One of the best things about vermicomposting is that it can be done year-round. You can start anytime. Freezing temperatures are usually cause the adult worm's demise. The cocoons do not die and will hatch when the temperature rises again. (Mother Nature is grand!). I put the vermicompost on all my plants, except for the ones that really like poor soil.

I have a few plants that find a high nitrogen fertilizer detrimental to bloom quality

Vermicompost is pretty high in nitrogen, so go sparingly on it with these plants. I wouldn't not use it, but just go easy.

If you've got an environment that stays in the 65-70* range, that's excellent for the worms. The pile will generate a little bit of its own heat, but the cooler temperatures in the basement will keep it nice.

How many worms will you be starting out with?

Here is a link that might be useful: Our Earthworm Farm

Ive always understood castings to be more like compost than say chicken manure. Its really OM rich, and biologically active, but it wont burn like a chem fert.

But, im farily new at this.

I believe that the main benefit of castings is the micro-organisms they contain, not the N-P-K content. The micro critters help plants take the nutrients they need from the soil, resulting in plants that grow more and are better able to resist disease.

The resident expert here is Kelly Slocum, however. Do a search for her posts, and you'll learn a lot.

Can vermicompost be used for citrus trees?

You are both right, Garnetmoth and Karchita: the N P K is not the real benefit with vermicompost. It's the OM. The N P K is something like 5-5-5, but those stats may be a little off...but it's not significant. (That's why it won't burn the plants).

Chuckiebtoo

Hi guys! Thanks for getting back to me! I'm just starting to research this whole thing. I'm planning to go with a homemade system- that link I found in the forum to Kelly's setup instructions was super helpful. I'm not sure exactly how many worms to start out with... somewhere in the neighborhood of 1-2 lbs seems like it should work out ok. I wonder where the best source is for this amount? It seems like some of the commercial growers tend to be a bit pricey- one website I found was 30$ for 1lb plus 8$ shipping, that seems kinda expensive. Although I definitely want to work with the traditional red worm, from what I've been reading it seems like they would work the best for the system I'm planning.

I'm really looking forward to using the compost for my roses, and to get my perennial beds off to a good start. the only plant I'm really iffy about is my kentucky wisteria... in order to produce bloom, you're not supposed to feed it with a high nitrogen fertilizer. It's still a baby plant, and while I want to help it grow and get well established, I don't want to cut out my chances of getting it to bloom (which I've heard can be tricky with wisterias, although more so the asian varieties which don't grow in my zone anyhow!)

I'm wondering, does anyone use vermicompsting instead of a "regular" compost pile setup? I'm really hoping if I can get my worm friends going full tilt, that I can do away with the sorely neglected compost pile that was in the yard when I bought my house this summer. From what I've been reading, if I chop my weeds and other garden refuse up small enough, I can use them like kitchen scraps... right?

I'm sorry to bombard you guys with questions. I've been reading as many of the topics in this forum as I can get my hands on, and the more I read, the more questions I end up having!!!

Chuckiebtoo - does this mean we need to be using fertilizer in addition to castings/vermicompost?

It sounds like the vermicompost helps plants use the nutrients in the soil but that implies there are nutrients in to soil to be used. Am I completely misunderstanding how this all works?

Dang, and just a little while ago I allowed myself to think that I was starting to get a handle on this stuff.

With hopes that Chuckie chimes in as well;

Mike you have it just right. While some have found the regular additon of castings adequate to supply all the nutrient a particular plant needs, more often than not castings are best used in conjunction with a regular fertilizer regimen, whether organic or synthetic. Your assumption that castings aid the plant in better utilizing nutrients alread present in (or added to) the soil is spot on. Because of the increased nutrient efficiency associated with regular use of castings, demand for nutrient additions decreases over time, meaning less fertilizer or fewer fertilizer applicatoins will be necessary to optimize plant vitality.

Karen, you are right that what the worm bin is fed will impact the NPK value of the resulting castings. Even when a high nutrient feedstock is used, however, the castings tend to have low soluble nutrient levels as compared to dedicated fertilizers (I've never seen castings with a 5-5-5, though I have seen some, infrequently, with NPK ratios nearing 3-.1-1. Most castings producers will only guarantee their castings to nave a 1-0-0, in fact!). When compared to compost made from the same feedstock, however, the soluble nutrient level in castings tends to be much higher, thus, both those who say castings are high in nutrient and those who say they are low in nutrient are correct. The variable is in what is being used a benchmark for measuring "high" and "low".

Castings can be safely used on any plant, even those that perform best with low soluble nutrient inputs, and will generally stimulate improvement in overall plant health.

Castings on citrus? Absolutely!

Karen, you might want to rethink eliminating the compost pile and vermicomposting exclusively. The average American property generally produces more organic material than can be practically processed in a home-scale worm bin. Putting yard debris on a compost pile and kitchen scraps in the worm bin tends to make for more efficient on-site management of organic wastes. Further, it's important to avoid making value judgements about castings being "better" than compost. Quality is dependant on the intended end use of the product, and there are many places where compost is a much better choice than are worm castings (when mulching, for instance). Further, research shows that a blend of compost and castings tends to produce a greater plant growth response than does the use of either castings or compost alone. Keep making that compost, even it it's done passively (which is how I make my compost at home), in conjunction with that worm bin. You'll be glad you did!

KellyS

Thanks for the info Kelly! I wasn't exactly sure how the castings stacked up vs a standard composting system. Looks like a combo of both is the most beneficial way to go. The compost pile is such a nightmare, I was kinda hoping to be able to just nix it all together. Looks like come spring I'll just have to buckle down and devote a weekend to getting it cleaned out, repaired, and properly setup!

Meanwhile I'll start my vermicomposting adventure over the winter! Looks like even my touchy wisteria will benefit from my (and the worms) endeavors. Thanks for the encouragement :)

Karen :)

So for Citrus I need to suppliment with my regular citrus fertalizer?

After you begin using vermicompost, the difference in soil quality, porosity, arableness (is that a word?), and overall desirability will make evident the worthiness of it. Even though fertilizer amendment measures will continue to be effective, the necessities of them will not be so evident.

I ain't using nearly as much fertilizer enhancement as I used to, and water requirements are way less than before. All those dollars and extra efforts have been replaced by red wigglers eating my garbage instead of my disposal doing so.

Chuckiebtoo

BTW: Kelly, that 5-5-5 figure WAS a little..."wishful", but you gotta remember my worms have been, at least once, in contact with possibilities of energy sources we just cannot comprehend.

Thanks to Kelly and all for the informative discussion. BTW, any tips / techniques for managing / storing castings? Any precautions come to mind? I have simply been using plastic bags with a few perforations to allow breathing.

BTW2, my plants seem to love my worm tea as well -- dilluted with distilled water (no chlorine). :)

CD

I store vermicompost in rubbermaid type totes, with air holes drilled in the top of sides and bottom. This material can be stored for years like this and the totes stack well. Also, I can open them up and remove worms that have hatched. ("No worm left behind" mentality here..:) )