Commercial vermicompost leads to clean basement

For me, it started out innocently enough, I suppose -- a simple hobby operation in the basement to pass the time and development of something to feed my plants with organically. I didn't know it would become an obsession run amuck!

I'm talking about vermicomposting. If you're not familiar with the term, don't feel bad. It's not a household word ... yet. Think of it as the manufacture of compost using worms (usually red wigglers) as the engine that makes it happen.

Although the formal term for the finished product is "worm castings," the folks in the business like to refer to it simply as "'worm poop." I guess you don't have to think about it long to realize the second term is a whole lot more down-to-earth than "vermicomposting" or "castings."

No matter what you call it, the end result is rich, dark compost loaded with beneficial microorganisms along with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

If you happen to be into soil science (as I am), it is easy to see why it has become such a popular soil amendment and plant food. Using it as such was once a practice utilized only by organically-minded gardeners. Fortunately, due to the popularity of the green movement and the importance of eco-friendly alternatives, worm poop is becoming progressively more mainstream as a powerful garden ally.

So how did this fascination with worm poop come about? Well, a number of years ago, as I was looking for more Earth-friendly ways to fertilize my lawn and garden, I came across several articles that extolled the virtues of using worm castings.

In the soup

I decided to try this vermicomposting at home. I discovered that when you vermicompost, an excess amount of liquid eventually collects at the bottom of the bin. As an avid user of compost tea, I thought there might be some added value in using this soupy liquid as plant food rather than discarding it.

Because it was so dark and rich, I mixed about one part of it with nine parts water. I shook it up and went right to work pouring it on the foliage and around the roots of my most tired-looking plants.

The next day I was amazed at what I discovered. Not only had the plants perked up, but the pale greenish-yellow foliage on many had darkened considerably. I clearly had noticeable and dramatic results literally overnight. I'm not easily impressed but these are the things that catch my attention.

Now I was on to something great -- an all-natural, organic and effective way to feed my plants safely, and I made it at home. My biggest concern now was how could I produce enough to satisfy the quantity I needed?

Since increasing my vermicomposting production facility was not an option, I used the worm tea sparingly and only on the plants needing the most help. Thankfully, now I have far more options. In fact, the actual castings are becoming more readily available in garden centers and nurseries by the bag.

But, even more exciting, the worm tea I covet so much is now available, premixed and ready to use! Thanks to one company, TerraCycle (www.terracycle.net), blazing a path into many of the major retailers and garden centers, you and I have access to all the liquid worm food we want or need. More companies are likely to follow, creating even more opportunities for us all to enjoy these benefits in an eco-friendly way.

So thanks to the power of worm poop and one small but growing company, I can appease my wife and retire the basement worm bin and still have all the liquid organic plant food I'll ever need.

Lamp'l, a Master Gardener, hosts "Fresh from the Garden" on the DIY Network as well as a gardening radio show. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.

Source:
January 17, 2007By Joe Lamp'l DIY Network

Coconut Leaf Vermiwash Stimulates Crop Yield

ORGANIC FARMING has been gaining a lot of momentum in Indian agriculture of late. Farmers are encouraged to go for natural, chemical free methods of cultivation for their crops. Animal wastes and plant residues such as dried leaves are converted in nutrient rich vermicompost in organic farming.
Increasing yield
Coconut farmers may have special benefits because researchers at the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasaragod in Kerala have developed a technique of making vermiwash from coconut palms to increase crop yield.
Farmers normally used the dried fallen coconut palms as a mulching material for their coconut trees. Now the research team has isolated a local strain of earthworm capable of vermicomposting the highly lignin and phenol rich coconut leaves.
Foliar spray
Vermiwash is the brown coloured liquid fertilizer collected after passage of water through a column of worm culture. It is very useful as a foliar spray for all crops.
It is a collection of excretory products and excess secretions of earthworms along with micronutrients from soil organic molecules.
Vermiwash can be produced by allowing water to percolate through the tunnels made by the earthworms on the coconut leaf - cow dung substrate kept in a 200 litre plastic barrel. Water is allowed to fall drop by drop from a pot hung above the barrel into the vermicomposting system. After 45-50 days, clear brown coloured liquid collects at the bottom of the barrel.
The collection can be carried for another two cycles. Then, the content of the barrel should be removed and fresh substrate along with earthworms should be added.
Farmers can make an exit hole in the tanks built for large-scale vermicompost production and collect the vermiwash regularly.
Alkaline in nature
Fresh coconut leaf vermiwash is alkaline in nature and contains nitrogen, phosphorus, potash, calcium, magnesium and zinc in appreciable quantities, according to Dr. Murali Gopal, Senior Scientist of the institute.
It also contains sugars, amino acids and phenols along with plant growth promoting hormones such as indole acetic acid, gibberellic acid, and humic acid.
The fresh vermiwash harbours a large number of beneficial microorganisms that help in plant growth and protects it from a number of infestations.
Germination rate
Laboratory studies have proved that coconut leaf vermiwash improves the germination percentage of the seeds and seedling vigour of seeds such as cowpea and paddy crops, according to Dr Murali Gopal.
"Experiments conducted on nutmeg, clove, pepper and vanilla have proved that the application of vermiwash has resulted in better shoot growth and more leaf production," he explained.
Vermiwash application has increased higher root biomass with a number of fine root hairs that improve the water and mineral absorption capacity of plants.
Vermiwash application stimulated the number of microorganisms particularly the free-living nitrogen fixing bacteria in the soil especially at the root region of the crops.
"Experiments conducted on bhendi (ladies' finger) showed that gall formation, a common infestation, was greatly controlled by regular application of vermiwash," Dr. Murali Gopal noted.
Dilute before applying
Farmers should take care to dilute the vermiwash before applying as if it is used without dilution it can lead to the death of the crop, according to him.
It is advisable to dilute coconut leaf vermiwash 5 to 10 times with water and then apply it to crops.
For more information readers can contact Dr. Murali Gopal, Senior Scientist, Microbiology Section, CPCRI, Kasaragod - 671124, Kerala,phone:04994-232893, email: mgcpcri@yahoo.co.in
© Copyright 2000 - 2006 The Hindu

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URL: http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/seta/2006/12/28/stories/2006122800581600.htm

Author: M J Prabhu

Biz Boom With Flower Power

FLORICULTURE: WITH AROUND 35 PER CENT MARKET SHARE, PUNE REGION BETS ON DOMESTIC MARKET TO BETTER GROWTH

Pune, December 26: By: aban Gupta Pune News Line

AFTER giving Bangalore stiff competition in the IT arena, Pune is slowly catching up with its illustrious peer in another business segment: Floriculture. Having garnered around 35 per cent of the market share, second only to Bangalore region’s 45 per cent, Pune’s floriculturists are on the growth path again.
“Earlier, there was lack of good manpower to implement the technological know-how of Israeli mode of farming and it was also export oriented. Now, we have a strong domestic market to fall back on,” Avinash Rangnekar, an agriculturist for 25 years and managing director of Rs 2-crore Ace Agro, said.

Other With Rs 300 crore domestic market for cut flowers and another Rs 100 crore in exports, according to the State Bank of India (SBI) that does bulk of the funding for floriculture units in the district, other floriculturists share Rangnekar’s optimism.

The advantage, according to Rangnekar, is cheap labour, buoyant domestic market and strong support from the government and financial institutions. While Israeli firms shell out $1,200 (around Rs 54,000) per month to an immigrant worker, floriculturists at Talegaon pay Rs 1,800 per month for a female worker and Rs 2,700 for a male worker. This is because Israel doesn’t get local people to work on its farms and it is immigrant workforce mainly from Thailand who works on their land.

Though the path is not rosy with Indian floriculturists facing problems like lack of capital, proper processing centres and distribution network, they are trying to overcome these hurdles by tying up with European marketing agencies and suppliers, according to Protech Infrastructural Services Ltd managing director Mohan M Riswadkar.
It is mainly roses, carnations and gerberas that constitute the bulk of the exports to France, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia and West Asia. India’s share in global floriculture market is at an abysmally low 0.4 per cent and country’s exports are growing only at 7 per cent as compared to 10 per cent global growth.

For instance, at Talegaon Floriculture Park, though there is a provision for 110 units, only 45 have been set up.

But there is a sliver lining with the National Horticulture Institute imparting training at Talegaon, Mitcon providing consultancy services and a proposed processing centre coming up at Vashi, floriculturists in the region are hopeful of increasing their growth rate to 30 per cent from the current 25 per cent level and put Pune and the country on the global floriculture map.