Neptunes Harvest Crab & Lobster Shell 5-3-0

4 pound bag, not organic certified

Crab shell is a very special product to add to your vegetable garden for a number of reasons. Not only is a good option for a high nitrogen slow release dry fertilizer but it is also a natural “bio-pesticide”. nematodes are a really detrimental microscopic soil borne ring worm that is very common in South Florida gardens, and the short explanation of its relationship with crab meal is that crab meal is high in “chitin” and having chitin in the top layers of your soil increases the number of chitin-eating organisms in that soil… and nematodes and their eggs are made of chitin! You can read a longer explanation of this relationship here: https://homeguides.sfgate.com/crab-shell-control-nematodes-80417.html

If you aren’t sure wether you have nematodes or not, then for now dont worry about them or this product. At the end of your first growing season, when you’re pulling all of your full season crops out of the ground, make sure to examine their roots for root knot nematode damage. If you do see root knot nematode damage, consider adding crab meal to your garden before your next planting, along with some other nematode suppressing strategies. More info can be found here:

https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/root-knot-nematodes-in-the-vegetable-garden/