Worm castings as growing medium?

[mushaboom]

hey i read that same thing somewhere... i think it was that green book the bible maybe. the information hasnt really ever been too helpful for me in that thing i just like to look at the pictures

[texas grass]

in my experiences in making teas compost and wormcastings are about the best things to use as your main base. both are full of biologicals and with aeration and the right amount of organic material and food they will flourish
good food and organic material to use is seaweed, mollasses, humates, meals, guanos. you only need about 1-2tablespoons total of food to help feed the biologicals

the teas can be used as a soil feeder, foliar feeder, and some insect/disease control
usually need to brew for about 24-48 hrs
if your brews sit for too long or conditions arnt right the tea could provide a home for pathologenic biologicals.


if you can get ahold of the vermicompost liquid, that stuff is liquid gold

[Mr. Clandestine]

if you can get ahold of the vermicompost liquid, that stuff is liquid gold

Wow, I forgot all about this thread!

And yeah, I've found some of that stuff, but I've yet to find a very good deal on it. At my local stores, where it's available, it was going for something like $10 for 2 liters... AND it was already pre-diluted, making it tough to spread out over a longer period of time. That's a little expensive for my tastes, even though I know it's good to have on hand.

I never did purchase the bags of castings that I was thinking about trying as a medium. It's still something that I'd like to try in the future, but from what I've gathered from the great people of Cann.com, it will take some patience and experimentation to get it right. Thanks for the background info on teas, though. I'm certainly well on my way to finding just the right compromise between biological additives and organic teas to make my plants healthy and happy. I've made plenty of mistakes down the road, but I'm getting much more comfortable with the whole process.

And thanks again to everyone who responded! :thumbsup:

[moorebait]

You Cannot burn plants with WORM CASTINGS OR WORM TEA

Worm Castings Natures Organic Fertilizer

Worm Castings Natures Pure Organic Fertilizer

Safe for our Environment!!
Our product is an all purpose, natural fertilizer that comes from nature - with no alterations whatever.

( 1.) Naturally organic and odor free!
( 2.) Will not burn plants - at any concentration! (even the most delicate seed or plant is safe
(4.) Castings also increase the soil's water retention as they contain absorbent organic matter that holds water by the plant's roots.
(5.) Castings contain growth hormones for bigger and more fibrous roots.
(6.) Longer lasting nutrition for plants because of the capsule-like structure of the castings
(7.) Provides a slow release, continuous fertilization. The fact is our Soil Builder is from earthworm castings,our castings are created by Mother Nature herself,
(8.) promoting optimum plant growth as nature intended! Results are so spectacular that we feel confident in offering a 100% money back guarantee

HERE SOME INFO ON

What is LEC (liquid earthworm castings)? It is an organic soil amendment made from 100% earthworm castings without additives. It is a highly concentrated liquid easily applied through all irrigations/drip systems or foliar spray and mixes readily with water, other fertilizers and herbicides. 4 It is 100% biogradeable, non-toxic, and will not harm the environment. It is a biological load of trillions of micro-organisms (beneficial bacteria and fungi) per gram. It has more than 12 of the most needed elements for the normal development of the plant. It is a biochemical substance which includes humic and fulvic acids, as well as auxins, gibberllins, and amino acids, among other growth enhancers. What will LEC (liquid earthworm castings) do for you? It has high chelating qualities which facilitates better uptake of nutrients. This means less use of other fertilizers and more balance in the soil. It improves the physical, chemical, and biological conditions of the soil. It helps the plant handle stress from herbicide, prolonged overdoses of agrochemicals, frosts, droughts, etc. It facilitates the absorption of nutrients by increasing cellular permeability. It stops retro-gradation of cations and releases tied up minerals into soil

[moorebait]

Their few ways to make it or brew it

you can take gallon jug fill with room temp water with If using tap water let stand for 24 hours or highly aerate with an aquarium pump and air stone to reduce the time to eliminate the cholorine.

then add worm castings a cup full

put cap on gallon jug

let set a few minutes
then shake the jug till water turns
a light root beer color or black

then use stays good in dark place about a week to 10 days
depending on climate.

second way :

1 cup â?? Worm Castings
1 tbsp. â?? brown sugar or molasses
1 gal. â?? water
Soak Worm Castings and
brown sugar in water for
24 hrs to make the tea.
Strain and use within 24
hours

5 gallons of de-cholrinated water. If using tap water let stand for 24 hours or highly aerate with an aquarium pump and air stone to reduce the time to eliminate the cholorine.

1/3 cup of Molasses. This is a food source for growing and multiplying the essential micro organisms.

1/3 cup of Vegetable Oil. This aids when used as a foliage spray to help stick to the leaves and to smother insect eggs and larva.

1 cup of Worm Castings.

Optional additives:
1 tablespoons of kelp meal
1 tablespoon of humic acid

Instructions for Brewing:
1. Dissolve all the ingredients into the water except the worm castings.
2. If you have a cheese cloth bag place the castings in it and lower into your water and attach to the bucket or whatever you're using (it will be dipped or steeped much like a tea bag into the water). If you don't have a bag the castings can be mixed into the water freely but will need to filtered out or care taken not to pour into your sprayer as the castings could clog the sprayer.
3. Add heavy aeration air stones or whatever source used to aerate the water. Depending on the temperature you'll need to aerate the water for about 24 hours. Times may be shorter if temps are above 80 but longer if below 80.

Make sure you use the finished tea within 24 hours or the microbes will start dieing and be reduced. The sooner you use the tea the better!

Apply the tea as often and as much as you'd like for better results. You can't overuse it.

Enjoy!

moorebait