There has been a lot of talk about worm castings in recent years, but they still manage to skirt just outside the mainstream. More people than ever know there are potential benefits, but it has not yet become a staple of the gardening experience. Still, this public unfamiliarity is unlikely to last too much longer, as the many benefits of these nutrient-rich deposits become harder and harder to overlook.
Just how beneficial are worm castings and, by extension, castings tea? In almost every category where you can measure the performance of a garden, the addition of these materials shows marked improvement. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest benefits worm castings can provide for your plants and garden.
Improves Water Retention
Worm castings can improve the water retention of your soil, leading to better plant growth.
Adds Organic Matter
Castings are chock full of organic matter because worms eat the microorganisms in the soil. Plus, they add their own during digestion. Castings are the combination of these microorganisms (sans worm nutrients) and the microorganisms of the worm’s gut bacteria. It seems to be the perfect food for plants.
Improves Soil Aeration
Earthworm castings can improve soil aeration, providing extra oxygen and nitrogen for your garden to thrive, and making it easier to work with the earth.
Reduces Soil Compaction
The nutrient density of castings benefits the biodiversity of the soil, over and above the many benefits that it already provides to the plants. This keeps the soil moist for longer and reduces soil compaction.
Anchors Plant Nutrients
While castings provide a fair amount of nutrients themselves, by changing the consistency of the soil, they also suspend the existing nutrient that would otherwise leach away with water firmly in place.
Worm castings provide all their benefits regardless of soil or plant type. They are just as helpful in lawns as they are in garden beds!
Enhances Seed Germination & Fruit Production
As you might have already surmised, worm castings stimulate growth in all stages of the plant’s life, from helping seeds germinate faster to increasing the size of fruits.
Reduces Plant Disease
Castings have also been shown to reduce both the likelihood and severity of many common plant diseases.
As you can see, the benefits of worm castings are numerous. And we’ve been purposefully brief to fit in as many as possible! If we were to list all the diseases and pests that castings can prevent, or even a fraction of the microorganisms they introduce into your garden bed, we’d be here a good long while.
Reading about the benefits is one thing, but seeing real-world results is another thing entirely. We offer 5.5-litre pails of worm castings for pickup or delivery, so contact Soil Kings today to experience all the wonders of worm castings for yourself!