How to make worm castings

Like we have already said, earthworm humus is an organic and ecological natural fertilizer. Natural fertilizers do not have added chemical components, and can be used in organic gardens and plantations, providing a large number of benefits without having to resort to artificial compounds, which are also much more expensive.

The earthworm humus is nothing more than the organic matter of the earth that the worms have already digested, which returns to the earth decomposed, giving rise to a new composition that is very beneficial for the plants. However, it should be noted that the humus itself is only produced on forest floors, thanks to the totally natural process that occurs in these, and what we can buy or produce at home is the soil itself. organic matter produced by earthwormswhich is already super beneficial for plants.

The vermicompost has a spongy texture that greatly favors both the aeration of the soil and its ability to retain water, although without causing waterlogging. Also, thanks to the worm droppingshumus is rich in many minerals that plants assimilate, such as nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium.

Another of the main benefits of earthworm humus is its great load of microorganisms beneficial to plantswhich protect them against the attack of harmful fungi and bacteria.

Here we tell you more about the benefits of earthworms.

Although making worm castings is very cheap in the long run, initially it is necessary to get hold of its legitimate producers: the worms. The best thing for this is to buy California red wormswhich are preferable for their great ability to devour organic matter and quickly produce humus, in addition to their high speed of reproduction.

It will also be necessary to prepare a vermicomposter, or composter for worms. There are many ways to prepare your own vermicomposter, but one of the cheapest and easiest is to use polystyrene or porexpan boxes. They are simple boxes to obtain from many shops such as greengrocers or fishmongers. In addition, with this system you will produce both solid and liquid humus. You will need two boxes of similar size and with a lid.

How to make a vermicomposter and earthworm humus

1. When you have the material indicated above, make holes in the lid and bottom of the upper box, to provide ventilation and breathability to the container. It is enough with a common awl, something thicker than a worm.
2. Then, in the lower tray, prepare a drain to be able to take advantage of the liquid component of the humus. In one of its lower ends, make a hole the size of a plastic bottle neck, and then fit the cut neck itself so that it is as tight as possible. You can then seal the edges with glue or silicone to prevent loss.
3. Once this is done, take advantage of the bottom of that same bottle to stick it in the center of this same lower tray. The function of this is to form an “island” for the worms that fall below.
4. Once the compost bin is made, place it in a place with ventilation and prepare a layer of peat in the upper tray, in which you will put the worms together with a few vegetable waste. From here, you just have to throw vegetable waste, if possible cut or slightly crushed, into the vermicomposter, and the worms will make the humus in a few weeks.
5. In this way, the plant residues and the peat remain in the upper tray, and the humus will fall into the lower one, from which you will be able to separate the liquid component thanks to the drain placed at the bottom. If you are wondering about the best way to make liquid worm castings, this is the simplest, making both the solid and the liquid at the same time.

As a final note, it is important to add crushed egg shells to the vermicomposter, to prevent the humus from becoming too acidic. It is important not to let the mixture dry out too much, adding a little water if the humus is too dry.

Apply the worm humus It’s as simple as mixing the solid humus with the substrate before planting. If you want to apply as fertilizer to a plant that has already been planted, you simply have to apply a thin layer directly on this land, or around it and rake if it is large fruit trees.

With respect to liquid humus, applying it is even simpler, since you only have to apply it with a common irrigation, mixed with water. Follow the recommended doses of fertilization according to the type of plant you are reinforcing, and enjoy the many benefits of this very complete organic and ecological fertilizer now that you have already started in the vermiculture. In addition, you can consult more about the Advantages of organic fertilizers here.

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