Worm castings are an organic form of fertilizer produced from earthworms. Also known as vermicast, worm castings manure is essentially earthworm waste. As these creatures eat through compost, their waste creates an optimal soil enricher.
Earthworm Castings
The waste produced by worms, earthworm castings contain nutrients in a form readily absorbed by plants.
Using Worm Castings in Organic Gardens
Worm casting can allow your garden to thrive. Learn more in this free educational video. More
How to Prepare the Soil to Plant and Grow Snapdragons: Gardening Tips ...
Harvest worm castings in 3 to 6 months.
Begin harvest by moving material to one side.
Apply supplemental bedding and new food sources in the cleared side.
Only bury kitchen scraps in the fresh bedding side.
VERMI-COMPOSTING is another organic gardening technique, which uses earthworms to make compost, which will be rich in organic matter and worm castings, and is one of the best soil builders available.
Fish, kelp and worm castings are also frequently used in pet-safe fertilizers. Some commercial products are sold as solid or liquid premixed formulas. Others are available as compost tea brewing kits. Compost tea is a liquid fertilizer.
Before long you will notice increasing amounts of worm castings, usually 3 - 4 months after starting bin. Besides the educational benefits, this is one natural reward for your composting efforts.
Marigolds Thrive With Earthworm Castings
by Charlie Nardozzi
Earthworms are known to be key components of healthy garden soils.
As the food is devoured by the hungry worms, worm castings are created. This is a rich source of food for plants, but not ideal for worms.
You can now buy worm castings tea in ready-to-use bags that you simply add to lukewarm water and allow to steep for a few hours or overnight.
Compost or worm castings
Sand
Gelatin
Large plastic tub
Soil sieve
Seedling tray
Capillary matting
Spray bottle
Planting seeds directly in soil blocks is an easy, inexpensive way to start seedlings. The most important factor is the mix.
They ingest plant matter, and "cast off" nutrient rich worm castings. It takes a lot of worms to manufacture enough castings to meet most gardeners needs. So, you pay a steep price for store-bought worm castings.
Once your compost bin is up and running, it requires little maintenance until little or no original bedding is visible and the contents of the bin are reduced in bulk and mainly consist of worm castings, which are brown and "earthy" looking.
Worm castings, is a nutrient rich top dressing and soil amendment, which provide nutrients for your plants in a form the plants can use as needed.
A top dressing of compost or worm castings is another effective way to add organic nutrients.
And so, just barely holding on until the end of the show, I rush downstairs to the street garden armed with worm castings, sea kelp, pruners, and assorted tools with the intention of doing just a little ‘light' cleanup.
Add fresh bedding every 4 months or when you have more worm castings than bedding. Use worm castings as a slow-release organic fertilizer for your container gardens.
You'll be amazed at the impact these little critters can have on your garden! ...
Has 5 times more worm castings than any other potting soil currently available.
It's peat free.
Does not decompose as quickly as peat-based soils, so it's reusable for at least another season.
16 qt. bag retails between $8.99 and $10.49.
Some of the best materials to put into a compost include composted dairy manure, composted chicken manure, worm castings, bat guano, kelp meal and ground oyster shells.
Microbes and worms convert the manure into a material that has the consistency of worm castings. The material is mixed with water and stirred vigorously to create a vortex. Changing directions ensures that it gets a thorough mixing.
Worms will eat the bedding and food scraps and produce vermicompost, a mixture of decomposed bedding and worm castings. The volume of bedding will decrease as it is consumed; add more material as needed.
To promote healthy populations of soil microorganisms, dig in compost or organic fertilizer such as alfalfa pellets sold as rabbit feed, cottonseed meal, earthworm castings or animal manure.
Dig a hole and amend with plenty of organic matter, such as compost or worm castings. Gently place seedling in the hole, then replace soil, firming slightly to ensure good soil to root contact.
Sidedress veggies with a soluble organic fertilizer ('Omega'6-6-6 and 0-6-6 from Peaceful Valley Farm Supply work well), compost tea, organic granular, or generous topdressing of good worm castings or compost.
A handful of loam holds its shape when squeezed, and crumbles when squeezed harder. If well-drained, it leaches nutrients and warms slowly. Add worm castings, rotted manure, and organic matter (compost and chopped leaves) to improve it.
Also referred to as mineral fertilizer, formulas include phosphates and limestone.
Organic. Organic liquid fertilizers are composed of organic matter and are carbon based. Formulas include manure, worm castings, peat, and seaweed.
Greensand is relatively low in potassium, which is readily dissolved. Other nutritional amendments that can be purchased for garden use include cottonseed meal, kelp meal, leather meal, and worm castings, as well as an array of synthetic fertilizers.
 See also: Plant, Worm, Soil, Water, Compost
  
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