WORM CASTINGS

NutriSoil worm castings, also known as vermicast or worm humus, are the nutrient-rich manure produced by earthworms. These castings are a complete and balanced food source for your plants and soil, closely mimicking nature’s own processes.

In nature, worms naturally aerate the soil and bring castings to the surface, where they absorb nutrients from the atmosphere. When rain falls, these castings are washed back into the soil, creating a natural extract that nourishes and revitalizes the soil.

One of the key benefits of NutriSoil worm castings is their ability to clean up chemicals and toxins in the soil. They are sustainably sourced, ensuring that your farming practices are environmentally friendly.

Worm castings are rich in microbial biomass and diversity, providing plant-available nutrients, humic substances, antifungal properties, and secondary metabolites. These nutrients are essential for healthy plant growth and soil vitality.

NutriSoil offers worm castings in 1-tonne bags, available in 3mm or 5mm screened sizes.  Larger 10 mm screened quantities are also available for pickup in bulk, making it convenient for your farming needs.

3mm castings

3mm Castings

5mm castings

5mm Castings

1 Tonne Bag

1 Tonne Bag

How to Use Worm Castings

Soil Ammendment

Worm castings can be used as a soil enhancer at 250 to 300kg per Ha. You could add with your lime, gypsum or mineral applications. Adding castings to nutrients allows you to use less minerals due to the microbes making them more readily available to the plants.

Extract

Use worm castings at 70kg per 1000L to make an extract. Apply the extract at 50 to 70L per Ha (as your water source) with 5L of concentrated NutriSoil liquid. When applying the extract, keep the pressure 50psi or lower.

Tow and Fert Machine

The 3mm castings can be added directly to your Tow and Fert machine at 70kg per 1000L of liquid and applied at 50 to 70 litres per Ha. Apply the concentrated Nutrisoil liquid at 5L per Ha. The castings and the liquid are complementary in microbes. Most natural products can be added with the liquid and worm castings including fish and molasses. If adding nutrients with the castings or Nutrisoil, add the biology last and do not leave tank mix for more than 16 hours. When applying the castings, keep the pressure 50psi or lower.

Worm Castings vs. Worm Liquid vs. Worm Casting Extract: Understanding the Differences

Worm Castings: High Microbial Diversity and Biomass

Worm Castings are distinguished by their high microbial biomass and diverse microorganisms in their solid form. This makes them highly beneficial as a soil amendment, enhancing soil health over time. 

Nutrisoil Biological Solution: Fast-Acting and Direct Application

In contrast, the NutriSoil Biological Solution offers a more immediate impact. Its formulation allows for direct application to plant leaves and seeds, providing swift and effective nourishment of secondary metabolites, microbes and nutrients. The higher concentration of microbes and metabolites compared to other worm liquids is due to the amount of times the liquid is misted through the castings and the high mass of castings used in the production process. 

Worm Castings Extract:

An extract made with 70kg of worm castings and 1000l of water (aerated and stirred for two hours) is lower in microbial biomass, diversity and nutrients, however the microbial diversity is different to the diversity of the Nutrisoil Biological Solution due to the aeration of the product and the lower concentration of worm castings used in the process. 

Synergistic Effects of Varied Microbial:

Both the NutriSoil Biological Solution and Worm Casting Extract possess unique microbial profiles, with varying types and quantities of microbes. This diversity is the cornerstone of their synergistic effect. Use the Nutrisoil Biological Solution at 5L per Ha with the Worm Castings Extract at 10 to 70L per Ha. Adding nutrients to this mix prior to application will enhance the uptake of the nutrients.

Product DNA Microbial Diversity Nutrient
Nutrisoil Biological Solution
910 species (40% unidentifiable)
Higher
Worm Castings Extract (70kg)
566 species (several unidentifiable)
Lower
Worm Castings
TBA
Lower
DNA Testing of Our Biological Solution
Temperature of placed soil or mulch
Reading from Moisture Meter

DNA Testing of NutriSoil Biological Solution Vs 70kg Extract (In 1000L of water) 

*DNA testing shows percentage of microbes in a sample, not abundance. 

While DNA testing is arguably the most accurate testing we have in microbial testing to date. In the category of species, it still only tells us 30% of what is known. The other 70% is either unculturable or not yet identified. When interpreting DNA there is a taxonomic hierarchy which categorises organisms into categories. There are seven major taxons that organisms are classified.

Kingdom
Phylum/Division
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
The most accurate level that can be itentified is Phylum (100% accuracy) and the least accurate is species which is around 30% accuracy.

The Phylum/Division group is a very broad range. Phylum is used for animals and division is used for plants. Below is the taxonomic hierarchy of a human. The Phylum Chordata include all animals that possess a notochord at least at one point in their lifetime. Amphibians, reptiles, mammals and animals are all part of this group.

A humans taxonomic hierarchy is:

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum/Division

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Primate

Family

Hominidae

Genus

Sapien

Species

Homo

Analysis of Phylums in NutriSoil Biological Solution and Worm Extract

Nutrisoil Biological Solution

Worm Extract 70kg per 1000L of Water

Proteobacteria 70.6%

Actinobacteria 51.6%

Bacteroidetes 14%

Proteobacteria 40%

Actinobacteria 5.3%

Firmicutes 2.2%

Firmicutes 3.3%

Archaea .16%

SPECIES

Species is generally how we determine what organisms are. A species is a group of organisms sharing fundamental similarities and can freely interbreed amongst themselves. They are reproductively isolated from any other species. Eg: Cat is a species and a human is a species.



Below are the highest 5 percentage rates of species in each product.



You can see that the microbial species are different in the Nutrisoil Biological Solution compared to the Worm Extract which creates the synergistic effect that both products have together.


The NutriSoil Biological Solution is higher in the amount of species and has a more diverse abundance range indicating a more balanced microbial community.



• Nutrisoil Biological Solution has been tested alongside other composts and extracts that are non worm based. The percentage of unknown species in the NutriSoil Biological Solution (worm liquid) highlights the complexity of what comes from a worm.

NutriSoil Biological Solution – 910 Species 40% are unknown

Worm Extract 70kg per 1000L of Water – 566 Species. Several species are unknown

14.4% Pseudomonas spp – Produce antibiotics, plant growth promoting rhizobacteria, expresses multiple metabolites such as IAA production, P solubilisation, ACC deaminase.

25.6% Arthrobacter – Biodegrades agrochemicals and pollutants, produces antimicrobial activity against plant pathogens able to tolerate adverse environments and promote plant growth.

11.2% Comamonadaceae – Transforms sulphur in the root zone, expresses multiple plant growth promoting characteristics including ACC deaminase and siderophores production, P solubilisation, plant growth hormone production.

22.2% Micrococcaceae – Capable of producing IAA, deaminases and siderophore to promote plant growth.

10.8% – Hydrogenophaga – Involved in Hydrogen oxidation, which can be translated to degradation of chlorinated hydrocarbons.

22.1% – Oxalobacteraceae – Capable of promoting plant growth through enhancing nitrogen acquisition.

8.45% Sphingobacteriales – Able to inhibit plant pathogenic soil borne fungal pathogens and capable of promoting plant growth.

10.8% Pseudomonas – Produce antibiotics, plant growth promoting rhizobacteria, expresses multiple metabolites such as IAA production, P solubilisation, ACC deaminase.

4.2% Caulobacteraceae – can produce IAA, withstand salinity up to 2% and tolerate multiple heavy metals (copper, zinc, cadmium, cobalt and lead), it is capable of solubilising P from poorly soluble sources and promotes plant growth.

8.1% Acinotebacter – Can solubilise inorganic and organic phosphate, produce auxins, ammonia generation and siderophore production to promote plant growth under adverse conditions.