How do you use earthworm castings?

[stihgnobevoli]

i searched but found no definite answers other than mix it into soil. on the bag it says i should put it in the hole before i transplant into the new soil. so im gonna be putting some seedlings into a mix i made with cow manure mushroom compost a little topsoil a little coco and some perlite. would the earthworm castings help or potentially hurt?

 

[OrganicBuds]

EWC seems to always be a good thing. Either mix in the soil or top dress. You can also make teas and AACT's, and there is nothing better than AACT. (Actively aerated compost tea)

EWC are a slow release N source. It also multiplies your micro heard better than anything else.

 

[Amanita]

Worm castings are excellent for a number of reasons, most especially for introducing beneficial microbes to the rootzone of your plants. I like to germ seeds in a mix of vermiculite and worm castings.

 

[rasputin]

All sorts of ways to use EWC: mixed globally into soil, compost source for teas, mixed direct with water and molasses (this is my 'plain water'), and as a foliar spray (strain before adding to spray bottle).

 

[supermanlives]

add to soil and also a wormcasting slurry. dump some in water, bubble, add other goodies feed plant.stuff is amazing . but when you make your own castings then things get magical. most commercial castings are just marginal. with various foods fed to your own worms gives a better nutrient profile .IMHO

 

[megayields]

Can it be used as a topsoil amendment for outdoor?

 

[supermanlives]

sure why not? when i run drippers i just make a dent in soil add some castings and let the magic happen

 

[stihgnobevoli]

according to this bag yeah you can use it outdoors too. says you should use like 10lb of it per 100sqft.

@rasputin what do you mean by watering +molasses?
like you mix it in to the water and make a slurry like supermanlives said? also how much? i only bought 1lb or 2 cups. from the instructions on the back looks like i prolly should have gotten 20lb of this. says i should add a 1-2 inch layer as a topdress per potted plant. at that rate i will have used this whole bag on like 4 plants. in beer cups mind you. also it lists slow release N and calcium as the main nutrients along with a trace amount of iron. i already have manure and mushroom compost in my mix along with bone meal. do i really need more nitrogen slowly being released? the calcium and iron aren't really a factor compared to what i got from the mushroom compost. will this help in any other way? surely there is more to this EWC everyone is always talking about.

@amanita what kind of beneficials? like mycorrhizae? i asked the lady at the garden store about mycos and she looked at me like i was speaking klingon.

 

[Infinitesimal]

EWC seems to always be a good thing. Either mix in the soil or top dress. You can also make teas and AACT's, and there is nothing better than AACT. (Actively aerated compost tea)

EWC are a slow release N source. It also multiplies your micro heard better than anything else.

yep,
this is the answer any or all of the three, not much more anyone could say on the use of castings really

peace,
Infi

 

[megayields]

KLignon isn't easy to speak either LMAO!

 

[OrganicBuds]

Can it be used as a topsoil amendment for outdoor?

IMO it is a must.

 

[yesum]

I go a cup per gallon of soil or 1 tbsp per 18 oz. party cup of soil. I mix it in at start of grow and also top dress later in grow. Nice thing about it is it will not screw up anything with too much nutrients all at once.

 

[greenmatter]

worm turds rock!

they are "heavy", so i add perlite with them to fluff things up, but you cant go wrong with EWC

 

[guest845704]

Add 1 part of EWC then add 4 parts of plain water, shake every morning and after 7 days u will recive a great, highly concentrated humus. After watering 20days old plant with 50% of that, there were significant signs of nitrogen overdose, which disapeared after 2-3 days and plants go off. Worms are top notch!!

 

[NSPB]

10-12% of the base medium for me...

Some folks use up to 20%...



NSPB

 

[medmaker420]

just getting starting building my own worm bins

let the magic begin

 

[h.h.]

All my potting soil comes from the worm bin. I don't mix it with anything.
EWC doesn't really contain a lot of N. It just helps to to cycle what is there more efficiently. It makes it more available in the form of microturds.
Putting it in a jar for 7 days with water is most likely creating a good environment for protozoa dominance. Lots of N produced, but is likely to backfire on the novice. You also lose the diversity of fresh castings. I can't comment too much further having never done it, I would just urge caution.
It's going in thick around my main gardens. In fact my main gardens are becoming my worm beds. Trees get a bucketful mixed with horse shit and grass clippings. The bin is getting sized down. Trashcans used for storage all have heirloom tomatoes or peppers planted in them.
They can be a drainage problem. If that is addressed, then you just can't have too much.
Lots of fibrous material in the bins along with DE added to the bin solved the drainage issue for me. I've also switched to smartpots which I think helps as well.
If all I had was 1 pound, I would save it for making tea. It's the most bang for the buck.

 

[stihgnobevoli]

thanks guys, you have ALL been very helpful, i especially appreciate everyone listing measurements and times. very helpful indeed. based on what you guys say i will top dress a couple of plants that need just a tiny amount of nitrogen to carry them through flower and the rest i will use to make tea. how much tea can one get out of say 1 cup ewc in 4 cups water? just the 4 cups? or can i keep adding water and leaching it for a while?

 

[guest845704]

You will get less than 4 cups, some evaporate and some became a mud. I think you can assume that if water is going to change colour into deep brown its OK. First sort will be strongest of course. I used it ones here https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=236731 u can have a look how they going

 

[greenmatter]

use EWC tea as soon as you can."leaching it for a while" is not the best thing to do, unless you have a microscope and can see what is going on in there. IME teas never store well