Do worm castings help your vegetables grow faster?

True or False? Do worm castings alone boost the growth rate of your germinating vegetables? What is your experience? Let us know!
Possible Factors that are probably important besides using "just worm castings": seed starter mix vs soil, type of vegetable chosen, quality of worm castings ie what have they been feeding on affects their output.

[dcchong]

I helped built a compost facility in California and I have done tests during that time with our compost, worm casting, miracle grow. Worm casting had the greatest growth followed by miracle grow and then our compost and then the control. The worm casting was purchased from a nearby worm farm using cow manure as the feedstock.

[gsmscrazycanuck]

I found that in side by side trials, worm castings do make the plants grow better. I've had composting worms for 20 years.

[TheChromePoet]

If all the seedlings failed then there is clearly something wrong with the test, a conclusion can't be made until you fix the reason for no germination. Plants can grow in 100% castings, so something isn't right.

[OSGCourtWatch]

Don’t believe the 5x number but even if don’t believe it makes them grow faster it definitely helps them with vitality & pest resistance...

[rubensoil]

IMHO, I think the quality of the castings can make a very big difference. Castings made from shredded paper and peat moss couldn't have the same nutrient value as ones from a very specific compost mix or mostly fed veggie food scraps. Also, there are fungal based composts (leaf mold) vs bacteria based compost high in nitrogen (grass clippings, veggie scraps, comfrey).

[papablueshirt]

I can grow in 100% worm castings, so I am a little surprised it did not germinate. I put worms in my plant pots in my grow room. After about 3-6 months it will turn into all worm castings as the worms process the soil. Plants grow in this, but not as well. Once it turns to all castings, I process it out and replace it. I then use the castings on new plants mixed with pro-mix potting soil.

[vanniyo]

You are comparing beans to squash. Squash requires more nitrogen so the lady probably isn't making things up.

[dyonisis]

yeah I would read the comments Texas Organic before you dismiss something on 1 test. Too many variables to kick an option to the curb on 1 try. A worm does so much to our soil that most people aren't even aware of. So why would it be so hard to believe that at the very least, they could provide a slight improvement? It doesn't matter. I know the results based on my own years of use. either indoor or out. happy gardening.

[ronfeggio]

Vermiculite has caused me problems in the past. Young seedlings are susceptible to root rot; therefore, I don't mix vermiculite in the starting mix. I only use it on top to cover the seeds.

[tnijoo]

I wonder how much it depends on what the worms are fed. All worm castings are not created equal.

[PorchGardeningWithPassion]

This video is very interesting! I think I will be doing some tests myself.

[thomastessier]

Well done. I think your experiment was done right with weighed out amounts and treating each set of plants identically (as much as possible) and from what I see, the worm castings did little to nothing for the plants. In fact, it looks as if the 0% plants did better than the rest. One thing I have learned over the years is that too many people try to use too many different products on their plants and it is just a waste of time and money. Basically, too many people love their plants to death. We have had great results in using just the compost we make and nothing more and we produce so many tomatoes we can't eat them all and our friends get tired of us giving them so many.

[AbiSarav]

It was interesting to see the experiment. :-) The thing is, people use beans and other legumes to put nitrogen back into the soil. Legumes have a symbiotic relationship with soil microbes who take the nitrogen from the air and feed the plant. Beans don't need anywhere near as much soil nitrogen as squash plants so that could explain the differing results.

[mikej]

Thanks for producing this! Quality content.

[AJsGreenTopics]

Worm castings are the best fertilizer. Thanks for sharing.

[DT-oykj]

Great experiment. I bought into the belief that worm castings is the best thing in the world for growing plants, but never really check with actual growth test.

[michaelreden]

You should have used seeds of the same plant (or at least the same family) of the plant/s at the start of the video to your experiment. There are different families of plants which reacts differently to different soil conditions. I believe the plant at the start of the video is from the Gourd/Cucurbits family, while the plant you used is of the Legume/Beans family. In my opinion it's unfair for Mary Ann Smith to compare your experiment to hers.

[novakchong]

maybe it depends on what seeds to grow in worm cast only, i also experimenting on basil, i use only worm cast vs 50% and im surprise to see that 50% grows more than pure casting

[otivaeey]

Your top soil is a fertilized mix. You should try plain old soil or plain peat moss, really plain.

[GrantMcIntosh]

I find that hard to believe. I germinate at a 50/50 with castings and peat.