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#1
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Worm Castings?
First time garden question....Have been reading about worm castings, and
seeking opinions......Some say pretty much the greatest fertilizer ever...Others say home gardeners don't need fertilizer or just use composted cow manure...I would like to get best result I can...my soil appears ok - mostly black dirt, some clay though. Anyone here have experience with this stuff? Which way will I get best results? Thanks |
#2
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Worm Castings?
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#4
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Worm Castings?
On Apr 27, 5:20*pm, wrote:
First time garden question....Have been reading about worm castings, and seeking opinions......Some say pretty much the greatest fertilizer ever...Others say home gardeners don't need fertilizer or just use composted cow manure...I would like to get best result I can...my soil appears ok - mostly black dirt, some clay though. *Anyone here have experience with this stuff? Which way will I get best results? *Thanks I used worm castings this year in several pots with tomatoes. Either I did something wrong, or it's all hype, because 1:4 and 1:5 castings: potting soil mixtures produced no increase in produce. In fact, when I didn't have castings, the tomatoes produced more, but that might be a fluke. Either way, although enhancing microbes is really important to prevent diseases, you could probably achieve better results by mulching with grass clippings (moisten before use, and water before mulching to lock in the moisture). Compost works better than worm castings, and it's cheaper too. I got a 30 lb bag for $20. Compost you can make yourself or buy for much less. For your situation, just amend the soil with compost and clippings, and the microbes will come anyway. |
#5
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Worm Castings?
yoyo wrote:
On Apr 27, 5:20 pm, wrote: First time garden question....Have been reading about worm castings, and seeking opinions......Some say pretty much the greatest fertilizer ever...Others say home gardeners don't need fertilizer or just use composted cow manure...I would like to get best result I can...my soil appears ok - mostly black dirt, some clay though. Anyone here have experience with this stuff? Which way will I get best results? Thanks I used worm castings this year in several pots with tomatoes. Either I did something wrong, or it's all hype, because 1:4 and 1:5 castings: potting soil mixtures produced no increase in produce. In fact, when I didn't have castings, the tomatoes produced more, but that might be a fluke. Either way, although enhancing microbes is really important to prevent diseases, you could probably achieve better results by mulching with grass clippings (moisten before use, and water before mulching to lock in the moisture). Compost works better than worm castings, and it's cheaper too. I got a 30 lb bag for $20. Compost you can make yourself or buy for much less. For your situation, just amend the soil with compost and clippings, and the microbes will come anyway. Would it be true it requires some types of bacteria to break down the nutrients in worm castings or other organic fertilizers? I see some organic fertilizers specifically labeled for use in-ground only. I would think that since most of the potting soil mixes have no or very litter beneficial bacteria, this type of organic fertilizer would not be helpful at all. I did try to call customer service asking them about this in-ground condition but I hung up the phone after being passed through about 4 departments. |
#6
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Worm Castings?
wrote in message ... First time garden question....Have been reading about worm castings, and seeking opinions......Some say pretty much the greatest fertilizer ever...Others say home gardeners don't need fertilizer or just use composted cow manure...I would like to get best result I can...my soil appears ok - mostly black dirt, some clay though. Anyone here have experience with this stuff? Which way will I get best results? Thanks I have heard worm castings are great, but I would recommend just encouraging the earthworms to come and do their thing right in your yard. I've got heavy clay soil, but a heavy layer of dead leaves and a sprinkle of cow poo have done wonders for my soil, as the earthworms come in droves. --S. |
#7
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Worm Castings?
In article ,
KTTT wrote: yoyo wrote: On Apr 27, 5:20 pm, wrote: First time garden question....Have been reading about worm castings, and seeking opinions......Some say pretty much the greatest fertilizer ever...Others say home gardeners don't need fertilizer or just use composted cow manure...I would like to get best result I can...my soil appears ok - mostly black dirt, some clay though. Anyone here have experience with this stuff? Which way will I get best results? Thanks I used worm castings this year in several pots with tomatoes. Either I did something wrong, or it's all hype, because 1:4 and 1:5 castings: potting soil mixtures produced no increase in produce. In fact, when I didn't have castings, the tomatoes produced more, but that might be a fluke. Either way, although enhancing microbes is really important to prevent diseases, you could probably achieve better results by mulching with grass clippings (moisten before use, and water before mulching to lock in the moisture). Compost works better than worm castings, and it's cheaper too. I got a 30 lb bag for $20. Compost you can make yourself or buy for much less. For your situation, just amend the soil with compost and clippings, and the microbes will come anyway. Would it be true it requires some types of bacteria to break down the nutrients in worm castings or other organic fertilizers? No. -- - Billy "For the first time in the history of the world, every human being is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the moment of conception until death." - Rachel Carson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI29wVQN8Go http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1072040.html |
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