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Latest News New Event Calendar Added What a Can of Worms! Earthworms in the Garden How Much Earth Could an Earthworm Move Effects of Cropping and Tree Density Working with Worms Coelomic Fluid Proteins as Basic Components The Search for Innate Immune Receptors Earthworms Help Solve Waste Problem Worm Revolutionaries Keeping Your Soil Healthy Soil Improvement with Organic Materials Is There Signaling During Earthworm Immunity? A Simulation Model of Earthworm Invasions: Secrets of Organic Rose Plant Gardening Nitrogenous Waste Excretion by Earthworms Introduction of Exotic Earthworms Inter-And Intraspecies Relationship Relationships in Earthworms Influence of Earthworm Activity Earthworms from a Sand Dune Ecosystem Most Popular Young Person's Guide to Vermicomposting Earthworm Biology The Mighty Worm Worm Bin Critter Gallery Vermiculture Industry in Circular Economy Worm Therapy: a New Treatment for IBD? Rare Earthworm Discovery Worm Digest in Transition India's Bio Fertilizer Firms on High as West Stresses Organic Foods Ice Worms: They're Real, and They're Hot Of Enzymes, Worms and Cancer Worm Study May Help Humans Live 120 Years What happened to Real Food? 'Zombie' Worms Found in North Sea Shallows Earthworms Help Beijingers Dispose of Trash Jonah and his Whale of Earthworms The Kiwi Killers Student Infects Worm With Virus Worm Digest is in Good Hands Cancer Biology: A New Cancer Player Takes the Stage Singing Worm Castings' Praises User Rating: / 0 PoorBest  Written by Administrator    Saturday, 10 September 2005 Earthworms’ castings have unique characteristics that make them an absolutely ideal plant food. In soil, they holdwater and release nutrients in a form well-suited to plants. They are a concentrated fertilizer that is most efficiently used as a portion of a planting mix, but still won’t “burn” plants if applied more heavily. Laboratory trials show that even 10% vermicompost in potting mix improves germination rates, plant growth, appearance and fruiting. Castings also contain plant growth hormones that provide a strong “kick” to plants. Castings also deliver beneficial microorganisms to the soil in huge numbers, and can thus impart some amount of disease resistance to plants, especially when worked into soil at the level of the root zone before planting. What’s more, research has shown that the vermicomposting process can reduce, and in certain tests, eliminate pathogens. Some farmers also know that worm castings can transmit disease resistance to animals. Chickens that scratch in worm beds, for example, eating worms and castings, are more resistant to salmonella. We definitely need and look forward to future research in this area. Last Updated ( Sunday, 02 October 2005 )   < Prev   Next > [ Back ]