Worm Farm: The Benefits for your Garden
The Benefits for your Garden:
Worm castings are recognised through out 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.
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.
(“Earthworms as a natural resource” Chapman, Ingrid.)
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 are immediately available, they are slowly released to last longer.
(“If you are looking for worms, you are in the right place”
http://members.tripod.com/-wormigrow/)
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 there weight in water.
(Sherman-Huntoon, Rhonda. “Potential markets for vermiculture and Vermicomposting operations”)
Increasing the drainage which reduces water logging and root rot.
Adding beneficial bacteria which aids in plant health.
Promoting the aeration qualities.
Providing food for beneficial organisms.
Providing an immediately available water soluble plant food which is rich in nutrients.
Castings act as a powerful biocide against disease and nematodes. Castings strenghthen the cell walls increasing the plants resistance to fungal disease, frost, and insect attack. The point of terminal wilt is also greater.
Generally the worms used for composting are called red worms: