Worm Castings (Vermicast) What are Worm Castings? Worm Castings are the organic material that has been digested by composting worms Earthworms derive their nutrition from many forms of organic matter in soil including decaying plant parts, decomposing remains of animals, and living organisms such as nematodes, protozoans, rotifers, bacteria, fungi. They can produce their own weight in castings every 24 hours. During the digestive process, many insoluble minerals are converted to a plant-available soluble form and long-chain molecules such as cellulose are partially broken down by bacteria in the digestive tract. Investigations show that fresh earthworm casts are several times richer in available nitrogen, available phosphates and available potash than the surrounding topsoil. Worm castings also contain many beneficial bacteria and enzymes. The basic analysis reveals that the number of beneficial bacteria in the ejected worm casting is much higher than in the material ingested by the earthworm. Worm Castings have many beneficial microbes which are important in: • Growing healthier plants • Improving soil texture • Providing water soluble nutrients to the plants Worm Castings have the texture of coarse coffee grounds. Improves Plant Growth: a 20% increase in plant growth and a 150% increase in root mass are possible by adding just 1 part of worm castings to 9 parts of soil! Research has shown that Worm Castings added to the soil at low rates may result in improved disease resistance because: • Plants are healthier and stronger when grown in Worm Castings • Worm Castings provide beneficial microbes that compete with disease causing organisms • Microbes supplied by Worm Castings compete for available food sources Worm Castings benefits soil in many ways: • It improves its physical structure • It enriches soil in micro-organisms, adds plant hormones such as auxins and gibberellic acid, and adds enzymes such as phosphates and cellulase • It attracts native deep-burrowing earthworms already present in the soil • It improves water holding capacity • It enhances germination, plant growth, • It improves root growth and structure Worm Castings can be used to make compost tea (worm tea), by mixing some Worm Castings in water and aerating for a number of hours or days. The resulting liquid is used as a fertilizer. I highly recommend using worm castings to make worm teas your casting go a lot further and you create millions of bacteria to transfer deep into your soils attracting deep burrowing native earth worms to your soil and garden. Create a worm farm and get all these benefits into your garden just by recycling your waste Worm castings from composting worms Visit ecovalleyworms.au Email or phone Greg the worm farmer [email protected] Phone 0745246040
Posted on: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 22:02:58 +0000
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