to make worm tea or work worm manure into flower beds:

16 years ago

I've been reading the forum off and on for about three years and growing worms in the basement for almost that long. They are fine. Now I have lots of worm manure, a good thing, but I am confused by the conflicting things I have read about using the manure.

I would appreciate some testimonials from folks who have successfully either 1) made worm tea and applied it to plant beds or 2) worked the worm manure into the soil.

I think I have a little gold mine here, and I don't want to waste it. Also I don't want to make more work for myself than I need to.

I am immediately interested in feeding native red honeysuckle (not the invasive stuff) and Carolina jasmine for their fall growth spurt here in the southern piedmont.

Thanks for sharing.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (11)

sqh1
16 years ago
The easiest thing to do is top dress the plants with the VC, water in, and mulch.
raquibird
16 years ago
Woodsworm: I continue to harvest my beautiful black gold and use it to top dress my vegetables periodically. I've not made worm tea and don't know why that might be better than the straight black - if you know a reason, please let me know.
Related Discussions
Another question regarding making worm tea
Q
Comments (1)
When i bought some castings (directly from the worm farm) i was given an instruction sheet on making tea,i dont know if its right or if there really is a true right way but i will post what i was told. Steep 1 litre of worm castings and 1 teaspoon of molases in 10 litres declorinated water ( you can use an aquarium air pump with airstones or stir often) for 24-48 hrs. Drain off liquid, dilute 1 part tea to 4 parts water (declorinated) and water your plants or apply as a foliar spray. (for best results use within 4-6 hrs.) Solids may be added to your garden / flower beds or as an accelerator for your compost pile.
...See More
Chicken or rabbit manure harmful to worms?
Q
Comments (14)
Hi. I have experience with outdoor worms and manure as feed-stock, I have chickens and a horse. I believe you could put both chicken and rabbit cages above worm beds. Worms are quite tolerant of fresh manure. As long as you don't stir up the bed, your worms should stay below the heat and be fine. I find native wigglers working in chicken manure below my coop. I also mix chicken and horse manure fresh and top feed my beds. My squirm is quite happy! Rabbit poop is said to be worm candy A few suggestions. Do NOT put a solid bottom on the bed. Use wire mesh hardware-cloth for a bottom to protect from burrowing critters, such as gophers, moles, and voles. Don't worry about worms leaving. They will only leave if the bin conditions are bad, but will return when things improve. You may need something to keep out birds and such. start small with a simple worm bin and work your way up. The knowledge you gain from raising a pound of worms and expanding the herd is invaluable. You also will save money. Chickens and worms are a great pairing. My chickens free-range and make sure that no worms leave their resorts.... free chicken food! They are also skilled at de-clumping my castings. They line up and follow me and my tusty wheelbarrow as I bring horse-poop to add to my beds. It is quite the scene Good luck and let us know how it goes. Pete.
...See More
compost tea from outdoor utility sink worm bins
Q
Comments (9)
Hi Larry the mulch is labeled "Native Texas shredded hardwood mulch", and is locally produced by Austin Wood Recycling. I believe it is mostly ashe juniper that has been run through a chipper/shredder twice to get that consistency. It's ubiquitous here; we can buy it in bulk or bags from local gardening centers. It's soft to the touch, with pieces up to 2" long, but thin and flexible, similar in consistency to some cypress mulches I have seen. Perhaps that's more available in your area? and hello again, steamyb, you got right on that! Yeah, they are heavy; be good to your back moving it around. Sorry to hear the sinks have gotten pricey. They are pretty sturdy, though, and have held up well for years now. Don't know if you have a Habitat for Humanity Re-Store in your area, but if so, they might be a good resource for a used one. When I was a kid going to the lakes in east Texas, it seems like a lot of gas stations sold worms for fishing bait, and had long, galvanized troughs to raise them in. I would love to get my hands on one of those one day! Or one of those old Coca Cola drink coolers to sell cokes on ice; anything built to last with a drain in it. Guess you could even use an old bathtub if you had a way to get it up high enough and make it look presentable. Just a little harder to build a nice screen with the rounded corners. (I'll bet my aesthetics-conscious husband just felt a ripple in the force and cringed without even knowing why!) Would love to hear how these work out for both of you. cheers, Cathy
...See More
About Worm Tea
Q
Comments (8)
Hallelujah. Hi. What have you seen on the other side and how did you prepare the worms for caregiver vacation? I feel our worms should be able to go with out a caregiver for 1 month? 3 months? 6 months? I think I recall a guys worms still being alive in his worm bins in the cellar three years after he passed with no care from his widow. That is the set up I want my worms in in case nobody notices I'm gone for a while due to having my bills all automatically paid. "It's worm poop." I prefer to think of worm poop as a work of art and our little Andy's, Claude's, and Pablo's, cruise on out thinking "My work here is done." They are in search of new paint and canvas or kitchen scraps and shredded white paper. It hurt to type that because I just do not find white paper palatable. "this little art we practice" I just realized I just fell under the spell of the subliminal message. "Parallels exist all around us in human-kind: druggies, MHMR'ers, anti-society rebels, people living in cabins in the woods, or Idaho." Profound. I wanted to live in Idaho until I found that the only little spot of it with farming earth and rain was below the dam, next to the prison on the incorrect side of the tracks and a few more things like that. I'm with the herd now. Right at the center. No getting dehydrated on the fringes for me. Let's hope no fellow worms purchase a traditional necklace for me to vacuum in. Do vermi-misfits live on the Island of Misfit Toys? If so I hope at Christmas time Santa collects them and gives the to deserving vermicomposters without worms and puts a bin in their stocking. I'll admit I am dull but now I understand why I do not have a lot of room to dance around in the shower. Perhaps those wayward worms are like a comet pulled from orbit, as it passes a sun? Maybe life on earth began with a wayward... Maybe we are all "that worm" in the wrong bin. Bonus: Gregory's next book is going to be about Alice. How do I know? He told me just a few hours ago. chuckiebtoo I thank you for your patience. I may have flunked those other ones. If Walt can wax lyrical about about dots in the sky certainly we can take a bit of time to think a bit about worms. and he's been thinking, which really worries me!
...See More
denno
16 years ago
As one who has spent much time this season making compost tea for my veggie garden and trees and bushes, I will take a stab at this question as to why you would make worm tea. I will hope to make my own worm tea whenever my own batch of redworms makes enough castings for me to use like I did the compost. I will put the castings in a paint bag, and put in my air bubblers, in seven gallons of water, (w/molasses to feed bacteria) and after a couple days, I have multiplied the bacteria a hundredfold. This can be used as a foliant spray on my veggies, and the castings from the paint bag can still be worked into the soil around the plants. I believe the results should be as good as when I used compost tea.
wfike
16 years ago
"I believe the results should be as good as when I used compost tea."
-------------
Actually I think that the results should be better not as good. The worms put the magic in the tea.
tclynx
16 years ago
The main reason for making the tea is for situations where you need a spray, otherwise top dressing will be quicker and easier.
Aubergine Texiana
16 years ago
what's a paint bag?
tclynx
16 years ago
ana53,
I'm not certain what a paint bag is but I've seen 5 gallon fabric mesh paint strainers. The mesh isn't terribly fine though so some debris would get through.
denno
16 years ago
A paint bag was designed to filter globs of paint from the rest, so bumps don't appear where you paint. I started using mesh bags like for onions, but too much of the compost was floating in the tea, which plugs up the water can. So the bag filters it nicely, and doesn't interfere with the bacteria growth. The reason people use 'teas' might be because it's another way to nourish plants effectively. We all composted to build up our soil, but to really get great results sometimes takes years, depending on how good your soil was. So now we have worm castings, and nobody can argue about their increased value over compost as a fertilizer. Through electron microscopes we now really know how plants feed, and it's through the interchange they have with bacteria. And they not only feed through the root system, but also their foliant. My view anyway.
cat07
15 years ago
We use both in our garden. When planting, we add castings to the soil, but after that, it's worm tea for several reasons: 1) increases the bacteria and fungi count far more than what you'll get in castings alone, 2) plants feed through their leaves as well as their roots, 3) worm tea also acts as a natural pesticide. FYI, smaller droplets are better (absorbed faster), so use a sprayer if you have one.
Karchita
15 years ago
A third option is what I do.

I mix my castings with water and apply it right away. I don't feel I need to aerate and increase the bacteria and fungi in the castings because they are already so rich and my soil is pretty good, but I think it is less work to mix and pour than to topdress and water.
ymcurry_yahoo_com
12 years ago
If you soak the worm compost in water. . don't the worms drown? How do you separate the worms from the compost?
Tks,
Yve

to make worm tea or work worm manure into flower beds:

Comments (11)

sqh1

raquibird

Related Discussions

denno

wfike

tclynx

Aubergine Texiana

tclynx

denno

cat07

Karchita

ymcurry_yahoo_com

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US