Now that we have seen how to make worm tea and a few ways to apply the fertilizer, lets move on to the benefits of worm tea. And by the way, the castings can be put in a mesh so they are kept separate of the liquid, leaving a solution that does not need to be strained.
The Benefits of Using Worm Tea
by Yelm Earthworms and Casting Farm
• Worm Tea will out-perform chemical fertilizer. Increasing both plant size and yield. This is due to interaction of Worm Tea microbes with the soil microbes and protozoa, soil particles and the roots of the plant itself.
• Worm Tea used as an inoculant for potting soil will suppress airborne pathogenic fungi that can readily infect sterile potting medium. The organisms in Worm Tea also produce hormones, vitamins, nutrients, enzymes, amino acids and minerals needed by seedling cuttings and young plants. Inoculation should be done two weeks prior to planting.
• Plants grown in soil treated with Worm Tea are healthier due to the symbiotic relationship between the plant and the microbes in the root zone. Plants feed the microbes and the microbes produce or make available all of the food and medicine the plant needs to thrive.
Plants grown in soil treated with Worm Tea are more nutritious than plants grown in soil treated with chemical fertilizer. The food value of these plants is increased due to the availability of minerals, vitamins, enzymes and amino acids.
•Worm Tea can remediate soil that has been damaged by agricultural chemicals. With repeated application the microbes will adapt to the soil as well as convert and metabolize organic and inorganic chemicals. They will also sequester heavy metals not required by plants.
• Worm Tea can treat lawns affected with thatch, which is a condition caused by sterility in the underlying soil. Chemicals usually cause sterility. Worm Tea will repopulate the soil with microbes, enrich the roots and break down the thatch turning it into food for the grass.
• Worm Tea applied to the soil improves water retention. Many of the microbes manufacture protective mucus that acts as glue to agglomerate soil particles. Microbial colonies also make a bio-slime that is mostly water and is retained to protect the colony The water retentive property of healthy soil can be 3-4 times greater than unhealthy soil.
• Worm Tea applied along with insoluble granulated or powdered minerals such as granite, limestone, rock phosphate, etc will supply 95% of everything the soil needs. The other 5% is organic material applied as mulch or litter on the surface of the soil or as dead root material under the soil surface.
• The microbes in Worm Tea turn organic matter into humus, storing energy for later use. This is the basic unit of soil fertility.
• The microbes in Worm Tea feed other organisms in the soil food chain. Protozoa and nematodes feed on bacteria and fungi directly while worms ingest bacteria laden soil particles. All life in the soil depends on microbes, directly or indirectly.
• Worm Tea applied as a foliar spray will act as a fertilizer. Plants will produce more foliage and larger stems. This is a good treatment for plants that are stressed or lacking enough sun.
• Worm Tea applied to a compost pile will accelerate the breakdown of plant material reducing the amount of time to make compost. It can also be used to re-inoculate the pile after it has gone through its hot phase, which inactivates or kills many of the beneficial microbes. Re-inoculation increases the population of beneficial microbes, which continue to breakdown organic matter and form humus. (Worm)
Taken from http://yelmworms.com/compost-tea/
In researching worm tea, I have not found anything but benefits to the soil and the plants that it is applied to. I have not seen any caution labels, side effects, or skull and cross bones.
When you start to look at the natural process of decomposition and the role that worms play in this process, it just makes since to use a natural organic method to help you plants grow and maintain their vigor.
Take a look at this next video, of a proud gardener.
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