I also needed a way to grow some barley grain quickly each week for one of the worms we raise. I tried using soil which did alright however I went to plan “B” shortly thereafter realizing I needed a quick turnaround growing the barley to 6 inches tall. I did some reading on hydroponics however the startup costs were a bit high, especially for the amount of space which would be required for the tanks, pump equipment… for the amount of grain I needed to grow. I then decided to try growing the barley grain directly in well watered worm castings. The results were staggering to say the least.

I used the granular type of worm castings which are produced on the Organic Worm Farm. This enabled a type of blend between traditional planting and hydroponics since there was some water held between the worm casting granular. I use some starter trays with clear lids to help maintain the moisture until they grow tall enough in approximately 4 days time.

The seeds began to germinate in two days. After just three days most all the seed had germinated. Within the next four days, the barley grain had grown to about six inches tall.

The pictures below show the grain just 7 days after planting the seeds.

The next shows the extensive root growth taking place in the seedlings, something worm castings are known for.

Now back to the tomato experiment.

As for the tomato plants, these results are also amazing as they were all planted in the same soil with the exception of the addition of worm castings to some. They all receive the same amount of sunlight, water… in the garden.

To date not only are the tomato plants in the worm castings taller as well as bushier but they are also producing more tomatoes than the plants without the worm castings.

The benefits of worm castings are clearly noted here as well as how to produce more vegetables, flowers… per each plant.

The pictures below display the actual differences. Notice the wire tie for the plants and how the one without worm castings (first picture) only rises to the third wire while the one with worm castings rises to the fourth wire, 6 inches higher.

To produce these type of worm castings we use, be sure to visit 14 Day Worm Castings for more information and take advantage of the Father’s Day Special Promotion!

I have plenty of straw mulch around my squash and zucchini plants as to retain moisture in the ground as the root systems of these plants do draw a lot of moisture.

I began to wonder if I had a root fungus as there was no evident signs top side of a problem. We had quite a bit of rain the other week with heavy down pours as well as slower soaking rains due to afternoon and some morning thunderstorms about every day last week.

As a solution I tried mixing some more worm tea, extra strength earlier this week, about 5 ounces of worm castings to four gallons of water. I then went outside the other evening and sprayed my plants at a rate of four parts water, 1 part worm tea.

Yesterday I noticed my plants were not wilting quite as harshly as they had been earlier this week.

This morning, to my amazement, I went to the garden to do some picking and glanced over at my squash and zucchini plants only to see the healthiest looking plants ever. For the first time this week, not only are the plants sitting upright, but the leaves have an inverted look to them as they should in the morning and evening hours.

As for the little guy with only three leaves left, I am happy to report he is not as bald as he is now sprouting a total of five leaves

Now whether there was a fungus issue or other problem, it is amazing to see what adding beneficial microbes to the soil can and will do for your plants.

For more on worm tea products, visit Organic Worm Farm.

Good Luck in Your Gardening Adventures,

Bruce

First off, worm tea has many beneficial uses! Use on all your plants, lawn, shrubs, flowers; even add a few drops to the water in vases containing fresh cut flowers to prolong life. Worm tea also helps reduce diseases in plants, blackspot on roses and other dry fungus/bacteria’s harmful to plants.

Worm tea does not smell. It may have a sweet odor when first brewing your tea for a number of hours if adding molasses, but then should dissipate. If you have worm tea that smells, get rid of it as it contains harmful organisms rather than beneficial ones!

Worm tea is not to be confused with leachate, the runoff liquid from worm bins that some folks get. If your worm bin is gathering liquid, your worm bin is too wet and you are probably having problems. The leachate is usually acidic and can smell pretty bad This is why I refuse to sell worm bins that have spigots on them as they are useless.

Not one of my worm bins collects any fluids at the bottom since I maintain a constant moisture level of 70%. A moisture tool can be a good investment.

I get frustrated when someone tries to sell another a product that will not work based upon the directions given. Read on as the next part many are unaware of…

First let me make one important note here since most people receive water from a local water company via the county, city… Unless you have well water and have not added a chlorinator, there will be chlorine in your tap water.

Chlorine kills micro-organisms.

The way around this as a simple solution is to sit your water out in direct sunlight on a sunny day. Allow to sit for one day as sunlight will burn up chlorine, same as it does in a swimming pool! Once you have completed this, your water should be ready to brew your own worm tea or add concentrated worm tea mix.

The amount of worm castings to add to your brew depends on the amount of worm tea you wish to make. Basically you want ½ ounce per gallon or 2.5 ounces per five gallon bucket. If using tea bags, be sure they are unbleached or oxygen bleached only. We offer the oxygen bleached, biodegradable tea bags at our online store at red worms for sale.

Next feed the organisms you are about to wake up, adding some molasses to the water. Use all natural, unsulphured molasses only. You do not want to add too much. I use 1 Tablespoon per five gallons or ½ Teaspoon per 1 gallon of water.

Next you want to aerate the water for at least 24 hours. You can use a simple aquarium aerator which you can pick up for around ten dollars. Add some tubing and aerator stone(s) you should still be at fifteen dollars or less. I use this method for small batches; however I use a large compressor for our 50 gallon tanks!

OK so now you are ready to begin. Add your aerator to your water. Next add molasses and give it a quick stir. The aerator will help keep it mixed in afterwards. Next add your worm castings. You can use an old pillow case or tea bags work well. I recommend a lid to cover the top, which can just be placed, not fastened to allow air to pass through. Otherwise the aerator will make bubbles that splash around your bucket.

Now sit back and relax. Wait a minimum of 24 hours; however I recommend 48 hours if you can stand still that long

Once completed, do not throw away the worm castings. Throw them into a compost pile in the yard or garden area. The tea bags offered at http://RedWormsForSale.com are biodegradable; simply toss the entire bag in!

Now you have two choices. The worm tea can be sprayed directly on the leaves of your plants. Do not do this in direct sunlight or you will burn your plants due to refraction of the sun. Basically a magnifying glass held up to your plant leaves This process is best if done early in the morning on your outdoor plants and lawn.

You can also use the worm tea to water your plants. With either method, you cannot harm your plants by adding to little or too much. This is an organic product and will not burn your plants as many store bought fertilizers will.

I recommend using the tea once a week.

Time to get back to my garden to see if anything grew since this morning

Bruce

Alabama Jumpers are in the nightcrawler family and have three distinguishing traits. One is their sheer size. These bad boys grow 8 -10 inches and sometimes even larger.

Probably their most notable characteristic is the fact they are much hardier than other worms. It is the only worm that I currently handle that can burrow through hard packed clay soil. If you live in the south, you know what I am referring to. Alabama Jumpers have a tough outer coat add this to their sheer strength and you have a super worm

If you like to fish, this worm is a must to have in your bag of tricks. The Alabama Jumper has the word jumper in its name for a reason. They will literally jump right out of your hands! With all that jumping around, you are sure to attract the attention of some fish

Currently I am offering 1,000 of the Alabama Jumpers for just $89.95 which includes priority mail shipping within the continental USA.

Click here for more information and to order Alabama Jumpers as well as other worms and products!

Back to the gardening in the morning… be back soon!

Bruce