Vermicompost

Vermicompost is the product or process of composting utilizing various species of worms to create a heterogeneous mixture of decomposing vegetable or food waste, bedding materials, and vermicast. Vermicast, similarly known as worm castings, worm humus or worm manure, is the end-product of the breakdown of organic matter by a species of earthworm.

Containing water-soluble nutrients, vermicompost is an excellent, nutrient-rich organic fertilizer and soil conditioner. The process of producing vermicompost is called vermicomposting.

The earthworm specie (or composting worm) that we use is Red California worms (Eisenia foetida). To produce vermicompost in large-scale, we use a windrow, which consists of bedding materials for the earthworms to live in and acts as a large bin; organic material (sugar cane waste) is added to it. Although the windrow has no physical barriers to prevent worms from escaping, they do not escape because of the abundance of organic matter for them to feed on.

Red Californian worms can be raised anywhere on the planet that has a temperature not exceeding 40 °C. The minimum temperature in which they can survive is 0 °C, and a temperate of around 20 °C is the optimal temperature for them to reproduce. Worms that live in an area with a temperature between 14 °C to 27 °C are more fertile. During hotter and colder months they reproduce slower than normal. When the temperature is below 7 °C, earthworms do not procreate. Learn more about our Red Californian worms.

Vermicompost is ready for harvest when it contains few-to-no scraps of uneaten food or bedding. Vermicompost has been shown to be richer in many nutrients than compost produced by other composting methods. It is rich in microbial life which converts nutrients already present in the soil into plant-available forms. Unlike other compost, worm castings also contain worm mucus which helps prevent nutrients from washing away with the first watering and holds moisture better than plain soil.