Worm Juice - The Secret to Growing the World's Hottest Plants.
My garden looks great.In spite of the hot humid south, everything is thriving.
I have come to expect that, but experience has taught me to roll with the punches.It is not always in my control.I feel like some strategic steps I'm taking are packing a powerful force in my favor.
I have been feeding my plants a liquid diet of worms.That is the fancy word for the liquid that flows through a bin full of worms as they happily eat food scraps, paper, cardboard, coffee grounds, etc.
The lower compartment houses the trays to catch every drop of worm juice.Many plants are fed by one pan added to a bucket of water.
I placed the liquid worm juice in pans in the bottom of my bin.It was designed to capture every drop of liquid gold.This is a magic formula that works wonders for my plants and soil.
I discovered its healing powers when I started my first worm bin.There was a spigot in the bottom compartment.That was the first clue that I should look into it.
The liquid looked too good to waste.I put 10 parts water in it and it still looked potent.This had to be great if compost tea was good.
I tried it on some azaleas that were ailing.The sickly plants showed signs of improvement the next day, much to my surprise.
There is no turning back now that I am back to raising worms for vermicompost.I give my plants a 10-1 or 20-1 dilution of the leachate every two weeks.That is it.I focus on building healthy soil by adding compost twice a year, but since spring this is the only other thing I do.
I was very happy with the results.I am staying ahead of the disease curve even with hot, humid days and extended periods of rain.
I spend a lot of time inspecting my plants and removing any signs of problems.It's equally important that my plants are getting what they need from great soil and worm juice to stay healthy and stave off potential disease disasters.
This is only a small part of the analysis.Billions of micro-organisms are vital to what makes this work so well.
The liquid gold was analyzed by the University of Georgia.I wanted to know what made it work so well.The results showed a healthy dose of minerals, but I believe the real secret is the natural design of the perfect liquid organicfertilizer, which has everything you need.
I received Jeff Gillman's take on using liquid worms in the garden.His conclusion is more academic than mine, but still favorable.It is nice to have a neutral take.
The proof is in the results, and that I can say without hesitation, is nothing short of amazing.
Growing A Greener World was hosted and produced by Joe Lamp'l.Joe devotes his time to promoting sustainable living through his popular books, blog, and nationally syndicated newspaper columns.Follow Joe on social media.
I live in southern Australia and have just been given worm juice for my tomatoes.Our summers can get very hot and I'm wondering if I should wet the leaves or fertilize them.I gave my seedlings a drink yesterday and they are doing well.The leaves will burn in the heat.Thanks a lot.
Hi, Dawn.To be safe, apply the worm effluent directly to the soil.It's not necessary to wet the foliage.If you are concerned about the sun, do that in the evening.
There is so much conflicting information about this post that it needs to be broadcasted to the gardening world.
While the intertubes were telling me it was bad, I was getting great results, and I really appreciate you providing objective data and scientific authority behind what we are seeing in our garden.
It is good to have all the facts, the information was useful for you.Have fun in the garden.
I can attest to the use of worm tea and worm compost tea that increases our garden yield.It seems very questionable that this method should work or have biological explanation for this process and or the benefit of thinking this could benefit anyone's garden.Let's look at the process to see if we can understand it.The worms have terraform into the soils structure.You can brew this into a container with black molasses and use it for 24 to 48 hours tofertilize your garden.My wife and I have had many successful gardens over the years, but this year it has been frustrating and rewarding to discover any knowledge that will encourage us to continue growing our garden and sharing the harvest with others.
I'm there!I happened across your site and I am so happy I did!I am excited to try composting with worms because I have never done it before.The compost bin is probably half way through.Is it too late to buy them?Should the bin only get veggies, fruits, grass, and paper?Is there a link to what is safe to add to your compost?Thanks!!
You are excited about composting, Kris.There is a link to Joe's show about composting.You can listen or read the notes.Best of luck.It's a quick and dirty way to post a picture.
We have a worm farm that we use a liquid 10% with water and are really pleased with the results.It is poured around the plants.I look forward to your Newsletters, as I enjoy your comments on the questions raised.
Brian, thanks for your feedback.If you like the newsletters, you may want to listen to the show.Happy New Year!
There is an indoor worm bin that doesn't go outside.I filled the bucket the rest of the way with water after collecting my worm tea in a bucket.I looked at the bucket and there were small bugs that looked like mosquitoes.The bugs were clustered together on the top of the liquid.I don't know what I had at the bottom of the bin.
Not sure, but not surprised.There are a lot of flying bugs around.I assumed it was part of the process since it is so common to me.It has never been an issue for me.
Hi Joe, I have a question about my worm juice, it is running high inPH about 7 to 7.2, do you put it in your water before adding it?Kelly, I hope to speak to you soon.
Hey, Kelly.It is perfectly neutral.I wouldn't sweat this for a second.You are as close as possible.I assume that mine is close to neutral.This is just a small part of the total.It is not an issue relative to the total.
We have a worm factory in our pantry and I noticed you have it outside.Isn't it too cold to survive in the winter?Did you have any issues with them freezing or are they doing okay?It gets very cold in January in Missouri.Thank you.
Hi, do you know who I am?Worms don't survive freezing temperatures, but their eggs do.I wrote a post about it.
Hi, Lugene.Thank you for being a fan.I haven't tried the Bokaski method yet, but you are not the only one.I plan on doing this very soon and need to give this a try.Thanks for the reminder!
Is it true that spraying worm juice on leaves of plants will keep insects away from the fruit?At a workshop I heard that insects don't like the smell of worm juice and do not approach the leaves sprayed with it.The attack on my plants has been treated with worm juice.Please tell me something.
I have never heard of any studies that support these findings.I don't think worm effluent is a deterrent.There is a reason you are having issues.It would be one more reason to use it.
I was looking at your website on your compost box.I live in an old age home and only have a small space to make a compost box, could you send me an e-mail on how to do it?How to make it explode is maby an exploded view.Norman.
The plans for the worm bin are here.Good luck!How to make a customworm-bin
I'm Hi.There is a wormery in my garden.I've added earthworms to the garden for years.Is this okay?They still produce an amazing dark coffee like liquid which I use on my plants.I have thousands of worms which can be found at the veg, tea bags, coffee grounds in no time at all.I give bottles of the stuff to my friends and neighbours.
The compost is used around the beds when the bin is full.It is difficult to pick out the worms.I would recommend this to anyone.Nature is at its best.
I found your site and show.Everything looks interesting.How do you get that much liquid from your worm tea?The people I have asked say they get very little liquid.
It is important that the worms have a moist bed.I mist the bedding with water.The excess to use for the garden is generated by the combination of the food scraps and the decomposition.
I appreciate the show and my plea is if you could partner with a TV station in Africa to roll out vermiculture to solve some social problems.From Africa.
Hi Billy.I would love that.We work to spread our reach around the world.We hope to be in Africa sooner than later.Thanks for the note!
I'm doing the same thing, but without the worm.I want to know how to store it and how long it will last.
I don't know how long the work effluent lasts.It can become unsuitable for use in a sealed container after a period of time.Some University lab testing might be able to help with this question.It is a very good one.Since I use my solution as soon as I have enough to apply to my plants, I haven't had time to look at this detail.Let me know if you find out.Thanks.
I'm planning on building a warm bin and I was wondering if you'd like to use the warm juice on fruit trees.I planted them last fall and wondered if this juice would affect my fruit tree growth.
I would use it to add organic food to the roots.It would benefit your fruit trees.Jon, go for it.
I made a worm bin out of a plastic container.I had a problem with fruit flies and gnats outside.When I brought them to the house in the fall, I tried to get rid of them.I don't know how to control that problem when I start it again.I want to get rid of fungus gnats in my plants.
Hi, I'm Christy.The gnats in the worm bin are quite annoying.I don't have a solution for you.Someone else can chime in with some good suggestions if this is posted here.I don't have to deal with this problem since my bins live outside all year.
You can buy a worm inn.There is a website at http://www.TheWormInn.com.No bugs can get in and it has great aeration.
It's a good idea to keep a bug-impermeable layer on top such as wet newspaper, cardboard or carpet.A solid sheet will prevent flying insects from entering the worm farm.
My wife and I like the show.As I prepare to start my own garden, this website has helped me immensely.I had a question.What do you think about storing rain water?Is it possible to mix this worm juice with the rain water?Would it be better if it was mixed with regular water?
My wife and I love the show and can't wait to buy our home and use the knowledge we have learned from your show on our own farm.Do you use regular water or do you catch rain water and mix it with the worm juice?Is rain water more beneficial than water from the house?
Hi, I'm a friend of yours.I think the rain would be the best.It is great that I have well water.In this case, tap water would be ok as I want to make sure the nutrients get to the soil.The water is a way to deliver the concentrate in a liquid form.Thanks for the kind words, too.
Coffee grounds are a great soil amendment, like shredded leaves, composted manure, etc.I add all the coffee grounds to my compost pile.The grounds become part of the whole.My plants respond well to this cocktail.
I would like to know if there is a website where you can see the construction of the worm bin.
In a few weeks, we will be posting that on our site.I will let you know when we do or check back periodically.I will go back through this thread and let you know when I do.
I have a simple worm bin that I use to collect juice.I bought some bins.The heavier ones.I drilled some holes in one of them.I have a compost bin.The juice is held by the 2nd.You don't need anything to create separation between the two bins.Lift out the top bin when you're ready to harvest.There is a heavy layer of leaves and grass on top of the compost.They can't dig through the top layer to get to the compost to feed.I try to keep as much as I can on top of my compost.It is not 100% effective, but it does help.
There is an article on the differences between worm tea and leachate tea.
Thank you, Michael.There are some important issues raised by that link.I thought about this when I wrote and posted this article.I consulted with my guru, Dr. Jeff Gillman, who has done studies on worm issues.It's always better to be safe than sorry.If you don't apply the leachate directly to anything you eat, there's no concern at all.I can't discount the possibility of a human pathogen prospering in these circumstances.It's a good practice to avoid direct contact with food.We don't believe pouring around the plant is a risk.I would like to make this information available to our readers.
I am starting a compost bin and I want to know what kind of worms are good for it.Should I buy a bag of compost?Thank you.
Hi, Sharon.The classic worm for vermicomposting is red wigglers.They are available online and in some nurseries.They are sold at Walmart for fishing bait.Buying a bag of compost is a good way to start your bin.It gives the worms a nice place to set up camp and get started.It is not necessary.If you load the bin with shredded newspaper or paper, food scraps and garden debris, and add enough water to get the bed well moist, the worms will go to work quickly.
Should I make a cover for the worm bin when it rains, or can you give me simple plans?Do you use a specific type of worm?This sounds like a great idea.
We will release the plans soon in an upcoming newsletter or sooner if I have a chance.I keep a cover on it all the time.Worms don't like light because it keeps them moist and dark.
Do you have any plans to make your own bin or do it have to be moved indoors in the winter?What kind of issues do that present?
Mia, plans are coming soon.If you want to survive in winter, you could move indoors.worms in bins don't survive winterThe eggs they lay will.They have a sort of antifreeze associated with them.The eggs will hatch in the spring.
Hi Joe!I was wondering if this would solve a lot of my issues.Does it smell bad?I need to keep this close to my house.Holly.
When the night temperature does not go below 10 degrees C, I put my worm bin outside in the winter.
Do you have any plans for the worm bin?We have had a bin for several years and would love to make a permanent one for the summer months.Thanks.
I always wanted to do vermicomposting, but never got around to it.I discovered that worms just happen when I compost my soil.It would be great to have that juice, but my low maintenance plan is so easy.
I went through the same discovery process as you did.I researched it on the internet and it had great numbers, but I didn't send it to a lab.I have had great results by reducing it to less than 10:1.I know you are a family show and are trying to make this appealing to prudish Americans, so I will just say I make it myself several times a day and it is golden.I don't have to do anything extra to make it.