AusBonsai

I just listened to the last Bonsai Mirai Asymmetry podcast with Gareth Barber from NSW and I found it really interesting. In it Gareth was talking about the wonders of worm castings and how if you feed your worm farm specific types of material that you can get a quite powerful and and bio-available nutrients to feed your trees. Does anyone have any experience with this precision worm farm feeding to get worm castings that can be used as fertiliser. Or any other information or advise on worm castings.

Jesse

I'm sure that worm casting would provide many micro nutrients, but did Gareth say how he used it? I would be a little wary of the fine particles.

I've certainly used the stuff that drains out the bottom of the worm farm (diluted 1:1) on my trees but not tried to use the castings themselves. These normally go into the compost.

Rare plant Pat wrote: ↑August 24th, 2020, 12:21 pm I'm sure that worm casting would provide many micro nutrients, but did Gareth say how he used it? I would be a little wary of the fine particles.

He mentioned running them through sieves and also a photo which he had sent to Ryan of castings that had been in a pot for 3 years. I have not seen the photo but Ryan seemed impressed by it, leading me to believe the castings hadn't degraded very much. IDK I haven't seen the photo though so I cant confirm.

I´ve just listened to this one and it´s fascinating. I want a worm farm now.
Certainly sounds like a step up from the worm farm we used to have in a concrete basin so we would have a tub of worms when fishing. Gareth sounds a lot more credible than the other bunch but as they say it may be the missing factor to it all.

Also reckon he has more to say about aquaculture bi-product usage as ferts, I´d love to know more about that too.
Funny as I was about to do an online aquaponics course followed by an aquaculture one, after listening to the first part of this I may skip the ponics altogether although I´m certain it wont even begin to touch on his knowledge.

All in all a good listen, might re listen and take some notes.

Worm castings are ok but it should be heated first unless you want to introduce worms into your bonsai pots. It's chock full of worm eggs.
You heat it by solarizing. That is put it moist in clear plastic bag laid on it's side so it's no more than about 100 mm thick in full sun on a hot summer day. If it reaches 50 to 60C inside for a few hours it's ready. You can then let it dry out and use it whenever you want.
BTW. This is also good for re-use of old potting mix after it has had a few months of composting.

I've just spent the afternoon building a worm farm. I've done some extra research and it looks like worm castings NPK can vary widely I would say it depends greatly on what you feed the worms. I think when i get mine up and running i might get it tested.

jehsiboi wrote: ↑August 26th, 2020, 4:16 pm I've just spent the afternoon building a worm farm. I've done some extra research and it looks like worm castings NPK can vary widely I would say it depends greatly on what you feed the worms. I think when i get mine up and running i might get it tested.

My worm farm currently gets vegetable scraps but after listening to the podcast yesterday it seems that feeding the worms composted material produces better castings and may help alleviate the problem @jehsiboi mentions, since foodstuffs have been broken down and mixed. Since the worms seem to enjoy the compost heap too, I can see this working

This thread promted me to ask about GoGo Juice which is touted to be Probiotic. With no NPK values.
Anyone used it with negative results yet.??

Hi guys,

That’s Me.

Anyone got any questions fire away

Alan Peck wrote: ↑August 28th, 2020, 9:39 am This thread promted me to ask about GoGo Juice which is touted to be Probiotic. With no NPK values.
Anyone used it with negative results yet.??

The ''probiotic'' claim in liquid preparations is nonsense. Any bacteria found in it would be anaerobic and completely useless in an aerated mix.
Anaerobic bacteria like those in yogurt are fine for your anaerobic gut. Probiotics in a liquid commercial fertilizer?... made up garbage.

Hi Gareth,

That was a great podcast, I'll need to listen to it again with a notebook close by. Thanks for entering the fray and contributing, it was a good antidote to the previous episode on soil science which was a bit of a bummer.

Do you treat the worm castings before you use them, and do you get worms hatching in your pots?

Matt.

treeman wrote: ↑August 28th, 2020, 2:54 pm

Alan Peck wrote: ↑August 28th, 2020, 9:39 am This thread promted me to ask about GoGo Juice which is touted to be Probiotic. With no NPK values.
Anyone used it with negative results yet.??

The ''probiotic'' claim in liquid preparations is nonsense. Any bacteria found in it would be anaerobic and completely useless in an aerated mix.
Anaerobic bacteria like those in yogurt are fine for your anaerobic gut. Probiotics in a liquid commercial fertilizer?... made up garbage.

Respectfully, this is incorrect.

True, at room temps their shelf life will be far reduced, but hetertrophic bacteria used for probiotics (predominantly) can and will survive in a a bottle quite easily, wither in cell or spore form.

And yes, I mean aerobic bacteria.

Fungi dominant is why we want to be promoting for our trees though. Bacteria is good too, but in small doses

Matt S wrote: ↑August 28th, 2020, 3:03 pm Hi Gareth,

That was a great podcast, I'll need to listen to it again with a notebook close by. Thanks for entering the fray and contributing, it was a good antidote to the previous episode on soil science which was a bit of a bummer.

Do you treat the worm castings before you use them, and do you get worms hatching in your pots?

Matt.

Thanks mate.

The groundwork already lid provided invaluable data, it’s a very exciting time at the moment, it has definitely reinvigorated me.

I do nothing except screen and soft the castings, if worms don’t end up in my pots, and stay in there, it is a sign that the pot is healthy, not at all an issue.

Once their food runs out in there they move on. And whilst they are in there, they are taking waste and remineralising it into usable nutrient and humus.

GBarb wrote: ↑August 28th, 2020, 1:52 pm Hi guys,

That’s Me.

Anyone got any questions fire away

Hey Gareth well done on the podcast it was really interesting.
I was wondering if you had any information on the NPK of worm castings and if we could feed the worms foods such as soy or canola meal to boost these numbers.

Also I was extremely interested by the idea of passing pumice though your worm farm and then using that pumice in your potting mix, I was wondering if you had more details on how to do this and what would be the benefits.

Cheers
Jesse