Growing your own home garden is more popular than ever, but where do you start. The soil is where the plant starts its life, where it absorbs all the nutrients it needs to flourish and where they can get diseases and distorted by insects. This is why soil amendments are sold just about everywhere, but what kind should you use? There are synthetic (chemical) fertilizers that promise your plants will miraculously grow practicably overnight, but there are consequences. There are also organic fertilizers, such as black worm castings.
Though synthetic fertilizers are relatively inexpensive, they are usually made from nonrenewable resources. Even those packaged as ‘complete’ lack the necessary decaying matter, microbes and trace elements, necessary for healthy soil structure. They also leach out into the soil, so several applications are necessary. But repeated applications can result in a build up of toxic chemicals in the soil, which eventually end up in your food.
There is no shortcut to healthy quality plants, it all starts with healthy soil
New research shows the benefits from worm castings, an article from the NY Times said they, “offers an array of benefits for plants — helping them grow with more vigor, and making them more resistant to disease and insects, than those grown with other types of composts and fertilizers. The earthworm’s digestive process, it turns out, “is a really nice incubator for microorganisms,” said Norman Q. Arancon, an assistant professor of horticulture at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. “And these microbes, which multiply rapidly when they are excreted, alter the ecosystem of the soil. Some make nitrogen more available to plant roots, accounting for the increased growth. The high diversity and numbers of microbes outperform those in the soil that cause disease.”
The article goes on to say, “soil that has been heavily exposed to synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides lacks microbial richness and diversity, qualities that can be restored naturally by adding the microbes from worms.”
An article in LA Times reveals what organic farmers already know, “Besides giving plants an easily digested shot of nutrients, it also repels mites, whitefly and aphids, conditions the soil and works as a fungicide.”
The soil is a living, breathing organism, how you take care of it determines how healthy and productive your crops and plants will be, whether it is a commercial farm or home gardener. As a leader in the industry, Vermitechnology Unlimited is your source for pure organic fertilizers derived from black casting, worm farming and composting supplies. For over 40 years we have been providing quality products for wholesalers, distributors, retailers, growers and hobbyists.
If you have any questions or want to order our amazing products, contact Vermitechnology.