Possible to grow in pure homemade Vermicompost?

[Cvh]

Hi all,

Currently I'm busy with starting up my wormbin. (Without grass clippings)

One of the things I would like to attempt this year is to try to grow in pure homemade Vermicompost.

I have been researching online for several months if it's possible to grow in pure Vermicompost (both cannabis and non-cannabis related sources) and I find many different opinions and experiences.

Some say it's possible and others don't.

So, has anybody attempted this before?

Thanks for sharing!



(The reason I would like to grow in pure vermicompost is that it doesn't seem logical to me that I have to pay the city to pick up my kitchen and garden scraps and on the other hand I need to spent money in the gardencenter for my soils and amendments).

 

[MJPassion]

Pure may prove to be a bit heavy...


castings retain a shit load of moisture so I'd guess you will, at minimum, need an airation amendment.

 

[budsicles]

What MJ said. I tried it for shits and giggles when I first started playing with homemade water-only mixes. The problem is that worm castings will turn to mud if no structural ingredients are added. Maybe if you have a very high % of coco in your worm bin then it will come out fluffy enough...but commercial bagged castings will almost certainly become muddy and compacted after several waterings. This reduces the root oxygen levels which drastically hurts yields.

 

[Cvh]

Thanks guys.

Compactation issues of the soil is indeed what I also read in other sources.
It wouldn't also be pure wormcastings because I plan on not sifting the vermicompost. I think it might still contain some undigested pieces of wood.

Would you guys might also check out my other thread about Alternatives for Perlite?
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=359144

Thanks a lot!



Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

 

[Lrus007]

i make my own castings. i use 3/4 castings 1 part soil
for my soil mix. i water mostly from the bottom. works well.
yes you can grow in just castings. but a little fluff and drainage
would be better. for your outdoor any small rock would work.
river rock would be fine. even a sharper rock would be ok.
good luck on your grow.
Lrus007

 

[Microbeman]

I've grown in pure homemade vermicompost. Delicious compari tomatoes. Just mix in some drainage rock as others suggested.

 

[St. Phatty]

Yes, if you're growing blackberries.

They took over one of my worm compost piles. The plants obviously liked the meals it was getting. It wasn't pure compost, though.

 

[Cvh]

Bump. Anyone else tried this or has some other input?

 

[Big Nasty]

Bump. Anyone else tried this or has some other input?

Tihs is far from being scientific but i'm trying several % to see which one can last the whole grow,not pure vermicompost though but 90% max.
The plants are now reacting well,it seems they need less water as opposed to potting soil only.

I think it should be much more predictable if you work with known clones.
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=358546

 

[JockBudman]

I'll tag in on this - I'm currently using a slightly adapted recipe from the first page of the ewc sticky on here. Really really basic - just coco, ewc, compost and some recovered soil from old grows which had too much perlite in it (just saves me buying more)

So far I've got one small sprout in it and it seems to be doing really well. Looking forward to seeing how it goes as time goes on.
Prior to this I was using a recipe with all that stuff plus kelp meal and some other things but it was a bit too hot at first and needed to cook for ages - I'm using the last of it now to pot stuff up and it's only just stopped burning things.

I've always struggled with soils and nutes but now I've simplified it as much as I can it's working better. It's confirmed by old gardeners I know who mostly just dig compost into their beds, water and still come out with brilliant veg that's way better than what I can grow with fancy nutes and expensive soils.

Reminds me of my dad when he brewed beer. All the young lads had calculations on bitterness, exact gram measurements of barley etc. He used to chuck it all in a bin and mix it with a cricket stump and he still brewed some of the best beer I've ever had.

Simple is always best