What are worm castings and what are they used for?

I know worms are helpful in aerating the soil, so the roots of plants can dig around better. We are not to use them in EBs; but, what about smart pots? How would you use them?
joy

You got mail ! If what I read is true, Worm castings and Castings Tea, are God's miracle fertilizer. You don't need the WORMS, (unless you want to raise them), just the castings from a worm farm and then you can also make worm castings tea from them. Then both can go into EB's, Smart Pots, or any container you use.

"Casting" is just a fancy word for poop.

In the ground, worms can be good for aeration. But they also sorta eat whatever they come across. In a container, that means they can be eating a lot of roots that the plant sorta needed.

You might look into container worm composting. Basically, you'd have a separate container for the worms, rather than putting them into the container with your plants. Very comparable in size and effort.

realbirdlady: Hmmm, I had thought about putting them in the smart pots to help keep the potting mix aerated, but have decided to wait and let Bob run his experiment first. I'll be using messenger and sea magic this time round and possibly a compost tea. Of course, I will alternate them, and use the regular fertilizer, dolomite lime and epsom salt I always use this season coming up (fall). Thanks for the heads up though, I do appreciate that.
joy

Joy, if you put them in pots they will most likely escape since there is no food in there for them. Also because of the temperature extremes (too hot they don't like it, too cold, same thing). Also, chemical fertilizer will tend to kill them or run them off as well.

As for eating the plants roots, I doubt it. Worms eat decaying matter so unless your plants are dead they wouldn't be decaying. (More precisely, they eat the bacteria on decaying matter.)

I think I see a vermicompost bin in your future! Besides, it's nice to have "pets" around! And their castings really go a long way.

Shoe

shoe: I do see a composter in my near future. Like a tumbling composter. I also see more EBs in my future too. LOL Don't know about a worm farm now. I don't even bait my own hook when I go fishing.
joy

Joy, If you plan on buying a composter, do a lot of research first! I bought a small tumbler and it doesn't hold enough to "cook" the compost. Also, ideally, you should have two bins...one for the ready compost, and one to fill while you are waiting for the first one. I have seen double tumblers, but they are very pricey, and very large.
Carol

Joy this is a very informative forum..Forum: Soil and Composting..

Carol and Tubby Tee: Thanks, I was wondering about which one to buy also; as they all look expensive to me, I don't want my composting to be like the farmer uses, as that can draw rodents and then I'd really be in a fix, I hate mice and rats, and if I had them, the whole neighborhood would know, the minute I saw one with the sound of my screams. Maybe I should stick to buying my compost in bags for now, I only use compost for my flowers at this point; but see so much that I'm tossing out that could make a good compost. LOL
joy

Joy I vermicompost. Gotta be honest here. It is a lot of trouble and mess and frankly I don't see a lot of "miracles" using the end product as an additive or as a tea. I keep doing it basically because it gives me a way to get rid of all the vegetable waste etc. Mostly I do it because it really ticks off my DH. :))

Juanita

Juanita: Yes, garden waste. I usually dump it on the neighbors property or the one across the street since there is not a house on either yet and still woods there, or just shrubs (smiles). Hey, least they will have healthy land when they do decide to build right? LOL
joy

Hi Joy

I have both, a double tumbler composter and a worm factory. Both are easy. The worms are not as messy as the tumbler. Both give me great compost. Neither smell and all my kitchen (veggie) scraps are added to one or the other. I've noticed my plants are greener with the castings and they mix well with coir in my EB's and containers. I'm beginning to use the casting tea on BocaBob's recommendation.

Neither were cheap but I've found it worth it and the amount of free compost outweighs the cost. The tumbler has the advantage of being off the ground. It's easy to turn. The double is the key. A single isn't worth the trouble. They're too big and take too long to fill up.

Seray: Thanks; but after using malathion on my property and all, I am afraid to use the composter now except for maybe my canna lilies, they are steadfast plants I'm discovering. And them, I just treated with systemic in getting them ready to go down for the fall/winter.
joy

Just my 2 cents- whatever happened to the cent key on the keyboard?- I bought an expensive, 2 bin tumbler for 400 dollars. Despite following the directions to a tee, it was the biggest gardening mistake i've made money-wise. Here in Florida, it rains frequently and each rain cooled whatever composting action that was going on. I have a worm bin for my vegetable waste and it works fine, not too much trouble, and it doesn't smell. I dump it twice a year for the vermicompost to put on my plants- typically spring & fall. I also have a compost pile for my neighbors leaves and grass. I rarely put any edibles in the compost pile & if I do, I bury it deep. I don't have any rats/mice but that may have something to do with all the eagles and the several snakes we have in the area.
If anyone wants my tumbler, I'll sell it to you.

Maggie

Maggie I had similar trouble with a square composter I bought. It never heated up at all and I couldn't keep it wet without dragging the hose 700 feet to where it was. Never had any luck with regular composting.

My worms do good, but I really don't notice a lot of benefit from the castings. Maybe I expect too much. :0)

Juanita

I wished now I would have used compost for my canna lilies. I bought 20 bags of Black Kow and used 10 bags around the side and left front of the house in the canna lily bed, I had dug up all the cannas first and then divided them and transplanted them all back into the beds later, before adding the Black Kow I had sprinkled some weed seed killer in the beds, as it works keeping weeds down in the beds, then I waited a day and used a little 13-13-13 fertilizer in the beds for the flowers, then I layed down the Black Kow, they are now looking sickly.
joy

Joy,

Maybe too much fertilizer? Since I don't use much @ all, I can't say. I've done well w/ worm castings, compost, and slow release fertilizer @ half strength or less and only for heavy feeders like my Brugmansia.
When using vermicompost and regular compost, what I'm looking for most is making the plants more drought and pest resistant. I don't try to grow the bigest, fattest plants ever. I think it makes them weak & susceptible to disease. This is only my humble opinion, not necessarily based on research but I try to when I can.

Maggie

Joy you gotta watch that weed killer stuff. Were you using Preen? If you overdo it will kill everything not just the weeds. I don't use any weed killer stuff anywhere except some Round up on the driveway. As a whole we use way too many chemicals. Regular weeding beofre things go to seed and proper mulching practices will solve the need for any chemicals.

Juanita

Juanita: Thanks you might be right there or it could have been too strong a fertilizer, my friend says it could have been one or the other or both, well, I've watered the daylights out of them, that should help flush out anything that would harm them. Of course, brainy me added systemic just the other day to the mix also. It could be they are just getting ready to die back til Spring though too, time will tell. Guess, it's ok to use the other 10 bags of Black Kow on the other beds and just watch it with the fertilizer and weed seed. I ran out of Preen half way through and had to use another brand to finish.
joy