Earthworm castings are high-quality organic fertilizer
Earthworm castings, as high-quality organic fertilizers, are provided by the Jin Di Agriculture Earthworm Breeding Base.
In 1881, in Darwin's famous work "The Habits of Earthworms and Their Role in the Formation of Plant Soil," it was written that earthworms are the plowmen of agriculture and skilled soil improvers, among other things. Examples of earthworms improving soil and promoting crop yields are countless.
Earthworms can concentrate nutrients. Living earthworms constantly ingest large amounts of organic matter and soil, excreting worm castings and other metabolic products into the soil, thereby increasing soil fertility. Experiments have shown that in the surrounding soil where earthworms reside, many inorganic salt elements such as phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium increase several times over.
Earthworms enable soil to form granular structures. Granular structure is the best soil structure in agriculture; they are soil aggregates formed by calcium ions and humus binding soil particles, with diameters ranging from 1 to 10 millimeters. They do not easily disperse when wet, have strong resistance to compression, are loose and porous, have good air permeability, and can provide the necessary conditions for crop growth and development. Generally, earthworms consume organic matter and mud, which after being ground by the gizzard, acted upon by digestive enzymes and microorganisms within their bodies, synthesize calcium salts along with the calcium carbonate secreted by the earthworm’s calcium glands to form adhesive soil particles. The worm castings excreted by earthworms also consist of soil particles with a granular structure. Worm castings also provide an excellent substrate for microbial growth and reproduction. This type of soil granular structure contains strong water-retaining colloidal substances and water-soluble nutrients, all of which create excellent conditions for plant growth.
From the comparison table of nutrient content between worm castings and original soil, it can be seen that the humus content in worm castings increases by 36% to 150% compared to the original soil, nitrogen increases by 38% to 230%, available nitrogen increases by 75% to 110%, with nitrate nitrogen increasing more than threefold, available phosphorus increases by 20% to 68%, and available potassium increases by 19% to 36%. According to measurements, if waste paper pulp residue, yeast horse manure, etc., are used to feed earthworms, the nutrient content of worm castings is even higher. The dry worm casting composition analysis results show: moisture 32.06%, nitrogen 0.8%, phosphorus 0.86%, potassium 0.49%, carbon 16.5%, humic acid 7.34%, organic matter 29.93%, hydrogen ion concentration 79.42 nanomoles/liter (pH 7.1); fresh worm casting measurement results show: moisture 71.08%, nitrogen 0.41%, phosphorus 0.75%, potassium 0.52%, magnesium 0.79%, silicates 4.78%, calcium 1.16%, iron 0.31%, copper 0.7ppm (i.e., 0.7 parts per million), boron 54ppm, manganese 0.01%, organic matter 19.1%, humic acid 7.01%, carbon 8.74%, crude ash 9.77%, etc., where the content of readily available calcium, magnesium, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium is several times higher than that of general farmland soil. Some studies have proven that worm castings contain several times more phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and organic matter than livestock manure, making its fertility better than livestock manure. It has been proven that worm castings not only enhance soil fertility but also promote the growth and development of cultivated plants and enhance disease resistance.
Comparison of nutrient content between worm castings and original soil:
| Nutrient Type | Humus | Total Nitrogen (%) | Total Phosphorus (%) | Hydrolytic Nitrogen (mg/100g) | Available Phosphorus (mg/100g) | Available Potassium (mg/100g) |
|--------------|---------|---------------------|------------------------|-------------------------------|---------------------------------|-------------------------------|
| Farmland | 1.40 | 0.076 | 0.16 | 3.30 | 2.58 | 6.10 |
| Worm Castings| 1.91 | 0.105 | 0.17 | 6.15 | 3.10 | 8.04 |
| Vegetable Garden | 1.57 | 0.181 | 0.18 | 14.28 | 4.28 | 12.4 |
| Worm Castings| 2.32 | 0.144 | 0.24 | 7.47 | 4.63 | 14.8 |
| Forest Land | 1.34 | 0.056 | - | 4.01 | 2.99 | 31.80 |
| Worm Castings| 3.43 | 0.184 | - | 8.23 | 5.02 | 43.13 |
Jin Di Agriculture offers long-term wholesale sales of earthworm breeds and commercial earthworms. Free earthworm farming technology is provided with the purchase of earthworm breeds. For more details, please visit the Jin Di Agriculture website: www.jindinongye.com
(Responsible Editor: Jin Di Agriculture)