Alfred Opiyo
Certified Expert
From the facts that soil health and nutrient levels in most soils has gone very low and to some extent unavailable completely has made farming ventures more expensive , unpridictive and unproductive to growers. A walking in to agrovets or agro- input suppliers and dedlers will only offer you as a farmer a handful of what your crops/soil need as an overwhole nutrients requirement through chemical fertilizers in straight or compound formulations. Vermicomposting/Vermiculture which not only give a one season good harvest but also renewal of soil nutrients and minerals at their best as far as natural balancing and availability is concerned would be the perfect option for sustainable farming enterprise. Farmers applying vermiculture liquid in crop production supply comprehensive minerals than those relying on synthetic fertilisers.
Reaserch and tests done in various crop reaserch centers has proved that vermiliquid supplies crops with both micro and macro nutrients, which are necessary for holistic growth.
Whilst common fertilisers are specific in nutrient supply- NPK, DAP, CAN- vermiliquid has more than 15 micro and macro-elements, making it a ‘single dose’ application.
For one to meet all the mineral elements, more fertiliser from the compound groups has to be applied.
The main benefit of vermiliquid over conventional fertilisers is that it contains almost all the nutrients required at one go to address specific crop needs .
Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are the main or macro elements required in crops’ growth.
A detailed Crop Nutrition Lab analysis of the red wriggler worms’ vermiliquid showed the following minerals in part per million in concentrations.
Potassium parts were 2020, phosphorus 26.3, calcium 111, magnesium, 52.8, sulphur 33.2, manganese 1.37 iron 7.54.
Zinc was 0.40, boron 0.56, copper 0.30, sodium 60.7, ammonium 11.8, chlorides 692, molybdenum 0.039, among others.
The PH of the liquid was 8.55.
However, to have such a rich mineral resource, a mix of substrates from various families of crops has to be included. For instance legume, which are known to contain nitrogen and pumpkins and quash for zinc and phosphorus are included.
Vermiliquid is collected and applied as a folia fertiliser that is readily absorbed into the plant system via the leaves.
You need five kilos of worms acting on half a kilo of the food substrate. For instance, half a kilo of coffee husks added every two weeks produce one litre of the vermiliquid per month.
Application rate is 10ml per litre of water, although there is no harm in exceeding the rate.
Just like other folia fertilisers, the excess application does not have scorching effect on the crops as the synthetic types.
For those farmers aspiring to do organic farming or just keen in keeping their land to have long ,sustainable and long cost effective ventures then this is the way.
Reaserch and tests done in various crop reaserch centers has proved that vermiliquid supplies crops with both micro and macro nutrients, which are necessary for holistic growth.
Whilst common fertilisers are specific in nutrient supply- NPK, DAP, CAN- vermiliquid has more than 15 micro and macro-elements, making it a ‘single dose’ application.
For one to meet all the mineral elements, more fertiliser from the compound groups has to be applied.
The main benefit of vermiliquid over conventional fertilisers is that it contains almost all the nutrients required at one go to address specific crop needs .
Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are the main or macro elements required in crops’ growth.
A detailed Crop Nutrition Lab analysis of the red wriggler worms’ vermiliquid showed the following minerals in part per million in concentrations.
Potassium parts were 2020, phosphorus 26.3, calcium 111, magnesium, 52.8, sulphur 33.2, manganese 1.37 iron 7.54.
Zinc was 0.40, boron 0.56, copper 0.30, sodium 60.7, ammonium 11.8, chlorides 692, molybdenum 0.039, among others.
The PH of the liquid was 8.55.
However, to have such a rich mineral resource, a mix of substrates from various families of crops has to be included. For instance legume, which are known to contain nitrogen and pumpkins and quash for zinc and phosphorus are included.
Vermiliquid is collected and applied as a folia fertiliser that is readily absorbed into the plant system via the leaves.
You need five kilos of worms acting on half a kilo of the food substrate. For instance, half a kilo of coffee husks added every two weeks produce one litre of the vermiliquid per month.
Application rate is 10ml per litre of water, although there is no harm in exceeding the rate.
Just like other folia fertilisers, the excess application does not have scorching effect on the crops as the synthetic types.
For those farmers aspiring to do organic farming or just keen in keeping their land to have long ,sustainable and long cost effective ventures then this is the way.