"Limo" bugs in Buildasoil worm shit

[Microbeman]

Come on now Tim. A local casting producer using Cornell to assess the microbiology in his castings is not diddly.

As for the red wigglers I source castings without insects that are pure wiggler castings. I addressed the statement years ago in a tremendous amount of diaries.

People cashing in because their market is grossly ignorant is BOS's value add. Not different than bottle companies but at least it focused on organic production. Expecting BOS to meet an already existing measure of quality is not unreasonable, but instead offers them a chance to reestablish their value add on excellence not just fluff.

Granted; a microbial assessment is better than the idiotic NPK assays done.

The point about red wriggler vermicompost is that they do not present as pure castings; e.g. individually separated casts - poops. In their optimum environment their poops are small and stuck together, kinda gooey. European and African larger worm species do present castings like this. Many, have fallen into the error of expecting red wriggler castings to appear as grain-like castings and I've seen producers who honestly sell the real deal be accused of impure castings. Producers who sell similar appearing 'red wriggler' castings have very likely dried them out to achieve this. These would surely be of lower quality. Most commercial castings producers use the large species.

I never said that quality castings/vermicompost should have insects. I said that mine does and my customers expect them along with some worms and egg capsules. [rollie pollies, springtails, millipedes, etc.] As for the stuff from BAS in question, I would love some of that, with rove beetles included.

 

[Microbeman]

Here is a photo from google which sort of illustrates what I mean.

 

[Microbeman]

Hey Flylow; just defending the good bugs. They are part of "Things just chug long when those microbes are happy" Good ole Scrappy, eh?

 

[Ratzilla]

I have been growing organically for years and when I see my medium move I know that I have helpers. I think bugs in our mix as a good thing bugs on my plants a bad thing.

 

[Microbeman]

I have been growing organically for years and when I see my medium move I know that I have helpers. I think bugs in our mix as a good thing bugs on my plants a bad thing.

Right, unless the bugs on the plants are predators like rove beetles.

 

[flylowgethigh]

Hey Flylow; just defending the good bugs. They are part of "Things just chug long when those microbes are happy" Good ole Scrappy, eh?

I suppose, but couldn't pick "scrappy" out of a lineup if the other guys had business suits, and he had sandals and a spliff hanging from his lips. I just found the line in a soil thread, and agree wholeheartedly. In my limited experience, living soil is easy, forgiving, and kinda fun. Beneficial bugs, and keeping the top dry, has helped a lot in my deal. The wicking bed makes watering a breeze.

I started this adventure this past Jan/Feb after deciding to start growing - the first batch of soil I made was a BAS kit and some poor grade "compost" I found locally in bags, in the dead of a COVID infested winter. I have been using that batch for runs and also to have a place for worms. Digging out 40 gallons for the Hazes involved getting down to the bottom of the tub, and that soil was wet, gooey, loaded with worms, and I have a hunch also full of castings. It may be why that KA5H is acting so goofy - too hot. The degree you guys are into the worm castings is lightyears away from my current setup.

 

[Weird]

I'll get a picture of the castings I am working with now. Well before the BOS guys were even here there were quality wiggler producers putting out pure castings without fiddling. Very expensive however. Unreasonably so in a commercial setting. However there were metrics for judging quality and while I encourage a wealth of life in my soil not everyone does. It is not appropriate for all scenarios many of which I would glad to share.

This doesn't mean arthropods are necessarily bad in compost or castings but it opens a whole different layer of dialog. For example I have found product (compost/castings) from quality producers at active wholesalers sitting on pallets over the term of a year. The subsequent storage becomes a potential vector for those products. So it isn't even necessarily the producer at fault here.

 

[Microbeman]

I'll get a picture of the castings I am working with now. Well before the BOS guys were even here there were quality wiggler producers putting out pure castings without fiddling. Very expensive however. Unreasonably so in a commercial setting. However there were metrics for judging quality and while I encourage a wealth of life in my soil not everyone does. It is not appropriate for all scenarios many of which I would glad to share.

This doesn't mean arthropods are necessarily bad in compost or castings but it opens a whole different layer of dialog. For example I have found product (compost/castings) from quality producers at active wholesalers sitting on pallets over the term of a year. The subsequent storage becomes a potential vector for those products. So it isn't even necessarily the producer at fault here.

You still have completely evaded the points I made. What do you call pure castings? I was around actively far before BAS.

 

[Bueno Time]

Those are Rove Beetles and they are beneficial to your organic system. They do come in Colorado Worm Company castings. Buildasoil castings don't have any bugs that Ive seen but they aren't as quality of castings as the CoWCo vermicompost.