The Benefits of Worm Castings

Written by Jon Kline, Owner of Woodland Worm Co. and Founder of NutriWorm

Worm castings (a fancy name for worm poop) have incredible benefits not only for your plants, but also for your soil.  The best part - worm castings are all natural!

Soil Benefits

Worm castings are rich in organic matter.  Just like other manures; worm castings provide a feast of bacteria, fungi, and many other soil microbes.  This organic matter feeds the living soil in your gardens, lawns, and fields.  With this increase in organic matter, comes better water retention and soil structure.  The worm castings help aggregate the soil by creating a space in between the soil particles allowing for a space to store water.  Better soil structure helps in the nutrient delivery of worm castings.  Worm castings are the vehicle for microbes to turn organic atmospheric nitrogen into a source of food that your plants can use: ammonia and nitrate.

Plant Benefits

Many studies show that the use of worm castings (we recommend a 20% mix) leads to faster germination, quicker seedling growth, and much stronger root growth.  Root structure is often observed being thicker and fans further out into surrounding soil creating a stable base for your plants to grow and hold.  Another benefit commonly found from worm castings is improved pest suppression.  Higher yields are also commonly found with many marketable produce such as tomatoes, peppers, and strawberries.  

An important note to end with is that worm casting are just so easy to use.  Unlike other soil amendments that can burn your plants if used improperly, you can’t mess it up with worm castings.  You can feed a little, or you can feed a lot.  You will not burn your plants, but you will always improve your soil. 

To learn more about Woodland Worm Co. and order their popular product NutriWorm, please visit their website or follow them on Instagram @woodlandwormco