Improved Growth with Worm Castings
The fact that plants will show dramatically improved growth with the use of worm castings has been known for over 100 years. Flowers grow bigger with brighter colors, vegetables grow larger and far better tasting, orchards produce far more fruit and nuts with better taste, and vineyards produce far more fruit that makes higher quality wine. All applications where worm castings are used give far improved plant growth.Following is a list of some of the research articles covering improved plant growth that comes with the use of earthworm castings:
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Plant Applications |
Research Article |
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Vegetables & Flowers |
MBC Growth Study The effects of using 0%, 5%, 10%, & 20% earthworm castings were tested against the MBC potting soil. Dramatic Growth Improvement. Eg. Lettuce production increased 480% 14 gram versus 62 grams, eggplant increased 342%. All flowers showed dramatic flower improvement. MBC Growth Study 7/00 |
Vegetables and silage corn |
The Effect of Vermicompost in Physiological Processes & Plant Productivity by Horodini, Bohdan, Bykin, Karpenko, Sheremet,Lykhozhon, & Adamenko. Vermicompost use increases plant productivity and biological value. Fiziologiya i Biokhimiya Kulturnykh Rastenii v 26, n4, 1994: 405-410 |
Flowers, raspberries, & tomatoes |
Comparing Vermicomposts and Composts by Subler, Edwards, & Metzger. Significant growth improvement with 10% - 20% vermicompost mix. BioCycle July 1998: 63-66 |
Grape Vineyards |
Worm-worked wastes boosts grape yields by Buckerfield & Webster. Grape yields increased 35%-55% with 2 tons per acre. Wine quality showed improvement or no change. Wine Industry Journal Vol. 13, No.1 Feb 1998: 73-76 |
Cucumbers |
Earthworm Castings Increase Germination Rate and Seedling Development of Cucumber by Hidalgo, Sindoni, Matta, & Negal. Significant improvement in cucumber growth using a mix of worm castings and potting mix: Mississippi State University Publications |
| Ornamentals, vegetables, & flowers |
Earthworm Castings as Plant Growth Media by Sherman. Significant growth improvement in all cases using earthworm castings. North Carolina State University Research, Biological & Agricultural Engineering June 1997 |
Cereal plants, avenia sativa |
Soil Agro-Ecological Management: Fertirrigation and Vermicompost Treatments by Masciandro, Ceccanti, & Garcia. Significant growth improvement using vermicompost. Boiresource Technology V9 (1997) 199-206 |
Red Clover & Cucumber |
Growth, mineral nutrition and mycorrhizal colonization of red clover and cucumber plants grown in a soil amended with composted (vermi-compost) urban wastes by Sainz, Taboada-Castro, & Vilarino. Significant growth improvement adding 10% to 50% worm castings to soil mix. Plant and Soil 205 (1998): 85-92 |
Tobacco |
Vermiculture in Cuba by Werner & Ramon-Cuevas. 31% yield increase using four tons earthworm castings per hectare versus 45 tons per hectare cow manure. Chlorine level dropped from 1% to .4%. BioCycle June 1996: 57-62 |
Tomato |
Growth of Tomato Plants in horticultural potting media amended with vermicompost by Atiyeh, Subler, Edwards, & Metzger. Significant yield increases when earthworm castings were added to the potting mixtures. Pedobiologia 43 (May 1999) 724-728 |