Photo courtesy of sashafatcat at Flickr.com.
Most organic gardeners know that it’s possible to convert compost into refreshing compost tea, an invigorating liquid fertilizer that also helps break down toxins and control some foliar diseases. But did you know that you can also make a great liquid fertilizer from worm castings? Sure, it’s a kind of poop, but it’s dry, granular, and doesn’t smell bad at all. For that reason, worm cast tea offers an excellent organic alternative for those situations where odor is an issue — especially when you’re growing plants indoors. Unlike some compost teas and other effective liquid fertilizers, such as fish oil sprays, worm tea is almost completely odorless.
Worm casts can be obtained from worm farms or online gardening retailers or, if you’re the proud owner of a worm composter, you can make it yourself. In addition to valuable liquid tea, the worms will convert your kitchen wastes into a rich harvest of casts. These dry, odorless little particles can be used directly in the garden as a fertilizer, but it’s a simple matter to convert them into a liquid tea that you can use to feed your houseplants too.
All you need to do is steep a pint of worm casts and a half-teaspoon of molasses in a gallon of water for 24-48 hours; for best results, stir it often, or use an aquarium aerator to keep the mixture agitated. When it’s done, drain off the liquid through a filter (a coffee filter or cheesecloth should work), dilute it with four parts water, and spray it onto your plants. The worm tea is rich in nitrogen and other nutrients plants need to thrive. As for the remaining solids, you can add them to your garden soil or compost pile to give them a second go-round.
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well i want to use this as fertilizer.
Thank you so much – This information has been most helpful. My plants are going to love you.
I have been working with Bioponics Tea and Organic Fertilizers for the last 5 years and I have yet to find a more effective source of beneficial organisms that works. If you would like to ask me any questions: My next trip is to TX to review the testing being done on the Organic Rice Trials in Houston done by the USDA.
I will be returning Dec 4th.
Below you will find a brief description of what we do..
For the past decade Organics Alive® has explored all its resources to discover a true revolution in hydroponics and soils alike. While for many years scientists and researchers have tried to create high levels of chitin degrading enzymes through genetic engineering, Organics Alive® strongly believes in an organic approach. Through extensive research, OA has developed a proprietary diet that is fed to eisenia foetida earthworms to produce castings which have a dramatic increase in the biological concentration of chitinase and cellulase producing organisms per gram.
These feeds exclude all landscape trimmings which may contain pesticides and fungicides. The feeds also exclude any animal manure which contains an excess amount of salts and pathogens such as e-coli and salmonella. Animal manures are commonly used as a food source to produce compost teas. Organics Alive® is not a compost tea its BIOPONICS TEA. Organics Alive® uses only pure substances which are carefully measured and monitored for a precise vermiculture process.
Keep growing your dreams into reality.
Ari