You can use it mixed in the soil, or in teas. It's not soluble, so it needs to be contained or something if you plan on putting the tea through drippers, or if you want to use it in hydroponics-styles of growing.
It's from mealworms. They go into any container that doesn't leak and allows a wee bit of air to flow. I use our old gecko's tank because it's already got a nice screen top that slides into place, thus ensuring no thieves when it's outside. The mealworms are fed 'dry' vegetables--carrots, potatoes, broccoli stems, etc. Purely vegetarian, though they may cannibalize each other if they're not fed. They're bedded in wheat bran, or oatmeal, anything that they can burrow under and that keeps dry. I like wheat bran because I have two methods of sifting out the frass, and one involves putting the whole mess o' bugs into a big concrete mixing tray and setting it where my chickens can feast. I'm left with frass and a bit o' chicken poo, which is easily cleaned out. I prefer this method over having to hand sift, but hand sifting ain't so bad either. It's just dusty and can cause lung irritation.
They don't fly, they're slow moving, the grubs make fantastic food for other critters, their poops (aka polillos) are discrete little rolly-pollies that are dry as a bone and super easy to contain. It's all just so easy it's stupid. Not to mention FAR more sustainable than any guano! $20 bought me my first thousand worms. I let them hang for a couple of months until I got all stages of life, and my birds got small treats while waiting for that stage. Now they get almost as much as they want (gotta be careful, they'll gorge on the worms) because I've got a nice, thick, healthy population that was STUPID EASY to get going.
2 hour brew time is all that's needed for a basic tea. A tablespoon or so per gallon pot for top-dressing, or more if you like because at 2-2-2 it won't burn. Ever. It's also an AMAZING source of microbes. And chitin.
Maybe I should start selling my frass online. Better'n sellin' it on the street!
