I have spread copious amounts of my compost around small veg plants when I set them in my soil every single year for decades now and have never had negative affects from it. Nor have I heard anyone else share your complaint.
Now Iām really curious- please try some again this spring, even if with a single plant.
Of course you cannot use pure compost as a potting medium- it is too dense for that and will drown the roots. I mix some with my commercial pro-mix type formula I buy by the bail from my local greenhouse guy. I like it mostly because it holds water longer and I imagine the nutrients help too, but I only use it in at least 8oz containers.
I also make a mix for my nursery container trees using compost, but I use stuff made from yard waste that I buy 10 yards at a time- not more than a third of total ingredients, with a third peat and a third perlite or sand.
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But thatās not whatās happening, A number of forum members are reporting years of direct experience with the product. Lamentations of it getting more popular. And posting research going back to 1963 for studies and methods for this product. And while some industrial chemical versions do exist they have not been posting only 2 small business organic producers.
RogersChitinUsesinAgricultureSAR-2018-CHITO-019Original.docx (4.8 MB)
- As a nutrient additive its a good slow release as it has to be degraded over time. Its not rated superior to other slow release agents but its good.
- Chitin and Chitosan stimulate and support plants natural bio defenses.
- Does not have any direct anti bacterial properties
- Appears to degrade the cell walls of pathogens
- Anti nematode by action of increasing the biomass of anti nematoid fungus.
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Anecdotal recommendations are made every day and Iāve made some that have proven wrong over time. Claims here are not deserving of an endorsement that suggests scientific verification as far as what Iāve read thatās been posted. Drewās read like a promotional ad with claims of research Iām still waiting for him to post.
And why do you suppose that is? Chitin has been studied for decades and there are tens of thousands small organic farms in this country.
Iām dead serious that I donāt want this to become a forum for true believers- the link you provided reveals a pre-existing prejudice in its first sentence, IMO, and doesnāt include research, only claims.
If you like the results of the product and want to share your enthusiasm for it, fine- I am merely objecting to any claims that the your endorsement is founded on solid science.
My enthusiasm is for using stuff around us that isnāt pre-packaged and shipped- thatās where my true-believer nature tends to shine. And I truly believe that the odds are that this product would not produce superior results in my garden than what I have around me- but next year I may buy a bag and do a little experiment with my starts in potting soil. I donāt start my own lettuce, however, but letās see what it can do with peppers and tomatoes. But you are the one who should do it, really. Such an easy thing to give some to some plants of a type and withhold it from others.
I almost never lose plants to disease when propagating them as it is- it hasnāt happened for years now that I know to make sure air circulates in the greenhouse during long periods of rain.
All I know is I love this product. Extremely pleased with results over numerous years. I use Neptuneās Harvest crab and lobster shells. The 12 pound bucket of stink. Really great for problem plants like tomatoes. Other benefits like no grubs anymore and increased biomass in my containers and raised beds. Although I like a lot of other fertilizer products too. I use top rate products at the best price I can find. I have been using some fantastic slow release fertilizers for fruit trees and shrubs. Some great high tech fertilizers out there with patented slow release technology that actually works.
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