Cultivating the Future:
Scientific Validation of Frass with RBGE
In 2021, Entocycle partnered with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE), one of the UK’s most prestigious scientific institutions, to conduct a rigorous trial on the impact of black soldier fly (BSF) frass on plant health. Over a four-month period, different plant types were tested against a peat-free control mix, revealing that frass was beneficial or non-detrimental to 94% of the trials. With a 78% overall success rate, this collaboration provides the critical scientific evidence needed to position frass as a viable, sustainable organic fertilizer for commercial horticulture, demonstrating superior root development and enhanced plant vigour compared to standard compost.
Entocycle partnered with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) in 2021 to trial the effects of our organic frass on various types of plants, with the goal being to gain scientific data and insight into specific improvements that frass provides to plant health, soil quality and biodiversity.
The team potted 18 different plant types with a mix of RBGE’s regular compost and Entocycle’s frass, along with a batch of the same plants with a control compost of PEAT free meclor mixture, so the team could easily compare the frass’ effectiveness.
The results of this trial clearly indicate that the addition of frass in compost positively influences plant health:
The frass was either beneficial or non-detrimental to 94% of the trials.
Overall trial success rate of 78%.
These overwhelmingly positive statistics demonstrate frass’ suitability for commercial horticulture, giving customers confidence before switching to frass compost mixtures for plant health and reducing the risk for growers trialling frass at scale.
Partnering with a renowned institution such as the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh not only gave our team access to a wide range of plants they typically wouldn’t be able to source, but this collaborative project further establishes Entocycle as a reliable and credible partner in the sustainability, horticultural and agricultural industries.
What is Frass?
Frass is a by-product left after black soldier fly larvae (BSF) have devoured their feedstock, meaning it’s the only leftover substance that remains at the Centre for Insect Technology at the end of the black soldier fly lifecycle.
Containing high levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, frass is a naturally occurring, nutrient-rich organic fertilizer - a product far from waste!
Our Entomologists were curious to discover the frass’ true benefits of adding it to compost mix to aid plant health.
Implementation
Looking for scientific validation, credibility and partnership, our Entomologists shipped 15kg of frass up to Edinburgh for RBGE Horticulturalists to test. The trial ran between July 2021 - November 2021.
Collaborating closely with RBGE Nursery Horticulturalist, Graeme MacDonald, he potted x2 versions of each selected plant, one in a control compost mixture and the other with Entocycle frass, and recorded the growth rate of each plant's foliage and roots.
Results
With a 78% success rate, the results of the trial clearly indicates that the addition of frass in compost positively influences plant health.
Primula plant pictured above.
Control compost mix (left) compared to Entocycle’s frass fertiliser compost mix (right).
Cornus plant pictured above.
Control compost mix (left) compared to Entocycle’s frass fertiliser compost mix (right).
Lavender plant pictured above.
Control compost mix (left) compared to Entocycle’s frass fertiliser compost mix (right).
Teucrium plant pictured above.
Control compost mix (left) compared to Entocycle’s frass fertiliser compost mix (right).
Cirsium plant pictured above.
Control compost mix (left) compared to Entocycle’s frass fertiliser compost mix (right).
“The roots on the plants grown in the frass look far superior to those in our regular mix. I’m really impressed with the results of the trial and believe the frass is definitely a good thing to add to our compost mix.” - Graeme MacDonald, Nursery Horticulturalist at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
These overwhelmingly positive results demonstrate that our only by-product is far from waste. With a product as valuable as this, it’s crucial that it’s utilised by nature to help plants thrive. Entocycle is committed to curating a circular economy by leading the way for waste management solutions; partnering with a renowned institution for this trial additionally fuels the results with credibility and reliability.
Are you interested in our organic frass fertiliser, or keen to collaborate with Entocycle?