Are you familiar with using worm castings to enhance your garden soil and plants? Whether you’ve used or considered adding castings to your garden, you should know that there are several ways to get the best bang for your buck when using castings.

Let’s take a look at 7 different uses of worm castings:

1.Add to the top of your soil

Want to make worm castings work for you? Add them to the top of your soil! Creating a top dressing out of castings is an easy way to surround your plant with the nutrients it needs to grow and thrive.

Use this method in your garden and your potted plants. Here at MCG Biomarkers, we recommend spreading a layer between ½ to 1 inch thick. Do this around the stem of each plant and you’ll see the results come harvest time.

Once you place the top layer on the soil, water the plants deeply so they can soak up the castings!

 

2.Use them as a side dressing

If you have a limited amount of castings available, you can:

• Put a handful at the base of the plant
• Work it gently so it mixes with the soil
• Avoid damaging the soil
• Water the plant after placing the castings
• Create a furrow around each plant, place the castings in there, and cover it lightly with soil

To help sustain your plant, apply worm castings over the entire bed. You should especially do this when your plants start to bear fruit.

Do you have sandy soil in your organic garden? Be sure to use this method since sandy soil holds little nutrients. The worm castings will help see your plants through a growth spurt!

3.Enhance your seed starter mix

So here’s the thing: worm castings aren’t just for certain stages in the growing process. You can use worm castings at any point including when you’re starting seeds. Add them to your seed starter mix to start them off on the right foot.

When creating your formula, shoot for a mix that’s:

• ⅓ worm castings
• ⅓ coconut husks
• ⅓ vermiculite.

4.Support your soil

Once this season’s garden is done and you’re prepping for the next one, plan to use worm castings when turning your soil.

This is highly beneficial for your plants and it’s easy!

Cover your planting area in 2 to 3 inches of castings, fold them over as you till the soil, and voila! You have nutrient-rich supported soil.

5.Throw a tea party

This method seems a little strange, but trust us, your plants will love it. Instead of steeping tea leaves, steep worm castings!

The easiest way to brew worm casting tea is to use an old t-shirt or cheesecloth to make a large tea bag.

Once you’re ready, put as much worm castings inside the bag as you can and place it in a bucket of water. The soil should stay in the tea bag.

Let it stand overnight and add the “tea” to your garden in the morning!

6.Fertilizer for your garden

One of the most popular uses for worm castings is as fertilizer. Castings are completely natural and they don’t burn plants, which means you can’t overdo it.

At MCG Biomarkers, we have worm casting fertilizer available in 4.5, 15, and 30 pound bags that you can order online.

7.Soil enhancer

One of the quickest ways to turn a barren garden into a thriving one is to add worm castings. Mix a layer on top of the barren soil (the thicker the layer the better) and water them to ensure the nutrients are thoroughly distributed.

Now that you’ve explored several different uses of worm castings, start adding them to your garden! Use worm castings to enhance your soil, support your seedlings, and fertilize your garden.