Vermicomposting: Articles
Contents:
Worm Farming: Composting but with a difference!
Helpful Benefits Of Earthworms: Worms do great things for your garden, and also help support bird life by providing a wonderful food source
Worm Harvesters: Reduce the labour costs of this time consuming and hard working task, with these machines
Vermiculture Products: Vermicomposting; vermiculture products, compost bins, worm growers, composters, compost towers, compost boxes and may other wonderful worm growing container systems.
Recycle Kitchen Wastes Using a Home Worm Bin: Recycling your kitchen wastes using a home worm bin is an easy, ecologically sound way to dispose of kitchen wastes. Read more.
Basics of Vermicomposting The species of worm used for vermicomposting has a number of common names: red worms, red wigglers, manure worms, or brandling worms.
What is Vermicomposting
Vermicomposting is a process that has been adopted throughout the world, but it is particularly popular in India. Many countries, such as Australia, the USA and several European countries, have developed thriving vermicomposting industries, but these cannot be compared with the enthusiasm to which India has taken to “Vermi!”.
Originally vermicomposting was carried out for the purpose of breeding and selling the worms (vermiculture), with the worms being used for fishing bait, and sometimes also for fish feeding.
In recent years, people have become aware that earthworms, by their activity in the compost, are able to decompose and stabilise a wide variety of wastes.
This has changed the focus of many operators from producing earthworms to producing 'vermicompost', and many more operators have been attracted by the realisation that earthworms are capable of producing an extremely high quality compost. Furthermore, this product has become a highly sought-after, and valuable product.
The truth is that in practice the breeding of earthworms and processing organic wastes go hand in hand, and many vermicomposting businesses benefit greatly by developing by both aspects for maximum benefit.
In the attempt by some, to market commercial vermicomposting systems, exaggerated claims have sometimes been made about both the large number of earthworms that can be produced and the almost magical quality of the resulting vermicompost. While many of these claims are justified, and good vermicompost is incomparably good, some of these claims are still being researched.
Vermicomposting produces a premium price product, and it can therefore more economically be transported from the more remote regions to market in towns where the demand for this product is high.
If you have not tried growing with vermicompost we recommend that you try it soon.
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