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EARTH
We dig e arthworms! Without them therewould be no plants on the
planet!
To see how vermicompost makes plantsgrow have a look at this
slide.
WATER AIR ENERGY
Did youknow
The averageperson drinks75,000 litres ofwater throughouttheir
life.
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Can-O-Worms
Home Vermiculture
Vermiculture
'Vermiculture' literally means worm growing or worm farming.
When earthwormsare used primarily for the production of compost,
the practice is referred to as
vermicomposting.
Why all the excitement about earthworms?
Earthworms are truly amazing creatures that hold vast potential
for addressingmany of our current ecological concerns, including
climate change and foodsecurity. Perhaps surprisingly, this is not
breaking news.
After writing The Origin of Species Charles Darwin devoted much
of the rest ofhis life to the study of earthworms. In his book The
Formation of VegetableMould through the Actions of Worms with
Observations on their Habits Darwinwrote The plough is one of the
most ancient and most valuable of man'sinventions, but long before
he existed, the land was in fact regularly ploughed,
and still continues to be ploughed by earthworms. It may be
doubted whetherthere are many other animals which have played so
important a part in thehistory of the world as have these lowly
organised creatures.
Earthworms aerate, till and fertilize the soil, breaking down
organic waste intoplant-available forms, improving the soil
structure and nutrient and water-holding qualities of soil. In the
past 50 years in particular, the use of chemical
fertilizers, over-tillage of the soil and the use of pesticides
have killedearthworms and other beneficial organisms, leading to
poor soil fertility, loss ofsoil structure and soil erosion. At the
same time, rotting organic waste dumpedin landfills is polluting
our underground water supply and releasing vastamounts of the
greenhouse gases responsible for global warming.
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7/27/2019 Vermiculture _ Information
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ar worms ea organ c was e an g ve us ea y so an organ c er zer
nreturn. Put simply, it is a deal that humanity cannot afford to
pass up.
Some earthworm facts
As worms move through soil and decaying organic matter, they
ingest (eat) andaerate it, depositing castings as they go. These
castings are rich in nutrientsand beneficial soil organisms. Inside
the gut of one worm there are enzymesand masses of bacteria and
microbes. Everything that passes through the gutof an earthworm is
coated with these beneficial microbes and bacteria.
While fertile soil has in the region of 5-million microbes per
gram, worm castingshave been found to contain up to 100-million
microbes per gram - up to 20times more! In the soil, these microbes
continue to break down organic matterinto plant-available forms,
thereby enabling plant roots to take up nutrients thatwould
otherwise have stayed bound in the soil. These beneficial organisms
alsosuppress the growth of pathogens, which means healthy soil and
healthyplants.
Not surprisingly, it is these very microbes that play a major
role in determiningsoil fertility, so it is ironic that earthworms
are the very creatures that are killedby inorganic fertilizer
applications. While we have been taught that bacteria are'bad', the
vast majority of bacteria are not pathogenic to humans, in fact
manyare beneficial and essential to sustaining the processes of
life.
As long as the decaying organic matter is maintained at the
correct pH andprevented from becoming anaerobic (when there is too
little oxygen), no foulodours are created, pests are not attracted
and the process remains hygienic.It is only when the pH is out of
balance or the decaying organic materialbecomes anaerobic that
pathogens and toxin-producing bacteria begin toproliferate, and
pests are more likely to be attracted.
Researchers have identified and named thousands of distinct
species ofearthworm, but to date only around six have been
identified as useful invermiculture systems. These species have the
ability to tolerate a wide range ofenvironmental conditions and
fluctuations and they are not adversely affectedby handling and
disruption of their habitat. Other qualities that make these
species suitable include relatively short life spans, and rapid
growth andreproductive rates.
Eisenia fetida, its close relative, Eisenia andrei, and
Lumbricus rubellus are theearthworm species most commonly used in
vermiculture. They are referred toby a variety of common names,
including red worms, red wigglers, tiger worms,brandling worms, and
manure worms. They are often raised together and aredifficult to
tell apart.
What is FullCycle's interest in vermiculture?
Earthworm systems are typically managed for one of three
reasons; wastemanagement, production of worm biomass and production
of castings(vermicomposting). FullCycle's interest in vermiculture
primarily has to do with
the promotion of environmentally sound waste management
practices, but alsothe beneficial re-use of waste/resources through
the production of solid(vermicompost) and liquid fertilizer
(vermi-tea or worm tea).
FullCycle sells Can-O-Worms and Worm Factory, among the most
populardomestic worm bins worldwide. FullCycle aslo designs,
commissions andmanages modular vermiculture systems for on-site
organic waste managementat hotels and businesses. At these
commercial installations, maintenenceschedules and the health of
the system can be monitored via an SMS systemcalled EMON, which
stores data in a database for later analysis on-line. Thesystem
automatically warns managers by SMS if the data received is
outsidepre-defined parameters, or if there are problems requiring
attention.
