SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/107950
FieldScience | By Joey Fitzgerald Use earthworm castings tea for better turf OW CAN EARTHWORMS BE BENEFICIAL TO US AS TURF MANAGERS? We know of the natural aerification that takes place from earthworm activity in the soil, ultimately opening up pore space for root growth and improving water and oxygen movement, but is there any other way that we can benefit from these slimy creatures? It turns out that through a process called vermicomposting we can potentially reap countless advantages in mak- H ing turfgrass more stress tolerant while improving soil structure while reducing dependence on chemical and pesticide use. Vermicomposting is an organic process used to convert agricultural and other waste into valuable living soil amendments. The end result of the vermicomposting process is the production of earthworm excrement, referred to as castings. These castings are packed with beneficial nematodes, protozoa, fungi, organic matter, plant growth regulators (humates and fulvates), plant growth Organic matter serves as a storehouse for nutrients in the soil. SOIL NEEDS ORGANIC MATTER AND MICROBES To fully understand the benefits of worm castings, it is best to first comprehend the need for sufficient organic matter and healthy microbial activity in the soil. Organic matter serves as a storehouse for nutrients in the soil. Unlike soluble synthetic fertilizers, the nutrients stored in organic matter and microbial bodies do not easily leach out. The organic matter forms aggregates with fungus and other beneficial bacteria making it difficult for nutrient leaching from heavy water movement through the soil profile. The diverse addition of microbial life to the plant's leaf surface and rootzone has many benefits, but perhaps the greatest and most direct benefit comes as a population addition to the soil food web. This addition helps to maximize a continual cycle of breaking down and releasing nutrients into plant-available forms accessible to the roots. As bacteria and fungi feed on organic matter in the soil, they store nutrients within their body while releasing others. Then as nematodes and protozoa in turn prey on them, nutrients are released from the bacterial and fungal bodies into the soil in a plant available-form ready for >> THE BEGINNING of the brewing process—the straining bag of worm castings is placed in water. 28 SportsTurf | February 2013 www.sportsturfonline.com Worm image ©istockphoto.com/knorre hormones (IAA and gibberellins), and soluble nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, and Mg).