Q: What are worm castings?
A: A natural soil amendment produced from Eisenia Foetida,
or red worm. Each casting is encased in a calcium shell, and
includes the nutritional components needed to help the soil.
Q: What are worm castings used for?
A:
Worm castings are used to enhance the growth of plants, flowers, trees,
grass,etc..by enriching the soil with necessary nutrients.
Q: How do you harvest the worm castings?
A: The castings are put through a mechanical sifter and mesh wire screening separates the castings from the worms.
Q: Is it safe to work with castings with bare hands?
A: It is far safer than high nitrogen chemical fertilizers.
If you have any cuts on your hands it is always best to use gloves with
working with any soil or natural soil booster.
Q: Are there any plants you don't want to use castings on?
A: Yes, legumes need a more balanced nutrient content than worm
castings which should be used with bone meal or phosphate.
Succulents like cactus also do not do well with a large amount of
castings and should be used in VERY light quantities.
Q: Do you have different products for different plants?
Example: soil booster for vegetable plants only or grass only?
A: Currently we have one variety of castings that is effective on
most plants. We are researching different feed formulas for
different plants and hope to have new products out in 2009.
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Interesting Castings Facts and Research
Worm castings should contain less than 30% organic
matter. Anything greater than that is compost, or un-digested
organics. To test your castings, fill a jar with water (spaghetti
sauce size) and add a handful of castings. Put the lid on and
shake well. Let stand for 10-15 minutes and see how much of your
castings is floating on the surface. There should be very little
floating and your water should remain fairly clear.
Castings will normally contain roughly 3% nitrogen (N), 1% phosphate
(P) and less than 10,000 ppm of potash (K) or 0%. Feeding will
greatly alter the amounts of these major nutrients.
The production of castings is the least harmful waste management
process available today. Worms do not exhale much carbon dioxide
(CO2) and allow almost no methane to be produced. Castings
sequester carbon into the ground and grow healthier plants.
Studies in Germany have shown that an increase in worm population and
consequently castings in the soil has reduced the effects of
flooding. More moisture is held in the soil and deeper in the
soil for longer which moderates runoff from heavy rains.
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Worm Castings 
Mechanical Sifter
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