Vermiculture
Vermiculture
Vermiculture: the simulated cultivation of composting worms and the scientific process used for extracting their by-products for the betterment of human beings.
Vermiculture: a form of composting utilising worms to fasten up the procedure.
Vermiculture can be the perfect answer for all eco-friendly gardeners out there. Do you want to create a self sufficient environment for yourself and your family?. With vermiculture you can create your own fertilisers, poultry feed, bait for fishing and soil improvers all by composting your own kitchen scraps (plus a few other things like old underwear!)
What is vermi-compost?
– Vermi-compost is the end product from composting with worms.
– Vermi-compost contains castings, broken down organic matter, bedding, worms, worm cocoons, and other organisms.- (Nancarrow 98).
What are castings?
– Castings are worm manure or excrement free from any bedding or food materials.
What is vermi-cast?
– Vermi-cast is what is created when the worms eat and re-eat the pre-existing media (vermi-compost) this produces a finer textured end product. This is the result from leaving the worm farm alone for a lengthy period of time.
Advantages of Vermicomposting.
- Vermicompost is a natural fertiliser made from eco-friendly, bio-degradable everyday “garbage” and is free from chemical inputs.
- Castings are odourless, non toxic, and are suitable to use on all plants, including delicate seedlings.
- Castings do not contain one single trace of E.coli, salmonella or other pathogens as- they are destroyed due to the competition from the active micro flora and intestinal secretions. Most of our human pathogens are anaerobic and cannot survive in the aerobic environment created by worms.
- It provides an immediately available water soluble plant food which is rich in nutrients.
- Castings act as a powerful biocide against disease and nematodes.
- Improvement of soil aeration, texture and water retention capacity of soil because of its high organic matter content.
- Castings strengthen the cell walls increasing the plants resistance to fungal disease, frost, and insect attack.
- Vermiculture encourages better root growth and nutrient absorption.
- The point of terminal wilt is also greater.
To find out all the facts about the benefits of Vermiculture (Worm Farming) check out the new book
“Worm Farming for Beginners”.
Have a look at the contents page to discover just what is needed to begin your own Vermiculture endeavour!