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How To Use Worm Castings For The Best Plant Growth Results
For the past few years, there has been a rise in usage of worm castings to stimulate and improve farming. Stores are making huge sums of money selling these farm supplies that are known to turn your lawn or garden to a paradise.
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Worm casting is the best natural fertilizers that are known to be safe to the environment and user compared to the artificial fertilizers you might be using. They have several benefits that will help you get a return from the sweat dripped in your farm.
These garden supplies contain a mixture of plant nutrients such as the bacteria and enzymes necessary for its growth. It has various plant uses and benefits. This article gives simple guides on how to use worm castings to give the best results for both outdoor and indoor usage.
How To Use Worm Castings For The Best Plant Growth Results
How To Grow And Harvest Worm Castings
Although there are worm castings sold in stores, you may be interested in how they are grown and harvested. This article not only gives the guides on how to use worm casts but also how they are grown and harvested and benefits. Some of the items needed for this activity include:
- Wooden boxes
- Organic and natural products such as manure, peat moss
- Earthworms
Store the wooden boxes in a heated area with little light. You then fill the boxes with any organic matter that is available and adds the earthworms.
Under favorable conditions, these worms feed on the materials. Meanwhile, digestion occurs with the end products being the worms used and the castings for farm use. To use the product, carefully separate the worms for another harvest as you bag the castings. Growing and harvesting worm casting can save you lots of cash used to buy farm supplies.
Here is a youtube video tutorial that illustrates more on how to grow and harvest castings.
Advantages Of Worm Castings Over Other Fertilizers
Used as liquid fertilizer, solid fertilizer, soil conditioning for plant growth and germination, worm castings have several purposes. It's unlimited usage in farming without any amount makes it the best earth fertilizer compared to the common ones in the market.
Some of the major benefits of worm casting are as follows:
- Castings are known to contain humus that extracts bacterial and fungal attacks on plants. This way, the plants are less susceptible to diseases.
- By regulating the worm castings adjust extreme soil pH levels that may hinder plant growth by reducing its nutrient absorption from the ground.
- Worm casts have high water retaining properties that provide continuous water to the plants even under dry condition.
- Not all mineral compounds are essential for plant growth. Some contain heavy metals that can hinder its growth. Castings ensure the release of only those minerals that stimulate active plant growth.
- Humic acid contained in the castings help in inducing growth, resulting in a healthy and productive fruit or plant. Mixing the castings and soil will ensure these acids are available for use.
- Worm castings increase nitrogen levels by reducing carbon which forms acid in the ground, making the plant use it in an easier manner. Optimum Nitrogen stimulates plant growth as it exists naturally in low content in the field.
How To Use Worm Castings
Various applications of worm casting include indoors and outdoors. Some of the popular areas that it is used in are the following:
#1. Potted Plants
Potted flowers and plants can easily be maintained by sprinkling worm castings on the surface, enabling penetration of nutrients into the soil with time. Apply the castings every 2-3 months for continuous absorption of nutrients.
You will be able to see improved results after a few month of usage by mixing in the ratio 1:3 of the castings to soil. Remember to have the plant under all favorable conditions possible.
#2. Outdoors
Use of worm castings in the garden is done by spreading them into the bed surface. It can also be added during the plantation process by putting a handful into the dug hole. Side dressing should be done during the season by applying half a cup for every plant. This can be done for two months.
Worm castings have an advantage of not burning your seeds or roots even when applied in excess. Here is a short video on how to mix the cast for your garden.
#3. Perennials
Application can be made in Spring or at the beginning of Fall by having one cup of worm castings into the soil above the roots. No damage is done when the castings touch the roots.
#4. Compost Pile
Worm casting can transform the organic waste material to natural fertilizer. This property enables the casting to activate the composting action when applied in between compost.
#5. Planted Roses
Sprinkle the worm castings and mixing it with the soil 3-4 inches into the ground. This should be done for every rose bush. To avoid damaging the roots of the roses, you can topdress the castings.
#6. Newly Planted Lawns
Apply by mixing it with the soil. Sprinkle the fertilizer throughout the topsoil after leaving it to dry to fine particles. 10 pounds of the casting is suitable for 50- 80 square ft. You can plant the seeds and water.
#7. Implanted Lawn
Apply 10 pounds of the castings for every 50-80 square feet of the garden and maintain it. For large areas, you can use worm tea to reduce on some castings used. Apply after a month and let rainfall distribute it the exposed parts of the lawn.
#8. Newly Planted Shrubs and Berries
For the best results, mix in the ratio 1:3 of the worm castings to garden soil. Plant the roots into the hole filled with the mixture. Top up the empty area with garden soil. Water the plants as required.
Apply 1-inch thick of the casting in the coming seasons for maintenance.
#9. Shrubs and Berries
Application to be done in the early spring and fall. Mix the worm castings with the soil at a depth of 2-3 inches. For deep penetration of the castings in the ground, cultivate after every one month.
#10. Worm Casting Tea
You can make a worm casting tea by simply soaking two cups of the worm casting in one gallon of water and leave it to dilute overnight. The prepared worm tea is used to spray garden plants.
Here is a Youtube video tutorial that gives the benefits of warm tea and how to utilize it for maximum garden results.
Conclusion
Safe to the environment, worm castings are the best fertilizers for plant growth. They are natural, organic and easy to use making the environmentally friendly compared to other fertilizers in the market. Besides that, they have several other benefits that help in plant growth stimulation.
I hope this article was engaging and fun to read. Earthworm castings can provide better performance compared to the artificial fertilizers that contains chemicals and unpleasant odor. Kindly share the article if it was helpful to you so as to help grow their favorite fruits and vegetables.
About the Author Laura Bennett
Hello, I’m Laura Bennett. I love nature especially when it comes to flowers and different kinds of plants. I started a very small garden behind my house and I named it Humid Garden. So, I created this blog to provide aspiring and inspiring thoughts about gardening for gardeners and anyone who has the intention of keeping a garden.
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