Lisan Ewlin

Worm castings are worm poop. Simple? Not really. In fact, not simple at all. Worm castings are extremely complicated and not completely understood even by scientists. However, the castings research is ongoing and our knowledge base increases each year. One FACT about worm castings; there is no such thing as 100% worm castings. There will always be some amount of unprocessed organic material in a pile of worm casts. It really is unavoidable and hard to measure. So, the next time you see a claim of 100% worm castings, you should run the other way. No kidding! I’ll talk more relating to this later on.

Benefits of Worm Castings for Soil

Adds Organic Matter…Worm castings not only add organic and natural matter to your soils but add “Living” organic and natural matter. This increases the population of microorganisms in the soil.

Increases the Cation Exchange Capacity…The CEC is a measurement of your soils fertility capacity. The bigger your CEC…the more fertile your soil is or could become.

Lowers or Increases Soil pH…Worm castings are near neutral pH. They can make acidic soils more neutral or alkaline soils more acidic.

Improves Soil Aeration…Castings are granular and create aeration space in the soil. Actually, proper aeration is tantamount for healthy soil.

Helps Soil To Absorb and Hold Water…Worm castings hold water just like a sponge. They will increase moisture absorption for your soil and reduce drought problems.

Provides Needed Nutrients in an Available Form…Worm casts provide plants with nutrients by using an “as needed” basis in a readily available form.

Reduces Soil Compaction…Worm castings help form “soil aggregates” which alleviate compaction problems in your soil. This also increases the moisture-holding capacity and aeration of your soil.

Reduces Soil Erosion…Soil that can absorb and retain water is a lot less susceptible to erosion.

Improves the Soil Structure…Casts help form soil aggregates. Worm castings applications along with organic compost materials can improve sandy or clay soils immensely.

Reduces Soil Crusting… Loose friable soil that retains water well is a lot less vulnerable to crusting. Visit this website to get more insight Worm Composter

Why is Healthy Soil Important?

Let me throw out a few conditions and find out if any of these are familiar to you: degraded, farmed-out, erosion, nitrogen run-off, algae blooms in lakes, wind erosion, silt, pesticides, chemical fertilizers, irrigation, water contamination, fish kills, bees dying, low insect populations, mineral depletion, less nutrient-dense foods, drought conditions, lack of topsoil, compaction, and I possibly could carry on forever. Have you heard of these terms? There is not one of those conditions that apply to healthy soil but welcome to modern agricultural practices. Maybe it is time for a change?

To understand the value of Healthy soil, let’s examine what Un-healthy soils bring to the table. Well, to start…the entire list of terms above. Here are some more BIG ones. Food Insecurity, poverty, climate change, and unsustainable development. Unhealthy soil is a significant contributor to climate change. Poor soil releases carbon which becomes carbon dioxide. This exacerbates the challenge. HEALTHY soil actually sequesters carbon and alleviates climate change. Some scientists assume that carbon sequestration in soil could actually stop environment change. You can find overwhelming evidence to aid the necessity for healthy soil. So, let’s speak about the benefits of worm castings and how they can help.