Terra Castings?

[Ahmabeliever]

I have recently learned of the use of chitin in worm composting to select for fungi that decompose chitin (insects exoskeletons). Crab or lobster shell can be used, or the shells left behind by mantis, cicadas and locusts.

 

Though the process is patented, there is no law stopping me from doing this at home.

 

This greatly intensified my interest in worms! Killing larval stages of fungus gnats and root aphids with worm castings!

 

So I'm thinking about worms, and the use of them for fighting disease and it occurs to me the healthiest orchards I've been in left the leaf litter on the ground. Worm food, complete with any and all problems the leaves may have incurred the previous season.

 

I'm also looking at bio-remediation, utilising bacteria and fungal symbionts to accelerate the 'organic properties' of badly abused land. This I believe can be enhanced by char amendment, and if the char addition contains the symbiotic bacteria fungi etc needed for enhancing soil biology, it could make it a one step process.

 

So out comes the mortar and pestle, and some nice char which is pine hardwood and avocado pits gets ground to dust and added as carbon for the worm farm.

 

Results will have to wait, and it's just me in my yard.

 

But others could try this. I imagine it will only take a small amount of these castings to make big changes to soil structure.

 

Of course, the castings need to be good. That is, displaying the range and speciation desired for soil restoration. Bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes. These castings can be tilled in or spread, and also used in compost teas to 'breed' multitudes of micro-herd in a short space of time for soil and foliar application.

 

With worm castings said to retain 10 times the nutrition of compost it makes sense to me to process char in worm farms and then apply it.

 

My hope is that this will alleviate the nutrient drain seen in some soils as the char will be 'full'. Also, the setting up of correct biology for organic systems. Terra Preta does not require fertiliser, mulching and compost should be all that is required, recycling the lands wastes, very minimal addition. Soils that don't require inorganic fertiliser have a complete soil food web.

 

So, instead of loading the char with fertiliser, inorganic or organic, I'll load it with a microherd full of chelated ready to go organic nutrients.

 

Can also merely change the worms diet to alter nutrient profile of the castings.

[Michaelangelica]

A fascinating show

Worms help remediate soils

 

listen now | download audio

 

Earthworms can eat thirty times their body weight of soil each day. Metals in the soil are taken in and change in form, often becoming inert. Mark Hodson is investigating the use of earthworms to help remediate sites degraded by metal contamination.

 

Transcript

 

Robyn Williams:Worms; pink ones, brown ones, and most not lowly at all.

This lot are moving into toxic zones to gobble up heavy metals.

Mark Hodson from the University of Reading.

Worms help remediate soils - Science Show - 15 November 2008

[palmtreepathos]

I have recently learned of the use of chitin in worm composting to select for fungi that decompose chitin (insects exoskeletons). Crab or lobster shell can be used, or the shells left behind by mantis, cicadas and locusts..

 

Ahmabeliever, Do you think that if I collect cicada shells I find over the winter and then put them in the vicinity of my fermenting rice water this coming spring it may develop the organisms digesting them into my EM brew? I need to find a brew that will run off whitefly or disable the eggs they lay from hatching. Seriously.

 

I am also looking for fungi that would digest animal fur. I have 2 dogs and keep thinking that their shedded fur is an untapped resource, yet it takes forever to break down. I cannot recall if I have ever tried putting it in the worm bed though... hmmm.... We have had a cold snap here, near 20F degrees, so the red wigglers are halfway to China right now. Hopefully I will remember this when it warms up a bit and then I will try a few handfuls of fur in the worm bed.

 

I just had an idea to use some comfrey leaves to soak fur in over the winter. It breaks everything else down a lot faster so maybe.... And I guess lye from the ashes of charcoal making would work, too. Another fun project to hold me over the winter months.... :evil:

[Ahmabeliever]

Fur/hair is good in worm bins they'll actually fill it with coccoons.

 

for EM and insects perhaps you should do an insecticide with it...

 

EM/molasses/garlic/chillies etc. Loads of information for em insecticides on the web.

 

Lye will force pH right up and out of whack making it very easy for undesirable anaerobes to inhabit.

 

If you need more heat in the worms perhaps use the comfrey in there.

 

If I had a bit of lye lying around... I'd be collecting sea water and extracting the calcium/magnesium and micros out of it. Unfortunately this 'technology' is full of cult whackjobs already. People who eat it and think they are on a path to enlightenment...

 

Did I say whack - I meant WHACKjobs!

 

Ormes - that's what to google, I warned about the whackjobs didn't I?

 

Ignore pretty much everything except the extraction with lye - 'the wet method.' Use this on soil for stunning results, be ANAL about getting the salt out.

[Michaelangelica]

Ahmabeliever,

I just had an idea to use some comfrey leaves to soak fur in over the winter. It breaks everything else down a lot faster so maybe.... And I guess lye from the ashes of charcoal making would work, too. Another fun project to hold me over the winter months.... :shrug:

I am interseted in your Comfrey work

I was president of HDRA which promoted Comfrey in the 70's 80's.

It is an amazing herb .

 

Are you using Russian or wild comfrey?

 

What made you decide to use it in this instance