Gardening and Home Improvement

Worm compost and its benefits for crops is appreciated for many centuries but is now starting to become popular.

Brief history

Egyptians are the first to realize the importance of earthworms to the soil’s natural fertility. Cleopatra which was awarded the title of sacred animal, imposing severe punishments on those who hurt.

Aristotle also dubbed “the bowels of the earth”, this apt description, since many centuries later would show that in the intestines of earthworms are processed huge amounts of organic debris.The Romans also showed interest in them, but it was in the nineteenth century, when they determine their true role in the ecosystem (De Sanzo and Ravera, 1999). Charles Darwin spent 40 years researching on earthworms, which was writing his latest book, “Getting the topsoil by the action of worms.”

What is humus?

Worm humus is, in fact, an annelid invertebrate dung, of which many species are known but only two or three have been adapted to the practice of vermiculture. In particular the “Eisenia foetida” or California red worm is the most used, although it originated in the Caucasus, is known by that name by Thomas Barrett, a Californian who began farming in the twenties experimentally.

Hermaphrodite insufficient (need of another member of their species to mate), with five hearts and six pairs of kidneys, this impressive animal is able to consume their own weight daily of different materials. Not contract or transmit diseases.

These stools are a miracle for the land. Million colonies of beneficial microorganisms per gram of worm makes an extraordinary material to strengthen and restore life to the soil.

Although the proportions of nutrients are not very high, but its neutral pH, good numbers of humic and fulvic acids, their enormous cation exchange capacity (CEC 150 to 300 meq/100 gr.) Hence its great capacity to retain nutrients and water (up to 1500 cc. / kg.) converted to humus and in an extraordinary natural fertilizer.

credit to: Antonio J. Morales Miñano

Possibility Related Posts:

• WORM COMPOST: Benefits and How to Apply (II)
  Benefits of worm compost We have already mentioned some of the benefits of worm and are numerous but generally say that their benefits are shown at...