Breeding worms to convert organic waste into ferilizer is called vermiculture or vermicomposting.find out more about vermiculture and how you can carry out the same your garden/backyard to fertilize your plant at home
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Vermiculture is the process of garden composting using worms. Overtime, all organic material naturally goes through the process of decomposition. However, with vermiculture, the process is significantly accelerated. The worms consume the decaying organic material and then flush it out of their system in what is referred to as ‘castings’ or ‘worm manure.’
When used as fertilizer, worm castings slowly release a perfectly balanced blend of nutrients that can stimulate growth and healing, increase flower and fruit production. What’s more, worm compost even helps to fend off disease! This stuff is mega, so, a little goes a long way!
Not only that, but finished vermicompost has all of the properties of a humus soil, one that retains water while still allowing for proper drainage and gaps for oxygen. This becomes the ideal environment for strong root growth and the way each plant absorbs the building blocks for growth.
Top Dressing
As the name implies, top dressing refers to the application of worm compost right on top of the soil. Again, it doesn’t take much at all. Just a sprinkling over the area of the root mass will eventually filter down and feed the plant. This is the easiest way to incorporate vermicompost as it requires no measuring or mixing.
Sometimes you’ll see this method by the name of side dressing as well. The concept is the same. Every few months a gardener offers a scant handful of vermicompost at the base of the plant. Every time it rains, or little creatures carry a tiny bit of cast down into the soil, your plant will have a special delivery of vitamins and minerals.
2) Soil Amendment
Unlike top dressing, amending your soil with vermicompost is done before the plant is set into place. In this case, you would mix potting soil or garden soil with the compost so that it is even throughout and surrounds the roots once they extend into the earth.
This application requires more compost to start with but enhances the overall structure of the soil in addition to offering nutrition.
Seed Starter
Any gardener who takes the time to nurture plants up from seed knows they require a tender touch, perfect sun exposure, water, and nutrients to grow past that first stage. But, by incorporating a healthy dose of vermicompost in proportion to the rest of your seed starting mix you give that little seedling an even better chance at not only surviving but thriving.
It has been shown time and again, as evidenced here in a report out of South Carolina State University, that germination and seedling growth is improved by planting in worm castings. According to research out of Cornell University,” Department of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology, Ph.D. student Allison Jack has shown that beneficial microbes in vermicompost can colonize a seed’s surface and protect it from infection by releasing a substance that interferes with the chemical signaling between the host and the pathogen.”
Liquid Fertilizer (Compost Tea)
The name is deceptive when at first you think of chamomile or the like, but compost tea is made by steeping finished vermicompost rather than tea leaves. Over time, beneficial microbes multiply in the water creating a tonic that both quickly delivers nutrients directly to the roots, but can also be sprayed ON the plants as a protection from such things as airborne diseases, and infestation.
Turf Builder
The final application I want to share is for all of us struggling to keep our lawns consistently green, lush, and weed free. I won’t promise that using worm compost will kill weeds, but what it will do is help get your grass into top shape.
Vermicompost fertilizer will encourage your lawn to have deep strong roots that can take in the water and nutrients needed to grow grass that inhibits the growth of weeds. A lawn fed with a naturally balanced fertilizer will be vibrant and green, need less frequent watering, and will bounce back more quickly after the dry and cold seasons.
Simply broadcast relatively dry castings using a seed spreader so that the bits can fall down between the blades of grass. Rain will allow the particles to slowly be released into the earth and feed your lawn for months at a time.