Earth Worm Castings
 

I was wondering if earth worm castings are safe to use on cuttings that dont have roots?

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

Sure they are. You can't overfertilize with worm castings and they are ideal nutrient-wise.

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

Thanks so much Jack. I think I'm going to buy some to put around my cuttings to see if that helps them root

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

Yes, Worm castings do not burn plants.

But, too much castings will make you soil muddy and wet.

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

Ok So ill just put a little around the plants? I'm trying to get them to root faster, and I've used earth worm castings before with good results

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

I haven't heard about castings having some significant rooting capabilities, but once the plants start rooting, they will get all the nutrients in just right amounts to survive. :)
And Worm_Farmer is correct, careful about watering, because worm castings hold water much better than anything else comparable to them.

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

Thanks Jack. I got some today and put it around other plants too. I think some of the cuttings have little roots on them.

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

I like to mix my castings into my potting soil mixes and add lots of perlite. My larger potted plants I will put around the top of the pot and water in. In ground plants I spread it around the root base water in, add mulch and more water. Make sure to put the castings under a layer of mulch for all in ground plants.

I personall put a shove or two of castings around each banana plant then add a large laywer of mulch. I do this 2 - 3 times a year.

Edit: Just wondering, how much did you pay for your castings? And how much did you get?

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

I mixed a little bit of the castings in the top few cm of the soil for my potted plants. i just threw the rest of it around my in ground plants. I hope thats good?
I got a 5 lb bag for $10 Its kind of expensive for me but I heard so many good things about it.

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

That will work, just try to cover it with mulch, maure, leafs, anything oraganic. There is a reason for this, if I remember right now the sun will dry it out kill the microorganisms in the castings. Also the microorganisms will grow and spread once applied. Because I only screen my castings once I do went up with a good amount of baby worms in my yard, which cants do anything but good. :)

Thats right on par at $2 a lb, I sell mine for the same price around town and usually throw some free castings when people buy plants or pups from me.

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

Ok so the pots with the cuttings in it i need to mulch those to keep the microorganisms alive? Wow thats nice that you give free castings with your plants. I only had a couple of bananas survive, only the ornamental ones unfortunately

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

Mulch will never hurt. On my potted plants I dont use mulch because the leafs usually provide all the shade it needs(IMO).

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

Oh ok. I have the dragon fruit in mostly shade right now. They get a little morning sun

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

I have my own worms. ;)

:08:

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

Hi Cameron

What this? Talking dragon fruit on a banana thread, don't get me wrong i love my bananas and i have quite a lot growing and now some in flower.

I an currently trying to establish a dragon fruit plantation and wondering if many other members share our interest.

A task i have taken on at the present time, is testing the results of a product called Bd Max a Herbal Activator,witch is designed to prevent the damage caused by cold frosting on plants. So i am testing it on my dragon fruit, as it can get pretty cold where i live in Australia.

What colour flesh do your dragon fruit have?So far i only have white red and yellow.

Thanks Cameron

Cheers Cecil

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

Hi Willow 78
What's this talking about bloomin dragon fruit on a banana show.

That is how i got involved to start with,not that i don't like bananas i love them and i have quite a few growing and now flowering.

Wondering if there are many other folks with any interest in dragon fruit like us pair. Must mention i live in Australia and i am trying to grow quite a few dragon fruit, hoping to make a few bob out of them one day.

Where i live it gets pretty cold in winter, so i am currently experimenting with a product called Bd Max or Thermo Max witch is designed to protect plants from frosting so we will have to see

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

http://www.bananas.org/f13/dragon-fr...html#post40362

http://www.bananas.org/f8/dragon-fru...html#post86334

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

Honey, there's no place in Australia that can actually be classified as pretty cold in winter. :ha:

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

Hi Cecil. I just started growing dragon fruit(cuttings) I have American Beauty and Natural Mystic. I think they are the pink flesh variety. I'm looking for the yellow variety now.

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

I start seeds in pure castings. they seem to drain very well, but I've never attempted to start cuttings with them. With Pitaya cuttings, however, I started mine in damp compost so castings should be fine.

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

I think a couple of my dragon fruit have roots on them. I brought them inside since this week its going to be cool here

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

I got a few dragon fruit cuttings from someone here on the board when I went to pick up bananas from him :-) This made me want more so now I have purchased 3 different varieties two cuttings each off of ebay and will put them in some soil to root soon!

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

Thats great Kat, the 2 varieties I have are American Beauty and Natural Mystic. Dragon fruit is a very interesting plant and I like how fast it grows. I was admiring your yard pictures also. You have a very beautiful and lush yard. I wish I could plant my dragon fruit in the ground but it freezes here in winter so I have them all in containers. I have to build some trellises once they start getting bigger

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

The ones I got were just labeled pink, red, and white LOL so who knows what kinds they are. I actually am in the same zone that you are! I haven't grown dragonfruit before so I'm not sure how they will fare here. I was thinking I'll root them put them in the ground and before the first freeze take some cuttings to bring indoors. So, since the post is titled earth worm castings, do you worm farm? I just got some more today and now have approx 8,000 in my worm bed (mini worm farm) but I haven't been able to harvest castings yet as I've just had them a few weeks and my bed is pretty big (3ftx3ft) which is why I got more today. I did buy 3lbs of earthworm castings, but the lady told me there were probably casings in there so i put the castings in a box and then pushed them to half of box and put bedding and food in other half and now I have baby worms over there. I want to use my castings that I bought but I'm not sure how I want to! I am thinking I might make worm casting tea since I don't have that many right now and foiliar feed everything.

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

Hi it's Cecil from Australia!
Love you Lot you are real down to earth type of people,and you all seem to appreciate life in the garden.
Over here i don't get as much cold as your-selves however i can get a frost sometimes and that can happen any time now as we are coming into winter.
I am testing a new product that is supposed to stop frost,on my dragon fruit and bananas,i will keep you posted on the results.
So far i have five hundred dragon fruit planted White Red Yellow Pink only a few Purple.

Look just keep growing you lot.

Cheers Cecil.

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

What product are you trying? That's ALOT of dragonfruit! How much area are you growing it on.

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

Hi Kat and Cecil. I'm new to dragon fruit too. I have been reading alot on dragon fruit, and I do know that they definitely wont take the frost or freezes here. When mine get bigger I may try growing a few cuttings in the ground just to see the results. The American Beauty has magenta flesh and the Natural Mystic has red flesh, both are also self fertile. I wish I did have a worm fram, I just buy my castings from a feed store. My mom has a phobia or worms so even if I did have room for one, I couldnt have it lol. I think its so cool that you have a mini worm farm. I never thought about making a tea from earth worm castings, thats a really good idea. Cecil I'm definitely curious about the product you are using.

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

Worm Castings have two categories of use in horticulture:

1. Soil Conditioner. (a) to inoculate a soil mix destined for pots or planter beds. You really don't need more than a cup per cubic foot. (b) Applied 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick on the soil surface of a planter bed or orchard, under a 3 to 5 inch thick layer of mulch (1/2 to 1 inch diameter variety). If the surface of the ground freezes during your winter, then apply once per year in the spring - or at least every other year. If the ground does not freeze during your winter, then every 5 to 7 years is sufficient provided you maintain a thick layer of mulch.
2. Fertilizer. Well, its better than no fertilizer at all, but it is not a very economical choice in terms of volume, labor, or cost. Mainly worm casting are an unbalanced source of micronutrients -- which cause the "greenup" you see after application. (a) When worm castings are moist (not soggy or dry) then the levels of major nutrients is about 1/4 to 1/2 % each. You'll need about 25 pounds of worm castings per plant per year to deliver a significant impact of major nutrients on the fruiting banana plant, and about 300 lbs / plant / year to reach the plants' capacity. (b) Worm tea contains less micronutrients and less total nutrients than the castings. If you are going to make it then it should be over night and it should never be in a warm container more than 30 minutes because the nitrogen will leave. After 18 hours the beneficial micro-organisms in the tea will be dead. Foliar application (spraying on leaves) is not recommended for many parts of the world because the solution provides an environment for mildew and other fungi to grow.

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

Very informative I appreciate it. I really thought there was more value to it than what you say. There is such a hype for it. I guess it is a great seed starter at least and as you say better than nothing and good soil conditioner LOL. As far as the worm tea, does the aeration and adding molasses make this more valuable and nutrient rich?

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

It is part of the "Gardening by here-say" movement.

The two things I've noticed about worm tea:
1. It is easier to apply than worm castings.
2. The person making it obtains a sense of accomplishment.

Worm tea is used by industry in very controlled conditions involving aeration to grow certain beneficial strains of bacteria. Despite the claims of sellers of aeration pumps, most people are not going to accomplish this in their backyard.

Some plants respond well to wood sugars (e.g., molasses) as part of an overall nutrition plan. Wood sugars are also used to chelate nutrients in liquid fertilizers and supplements. Typically though we use ligno-sulfate instead of grocery store molasses because:
1. The grocery store variety is missing essential oils (higher sugar content).
2. The grocery store variety costs much more per pound.

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

Thanks so much for the info Richard. I always thought that Earthworm castings were one of the best fertilizers because i seemed to hear so many good things about it.

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

I don't think I would listen to what that poster said. Worm castings are the best organic fertilizer on the planet. They are full of tons of nutrients and growth stimulators. They actually increase the nutrients of everything that they eat. It's ridiculous to say that worm castings aren't full of nutrients like Richard said. Worm castings are as balanced a fertilizer as there is.


Source... Owner of Hamilton Organics, LLC ... A worm farm. Also an avid gardener.

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

Worm castings are the best organic fertilizer on the planet. They are full of macro and micro nutrients that are readily available to the plants. They also help retain moisture and have many microorganisms that help break down the organic matter already in the soil for the plants to absorb. Don't listen to anyone that tells you otherwise about Worm Castings. You can't go wrong with them. I'm no expert on banana plants, but there's no doubt that worm castings are completely balanced for a fertilizer.

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

The molasses is used to feed the microorganisms, not the plants. Much like making Bokashi.

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

Welcome Aboard Hamilton, I'm glad you decided to join the Org.





Info:Fertilizer - Bananas Wiki

Worm Castings (Vermicompost): 0.5-0.5-0.5. Worm castings are an excellent addition to any soil mix because they put low dosages of phosphate in the root zone. The worm flem present in the castings is also a food source for mycchorizae and other organisms beneficial to plants. However, agricultural studies (with control groups) in San Diego county have shown that worm castings applied to the soil surface are no better and far more expensive than composted mulch. Further, surface application of worm castings provides an environment for the growth of noxious weeds. Up to two hundred pounds of dried worm castings per year are needed to meet the full requirements of a single banana plant.

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

Links would be nice. What you are saying makes absolutely no sense. There's much more nutrients in worm castings than in mulch. I've used both and plants definitely enjoy worm castings on the surface more than mulch. Obviously digging it into the root zone will help more. People who talk down on castings have no idea what they're talking about IMO. First hand experience and LOTS of research has proven the benefits of worm castings. I have access to a lot of them with over 100,000 red wigglers and 50,000 European Nightcrawlers. I also have 12 rose bushes that thrive with castings in AZ clay soil. My soil is being amended nicely from the microbes in the castings that work their way into the ground and transform all the nutrients into readily available plant food. Plus the castings have a "mucus" that acts like a slow release fertilizer. Everything the worms eat gets magnified through their digestion process and is readily available to plants. I feed my worms Fruits/veggies, composted horse manure, newspaper, cardboard, micronized Azomite rock dust, crushed egg shells, straw, etc... I challenge anyone to show me a better organic fertilizer than what I have and will even supply a sample of my castings to be tested for a small fee.

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

By the way...if you allow worm castings to dry out, you lose all of the microbes. They need moisture to survive. And saying "up to 200 LBs" is ridiculous. That could be 1 LB or 50 LBs or 200 LBs. weeds grow because its a great medium for them to grow in with all the great properties of the castings. That's why you use a weed barrier. Weeds will grow in any soil, but especially nutrient rich soils.

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

It seems as though you have an agenda, which is fine.

I like the idea of magnification through subtraction.

Some of us here grow bananas and banana crops remove nutrients from the

soil at a N-P-K rate of 4.4-1-16.2

Banana Fruit contents Dry Wt. N-P-K 28-4-57, Ca-Mg-S 1-5-5

Banana Leaf contents Dry Wt. N-P-K 37-3-44, Ca-Mg-S 9-4-3

FYI - No one is saying worm castings are bad.

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I made some worm castings when I was getting my bachelor's. Did some research with it as well. It didn't work any better than black kow did in Gainesville.

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

Interesting thread... I'm starting to do worm composting mostly b/c I want to get back into composting and it's the best option for me for a few different reasons. One is that I will hopefully be able to keep the racoons out of it by keeping in contained in buckets. I like the idea of worm composting in that there can be two products: the finished compost and the compost tea concentrate. I have always done regular bin composting (w/o worms), this will be interesting to try and compare. I have done a lot of research on it to get started and I have heard only great things about the compost and the tea. I have seen worm castings available at garden shops, but never tried it mainly b/c it's so expensive compared to composted manure. Plus, the dried out castings seem to be an odd soil amendment. Looking forward to getting my worm bins up an running.

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

My agenda is giving people proper info. Saying castings aren't balanced as a fertilizer is just absurd.

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

I say add some wigglers to the pot or dirt and mulch heavy.. so there is more to go around.. I think just adding castings is short lived.. I say go long term. :^)

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

Worm castings are a balanced fertilizer in the sense that they have equal levels of macronutrients, however bananas require more potash than anything. If you apply worm castings to meet the potassium demand you will be over-applying phosphorus and nitrogen. Granted, if you put 200 lbs of worm castings on a mat of bananas I am sure you will have some fantastic looking plants, but in my experience with other plants, you would have the same results with 200 lbs of composted steer manure.

Re: Earth Worm Castings
 

I was reading this thread tonight, and thinking about the concepts I've been employing for a couple of years now. It makes sense to me that, creating an environment where soil biological life thrives, (bacteria, fungi, earthworms, etc..), is natural and healthy. And plants grown in that environment will also thrive and be healthy. This concept has driven what I am trying to achieve in my yard.

Unfortunately, it seems that most people, are looking for a quick fix approach to obtaining great results in their gardens, (I did for years), thinking that 1 or 2 ingredients were what was needed, and then everything would come together. When talking with friends about growing stuff, they just want to know what to add to their plants, to get great results.

I never found the miracle ingredient, but I believe that I stumbled onto a path, that when followed, will produce amazing results.

That all being said, I think earthworm castings are great! Even greater and free, when being produced naturally in the environment that the plants are already growing in, along with all the other bio-life thriving. Earthworms are one of the signs of a healthy, productive soil.

I know this is a little off the topic of this thread, but not really.
Now onto the path: I would urge anyone, who has not already investigated,
the growing method of " High Brix Gardening " to do a little studying on the subject. I stumbled onto this info one day while doing some research, and I am still studying all the info I can find on this subject. The high brix group on yahoo groups is a great resource. Also google search info on Carey Reems, and Reems Biological Theory of Ionization. Here's a link with alot of info: International Ag Labs - A Biological Approach To Agriculture
The menus on the left and newsletters are very informative.

Click on this link: Affordable gardening products for gardeners and growers.
and scroll down to the pictures of the tomatoes, this is what originally caught my attention. I don't know about you, but I've never seen a tomato that wasn't rotten and mush after about a month, much less 14 months.

I have been growing tomatoes, in pots on my patio, using these methods, and have achieved the best results of my entire life. Next time I'm in town I'll try to post a few pictures of them.

I believe that Richard is right about spraying compost tea on the leaves.
Last year my tomatoes suffered some disease, so I discontinued spraying the leaves, and just add it to the soil now. So far no disease, no insect damage, no problems. And there are a lot of earthworms to be found!

More links for those interested.
The Earth Project. org
Sustainable Farming News & Biological Agriculture Information. » Blog Archive » Mycorrhizal Magic – New Biological Breakthrough

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