Worm tea, What's the hype?

[oncidiumlover]

So how does this worm tea stuff work? Do you use it instead of fertilizer or along with fertilizer? Is too much bad for the plant? If you start using it then stop, does the plant get sad? Does it work for other things, like tomatoes or mint or basil?
The answers to all of my questions might be in another thread, but I can't seem to find it.

[Stelios]

to my understanding worms are one of best natural fertilizers. They make soil not only rich with nutrient but also provide aeration by diging tunnels. They eat dead plant matter along soil and leave behind soil with nutrients. In nature the plants are heavilly based on worms for nutrients. Worm tea does not contain worms, it's just water that have run through soil containing worm castings and obtains nutrients. You then add it to your soil instead of puting worms in it to do all the job.

The idea is to use it instead of chemical fertilizers that are salts that might "burn your plant"

I don't think it's bad, but as with any kind of fertilizer you should take care of dosage.

I think a plant will not get sad, it will just become hungry.

It works with everything. In organic agriculture they heavilly use worms as fertilizers.

[vcuchick]

I'm going to be ordering some myself online- only $10.00 for a bottle of consentrated "liquid worm poo" (no wonder they call it worm "tea".) that I'll dilute in a gallon of water...you use it when you fertilize instead of fertilizer...

from what I've read and heard, they hype is real. I've gott an expert who is an orchid grower in the Smithsonian's orchid greenhouses who is my orchid yoda---who swears by the stuff!!! You can put it on any plant, any type, indoors, outdoors, exotic, run of the mill, and all plants, trees, and shrubs will go bonkers. You get better leaves, better bulbs, better everything.

It makes for better, stronger, faster (whoops) I mean healthier plants...

I can't wait to try it...

[oncidiumlover]

Finally got my worm tea! It was shipped to my grandfather instead of me, happens rather often, apparently there is no difference between Billie Jo and William Joseph, according to the post office.
All of my orchids have been watered with it at least once, looking good, not too much change. I was hoping it wood perk up my little sharry baby.
I did however reseed some of my tomato plants 3 days ago, as most of them didn't sprout this year, sprayed some worm tea into the wholes with the seeds, woke up today and over three quarters of them sprung up! I was so happy I wanted to cry!

vcuchick: I'll keep you posted on my worm tea/orchid news. Have you ordered any yet?

[bemarine]

Ive been using it and my roots on my Phals look like there on Steroids! That reminds me I need to order more, Im almost out.

Im wondering about the statement "Stelios" made that they get hungry.....Ive noticed I hadnt been using is as much and my leaves seem a little softer than usual. I think Ill go make me a batch right now.

[Rivka]

is there a better or worse brand to get? i see a lot of it online. seems like the quality could vary alot

[jerrymeola]

The liquid that comes from the worm bed, more properly called vermi-liquid, is excellent on orchids and any other plant. As far as I know the only place to get fresh liquid that will last is from OurVitalEarth in the US, which I use, and customers of VitalEarth in Australia.

The Australian method adds micro nutrients to the worm feed by the addition of crushed volcanic rock to the worm feed. Recycling the liquid results in a concentrate with a shelf life of a year. The life span of the liquid has been confirmed by lab tests.

The liquid that comes from a home worm bin is just as good but has a shelf life of only a couple of days. This is fine for home use but impossible for shipment to stores.

The 'worm tea' sold in stores and the INTERNET is only worm castings placed in water until it colors.

The castings are a weak fertilizer and dissolving it in water really does not do anything using the casting direct would not accomplish. Since the castings are dry the live microbes have died off.

The vermi-liquid is an entirely different product. It is the liquid run off of the worm bed. It contains all the microbes that are produced in the bed. The microbes are what is important. No plant can absorb Nitrogen, Phosphorus or Potassium. It requires microbes to break them down into a form the plant can use. The vermi-liquid is the microbes.

I feel it is very important in orchids since most of our potting mediums are sterile. Using the liquid allows the plants to grow immediately rather than stress as the bed builds a microbe culture from the air.

Every batch of vermi-liquid from OVE is lab analyzed before release. The microbe count is extremely high. The feed is totally composted and uneaten compost does not get into the solution to cause problems.

I use vermi-liquid twice a month as a spray and the increased growth is tremendous. I use it supplemented with a natural fungicide (Companion) and an organic rooting hormone solution (Essentials).

I have run numerous tests of the solutions. The most notable was the hybrid growing project on this forum. The control plants I kept and sprayed with the solutions outgrew everything I have ever tried.

The test results are at

Essentials test results

I had used OVE worm tea for a year before adding the others in combination. The results were quite noticeable but as the tests showed using all three together exceeded any one of them alone.

I use the casting extensively on our vegetable gardens and herbs. I supplement that with spraying the vermi-liquid twice a month. We do not have soil in SW Florida but rather the ground is totally sand. Nothing grew well until I started with this routine. The casting are the best source of beneficial nematodes I have found other then buying pure nematodes. Beneficial nematodes eliminate root cutting nematodes, which were a horror in SW Florida Gardens.

[doodlekitty]

I took the plunge and bought the Can-O-Worms and what seemed like 10 million worms...so now I'm making tea till the cows come home. (Can you tell I grew up on a farm?) I want to put it on the chids but the damn rain has saturated everything so I have to wait. Meanwhile I'm saving it in gallon jugs. Maybe I should label it....in case someone decides to take a swig....

[lmartiny]

I can't imagine anyone wanting to take a swig. When i mix up the three way batch it smells pretty yuck. By the way, can you store this mixed? Or is it best to do fresh batches?

[kmarch]

I question some of the claims being put forth in this thread and on the Essentials website linked to above. I don't see how it is at all possible under even the most perfect cultural conditions for a dendrobium to go from being a tiny 1 or 2 tiny-bulbed seedling to what appears to be a flowering size plant whit multiple pseudobulbs in only 4 months. I admit the pictures of the flowering tray of plants is not clearly pictured. It's difficult to see precisely how many canes are on each plant so my observations may not be entirely informed but in absence of more detailed more scientifically controlled information or research, I am suspicious of these claims.

[orchidlover55]

Where I live I have two acres and my soil on the whole two acres is like a rich brown potting soil. I have worms all in my yard. I can take a shovel and in two shovel full of soil dig up enough worms to fish all day. Instead of buying worm tea is there anyway to make it homemade?

[Brooke]

Orchidlover55 you can do what the rest of us do that have never used worm tea, essentials or companion, give your orchids the correct culture for each species, a little fertilizer on occasion, stand back and watch them bloom.

Brooke

[fred]

worm tea sounds good but I must admit I have never used it either

[willowbanks]

Fred, don't be fooled by clever advertising, it's good for soil based application but I would never use it on my orchids grown in media.

Take a closer look at what elements it contains, how many does worm tea have??

(I'll give you a hint, there are six essential elements required for healthy plant growth)

Bill

[fred]

Bill I am one of these growers that have been brought up old school

some say that worm tea is the bees knees I have seen it on the forum
I am yet to see any of the orchid growers in my location use it.

[willowbanks]

Fred, I'm a mix of old and new school.

I'm the Greenkeeper at my Lawn Bowls Club and I use copious amounts of worm tea for a specific purpose, a Nitrogen boost, it does not contain the other five elements for healthy plant growth.

Same up here Fred, none of the members of my Orchid Society use it on there orchids.

[willowbanks]

Kev, your being too nice when you say you are "suspicious of these claims", I actually see right through them but it is good advertising for products he wants to sell.

Notice how he puts up photos to support his claims but never before and after photos. I like the thread where he put up two Catt. seedlings with the great story on growth but he doesn't show a photo prior to so called testing. To me it looks like two seedlings, one slightly larger than the other for a photo opportunity.

This latest entry with the trays of Den. Cathy Beck, notice he has no tray of control plants for comparison yet claims these products work. The truth is, Den. Cathy Beck was made by UNIWAI as he states but he doesn't tell you this plant was specifically made for the pot plant trade and to flower early and small. It's amazing performance has nothing to do with worm tea, companion and essentials.

Bill

[grandmapenguin]

I am novice grower who loves Worm Tea. I started to use it exclusively
after buying it at the Sarasota Orchid Show from Jerry.
I use the Worm Tea, Essentials, and Companion for every watering and my Orchids are very happy. I do use rain water as the mix base.
I say if the shoe fits wear it. If your happy with your method continue.
This is what makes the world go round; diversity.
Terry

[willowbanks]

Grandmapenguin, I agree with diversity, that's why I feed my plants a very diverse diet and make sure they recieve the elements they require for strong healthy growth.

Plants require the following elements, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, sulfur and magnesium. Then we have trace elements or micronutrients with a role in plant nutrition: boron, chlorine, manganese, iron, zinc, copper, molybdenum.

Don't take my word for it, the info is in school text books on plant life.

Worm tea only contains Nitrogen, look it up at Wikipedia.

Be aware that high nitrogen worm tea will make for quick growth but weaker plants that are more susceptible to attacks by diseases and pests. Fast, showy growth is not necessarily the best thing for your plants.

Bill

[tizzycat]

A year last November I bought a home wormery (the stacking kind) and have used the lycheate (liquid), diluted 10 rainwater to 1 lycheate, to water/soak my orchids, whilst I have not seen any accelerated growth; I, personally, have been happy with the condition of my plants. I have nor noticed any ill effects. Nor have I noticed any miracles.

I do keep a close eye on my orchids (I look at them every morning) and until I notice my plants are not liking it I'll continue.

The vermcompost is a bonus.

[Fishmom]

Willowbanks, what about the contention that the worm tea contains microbes that make the nutrients more available to plants? Do you believe there is anything to that?

[willowbanks]

Tizzycat, I also have a worm farm at home, it's great stuff if used properly, I'm just against the false misleading claims.

Bill

[willowbanks]

Fishmom, yes I do agree with that for soil based application.

You have to realize that microbes and nematodes are everywhere, not just in Jerry's worm tea.

Bill

[grandmapenguin]

Tizzycat so do use Worm Tea exclusively or do you also feed something else

[orchidlover55]

Is there anyone who knows how to make homemade worm tea?

[kmarch]

There are threads here on the forum that tell how to make worm tea orchidlover.

[tizzycat]

willowbanks Tizzycat, I also have a worm farm at home, it's great stuff if used properly, I'm just against the false misleading claims.

Bill

Bill I agree.

grandmapenguin Tizzycat so do use Worm Tea exclusively or do you also feed something else

I do not exclusively use worm tea, I also use a weak strength fertilizer perhaps at every third watering. Maybe more often if the plant is working hard.

[myshka]

not to ressurect an old thread, but i don't understand how orchids are suppose to have such a symbiotic relationship with worms when orchids grow on trees?

i'm definitely not a biology major, but i would like to see some serious scientific experimenting to see if this stuff really is beneficial. my first notion is that it's just consistency bias- people interperate what they see in a way that confirms their beliefs.

i would love to see that worm tea actually works though! but right now i'm on the fence.

[shaz]

Hi, I'm in no way an expert but I would be very wary of worm tea.

I have had a worm farm for many years, I use the soil produced as a soil conditioner in the garden.

But as for the tea that gets binned, I wouldn't use it for anything.

There are alot of mixed opinions even among worm specialists about the benefits of worm tea and that is enough for me not to risk it until there is proof of some kind that it will not harm my plants - even then I would not use it on indoor plants.

[cym 1972]

i mix worm tea at a ratio 40 to 1.that is 250mls of worm tea to 10litres rain water.also mix in some seaweed liguid about 5 to 10 mls.depends also on what you feed your worms in worm farm.also good for potassium are bannana skins,grinded coffee beans after used on percaulator or espresso machine.if you feed worms all nitrogen based foods.you will get just growth and no flowers.i bought a book on composting which i read up on its called (recycle your garden the essential guide to composting)written by tim marshall)since i have quite a large number cymbidium orchids.works well for me and save a lot of money on fertilisers.have my own worm farm!

[sruane]

Myshka, I don't use worm tea or have any opinion on it one way or another, but to clarify, I don't think anyone is saying there is a symbiotic relationship between orchids and worms. I think the contention is that the microbes that are found in worm beds (and any place there is any decomposition of organic matter, which could occur on a tree where an orchid is growing for sure, but are probably in a very high quantity in a worm bed, since breaking down organic matter is the point there) is beneficial when applied to orchids and can help make nutrients available faster to the plants. These microbes will also naturally find there way into potted plants as well, I think the worm tea/worm bed stuff is just supposed to give them a faster boost of accumulation. I hope that helps clarify things!

Sara