Worm castings as growing medium?

[Mr. Clandestine]

I have the opportunity to get my hands on a sizable amount of weed-free worm castings, well over 100lbs if I desire, and I was curious if anyone has ever used a casting/perlite-only mix to grow their plants?

I always have some castings on hand to add to my soil mix, but I've never tried substituting it alone for all other organic matter. Would this be too "hot" even for plants well into veg? If anyone has ever done this, please let me know how it worked out for you. Include, if possible, any potential problems with pH, what fertilizers (if any) you used, whether it made any noticeable differences in your final weight, etc. Anything you can tell me about it will influence whether or not I'm willing to give it a shot.

If it makes any difference, the strain I'm growing right now is a Sativa-dominant AK-47. And so far, it seems to be pretty tolerant of high Nitrogen fertilizers.

Mr. Clandestine Reviewed by Mr. Clandestine on 02-07-2008. Worm castings as growing medium? I have the opportunity to get my hands on a sizable amount of weed-free worm castings, well over 100lbs if I desire, and I was curious if anyone has ever used a casting/perlite-only mix to grow their plants? I always have some castings on hand to add to my soil mix, but I've never tried substituting it alone for all other organic matter. Would this be too "hot" even for plants well into veg? If anyone has ever done this, please let me know how it worked out for you. Include, if possible, Rating: 5

[xcrispi]

They're not really that hot . 1-0-0 , all N .

Prob. = Worm diareha once wet though but can't hurt to experiment . All else fails it sells for 1.00 a lb. here locally . Some lazy dumbass would buy it on ebay and you could buy 5 bags of Happy Frog or Ocean Forest w/ the $$$ .
Crispi :jointsmile:

[Mr. Clandestine]

They're not really that hot . 1-0-0 , all N .

Prob. = Worm diareha once wet though but can't hurt to experiment . All else fails it sells for 1.00 a lb. here locally . Some lazy dumbass would buy it on ebay and you could buy 5 bags of Happy Frog or Ocean Forest w/ the $$$ .
Crispi :jointsmile:

Thanks for the feedback XC. I didn't think it would be too hot, but figured I'd ask anyway. I've found a deal on as much as I could ever want for $.50 per pound, so I'm considering getting a good bit of it anyway... but it looks like I'll probably just keep using it as an amendment for my soil. I might just experiment with one plant so I can get a good idea about how well it works.

Thanks again.

[Rusty Trichome]

About 3 years ago, I tried worm castings with perlite for seedlings and clones once. Made a muddy mess, and nothing grew.
By the looks of it after the attempt, the castings clogged up the perlite, and so it got no areation.
Still use it for my soil mix, but after buying 15 lbs I still have most of it left.

[stinkyattic]

after buying 15 lbs I still have most of it left.

I had a similar experience. I found it retained a lot more water than I really wanted. I'd go for a 'worm tea' product made from castings but in liquid form that you can add to your regular ferts.

[Mr. Clandestine]

Thanks Rusty & Stinky for sharing your experiences with me. I'll just keep adding the castings to my soil mix, and see what I can do about finding some in liquid form. I remember seeing some liquid castings at a store somewhere, it was packaged in a 2-liter soda bottle, and I'm kicking myself in the ass for not getting it when I saw it. Now I have no earthly clue where to find it again w/out having to order online.

Thanks again for your responses XCrispi, Rusty, & Stinky! You've all been a great help.

[xcrispi]

Hey Clandestine
Make the tea yourself using the castings you already have .
I'm sure Stinky will give you her recipe . I have used it mostly as a soil amendment , but have tried to help N def. using it mixed w/ my reg. waterings but don't remember in what ratios .
Peace
Crispi :jointsmile:

[stinkyattic]

I can't say as I've ever made worm tea myself but it involves a 5 gallon pail, some worm castings, an airstone and pump, and a 'teabag' made of a few layers of old stocking. Maybe Tex will have insight; I think he's been doing teas lately.
There are actually pre-fab worm tea products you can buy at the grow shop.

[Mr. Clandestine]

I have plenty of buckets, and actually have a few extra airstones/pumps from old aquarium setups I used to have. I've been playing around with making guano teas for a while, but recently found out that I've been doing it wrong. I used warm water with some homemade "teabags", only I didn't know that 90-100°F was too hot, and so I've probably been losing effectiveness of the tea. I'm an idiot, I figured they needed to steep... like Lipton's!

Anyway, when I start using guano again, I'll be making the tea by bubbling the hell out of it for 24 hours in room temperature water. I'll see if I can get some feedback from Texas about trying this with castings. I'd love to use less fishy smelling emulsion, and more earthy smelling castings during veg. I don't have a problem with the smell of castings, but I've yet to find a truly "deodorized" fish crap...

Thanks again for everyones insight! :thumbsup:

[melodious fellow]

About 3 years ago, I tried worm castings with perlite for seedlings and clones once. Made a muddy mess, and nothing grew.
By the looks of it after the attempt, the castings clogged up the perlite, and so it got no areation.
Still use it for my soil mix, but after buying 15 lbs I still have most of it left.

I read in a grow guide once that worm castings were the ultimate soil supplement and that they were so rich, one could grown in pure worm castings. It also said that they were so expensive though that this would be way impractical.

But after reading Stinky and Rusty's experiences, fuck that