# earthworm castings



## brad (Jul 10, 2005)

I`m looking for info on using earthworm castings in subtrate. I`ve googled. I`ve Yahooed. I`ve MSNed. Nothing! Any info anyone can cough up would be much appreciated.


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

Use the search function on this forum in the dark blue menu at the top of this site. I came up with 16 hits...


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## plantbrain (Jan 23, 2004)

Do not forget to boil it first prior to using............ 

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## brad (Jul 10, 2005)

Oooh.... lots of negative comments.


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## plantbrain (Jan 23, 2004)

Well, no, not if you can follow some directions........
The same can be said for soil and other items.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## brad (Jul 10, 2005)

I actually thaught this was something I could go to my garden to get. I figured I have lots of worms, must be I have these `castings` things too.

Didn`t really know what they were!

I`m looking into using mushroom composte under a thick layer of sand. My terrestrial plants grow to nearly twice the size they`re supposed to with it. I`m just worried about organics and other junk. I know it`s made with composted horse manure and has lots of goodies added. It`s been sitting outside in a pile for 3-4 years just craving to be used up.

Any thaughts on using the mushroom composte?


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## plantbrain (Jan 23, 2004)

As long as you prurge the NH4/urea, then it will be fine.

Boil it, soak it in a thin tray with water for 3 weeks etc.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## RTR (Oct 28, 2005)

To expand a bit on TB's note: Mineralization, transforming via microbial action the organic materials, especially nitrogen-containing in "soil" into the inorganic forms is what is needed to avoid ammonia release later in the tank. This is an updated improvement on the old "soil soup" suggestions. It does work. If you more than the thin layer TB suggests, you do need to stir frequently (daily?) to avoid a smelly anaerobic/axoxic mess.


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

> Okay, here's the recipe a friend of mine uses for his soil substrates. First off DO NOT put anything organic like compost into your tank or you will have headache after headache.
> 
> List of Materials:
> 
> ...


That's a good recipe for a soil substrate.


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## plantbrain (Jan 23, 2004)

Boiling it will work better for most folks since most are too impatient and achieves the same result without the bacteria.

Any 3 week purge time in water and swishing around will work for the soil.
Aeration would be better than swishing around while you wait.

KCL and dolomite need not be added. K+ in the substrate achieves little if anything. K+ is taken up in virtually every aquatic through the leaves and K+ is extremely soluble and does not bind to organic materials.

Clays can hold it as well as Ca/Mg, but so can many things, K+, Mg, Ca are best added via the water column and often are, in the case of Mg/Ca, present in tap water anyway.

Buffering the pH with dolomite is not going to help the bacteria, they will fight against it and lower the pH to 7 anyway.

I'd opt for SM+ soil that's been boiled.
You can also try Osmocoat time release for macro ferts in the substrate.

ADA power sand has similar materials, they are juice filled balls you can pick out and pop.




Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

The bacteria method works in 3-4 weeks as well.


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## Rickylp (May 19, 2005)

put the humus in your kitchen furnace for 1 1/2 hours.

thats all

Regards

Ricky
Buenos Aires


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## Freemann (Mar 19, 2004)

> put the humus in your kitchen furnace for 1 1/2 hours


What do you mean by humus? Worm castings? Can you elaborate a bit more on this one?


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## Raul-7 (Feb 4, 2004)

Freemann said:


> What do you mean by humus? Worm castings? Can you elaborate a bit more on this one?


Humus is basically organic matter, such as decaying leaves (peat), earthworm castings, etc.

By furnace, he means oven? But I have to ask why would I want to bake the soil? Is this DIY AquaSoil?


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

*Mystical, magical poo*

There is nothing magical about earthworm castings. They are just soil that has been through an earthworm. The earthworm has digested some of the organic matter, but by no means all. I assume the castings come from commercial earthworm farms, and that they can't keep growing earthworms in the same soil indefinitely because of the build up of nutrient salts, primarily nitrates. The growers throw in the food, whatever it is, and the earthworms eat it, and the bacteria convert the wastes of the earthworms to nitrates, phosphates, etc. When these mineral nutrients get concentrated, they injure the earthworms. So, the growers periodically bring in new soil and sell the old as fertilizer. (I am guessing all this!) In gardener's minds there is something organic and mystical about earthworm castings. Just as, in Milwaukee people I knew got crazy about using mink poo in their gardens. Mink, being energetic, sex-crazed and all that, surely must impart something extra to their poo.

So, if you get castings with high levels of nitrates and put them below the gravel, when conditions become anaerobic, those nitrates are going to be converted by bacteria mostly to nitrogen gas, which will bubble up. It would be better to leach out most of the nitrates from the castings into water and use the resulting solution to fertilize the water column. Leach out the nitrates and other nutrients first, and then put the castings below the gravel, where they will probably do no more than what ordinary soil does, that is, release reduced iron.


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