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In hydroponics, VT boosts plants immune system: more resilient to pests and disease

I have been designing, building, and operating indoor hydroponics systems for over 20 years. One of the biggest no-no’s in hydroponics is adding biological agents to your system. They tend to putrefy in the recirculating reservoir and gunk up the watering system components. As someone that believes passionately in organic farming methods being restricted to salt and mineral based fertilizers is one of the big disappointments of using a traditional hydroponic system.

I am constantly searching for ways to add biology to my Hydroponics system. Vermisterra products are some of the first organic matter fertilizer products that I have been able to successfully integrate into my nutrient regimen.

I began by adding their Worm Tea in a 1:10 ratio in my recirculating reservoirs and they stay fresh with no biological growth or putrefaction for over 2 weeks. I then started using their Coco and Worm Casting Grow Media in my custom soil-less blend. I feel that these products work in tandem extremely well.

The other drawback of hydroponics is that you are basically keeping all of your plants on life support. They are grown in an inert medium and fed a synthetic diet. I believe by integrating Vermisterra’s products into our growing regimen we have boosted the plants immune system. Making them more resilient to pests and disease as well as the stresses inherent with simulated atmospheric conditions.

Cody Henderson,

Chief Agricultural Officer for Smoke Tree Group and Palm Springs Safe Access

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How To Use Worm Castings Video By UptownGrowLab

Check out our first video interview by UptownGrowLab recorded onsite at the San Diego CannaGrow cultivation EXPO where we met this month! The video already has 1,000 views– check it out HERE.

 

We see consumers demand organic food and medicine, so many farms are switching to organic farming. Vermisterra worm castings are mother nature’s soil amendment of choice especially for organic certified farms and gardens.

Pure worm castings, uncut and very fine - unlike competing worm casting on the market.
Pure worm castings, uncut and very fine – unlike competing worm casting on the market.

You get a look at how fine Vermisterra worm castings look, they are definitely ready for plant absorption. No raw material left means flies and termites won’t bother you or your plants. We are certified organic by the USDA program and CDFA. Each batch of worm nutrient tea is tested and shown free of pathogens.

UptowngrowLab's interview with Vermisterra video now on Youtube!
UptowngrowLab’s interview with Vermisterra video now on Youtube!

UptownGrowLab’s videos showcase how to grow cannabis indoors, marijuana strain reviews, cooking with medicine, tutorials and much more.

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Vermisterra Mentioned on DC Network and MassRoots

Vermisterra is gaining traction! DC Network posted a blurb and photos of our worm casting nutrient tea samples on their Instagram and the MassRoots Channel. Check it out here!

Direct Cannabis Network said, “Vermisterra. They offer top quality organic fertilizer. Vermisterra Earthworm Castings and Earthworm Casting Tea are the ideal soil amendment for Cannabis gardens, greenhouses, or organic farms. Vermisterra products are purely natural, free of odor and safe and easy to use.”

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Vermisterra earthworm nutrient tea mentioned on DC Network and Mass Roots after interview at Cannagrow Expo. (Direct Cannabis Network)
Vermisterra earthworm nutrient tea mentioned on DC Network and Mass Roots after interview at Cannagrow Expo. (Direct Cannabis Network)
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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