Earthworm Castings.
Earthworm Castings.
Worm castings are recognised throughout the world as the richest natural, chemical free plant food known to man. (WonderwormUk.com, 2008)
Castings are odourless, non toxic, and are suitable to use on all plants, including delicate seedlings.
Earthworms don’t digest the organic matter that they “eat”. They are actually digesting the micro-organisms that are feeding on the organic waste matter. When they excrete the castings, there are now up to eight times as many beneficial micro-organisms as there were previously. If there were disease pathogens present on the organic matter digested by the worms, it is killed off by active micro-flora and intestinal secretions in the worms digestive system. In addition, the vermin-compost contains many additional minerals (compared to that of regular soil) that aid in plant growth, and are rich in humic and fulvic acids which balance pH of the soil.
Castings contain:
– A neutral pH of 7 no matter what the diet of the worm. – (“If you are looking for worms, you are in the right place”– http://members.tripod.com/-wormigrow/)
– Beneficial bacteria, plant growth hormones, vitamins, enzymes, amino acids, selenium, organic carbon.
– 5 times the available nitrogen, 7 times the available potash, and 11/2 times the available calcium than found in good top soil.
– Humic acid: which is a beneficial fungal activator.
– Fulvic acid: which is a beneficial bacteria activator.
– Auxins: which is an organic substance characterised by its ability to promote growth, particularly in roots. It is an active ingredient in rooting compounds.
– Not a 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.
– A “slow release” quality. After digestion, the undigested material-moves through the alimentary canal of the worm, a thin layer of oil is deposited on the castings. This layer erodes over a period of 2 months. So although the plant nutrients immediatelyavailable, they are slowly released to last longer.
– (“If you are looking for worms, you are in the right place” http://members.tripod.com/-wormigrow/)
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By adding worm castings to your existing garden soil you will be actively helping plant growth by:
– Increasing the organic matter (humus) content. This will make your soil less likely to become compacted.
– Increasing the water retaining qualities. Castings can retain up to 9 times their weight in water.
To find out more on how worm castings improve your soil simply purchase:
“Worm Farming for Beginners”