More Flowers in Your Garden
If you are seeking to increase the production of flowers per plant, then you should consider using castings or vermicompost (earhworm excrement), which is well-known for improving aeration, porosity, structure, drainage, and moisture-holding capacity of soil. Vermicompost is less variable and much more stable than conventional composts, eliminating the need for additional fertilizer when mixed to the planting medium. A great advantage, indeed!
Since humus is believed to aid in the prevention of
harmful plant pathogens, fungi, nematodes and bacteria, redworm castings, which are the richest and purest humus matter in the world, should be on top of your checklist for a more flowery garden.
The use of earthworm castings help to increase height, stem diameter, enhance root growth, increase dry weight, and produce more flowers per plant than peat moss.
Check this out: one pound of worms can convert one pound of pig manure into compost in 48 hours! Worms consume three times their weight a week or more. Red wrigglers are very active, reproduce quickly and consume their own body weight of waste every 24 hours. Therefore ten pounds of worms will eat ten pounds of waste in 24 hours!
For your information, microbial activity in worm castings is 10 to 20 times higher than in the soil and organic matter that the worm ingests.
Now that you know how beneficial worm castings may be, let's see how to use it in the garden to produce more flowers:
a) when planting vegetable and annuals line the rows and holes with about two inches of castings. About every eight weeks side dress the plants with one-half cup of castings per plant or one cup per foot of row;
b) for perennials work one-half cup of castings into the soil in the spring, middle of summer, and early fall;
c) for pots and hanging baskets add one-half inch castings to the top and water in. Then reapply every eight weeks;
d) roses appreciate four cups of castings per plant;
e) if you are starting a new lawn, add 15 pounds of casting per 100
square feet when sowing. Once established use seven pounds
per 100 square feet.
After following these tips, you will probably take pride in your work as your garden will be full of flowers.
