How to use Worm Castings Correctly for Starter Plants

Welcome to another issue of the Poop Scoop.  Where it's my ultimate goal to Teach, Inspire & Empower you to become the best worm farmer you can be...Plus a lot more!!!

1. How to Use Worm Castings for Starter Plants (avoid waste)
    

2. Worm Farming Revolution Paperback Book Now Available (More)
   50% affiliate payout for all digital products
    

3. CFT Worm Bin Plans From The worm Man (More)
    

4. Raffle Drawing Winners Announced (3 winners)
    

1. How to Use Worm Castings Correctly for Starter Plants.

One of the biggest reasons people get into worm farming is to generate as many castings as possible for the planting season. There are a LOT of mixes and castings percentages to choose from, and if you're new to using castings, then there can be a fear of not having enough to go around. Well, have no fear! That's why you signed up for the newsletter ;)

Even if you have not read the books below, that's okay. I always love to help in any way I can, and through many avenues. Whether you're starting from seed, seedlings, indoors, or outdoors the mix will still be the same.

Lets say you just began worm farming at the beginning of this year with a pound or two of composting worms. Chances are you don't have much castings from your castings harvest, but you know you have to use what you got, right? We'll try to make this stretch as much as possible and still come out with flying, flowery colors, smelling like roses ;)

Starting in Starter Pots
You can use anywhere from 1:3-5 parts (1 part cast to 3, 4, or 5 parts other medium). This depends on how much you're wanting to plant. We can even break this down into percentages like 20% worm cast to 80% other growth mediums. I find using "parts" works much simpler and is generally the same.

The percentage or parts you'll be using will heavily depend upon how many plants you'll be transplanting. Here is a trick I've come up with so you can use just the right amount in conjunction with the amount of castings you've harvested.

1. Determine what types of other growth medium you'll be using, i.e. potting soil, garden soil, hay litter, leaf litter, coco coir, peat moss, sand, etc. This will determine the parts you'll be using. Example, if you'll be using castings, potting soil, garden soil, sand, & leaf litter then you'll be using 1 part castings to 4 parts other medium. This means you'll be using 20% worm castings.
    

2. After you've harvested all of the castings you have then use your starter pot to scoop out a portion of castings all the way to the rim of the pot. Set aside 4 empty starter pots for every full starter pot of worm castings. If you have 10 starter pots of worm castings then that's 50 starter pots to plant your seeds in. You can dump all of the castings into a mixing tub and then repeat this for the other mediums. Save some castings for later. (about 2-3 generous handfuls)
    

3. Add your minerals to the mixing tub. The percentage on this doesn't matter. Just use a good amount like a couple of handfuls and any other nutritional boosters, like kelp for example.
    

4. After mixing, you're now ready to sow your seeds. That's it.
    

Transplanting
It's time to transplant. This was one of your fears, now that you're out of castings. If you're someone who has plenty more worm castings then use the mix and percentages again for transplanting, only increase your worm castings 5-10% but only if you'd like to.

This ensures that you'll have enough for the growing season and sets your mind at ease. For those that are out of castings, create a new mix, like above (except for the worm castings), pull the seedling out of the starter pots and plant them in with the new mix.

Water your plants when needed. Eventually, they'll start to run out of fertilizer, BUT this is why you saved a few handfuls of moist castings. You may just be fine with the mix that's in already because you used carbon litter that promotes microbial growth. It also attracts indigenous worms and insects to feast on the carbon to turn it into more plant food over the growing season.

You'll want to brew some aerated worm tea from the castings you saved earlier. This will be a game changer for those that only had a little bit of castings to start with. The microbial population will increase exponentially and run off into places deep beyond the roots and out laterally where new roots have grown.

Continue to brew and apply the tea once to twice per month and better yet, as often as you'd like. You can never apply too much tea.

More ways to apply worm castings

Testing Castings
Often times, many people like to test variations of casting percentages all the way up to 50-100%. Many studies have shown these high percentages to either stunt the plants growth or be a complete waste of good fertilizer. This has been done many times with several opposing and similar outcomes.

I cannot tell you to use only 10% worm castings because it works for me or for you to use 40% worm castings because that's the only way to get anything to grow. This is not me by the way. I'm just making a point. Using 100% white paper pulp won't have as good of an outcome as castings produced from manure.

Not all worm castings are created equal. If we both used the same percentage of castings we may or may not get the same results. This is why I have always used the 20-33% guideline. You'll need to do your own testing based on the foods you give to your worms. You may find out that you can scale back much more than 20%. I would only do this with a few plants that you wouldn't mind becoming a guinea pig.

2. Worm Farming Revolution Paperback Book Now Available

OMG! It's finally here. It's been a very long (1 & 1/2 year) road from thought to actual paperback book. It's very exciting to hold ones thoughts in the palm of their hand :)

I won't spend too much time talking about the book as most of you know. However, I do want to mention there is an affiliate program available for the resell of the eBook and all other digital products belonging to WFR listed on the website. If you believe in the product and the revolution, I'd love to have you as a partner.

It pays a handsome 50% commission on everything. Currently, the most you can make is $20 but we're only getting started. I have more products in my head and new coloring pages set to come out in the summer. All payments made monthly through PayPal. It's free and easy to sign up and all you need is a link on your website, FaceBook, YouTube, G+, Newsletter, Blog, etc. That's it!

Get the Paperback Book 274 pgs

Become an affiliate

3. CFT Worm Bin Plans From a Trusted Source

I told you about my friend Brian "The Worm Man" from Australia in the last newsletter. He's been extremely busy (down under) getting his "Beast" plans into a product download. These are plans to build a CFT (continuous flow-through) worm bin. Brian is very knowledgeable in the industry and if you want to build a small-scale commercial worm system, then you'll love the Beast.

He offers different download prices for you to choose. This includes step-by-step instructions in a written guide and video tutorials for a wooden CFT.

If your worms want to feast, you gotta get the BEAST :)

(The "Beast" CFT Worm Bin Plans)

4. Raffle Drawing Winners Announced (3 winners)
 

• 1st Drawing (6 Prizes) - Winner Bill Jacobson FB Worm Page
  Worm Inn or Worm Factory 360 $110 Value
  1 pound of red wigglers or European Nightcrawlers. $35 Value
  All eBooks/publications by me
  The Revolution (give to a friend since you already have it) $20 Value
  WFR's Secret Recipe $15 Value
  The Worm Farming Presentation & Slide Guide $15 Value
  12 Coloring Pages $0 Value
  $195 Total Value
   
• 2nd Drawing (3 Prizes) Winner Brian Donaldson TheWormMan.com.au
  Worm Inn or Worm Factory 360 $110 Value
  1 pound of red wigglers. $35 Value
  Your choice of a single eBook from above $15 + Value
  $160 Total Value
   
• 3rd Drawing (1 Prize) Winner Rick Schulte
  Any eBook from above of your choice
  $15 + Total Value

Thank you Everyone!
Long Live The Revolution!!!

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