Product information
Crab Meal
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Supercharge your soil with Down To Earth™ Crab Meal 4-3-0, a powerful organic fertilizer that delivers essential nutrients while naturally improving plant resilience. Sourced from ground crab shells, this nutrient-rich amendment provides a balanced blend of nitrogen and phosphorus while offering a game-changing secret weapon for market gardeners and homesteaders: chitin.
Why Chitin Matters for Your Soil
Chitin, a natural compound found in crab shells, stimulates beneficial soil microbes that help break down organic matter and suppress harmful pests and soil-borne diseases. By incorporating crab meal into your garden, you’re not just feeding your plants—you’re building stronger, more resilient soil that supports long-term fertility.
Give your soil the organic boost it needs with Down To Earth™ Crab Meal 4-3-0—because healthy soil means healthier, more productive gardens. Apply today and let chitin work its magic!
Tech Specs
Approximate Conversions
4 cups = 1 lb
1/2 cup = 2 oz
1 tbsp = 0.25 oz
Vegetable Gardens & Flower Beds: To prepare new gardens, apply 5 lbs per 100 square feet and thoroughly mix into top 3" of soil. For new transplants, add 1-2 tbsp per hole, mix into soil and water in well. To feed established plants, side dress 2-4 oz, depending on plant size and desired growth rate, once each month during the growing season.
Row Crops/Acreage: Apply 500-1,000 lbs per acre depending on specific crop needs or required pounds of actual nutrients per acre.
Containers: For new plantings, add 1-2 tbsp per gallon of soil and mix thoroughly OR add 5 lbs per cubic yard. For established plants, lightly mix 1-2 tbsp per gallon into the soil surface once each month during the growing season.
Trees & Shrubs: Spread 1-2 lbs per 1" diameter around the base outwards to the drip line, mix into soil surface and water in well. For new trees, prepare transplant hole and mix 1-2 cups with backfill soil. Use amended soil to fill in around the new tree and water in well.
Please see label for detailed instructions.
Total Nitrogen: 4.0%
1.0% Water Soluble Nitrogen
3.0% Water Insoluble Nitrogen
Available Phosphate: 3.0%
Calcium: 14%
Derived from: Crab Meal
4-3-0
Nitrogen - Nitrogen is necessary for lush, green, leafy growth. An excess, however, will promote vegetative growth at the expense of fruit or flowers. Nitrogen is generally applied at higher concentrations in early growth stages.
Phosphorus: Phosphorus will promote big, bright blooms and enhanced fruit production. Phosphorus is essential in fruiting, flowering, strong root growth, and quality seed development.
Potassium: Potassium, or Potash, helps support strong sturgy plants and quality fruit. Potassium naturally increases a plants resistance to all types of stress and is vital for cell growth and carbohydrate metabolism.
A Review of the Applications of Chitin and Its Derivatives in Agriculture to Modify Plant-Microbial Interactions and Improve Crop Yields
Abstract
In recent decades, a greater knowledge of chitin chemistry, and the increased availability of chitin-containing waste materials from the seafood industry, have led to the testing and development of chitin-containing products for a wide variety of applications in the agriculture industry. A number of modes of action have been proposed for how chitin and its derivatives can improve crop yield. In addition to direct effects on plant nutrition and plant growth stimulation, chitin-derived products have also been shown to be toxic to plant pests and pathogens, induce plant defenses and stimulate the growth and activity of beneficial microbes. A repeating theme of the published studies is that chitin-based treatments augment and amplify the action of beneficial chitinolytic microbes. This article reviews the evidence for claims that chitin-based products can improve crop yields and the current understanding of the modes of action with a focus on plant-microbe interactions.
643.85 KB pdf
Building Soils for Better Crops
Ecological Management for Healthy Soils
Excerpt
"...it is our work with living soil that provides sustainable alternatives to the triple crises of climate, energy, and food. No matter how many songs on your [smartphone], cars in your garage, or books on your shelf, it is plants' ability to capture solar energy that is at the root of it all. Without fertile soil, what is life?" -Vandana Shiva, 2008
13.76 MB pdf
Farming With Soil Life
A Handbook for Supporting Soil Invertebrates and Soil Health on Farms
Excerpt
Nutrient release from natural inputs can also fluctuate based on temperature, soil moisture, and soil species richness. Despite the variability and slow release of natural sources of soil fertility, natural inputs eliminate some of the waste, expense, and pollution resulting from synthetic fertilizers.
13.07 MB pdf
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