Worm breeding is a direct way to increase yields

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Even people who are far from agriculture know that the so-called earthworms are found in the soil. In fact, there are many varieties of these creatures in the world, and in some countries, breeding worms is a very profitable business.

What is the reason for such a demand for them? Not only amateur fishermen are interested in a large amount of their traditional bait in the ground, but also gardeners who grow a wide variety of agricultural and ornamental crops. Even ancient farmers noticed that a large number of such underground inhabitants have a positive effect on plants. The breeding of worms in ancient Greece and Egypt was based on the opinions of famous scientists of that time. So, for example, Aristotle gave them the name "intestines of the earth."

Already modern researchers have experienced by experience that worms process the remains of plants and the earth, which significantly enriches the soil with nutrients. Already at the end of the 1950s, in countries with an intensive form of agriculture, farmers began breeding worms specifically for their farms. Then for the first timethe scientific concept of "vermiculture" appeared, denoting the cultivation of these living creatures on a large scale. At the same time, a worm called the California worm was bred, thanks to which vermiculture spread throughout the world. This is a new breed that was obtained at the University of California by hybridizing various types of earthworm. The intense red color distinguishes it from less colored counterparts.

Breeding worms allows you to get large masses of vermicompost, which is a product of their digestive system. It has a number of useful substances. It contains a huge number of different microorganisms, most of which are nitrogen fixers and actinomycetes, which contribute to the active growth of plants. There are practically no pathogenic microorganisms in biohumus. In this substance, the concentration of magnesium and calcium increases by 2, potassium - by 10, phosphorus - by 7 times. Due to the content of the so-called biostimulants in biohumus, it has a strong stimulating effect on the plant and its productivity.

California breed allows you to breed worms at home and on an industrial scale. The habitat of these creatures is substrates saturated with organic matter (composts, manure, organic garbage and waste). California worms are not bred in the soil. They are real centenarians (they live up to 16 years), while each individual lays about 20 cocoons in one season. Their gluttony is extraordinary. During the day, the worm eats the substrate 2 times more than its ownweight.

They thrive in relatively small wooden crates with little to no spread, making breeding worms at home a fairly easy process. First you need to stock up on deep containers with a solid bottom, on which dry sand is poured. Next, low wooden boxes with small holes are placed in the container. They are filled with special substrates or a mixture of manure, organic waste and soil. Breeding worms begins with the "settlement" of the container. They are laid out on the surface of a moistened substrate, and the container is covered with polyethylene.

After the worms process the substrate, put 2 on 1 box, and then 3. After processing the substrate in the 2 box, the worms crawl into 3, and the first two boxes with the formed biohumus are released. By constantly changing the boxes, you can get a fairly large amount of high-quality fertilizer, which is used for its intended purpose. Wet sand from the bottom of the container is changed to dry and used as a useful additive to the soil. In winter, California worms are kept in warm basements.

Common earthworms can be bred in compost pits, where organic waste, grass, and leaves are regularly added. Processed biohumus, along with worms, is poured into the garden in rainy weather. These worms also enrich the soil with oxygen.