Hey guys, so for the last few grows I have been sourcing both my EWC and my compost off of Amazon. I have been using the wiggle worm EWC and the Coast of Maine Lobster Compost and they have been working pretty well. However, I recently heard of the Buildasoil brand of EWC and compost and they look much more quality than what I have been working with so far. My main question is, does anyone know if this stuff is the real deal? I know that homemade compost and EWC are far superior so that is mainly what caught my attention with this brand is that it is supposedly just as good. Thanks a bunch everyone!
I have used the Coast of Maine Lobster Compost very successfully in the past Although it's probably been 3? years. I think that the Wiggle Worm is hit or miss and that you can do better with the castings. Never used the BAS brand but if I remember correctly they are sourcing Worm Power vermicompost in bulk and then repackaging - which is an excellent brand - it's one of the best. J
Awesome man! Glad to hear from you on this matter and even happier to hear the Coast of Maine will be sufficient. So after looking on Amazon, it seems like they now sell 15lb bags of the Worm Power vermicompost! So my question is, are EWC and vermicompost basically equal? I just want to make sure my EWC will be covered in the end. In addition, do you think that the 15lb bag will be enough for 3 cubic feet of soil? Thanks so much again!
EWC and vermicompost are nowhere near equal. EWC is WiggleWorm, total crap if you ask me. Worm Power is vermicompost, and as J' has already pointed out is some of the very best material available on the market today. If it where me, I would use the COM as the humic component for my soil mix and utilize the Worm Power as a top dressing if/when needed, or for making compost teas. I'm not sure if you've already been doing this, but I'll include it for others that are reading/learning... COM composts are built to use outdoors, in the ground. It's very dense material. If you plan on using it for an indoor potted container grow, plan on using more "aeration" amendment in your mix. 10% extra should do the trick. So if you're mixing a 30 gallon batch of soil, use the normally prescribed 33% (10 gallons), plus another 3 gallons.
Wow! I was not aware of that, but it definitely makes sense now that you mention it as it is really dense. So what I ended up doing was going with the 15 lb bag of Worm Power and in addition I happened to see that Amazon had COM EWC back in stock so I grabbed a bag of that also to mix in with it. I was originally planning on basically going on the 10 gallons EWC/Compost per 3 cubic feet route but you're saying I should instead use more of the COM Compost and just top dress with the worm power? I am also planning on top dressing my current grow with them as I've been getting some twisty leaves and figure it can't hurt. Thank you very much for the suggestions!
The above points are right on... Com with aeration in your mix and ewc/Vc as top dress... Will you recycle or no till? I'm thinking of just putting worms in my pots and feeding them instead of purchasing vc and feeding the plant... I think if I feed the worms, the worms will feed the plants, the plants will be dank and send me to the moon.ðŸ¼ï¸
That sounds like a solid plan to me! I wasn't aware that EWC/VC is more useful as a top dress instead of being put into the actual soil. Could I do both? Like put some in the soil and top dress with it? I very much like the peace of mind when mixing soils so that's the only reason I ask haha. I do not recycle my soil and would not quite consider it no till considering I mix a super soil consisting of many different amendments. Someday I'll try putting the worms right into the soil, however, with my current space I'm pretty much only able to mix super soils and supplement them with teas.
At the very least it's always nice to dust the hole at transplant with some good vermicompost too. Like Waktoo said, although the CoM lobster compost us a really good compost it's pretty dense and heavy. Just be aware of this - as I know you are because you've already noted it. Just make sure that you compensate for the compost density with plenty of aeration. I've also made some good mixes mixing both vermicompost/castings and compost together. Again, just make sure it's a well draining soil when you're done. You can do this by feel. Squeeze a handful of the new mix together tightly - it should still fall apart easily when you touch it. J
Yeah I'll definitely still throw some EWC/Vermicompost in the soil just cuz I'll have it anyways and I know it won't hurt. I'll definitely add the extra 3 gallons of perlite this time around as well because it could definitely use a bit more. I've also heard of some people sprinkling an oat type mixture on the top of their soil while it cooks to bring about more bacteria or something of that nature...is that worth doing? The mix I've been using now I've been using for a few years and each time I tweak certain elements of it and see the improvements/shortcomings. With these new tips and any more I get I can definitely see that this next mix is going to be the best one yet, thanks again guys!
are you referring to top dressing with malted barely maybe? i never heard of top dressing oats but top dressing with malted barley can replace using SST with your plants.
Perhaps you are referring to "pre-charging" (for lack of a better term) EWC/vermicompost prior to use for brewing compost tea? It's a trick Tim Wilson utilizes to realize a more "balanced" microbial population with shorter brewing times. His directions utilize wheat bran now, as opposed to rolled oats. Probably cheaper for those that brew 100's-1000's of gallons of tea at a time for farm application. I've used oats ground up really fine and mixed with a little molasses to realize the same results... These two ingredients (vermicompost and molasses, my addition), perhaps surprisingly, comprise the total of inputs in most of our brews these days. This simple recipe, if using an efficient ACT maker and good quality [vermi]compost results in a microbial population made up of the important three groups. This is the only recipe used to date, in all the videos on my Youtube channel ‘Microbe Organics".To get these three groups the ACT maker should be run for 36 to 42 hours. The ideal temperature range is 65 to 72 Fahrenheit (18 to 22 Celsius), however a little cooler or warmer is okay. I"ve had pretty equivalent results with ambient temperatures around 100 F (38 C) and as cool as 50 F (10 C). To spill a small secret, I"ve been pre-feeding or pre-activating [vermi]compost which is not so fresh by mixing in a small amount of wheat bran (livestock store or bulk foods department grocery store) and moistening with very diluted black strap molasses, loosely covered with cloth or paper towel 24 hours ahead of brew. (approximate ratios, wheat bran 1:30 [vermi]compost & BSM 1:300 water). This has, so far resulted in (most of the time) attaining the desired microbial population at 24 hours brew time rather than the usual 36 to 42 hours. http://microbeorganics.com/, close to the top of the page under "recipes"...
OP Have you started a worm bin yet? If not, why not? Sourcing from Amazon makes zero sense due to cost and even the *best* is less quality than homegrown. All you need is ~3sq ft and ~$50 including the worms for a DIY set up. IMO, it is the biggest thing you can do to benefit your garden. A comfrey bed and compost pile are right behind, but one thing at a time. Wet
Thank you guys very much! I was definitely mispoken when I said oats haha I had just seen some people sprinkle an oat like substance on their soil after mixing to let it cook and didn't know if that was something I should look into. The tea information is great also! Right now I'm using the Guano companies Super tea mix and budswel and in addition add kelp and alfalfa meal to them with some blackstrap molasses and EWC as well. I usually let it go between 28-30 hours. Does this sound like a good brew to you guys? All I change from veg to flower is the base (super tea mix to budswel) and the amount of molasses (about a half tbsp in veg and full tbsp in flower).