Category: Agriculture

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Vermisterra Worm Castings: Standard and Premium Grades

Due to popular demand, Vermisterra released a Standard castings to offer customers two grades of organic worm castings to choose from. What’s the difference? The Premium castings are more fine and pure, ideal for indoor gardening, micro greens, and seed starting. The Standard castings are great for outdoor gardening fruit trees, vegetables and raised beds.

Vermisterra earthworm castings have so many benefits! They improve soil structure, fertility, are rich in beneficial bacteria and microbes, regulate plant nutrients for immediate absorption and support against pests and disease. This perfect soil amendment from nature is time released and will not burn your plants. Use once a season; A little goes a long way!

Take home the worm castings used by commercial organic farmers. Peace of mind that each batch of Vermisterra worm castings are lab tested, free of raw compost, guaranteed weed seed free, free of heavy metals and pathogens, aged until stable, screened of debris. Rich in humic acid, beneficial bacteria and fungi, micronutrients, trace elements, and natural growth hormones.

 

Vermisterra Standard Castings for outdoor use.

Our Standard Castings look like dark coffee grinds and contain small slivers of organic material. Widely used by farmers in fields and orchards, these castings are aged and purer than most competitors. Our standard castings are ideal as a soil amendment, use as potting mix, and general outdoor use:

•Patio and potted plants

•Create your own potting mix

•Conditioning the soil in your yard

•Use in raised beds

•Top dressing for trees, flowers, shrubs

•Provide year round nutrients for vegetable gardens

•Great for fruit tree fertility and production

•Beneficial microbes protect transplants and root area

VT Premium Castings retail $35.99 (discounts when you order 2 or more)

 

Vermisterra Premium Castings are super fine and ideal for indoor growing and seed starting.

Our Premium Castings are super fine, are weed seed free and have no odor. Originally formulated for commercial greenhouses, these castings are aged and purer than most competitors. Our fine nano particles of worm castings are ideal for seed starting, house plants, and indoor growing:

– Natural growth hormones great for Seed Starting

– Clean and efficient nutrient for Microgreens

– Time released, Balanced nutrition for Bonsai

– Time released, Balanced nutrition for Orchids

– Clean and efficient nutrient for your House plants

– Clean and efficient nutrient for Greenhouse use

VT Standard Castings retail $24.99 (discounts when you order 2 or more)

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Benefits of Organic Gardening

Growing organically has many benefits in a wide range of areas. It is ecologically friendly and less harmful to the environment than conventional farming methods. Crops grown organically produce comparable yields to those grown synthetically but are higher quality. Organic farming also brings economic benefits, bringing in more money per crop. Among the benefits of going green is the knowledge that you are choosing a sustainable method of farming and living.

Organic farming is ecologically friendly in many ways. It promotes biodiversity both above and below ground. This diversity helps in biological control of pests and increases pollination by insects. An added benefit of this is the lack of pesticides necessary for green farming. Without the introduction of pesticides, organic farmers don’t need to worry about possible contaminations. Along with this, they greatly reduce adverse environmental effects brought about by excess runoff of chemicals into the ground and rivers. Organic farmers see higher soil organic matter and nitrogen in their soil and conservation of soil moisture and water resources, which is especially advantageous for the environment during a drought.

Customers are demanding organic fruit and vegetables now that consumers are more aware of the possible pesticides and toxins on their food. Many consumers say organic food tastes better.  Organic fruits and vegetables do not contain as many toxic additives and boast 19 to 69 percent more antioxidants than conventional fruits and vegetables. Organic fruits, vegetables, and grains have several measureable nutritional benefits over conventional crops. Without pesticides to guard against harm, an organically farmed plant will produce more of its own compounds, called antioxidants, to fight damage. And when consumed by humans, these antioxidants also protect our bodies from harm.

The benefits of organic farming touch on all aspects of living.  Among the benefits are more nutrients per serving which benefits those eating organic, and sustainable farming  preserves Earth and her natural balance, making it possible to eat and live healthy for generations to come.

Organic grapes ripening on a vine
Organic grapes ripening on a vine

 

 

 

sources:

https://www.organicconsumers.org/news/demand-organic-food-growing-faster-domestic-supply

http://theplate.nationalgeographic.com/2014/07/14/organic-foods-are-tastier-and-healthier-study-finds/

http://www.ncagr.gov/cyber/kidswrld/plant/nutrient.htm

http://bioscience.oxfordjournals.org/content/55/7/573.full

http://www.systems-comparison.fibl.org/fileadmin/documents/shop/1546-organic-world-2011.pdf#page=26

 

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What NPK Levels in Worm Castings? What Are the Benefits?

IMG_0667Every gardener that’s growing organic has heard about manure. It’s mother earth’s natural fertilizer; part of the cycle of life. One of the most powerful manures in the world comes from earthworms! Before mankind starting playing in labs, nature knew the best way to feed her plants.

N-P-K stands for Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. Three important compounds that are necessary for plant growth. Nitrogen helps plants grow rapidly, produce more seeds and fruit, and improve leaf quality. Phosphorus assists in flower and root development. Potassium assists in the production of protein, the photosynthesis process, resistance of diseases, and overall plant health. These are essential to plant development, but are NOT the only nutrition necessary for healthy plants.

There are a number of compounds that are needed for healthy plants, including: calcium for plant cell wall structure, magnesium as part of the chlorophyll in all green plants, sulfur for the development of vitamins and enzymes, etc.

NPK levels in organic fertilizer are much lower than those shown in synthetic fertilizers during lab testing. They are soil amendments that work slowly over time to improve your soil and to help your plants grow strong. They don’t weaken plants by forcing fast growth and flowering. Therefore, big NPK numbers don’t necessarily mean a better fertilizer.

Worm castings also have  beneficial bacteria and fungi to build up soil, and assists with disease suppression.  Earthworm castings have over 60 micronutrients and trace minerals, including calcium, magnesium, nitrogen, phosphates and potash.

Castings act as a barrier to help plants grow in soil where the pH levels are too high or too low. They balance pH so plants can absorb nutrients from the soil. If that isn’t amazing enough, worm castings also retain moisture which is great for growing in drought conditions.

Lastly, worm castings impromptu soil aeration, improves soil structure, drainage and fertility. With so many benefits to using worm castings, make sure you get pure castings like Vermisterra Fine Earthworm Castings, not something mixed with compost or fillers.

So many reasons to choose Vermisterra organic earthworm castings and tea.
So many reasons to choose Vermisterra organic earthworm castings and tea.

 

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Farmer’s Appreciation Day and Visiting Derby Orchard

Uncle Steve and Mindy went on a road trip to Yuba City, a big agricultural area near Sacramento. We had a great time sharing the benefits of earthworm castings and worm casting tea. We met with almond, peach, prune, and walnut farmers at the Farmer’s Appreciation Lunch. Attorneys, council members, and farmers checked out tractors, solar panels and organic soil!  We ate some amazing Indian food and American BBQ!

 

Then we ended the day with a tour of Derby Orchard to see their prune and walnut trees. We chatted about worm castings, chemical vs organic fertilizers, correcting soil problems, the joys of farming after decades working in the corporate world. Uncle Steve checked their soil and trees, and was able to explain some of the causes of a couple challenges. Then we did a taste test while blind folded to prove that different brands and types of walnuts taste completely different. We really love the ladies at Derby Orchard and their dedication to fresh walnuts. Check out their Facebook page HERE. On our tour of the walnut orchards, we met the Derby girl’s two rescue pups, saw the neat harvesting machinery, and even got to hang out with their miniature ponies!

 

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Vermicompost Wards Off Crop Pests

Worm castings are an effective way to repel white flies, aphids and spider mites and any pest that feeds on plant juices. According to recent studies, applying earthworm castings to the soil around your plants increases the production of a certain enzyme chitinase. This enzyme is a degrader of chitin, the substance that comprises the exo-skeletons of most insects. When used properly, worm casting acts as a natural insect repellant. If a bug feeds on the leaves of a plant which has absorbed the chitinase, its exoskeleton will soon begin to dissolve, and death will come quickly.

North Carolina State University researchers have dug deeper into the mechanisms behind insect resistance of plants grown in soil amended with vermicompost, and the preliminary results suggest this may provide an ecological friendly means of managing pests in vegetable crops.

Yasmin Cardoza, an entomologist and soil arthropod ecologist, along with graduate student Amos Little, found that different insect species responded differently to host plant resistance of brassica crops. They also determined that it takes as little as a 20 percent concentration of vermicompost mix in the soil to boost the resistance of host plants against caterpillar and aphid pests.

Be sure to select a quality worm casting that’s pure and not cut with compost or other raw materials. Vermisterra pure organic earthworm castings are fine, aged and readily absorbable by plants.

 

Resources:

https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.950.1099&rep=rep1&type=pdf

https://georgia.growingamerica.com/news/2012/04/ncsu-research-explains-how-vermicompost-amended-soils-ward-crop-pests/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19423335/

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317490950_Effect_of_vermicompost_and_chitin_on_the_control_of_Meloidogyne_incognita_in_greenhouse_tomato