Many people think about using worm castings in the spring and summer months however forget one of the most important times of the year in order to “winterize” your prized plants. Much the same as you might winterize your outboard motor or add some additional antifreeze to your automobile to prepare for winter your outdoor plants need some TLC as well.
Whether it is your rose bushes, your favorite fruit trees, or other plants, it is important to use worm castings early in the fall while the plants are still green. Once they go dormant, they will not be able to utilize the nutrients effectively!
By adding worm castings now, you are enabling your plants to feed aggressively, much like a bear preparing for the long winter before hibernation, hence giving them the added boost not only to survive the long winter months but to thrive in early spring as well.
For smaller plants and shrubs it is best to pull away any mulch and sprinkle a cup to four cups of worm castings (depending on the size of the plant) before covering up with the mulch again. For larger plants such as fruit trees, it is best to pull away any mulch from the drip line (outer edges of the branches where the rain drips off the tree) and pour worm castings directly under the drip line. Cover with the existing or new mulch. Be sure to water thoroughly after applying to allow the nutrients to work down through the soil to the roots of the plants.
Another time to use worm castings is when you are planting your favorite fall flowers or vegetable gardens in order to obtain optimum colors and produce. Also when planting your bulbs later in the fall for next spring’s flowers be sure to mix worm castings in the soil before inserting the bulb as well as when covering it up. This will help to insure flowers next spring that will surely be the envy of your neighbors (Unless your neighbor is also reading this!).
Early fall is also a good time to broadcast worm castings across your grass areas, usually recommend at ten pounds per one hundred square feet of area. A word of caution to any lazy folks out there… A couple years ago I planted Rye grass seed for the winter in South Carolina and utilized worm castings when I seeded in the fall. I ended up cutting that area of yard approximately every two weeks all winter long!
By using worm castings early in the fall will give your plants a head start come next spring. Once again, usually towards the middle to end of spring, you will want to re-fertilize your prized areas to help insure they do well in the warmer summer months.
question about African night crawlers.
you say they do best in 70 degrees but can they be grown in a heated cellar?
or better put , whats the coldest temperature they can tolerate Bruce?
question 2
Have you tried the carrot pulp yet? my euros just love it
i am presently going thru 5 lbs of carrots per week
on average… of course you’ll need a juicer or a local
juice bar to obtain free carrot pulp.I sprinkle my
worm chow on top of the carrot pulp… and my
operation has quadrupled and i’m enlarging my growing
area in the basement. i found that layers of card board
from banana boxes covered with maple leaves ended the escapee’s.
Rav
I don’t recommend below 70 degrees Fahrenheit when raising African nightcrawlers. For one they slow down the cooler it gets, eating, reproducing and growing less. Secondly, over prolonged exposure to mid sixties will even begin to kill off African nightcrawlers.
There are several ways to grow in a basement or heated basement. If additional heat is needed I know of several people (something I tried several years ago) using a partition even if made with a plastic tarp and a heater. I found the oil filled radiator style heaters with a built in thermostat worked best and efficiently.
Bruce
Rav
I have not tried carrot pulp as a main course
I have used carrot scraps such as peelings along with other vegetable scraps in all four types of worms we raise here with success on all of them!
Bruce