About Worm Castings
IN THIS ARTICLE:
Before we explain the worm castings, you should know the worm itself. Worms help gardens in a variety of ways by creating spaces for air and water as they travel through the soil. However, their casts also leave behind less well-known contributions. The end-products of worm digestion, worm castings, are so helpful that some gardeners cultivate their own worms solely to keep a steady supply on hand.
Soil Benefits From Castings
Worm castings are high in organic matter and beneficial microbes, resulting in advantages far beyond what fertilizer ratios indicate. The worm castings are deficient in important plant nutrients, such as iron, and are therefore guaranteed not to induce fertilizer burn. The deep, earthy feel of the dark brown granules, which reminds me of excellent garden compost or dried coffee grounds, hides their origins.
Little Tips
The organic matter in worm castings improves soil structure when added to soil or potting mixes. Castings boost water retention in soil, improve soil aeration, and anchor plant nutrients that might otherwise leach away with water since they contain more humus than typical compost or standard garden soil. Organic matter provides food for soil microbes, which make, store, and release plant nourishment over time. And, the worm castings are suitable for use in both indoor and outdoor gardens, so the snake plant is included.
How Do Castings Help Snake Plants?
Okay, you should know how the effectiveness this right. Worm castings include chemicals that have a direct impact on plant growth. The Ohio State University Soil Ecology Laboratory discovered that worm castings improved seed germination, plant growth, flower output, and fruit production over the course of several years of research. These castings also repelled mites, aphids, and mealy bugs, as well as preventing certain plant diseases as root and crown rots and wilt disease.
How Do We Use To Our Snake Plants?
It’s just as easy to use worm castings as it is to use regular garden compost. Dry castings operate as a soil-enriching mulch, but their influence is amplified when mixed into the soil before to planting or potting. Castings are also beneficial to compost piles. Follow these guides:
- For every 6 inches of container diameter, add 1/4 cup of odor-free earthworm castings to your potting mix.
- 1/4 cup of castings is required for a 6-inch diameter pot, whereas 1/2 cup is required for a 12-inch container.
- Once a month, add more castings to replenish nutrients and increase beneficial activity.
Ways To Apply Worm Castings
There are several ways to use worm castings, depending on what you want to achieve!
Mix In The Soil
One of the finest ways to apply worm castings if you’re starting from scratch is to mix them in with the soil. If you’re planting in a raised bed or a planter where you’ll be filling the entire thing with soil anyhow, this is an excellent option. The ideal ratio for this is 1 part castings to 2 to 4 parts soil.
Broadcast
This approach entails spreading the castings out on top of the planting area with a dry spreader. Hand spreading, using a hand spreader, or using a huge dry fertilizer spreader are all options. This is suitable for use in yards, gardens, and fields.
Castings Tea
Worm tea is a liquid concoction made from water and molasses. To be clear, this is not a tea you should drink!
Is It Good For All Plants?
Sure! Plants benefit greatly from organic worm castings. They provide all of the basic nutrients required by plants, as well as improving the soil in which they are grown. This fertilizer can be used on almost every sort of plant, and it can even be applied directly to plants without causing them to burn. Worm castings manure can be used as a top dressing, a side dressing, or a soil amendment.
To Sum Up
Furthermore, castings spontaneously decomposed some insect pests’ protective coverings, regulated plant nutrient release, and promoted the nutritional cycle from soil to plants. So, do you need another suggestion to feeding your snake plants? You can see below!
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