Vermiculture

No doubt, the economic situation has impacted on the pockets of many people and the trend that landscapers are currently seeing in the requests from their middle income clients is the choice to include more fruit trees and vegetable spots in their gardens. Homeowners are also investing in earthworm bins and recycling their left-over food and organic waste through vermiculture in their gardens as earthworm compost.

Restaurants and hotels have additionally recently started installing their own vermiculture facilities to address the constant issue of waste food and the recycling thereof. Both of these factors illustrate that small changes are being made to adjust household budgets and spending appropriately and that commercial enterprises are making similar changes for budgetary and greener results.

So what is Vermiculture?

Vermiculture uses earthworms and micro-organisms (such as bacteria, fungi and protozoa) to convert organic waste into nutrient rich humus. When organic matter begins decomposing, micro-organisms are actively engaged and the earthworms feed upon both the decomposing matter as well as the micro-organisms.

Earthworms are capable of consuming more than their own weight in organic matter each day from the moment they hatch. The organic matter consumed by earthworms is softened by moisture or by bacterial action in order for it to be sucked into the worms gut, where it is further refined in an internal grinding process. Other organic wastes such as dirty paper and cardboard, vegetable and food processing, abattoir material and green waste can be incorporated into the blend of the earthworm's diet.

After the organic matter passes through the earthworm's digestive tract, it is excreted as "castings". These castings and other organic particles are classified as nutrient-rich compost and can be immediately and directly used to enrich soil quality for stronger plant growth. Vegetable yield can be increased between 20 - 45% when vermiculture is undertaken.

The by-products of this decomposition process are water vapour and carbon dioxide. Unlike conventional composting, the organic material that is degraded by earthworm composting does not reach raised temperatures, has no urea and therefore cannot "burn" the plants.

Minimal amounts of odourless leachate (decomposition liquids) are produced during this process and can be easily contained and used as earthworm tea in the soil too.

Living Matter - Landscape Styling and Design

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