What’s in Worm Leachate?

...It’s pretty strong stuff! Gillman concludes, this could be a great liquid fertilizer if it were used properly. I’d recommend diluting it somewhere between 1:1 and 1:5 worm juice : water before applying it, and I’d only apply it once every week or two. If you want to use it, try it on something that you’re not too concerned about first, just to make sure that it doesn’t do anything too terrible (It shouldn’t, but I believe in caution). To see a fu...

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Parkway Plantings

...t to grow and requires vigilance to keep pests under control, and frequent fertilizer applications (organic, of course). The faster growing Quarantina, is easier to grow since the crop is produced faster and bugs have less time to munch on it. We grew both of these varieties last year and marveled at the taste of fresh broccoli, which is nothing like the bland crap in our supermarkets. Cauliflower – Cavolfiore di Sicilia Violetto. This purple Sici...

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Root Knot Nematodes, Meliodogyne spp.

...e. Bad stuff. I have had plants that mysteriously won’t grow. No amount of fertilizer, water or sunlight seems to make them happy. Then, I pull out the plant and find the tell-tale sign of root knot nematodes- galls on the roots. The roots are stunted and distorted. They look like they are covered in tumors. According to my California Master Gardener Handbook, plant parasitic nematodes (including the root knot type) can form complexes with pathoge...

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Maintaining a Worm Bin

...but they’d toss the castings everywhere in the process, and add their own fertilizer to the mix. Yet, some sort of containment system might work… Daydreaming aside, until I invent that Chicken Powered Terror Dome for Worms, I have to sort the worms myself. There are various tricks for this. None are foolproof. I believe I’ve blogged about them before. After trial and error I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s just as easy to pick them out by han...

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