Living soil question: earthworm casting pre mix

[Unruly Bud]

I am using Roots Organic terp tea formula, this formula contains hydrolyzed organic nutrients and microbes. I was told that if I pre mix this formula with earthworm casting first this would help to create a better living soil. I applied this principle on my current batch and the girls look really happy, I mixed the equivalent amount of fertilizer needed for 3 gallon pots in 400 ml of earthworm casting, mixed it all real good and then added that pre made mix to the main soil mix that is used on the plants, this contains perlite, peat moss, potting mix and the pre mix of earthworm casting + the terp tea.

Does this make any difference to create a better living soil or am I just wasting my time?

I really appreciate your help, I am not very experience with organic soil and I am just beginning my journey.

I'll upload some pictures of the 2 Bubblegum S1 (4-5 week of flowering) that I've grown using this principle just because I am a proud father and show their beauty.

 

[Stoned Ape]

I know little about organic soil growing. But I know a healthy plant when I see one. What ever you are doing is working.

 

[Bill284]

I am using Roots Organic terp tea formula, this formula contains hydrolyzed organic nutrients and microbes. I was told that if I pre mix this formula with earthworm casting first this would help to create a better living soil. I applied this principle on my current batch and the girls look really happy, I mixed the equivalent amount of fertilizer needed for 3 gallon pots in 400 ml of earthworm casting, mixed it all real good and then added that pre made mix to the main soil mix that is used on the plants, this contains perlite, peat moss, potting mix and the pre mix of earthworm casting + the terp tea.

Does this make any difference to create a better living soil or am I just wasting my time?

I really appreciate your help, I am not very experience with organic soil and I am just beginning my journey.

I'll upload some pictures of the 2 Bubblegum S1 (4-5 week of flowering) that I've grown using this principle just because I am a proud father and show their beauty.

Good morning @Unruly Bud hope your having a good day.
Garden looks amazing. Nice work.
I'm not versed in L.O.S but I'm pretty sure the worm castings are beneficial.
@Nunyabiz is an Los specialist I'll see if he can give you his thoughts on this.
Keep up the good work.

Stay safe
Bill

 

[Nunyabiz]

Good quality earthworm castings are always beneficial, sadly most castings you find are crap.
If you want some of the best go with "Colorado Worm Company castings"
Unless you know of a really good supplier locally.

Having said that, if those plants in the picture are in 3 gal plastic pots and look like that then it didn't have anything to do with LOS.
You had to have fed them plant available nutrients pretty much their whole life cycle.
What are you feeding them?

If this is your norm, then i would hesitate to tell you to change much of anything except to use larger pots and fabric instead of plastic.
If you found a system that works for you then keep doing it.

Ordinarily I would tell anyone that's feeding from a bottle to just use coco in 5 gallon fabric pots.
And if you want to use LOS then go with 20+ gallon fabric pots, add worms to the pot, rove beetles, cover crop, thick mulch layer, and just supplement with some coconut water, Aloe Vera, a few Sprouted Seed Teas.

The majority of people using 3 gallon pots don't look that nice so I would keep doing whatever you're doing.

 

[SmokingWings]

Does this make any difference to create a better living soil or am I just wasting my time?

Any time we can learn something new we are not wasting our time.

Your question in the first msg is interesting.

using Roots Organic terp tea formula, this formula contains hydrolyzed organic nutrients and microbes. I was told that if I pre mix this formula with earthworm casting first this would help to create a better living soil.

@Nunyabiz, what are your thoughts on what he is doing with the Terp Tea and the castings? Probably does not hurt anything but does it improve the castings?

Though with most of the castings being crap as you say, it might actually help enough to justify the cost, which is not all that expensive compared to some of the stuff on the market these days.

 

[Nunyabiz]

Any time we can learn something new we are not wasting our time.

Your question in the first msg is interesting.


@Nunyabiz, what are your thoughts on what he is doing with the Terp Tea and the castings? Probably does not hurt anything but does it improve the castings?

Though with most of the castings being crap as you say, it might actually help enough to justify the cost, which is not all that expensive compared to some of the stuff on the market these days.

I'm not familiar with "terp tea" but sounds good.
There's a pretty big difference between castings like the Colorado Worm Company castings vs the old dried up stuff you might find in a hardware store though.

 

[Unruly Bud]

I'm not familiar with "terp tea" but sounds good.
There's a pretty big difference between castings like the Colorado Worm Company castings vs the old dried up stuff you might find in a hardware store though.

I will try the Colorado Worm Company, thank you for that info.

 

[Nunyabiz]

I will try the Colorado Worm Company, thank you for that info.

You can get them through Buildasoil.com.
Its likely they may come with a few worms maybe a few cocoons or even a beneficial rove beetle or two if you're lucky.

 

[Unruly Bud]

Good quality earthworm castings are always beneficial, sadly most castings you find are crap.
If you want some of the best go with "Colorado Worm Company castings"
Unless you know of a really good supplier locally.

Having said that, if those plants in the picture are in 3 gal plastic pots and look like that then it didn't have anything to do with LOS.
You had to have fed them plant available nutrients pretty much their whole life cycle.
What are you feeding them?

If this is your norm, then i would hesitate to tell you to change much of anything except to use larger pots and fabric instead of plastic.
If you found a system that works for you then keep doing it.

Ordinarily I would tell anyone that's feeding from a bottle to just use coco in 5 gallon fabric pots.
And if you want to use LOS then go with 20+ gallon fabric pots, add worms to the pot, rove beetles, cover crop, thick mulch layer, and just supplement with some coconut water, Aloe Vera, a few Sprouted Seed Teas.

The majority of people using 3 gallon pots don't look that nice so I would keep doing whatever you're doing.

I really appreciate all of that info, I feed them with this hydrolized organic fertilizer that also contains microbes, the brand is Roots Organic. I mix the indicated amount of the organic fertilizer in the soil mix and then just add water, I start with their veg formula, when I move them to the flowering stage I apply their flowering formula on top and again just water all the way. I really appreciate you feedback about the plastic pots, I will get fabric pots , plastic has nothing to do there, thanks for pointing that out.

"add worms to the pot, rove beetles, cover crop, thick mulch layer, and just supplement with some coconut water, Aloe Vera, a few Sprouted Seed Teas" , this information is gold and is going straight to my physical growing journal, thanks again for your input and the time you took reading my stuff.

 

[Unruly Bud]

Good morning @Unruly Bud hope your having a good day.
Garden looks amazing. Nice work.
I'm not versed in L.O.S but I'm pretty sure the worm castings are beneficial.
@Nunyabiz is an Los specialist I'll see if he can give you his thoughts on this.
Keep up the good work.

Stay safe
Bill

Thanks for your feedback, I appreciate tagging your friend as well, he is very experienced and gave me a very valuable input, thanks again and take care .

 

[cbdhemp808]

Fresh worm compost contains beneficial microbes, micronutrients, fulvic and humic acids – the plants love it. It's not too difficult to set up a worm bin. I use 45 gal. plastic storage containers, Walmart style. Drill a few holes in them on the bottom, cover top with some window screen held on by a cord w/ some elastic, and put the lid on loosely without clamping it down, so air can get in. Add about a 1 ft. layer of coconut coir mixed with a little soil to add soil microbes. You can mix it up a bit with peat moss instead of coir, but the coir is great. Hydrate the substrate, add some hungry red wigglers, and yer off and running with kitchen compost. I don't put any "tough" compost in our bins... only the soft stuff, like veggie scraps, banana peels, etc. – i.e. stuff that breaks down completely and easily. I use this worm compost in both my growing medium and also to make aerated compost tea (dilute to specific ppm and water plants with it or used as a foliar spray).

Good luck with your beautiful plants!

 

[Nunyabiz]

Search you tube for Buildasoil, FAQ #13 Worm castings discussion.

Episode just dropped yesterday (Jan 2)

 

[Unruly Bud]

Fresh worm compost contains beneficial microbes, micronutrients, fulvic and humic acids – the plants love it. It's not too difficult to set up a worm bin. I use 45 gal. plastic storage containers, Walmart style. Drill a few holes in them on the bottom, cover top with some window screen held on by a cord w/ some elastic, and put the lid on loosely without clamping it down, so air can get in. Add about a 1 ft. layer of coconut coir mixed with a little soil to add soil microbes. You can mix it up a bit with peat moss instead of coir, but the coir is great. Hydrate the substrate, add some hungry red wigglers, and yer off and running with kitchen compost. I don't put any "tough" compost in our bins... only the soft stuff, like veggie scraps, banana peels, etc. – i.e. stuff that breaks down completely and easily. I use this worm compost in both my growing medium and also to make aerated compost tea (dilute to specific ppm and water plants with it or used as a foliar spray).

Good luck with your beautiful plants!

Thanks so much for that valuable knowledge, I am just starting my journey with organics and all of this is so useful. Creating my own compost is definitely on my plans, thanks again buddy ! Blessings ... I'll update the final results of the one of the Bubblegums soon.

 

[Unruly Bud]

Search you tube for Buildasoil, FAQ #13 Worm castings discussion.

Episode just dropped yesterday (Jan 2)

Thanks for sharing buddy, hope you are doing amazing. I'll watch this with some dank live rosin dabs !!!