Vermicompost?
and adapts to a wide range of temperatures.
Compost worms are big eaters. Under ideal conditions, they are able to consume food waste equal to their body weight each day, although the general rule-of-thumb is ½ of their body weight per day. They will eat almost anything organic (that is, of plant or animal origin), but they definitely prefer some foods to others.
But WHY vermicompost?
- increased ability to retain moisture
- better nutrient-holding capacity
- better soil structure
- higher levels of microbial activity
Vermicompost may be superior to conventional aerobic compost in a number of areas. These include the following:
Vermicompost has high levels of plant available nitrogen compared to straight compost and contains natural hormones produced in the worms’ bodies that promote desirable traits in plants. Vermicomposted manure has higher Nitrogen availability than conventionally composted manure on a weight basis. The supply rate of several nutrients, including P, K, S and Mg, were increased by vermicomposting as compared with conventional composting. It appears that the process of vermicomposting tends to result in higher levels of plant-availability of most nutrients than does the conventional composting process.
Vermicompost greatly exceeds conventional compost with respect to levels of beneficial microbial activity. Vermicompost may be as much as 1000 times more microbial active than conventional compost. These are microbes which are much better at transforming nutrients into forms readily taken up by plants than you find in compost – because we’re talking about thermophilic microbes in compost – so that the microbial spectrum is quite different and also much more beneficial in a vermicompost.
Many researchers have found that vermicompost stimulates further plant growth even when the plants are already receiving optimal nutrition. Whether it is used as soil additive or as component of horticultural soil less media, vermicompost has consistently improved seed germination, enhanced seedling growth and development, and increased plant productivity much more than would be possible from the mere conversion of mineral nutrients into more plant-available forms.
There has been considerable anecdotal evidence in recent years regarding the ability of vermicompost to protect plants against various diseases. The theory behind this claim is that the high levels of beneficial microorganisms in vermicompost protect plants by out-competing pathogens for available resources (starving them, so to speak), while also blocking their access to plant roots by occupying all the available sites.
There seems to be strong evidence that worm castings sometimes repel hard-bodied pests. This is possibly due to the production by the worms of the enzyme chitinase, which breaks down the chitin in the insects’ exoskeleton. Decreases in arthropod (aphid, mealy bug, spider mite) populations, and subsequent reductions in plant damage, in tomato, pepper, and cabbage. It is also found statistically significant suppression of plant-parasitic nematodes in field trials with peppers, tomatoes, strawberries, and grapes. Vermicompost is considered as an alternative to pesticides or alternative, non-toxic methods of pest control.