Reference Information on the value of worm castings:

• The science is not new.  "Vermiconversion," or using earthworms to convert waste into soil additives, has been done on a relatively small scale for sometime.  "But nobody's done it on a large commercial scale," says John Beerman, the general manager of Canyon Recycling in San Diego.  The soil additive is marketed in the form of mulch, compost or Vermicompost, in bulk or in bags.  "We can't make enough earthworm castings to meet our demand here," he says.  The Orange County Register, Friday March 1 1996.  "Hard-working worms: Turning Green Horticulture Waste into Greenbacks."  John Barbour AP
   
• Analysis of earthworm casting reveals that they are richer in plant nutrients than the soil, about three times more calcium and several times more nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.  (K. P. Barley, Advances in Agronomy, Vol. 13, 1961.   p. 251)
   
• Redworm castings contain a high percentage of humus.  Humus helps soil particles form into clusters, which create channels for the passage of air and improve its capacity to hold water.  Humic acid present in humus provides binding sites for the plant nutrients but also releases them to the plants upon demand.  Humus is believed to aid in the prevention of harmful plant pathogens, fungi, nematodes and bacteria.  Blueprint for a Successful Vermiculture Compost System.  Developed by Dan Holcombe and J. J. Longfellow 1995
   
• "Vermicompost outperforms any commercial fertilizer I know of." continues [Professor Clive A.] Edwards, who began his earthworm research in his native England in the early 1970s before coming to Ohio State.  "I think the key factor is microbial activity.  Research that I and others have done shows that microbial activity in worm castings is 10 to 20 times higher than in the soil and organic matter that the worm ingests."  Dr. Clive Edwards, in "Worldwide Progress in Vermicomposting" by Gene Logsdon in BioCycle October 1994, p. 63 

• A worm casting (also known as worm cast or vermicast) is a biologically active mound containing thousands of bacteria, enzymes, and remnants of plant materials and animal manures that were not digested by the earthworm.   The composting process continues after a worm casting has been deposited.  In fact, the bacterial population of a cast is much greater than the bacterial population of either ingested soil or the earthworm's gut.  An important component of this dark mass is humus.  Humus is a complicated material formed during the breakdown of organic matter.  One of its components, humic acid provides many binding sites for plant nutrients, such as calcium, iron, potassium, sulfur and phosphorus.  These nutrients are stored in the humic acid molecule in a form readily available to plants, and are released when the plants require them.  Mary Applehof, Worms Eat My Garbage, 1982. p. 68
   
• Castings contain slow release nutrients that are readily available to plants.  Castings contain the plant nutrients that are incased in mucus membranes that are secreted by the earthworms.  They dissolve slowly rather than allowing immediate nutrient leaching.  The product has excellent soil structure, porosity, aeration and water retention capabilities.  The product can insulate plant roots from extreme temperatures, reduce erosion and control weeds.  It is odorless and consists of 100% recycled materials.  "Vermigro" Premium Earthworm Soil Product, sold by Canyon Recycling, San Diego.
   
• The activity of the earthworm gut is like a miniature composting tube that mixes, conditions, and inoculates the residues.  Moisture, pH, and microbial populations in the gut are favorably maintained for the synergistic relationship, and then a terrific By-product.  Dr. Bill Becker, "The Benefits of Earthworms," Natural Food and Farming, July/August, 1991, p.12 .
   
• Earthworm castings are the best imaginable potting soil for greenhouses or houseplants, as well as gardening and farming.  It will not burn even the most delicate plants and all nutrients are water-soluble, making it an immediate plant food.  Earthworm castings, in addition to their use as a potting soil, can be used as a planting soil for trees, vegetables, shrubs, and flowers.  They may be used as a mulch so that the minerals leach directly into the ground when watered.  The effects of earthworm castings used in any of these ways are immediately visible.  They make plants grow fast and strong.  Nematodes and diseases will not ruin gardens or plants if the soil is rich enough for them to grow fast.  It is the weak plant in poor soil that is destroyed by nematodes and diseases.  R. E. Gaddie and D. E. Douglas, Earthworms For Ecology and Profit, Vol. I "Scientific Earthworm Farming," 1975,    p. 175.
  
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