Commercial vermicompost leads to clean basementBy Joe Lamp'l
Jan. 15, 2007 — For me, it started out innocently enough, I suppose; a simple hobby operation in the basement to pass the time and development of something to feed my plants with organically. I didn't know it would become an obsession run amuck!
I'm talking about vermicomposting. If you're not familiar with the term, don't feel bad. It's not a household word ... yet. Think of it as the manufacture of compost using worms (Red Wigglers usually) as the engine that makes it happen.
Although the formal term for the finished product is 'worm castings,' the folks in the business like to refer to it simply as 'worm poop.' I guess you don't have to think about it long to realize that the second term is a whole lot more down-to-earth than "vermicomposting" or "castings."
No matter what you call it, the end result is rich, dark compost loaded with beneficial microorganisms along with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
If you happen to be into soil science (as I am), it is easy to see why it has become such a popular soil amendment and plant food. Using it as such was once a practice utilized only by organically-minded gardeners. Fortunately, due to the popularity of the green movement and the importance of eco-friendly alternatives, worm poop is becoming progressively more mainstream as a powerful garden ally.
So how did this fascination with worm poop come about? Well, a number of years ago, as I was looking for more earth-friendly ways to fertilize my lawn and garden, I came across several articles that extolled the virtues of using worm castings.
I decided to try this vermicomposting at home. I discovered that when you vermicompost, an excess amount of liquid eventually collects at the bottom of the bin. As an avid user of compost tea, I thought there might be some added value in using this soupy liquid as plant food rather than discarding it.
Because it was so dark and rich, I mixed about one part of it with nine parts water. I shook it up and went right to work pouring it on the foliage and around the roots of my most tired-looking plants.
The next day I was amazed at what I discovered. Not only had the plants perked up, but the pale greenish yellow foliage on many had darkened considerably. I clearly had noticeable and dramatic results literally overnight. I'm not easily impressed but these are the things that catch my attention.
Now I was on to something great; an all-natural, organic and effective way to feed my plants safely and, I made it at home. My biggest concern now was how could I produce enough to satisfy the quantity I needed?
Since increasing my vermicomposting production facility was not an option, I used the worm tea sparingly and only on the plants needing the most help. Thankfully, now I have far more options. In fact, the actual castings are becoming more readily available in garden centers and nurseries by the bag.
But, even more exciting, the worm tea I covet so much is now available, premixed and ready to use! Thanks to one company, TerraCycle (www.terracycle.net), blazing a path into many of the major retailers and garden centers, you and I have access to all the liquid worm food we want or need. More companies are likely to follow, creating even more opportunities for us all to enjoy these benefits in an ecofriendly way.
So thanks to the power of worm poop and one small but growing company, I can appease my wife and retire the basement worm bin and still have all the liquid organic plant food I'll ever need.
(Joe Lamp'l, a master gardener, hosts DIY's Fresh from the Garden as well as a gardening radio show. For more information, visit www.joegardener.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)
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