Earthworm Castings vs Potting Soil (PART 1) | VermisTerra and PRO-MIX

[@VermisterraEarthwormCastings]

Glad you like VermisTerra. We are surprised at the results of your tests they are not typical what most customers experience. We were so curious that we broke down the possible reasons for the odd results. 1. Amount of castings. We usually recommend using 25% worm castings with 75% media. It’s not ideal to plant in 100% worm castings, although it won’t harm the plants- you will get better aeration and growth using less. 2. Deficiency due to dying material or fertilizer It looks more like there is a potassium and other nutrient deficiencies, while there is some nitrogen since you can see some new growth. We suggest you fully remove the seedlings that you thin out instead of let the stem and roots rot in the pot. Seedlings are sensitive and the ammonia/acids released could be puling down the ph and thereby harming ability to absorb nutrients. The nutrients could be tied up due to the potting mix (since there is slow release nutrients in there as well). It does look look like theres N issue- which will happen if microbes break down raw materials in the potting mix quickly- This will pull Nitrogen from the plant to balance out the Carbohydrates. Grow soils will usually have chemical nutrients for 2 weeks- If you use coco coir or peat moss you wont have this issue. We can also see Algae developing on the surface of the pots. This means there are fresh proteins either from the fertilizer or from the rotting seedling residuals. The Pro mix is for potted plants- not seedlings - it has high PH peat humus in the ingredients and polymer gel, controlled release fertilizer while Pro Mix’ seedling mix has organic fertilizer. I suggest testing the same test with their Seedling mix, or another fiber like coco coir or peat moss with 10-15% worm castings. The control release fertilizer may have a coating which allows it to release over time- it’s possible that by using a high amount of microbial biologics, they are tearing down the nutrients and causing it to be available all at once, possibly tying up the soil. - 3. Seed starting rate Castings typically feed seedlings lots of essentials after they sprout. However, seeds usually prefer a lower pH which is why they will start off slower in castings but then take off once they begin growing. Worm casting should be mixed at 10-15% for seed starting. Then as its the plant grows you can use 25% worm castings to media. You would see more Long term benefits in the soil over time like less disease, pests, and more yield and new growth. If you can, we suggest testing Worm castings mixed with fiber (coco coir, peat moss) for best results.

[@GrowingAnswers]

This was only the first experiment of several. I have tried something different in part two and also I am working on a part three. Each test is looking at a different aspect of it in a methodical way. Each test I do plays off the results of a previous test and determines the method of the next one. In part one and part two I did not use any plant foods and would not expect any plant to do well in such a small container without feeding. But that was the point. In part three I am using plant foods to compare results.

[@appdeveloper3895]

You are one of the few people who publish relevant and truly educational and entertaining contents that are interesting and fun to watch in this field.

[@jamess1787]

And he doesn't need a revision, or version update. No patches for our amigo 😂

[@GrowingAnswers]

Thanks, I appreciate that

[@gomer2813]

Fully agree. Some of these vids are incredibly good.

[@GrowingAnswers]

@@gomer2813 I accidentally removed your other comment about the compost. Compost is not really overrated. I mean you don’t really need it if you have other ways of amending the soil. I personally just like using a thick amount of green grass clippings for compost on top of soil. What compost does for you is create a better soil for water retention and drainage. There is a really good KZbin channel talking about leaf and grass for compost. I think it’s called I am organic gardening or something like that but I think the best piece of advice is to keep a living root in the ground year round. Bare soil is dead soil.

[@easyybreezeyy]

Have to completely agree. As a plant lover, this youtube channel is amazing.

[@CoachJeremy]

Nitrogen deficiency can come from overwatering. The roots are drowning and can’t uptake anything

[@mi17dy]

thats what I thought too

[@PorchGardeningWithPassion]

Wow! That really is a significant difference!!! Great video 👊🏻💥👊🏻

[@phluffymuffin7924]

Vermis Terra is my favorite brand for earthworm castings. Good stuff👍

[@mikelitoris6976]

yeah they feed their worms only greens. great quality stuff indeed

[@gblyndensrandomreviews]

Very good work Sir! 👊🏻💥👊🏻

[@barneyschlumpf4257]

very good explanation i bought ewc too and all my plants now look super healthy i want to not use liquid fertilizers anymore i always hated to walking outside see all the outdoor plants doing extremely well compared to the ones inside so i failed a few years but finally i found what i need...plus i added 3-5 cm (2 inch) and even clones in pure ewc are dark green but they live very nice and uncomplicated no overfeeding anymore im glad i tested this stuff

[@jcropas]

Could the amount of air in the soils be the reason for slow germination?

[@mi17dy]

yup my thoughts too. Also his soil does look too soggy, (roots cant breath) and the leaves stunted

[@jpkjnn6733]

This is just great. Thank you

[@MichelLaine]

Could the placement on the heat mat make difference in sprouting? Maybe the heat are slightly different at the wire side than the end?

[@GrowingAnswers]

Heat mat is only on for sprouting and no

[@-ChrisD]

Good observation! I've experienced that myself. Temperature most certainly plays a part germination/plant growth and yes, there are times when plants on the seed mat may experience different temperatures for one reason or another though it may not be the case in the experiment.

[@karmanivek1]

Nice experiment, thanks for sharing this with us !

[@LauraEllen999]

Great video, thanks so much!

[@the_green_anna]

Very interesting! Would have thought the mixed one would grow far better than the others... But no. 😄 Love the experimenting!!!

[@yes350yes]

I did a similar test many years ago. I used potting soil vs potting soil with 20% worm castings[what I develop at home] after a period of about 2 mo I noticed not only larger plant in the 20% but larger leaves. The plant type were 2 same size salvia plants. I put images of this test online but for the life of me cannot find them now. Maybe with the change of computers cost this or not either way not to be found.

[@extendedp1]

Good video, thanks. It would have been nice to have more info on how many days between steps. Instead of saying a few days later, say 4 days later, or whatever it was. Thanks

[@93skipper82]

Appreciated what you doing..✊

[@TheHypnotstCollector]

Our leaf's were yellowing, brown on the tips. I thought it was too much nitrogen. tested the water and it showed a Potassium Deficiency! Living in the forest, having nice flower beds, I thought I did everything right. I was wrong. So I took some pounds of brush-burn ash and worked it in and life was/is good. And everything gets bird and bat guano. a little bone meal.... a little less miracle grow

[@simonac688.]

realy interesting 👍

[@donethos]

Interesting.

[@abundantcat7448]

so im guessing you know a little about cannabis? how good would the promix be for it? ive heard good things about it

[@swayzecrazy420]

I use earth worm castings and vermiculite to pop seeds. It does work amazing. The potting soil ones came out retarded and looked like 🧬 issues

[@rickdavid1795]

That’s good stuff Thanks

[@gomer2813]

Oh yeah, another experiment....this one would be TOUGH!. Egg shells. Some people on the internet say that you can cure calcium deficiency with egg shells, others say that egg shells take too long to decompose to have any effect. Indeed, they do take a loooooonnnnngggg time to break down in a compost bin.

[@barbararocca5561]

bake the egg shells and grind down to a powder

[@jeremythompson7697]

I grow out doors in ga where they burn the woods up looking for grows I will say I got about 25 years experience I mostly use horse shit pot ashes bone blood meal and a couple more family tradition sercerts none of what I use is bought any where;and I grow with the best of them

[@jargon9187]

why would plant in 100% vermi?? who does this??

[@boansy1]

Make your own castings. Yes you may have the odd gnat however if you rest the castings in a warm area for a week or 2 you will no problems. Not really a material for seedlings as it is very rich however as a top dress for indoor work or as a natural amendment outdoors, especially during veg and flower it is a wonder.

[@swayzecrazy420]

There is nothing in the earthworm castings. That one small try looks very dry. Like you didn’t give it enough water. I get 100 percent germination. Yes castings is heavy. Try with something that allows air pockets.

[@chaos_dgs564]

Based off the vigor of growth, I'd say that the seeds are suffering from toxicity when in pure castings

[@-ChrisD]

Nice iob

[@niels1491]

They don't look that healthy, probably a bit overwatered.

[@geckowizard9058]

"Potting Mix" isn't soil - I'm guessing aged forest products or peat moss - thumbs down

[@GrowingAnswers]

I really don’t think you understand. This is simply seeing the result of earth worm castings by using a medium that doesn’t already have other nutrients mixed in it. Seeing this is part one and you have not watched the other. parts, of course you don’t understand. This video on its own is not the complete experiment.