Pure Worm Castings

Vermicompost, the Underground Movement

Vegan and Non-Vegan Varieties

The earthworm’s digestive process is an incubator for microorganisms and these microbes, which multiply rapidly when they are excreted, alter the ecosystem of the soil. Some make nitrogen more available to plant roots, accounting for the increased growth. The high diversity and numbers of microbes outperform those in the soil that cause disease.

Soil managed with synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides may lack microbial diversity, adding vermicompost the ‘nitrogen-fixing’ and ‘decomposer microbes’ in the worms’ gut and excrete are added to soil to restore and balance the natural biota of the soil.

Vermicompost enhances soil biodiversity by promoting the beneficial microbes which in turn enhances plant growth directly by production of plant growth-regulating hormones and enzymes and indirectly by controlling plant pathogens, nematodes and other pests, thereby enhancing plant health and minimizing the yield loss. Due to its innate biological, biochemical and physiochemical properties, vermicompost can be used to promote sustainable agriculture.

Vermicompost contains nitrates, exchangeable phosphorus, soluble potassium, calcium, and magnesium in plant available forms and have large surface area that provides many microsites for microbial activity and for the strong retention of nutrients.

Unlike a typical “compost tea” that is “brewed” and must be used immediately, vermicompost is a stable product that may be stored and used as required. Vermicompost is better than compost due to its higher nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content, and its ability to improve the soil structure, and to increase its water-holding capacity. Vermicompost is ideal organic manure for better growth and yield of many plants. Vermicompost is rich in NPK, micronutrients and beneficial soil microbes (nitrogen fixing and phosphate solubilizing bacteria and actinomycetes), is a sustainable alternative to chemical fertilizers, which is an excellent growth promoter and protector for crop plants.