root uptake. When organic matter is fed to
the soil, the microbial life then feeds nutrients to the plant.
BENEFITS OF WORM CASTINGS
Nutrient Cycling and Retention: As
mentioned earlier, aggregates formed from
microorganisms within the soil greatly reduce nutrient loss, ultimately reducing
groundwater contamination. Less nutrient
leaching, coupled with a healthy microbial
population unlocking nutrients already in
the soil, leads to a lessened need for the
quantity of fertilizer output.
Microbial Diversity: The addition of an
incredibly diverse population of microorganisms from the worm castings helps maximize the productivity of the soil food web.
Water Retention: As the amount of organic matter within the soil increases, so too
does the water holding capacity of that soil.
Disease Suppression: Spraying worm
castings tea populates the soil and leaf surface with an exorbitant amount of microbes
all searching for a food source to survive.
www.stma.org
>> LEFT: The middle of the brewing process. The foam indicates good microbial activity in the tea.
>> RIGHT: This is the finished solution with a tea bag in the foreground.
This diversity ensures that all of the organisms have a predator in the soil; because of
this, no one organism can easily reach populations high enough to cause damage of
any significance. Working symbiotically
with the plant's roots system in this way
helps to eliminate harmful molds and fungi
from inoculating the plant's surface.
Worm castings don't do miracles against
all plant disease; however, research com-
pleted by Dr. Norman Arancon and Dr.
Clive Edwards at Ohio State has shown
that worm castings suppress Pythium ultimum and Rhizoctonia solani diseases. Further research conducted by the Plant
Sciences Department at Cornell University
shows that the beneficial microbes colonize
seed surfaces masking the chemical signaling needed for the pathogen to locate the
host material.
SportsTurf 29
