Worm humus is one of the most used biofertilizers in plant crops, to germinate them from scratch and make them grow as healthy and strong as possible. It is considered one of the best fertilizers that exists, it keeps crops free of pests for the simple reason that it provides them with the necessary nutrients to stay strong. If you want to enjoy its great properties for your home garden, fortunately you can make worm castings at home and here are the details of how to make this fertilizer.
What is worm castings?
Nature’s processes work perfectly, the earth alone contains the organisms necessary to transform waste into reborn life from ashes. Man has learned to use these natural processes in favor of agriculture, to grow nutrient-rich foods.
Worm humus is a high quality ecological fertilizer, it is obtained through this process naturally present in the earth. It is generated from the excrement of worms, which in turn feed on organic matter such as food waste and crop residues. That is, it is the organic matter that the worms have already digested and return it decomposed for the benefit of the plants.
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This organic fertilizer is extremely rich in minerals that plants require for their healthy development, such as nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. But not only that, it also contains a large load of beneficial microorganisms that prevent the appearance of pests and harmful bacteria.
How to make worm castings
Anyone who loves gardening and botany needs to know the art of natural processes for the benefit of their plants. For this reason, it is common to try to produce worm castings at home and although in the long term it is very cheap, in the first instance you have to invest a little.
It will be necessary to prepare the worms’ habitat, known as a vermicompostera or worm composter. This is a type of container with the necessary conditions to produce liquid and solid worm castings. There are different ways to prepare the vermicomposter, one of the simplest is to simply look for an already structured container in specialized stores.
Although you can also create your own compost bin with expanded polystyrene boxes, better known as Styrofoam. If you opt for this last option, two boxes of similar size will be necessary, with their respective lids.
The protagonists of the habitat are missing, you must also buy at least one hundred Californian red worms, which are preferable for their great ability to devour organic remains and produce humus. And here begins the adventure of making humus at home to have a healthy garden in a natural and ecological way, without harmful chemicals.
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How to prepare the vermicomposter
The Styrofoam boxes will be stacked one on top of the other. In the upper box, make holes in both the lid and the bottom of the box to provide aeration and ventilation for the worms. The diameter of a common punch, somewhat thicker than a worm, is sufficient.
In the lower box, prepare a drain through which the liquid worm castings will come out. At one of the lower ends, make a hole the size of the neck of a bottle, insert the previously cut neck so that it looks like a drain. Seal the edges very well to prevent any leaks.
You now have your worm compost bin ready, the next step will be to prepare the necessary habitat for the worms to do their work. In the upper tray you have to prepare a kind of bed with peat and then a layer of coconut fiber, you can find these items in garden stores.
It is time to empty the worms very well spread over the coconut fiber. Remember that the boxes are stacked. The worms will go in the upper one and the one we have prepared for the drain in the lower one.
All that remains is to start feeding the worms with organic waste. Only do it with natural vegetable waste, such as fruit remains, eggs, and food remains that do not contain sauces, preservatives or other types of chemicals. Avoid animal remains in order not to generate bad odors.
Wait for nature to do its work and in the lower box you will gradually obtain liquid and solid humus that you can use as natural fertilizer for your crops.