Seed Starting Blocks from Worm Castings

I just received one of my favorite seed catalogs and was reading about making your own seed starting blocks. The equipment and process outlined in the catalog was primarily for commerical use, but the idea struck me that this would be a neat way to use saved worm castings. I have had problems with certain transplants in the past, namely cucumbers, and "potting on" procedure mentioned sounded like a great idea. The one problem that I see with this idea is how to bind the worm castings in the various mold sizes. We can make seed pots out of peat moss and news paper for that matter, so there must be some type of biodegradeable material which can be added to moistened castings to hold them together. Has anyone tried this before or have any suggestions how this might be accomplished???

I have never heard of this method, but I hope you have success, and share it with us. It sounds like a very good idea!

I haven't ever tried it. I guess I'm wondering about the nutrients - it's kind of like starting the little plants in pure fertilizer? But definitely worth the experiment.

As far as making it stick together, how about the approach used with seed balls, of adding a little bit of clay? Those are intended to be a little stronger, more adobe-like than a seed starting block, but I think it's a similar idea - the ball holds together long enough for handling, then dissolves naturally with rain.

The recommended clay for seed balls is that red terra cotta kind, but we here have pretty clayey soil, so I just use that. (Plus it's a little closer to the environment the plants are going to have to live in.) So that would be my starting point...

Let us know what you try and how it turns out...

realbirdlady...great idea...as for the worm castings I have been using them for germination for several years with good success. The only problem is the rogue tomato seeds which will not die even if I heat the castings at 120 degrees C for 20 minutes they still survive. When I plant my tomato seeds I carefully place them in a grid pattern to try and avoid getting any unwanted tomato plants. This progressive plug idea may not be new, but its the first time I have seen this and it makes good sense to me for those hard to transplants like cukes or mellons. If successful I will post something asap. Thanks again realbird lady.

I start all my melon, squash and cucumbers using soil blocks. They are ready to put in the garden in 2 or 3 weeks from starting and have no transplant shock. I would not use just worm castings to make the blocks. Mix 20-40% casting with a good seed starting mix.

The trick to getting good blocks in to get the mix really wet and let in sit for at least an hour before making your blocks. The mix should be wet enough that when you pick up a handfull you can squeeze water out of it.

Thanks for the tip kaytime. I had almost forgotten about this experiment, but what you say makes good sense. My wife suggested egg whites when I mention this idea to her last year. I never got around to trying this idea, but glad you brought it back to life. The one thing I remember about the catalog ad for making seed blocks was that it was very expensive to purchase the equipment. I am interested in seeing if that ad reappears this year.

Hope your weather in Jacks is nice and warm. We are experiencing sub-zero here and I'm ready to do some deep sea fishing. Thanks again for the tip.

morgan

I got mine from Johnny's seeds. It was $30 but it is made in England and will last forever. Some people say you have to buy multiple sizes but I only use the one size and it works just fine:
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8087-medium-4-soil-blocker-4-blocks.aspx

I wish we could trade about 15 degrees. It is suppose to be 83 Thanksgiving day. That is just too hot for this time of year but I can't complain too much since I still have tomatoes growing.

Well thank you kaytime...I definitely have to have one of those. I am a big fan of Johnny's Seeds. Seems like every time I have strayed from them I have been sorry. Anxious to recieve their next catalog. Thanks again.

Soil Cubes work GREAT! 6 weeks ago I purchased a blocking device from a small company called Soil Cube and it is not that expensive. Most importantly, the owner has answered my questioned about the process of creating and growing in soil blocks within 24 hrs. of my email. His name is Clayton and his website also includes videos and photos with detailed instructions on using Soil Cubes. www.soilcube.com. I am delighted at the beet, swiss chard, parsnips, kale, snow peas, and sugar snap pea seedlings that are established and growing, even with the December cool temps that have descended on Savannah Ga. Of the 24 cubes I planted with seed, only 3 did not produce, so I refresh the cube by reseeding. Each one is happily growing in it's own 4" square soil cube, which I keep moistened by bottom watering. Once they reach the correct height I'll transplant by popping each cube into a permanent container. What can be easier than that? When I create my next batch of soil mix next spring I'm going to follow y'alls advice and add a healthy quantity of compost from my red wiggler worm composting bin. In fact, I'm eager to see the result. I'll also follow Clayton's soil mix recipe that he includes and demonstrates online. Donald

Nice going Donald. I like the 4-inch size I think better than the 2-inch which Johonny's has listed for a similar price. Looks like they would fit nicely in the seed flats as do the three inch peat pots. I intend to use media from my four worm bins for making these cubes. One of the problems with using this media (peat moss in my case) is the possibility of damening off. The media can be sterilized using heat, however a DGer (twiggybuds - Dorthy) mentioned watering seedlings with a diluted hydrogen peroxide solution (1 to 4 Tablespoons/Gallon of water) to prevent this. By using an insert tray you can remove the soil cubes after bottom watering for fifteen minutes and drain off the excess water so the cubes don't sit in water. I am going to try squash and cucumbers next season using this method. I have not had much success using various other means of transplanting these two since they don't like their roots being disturbed. Using warm water and night time covers (5-gallon buckets) I may even get a couple of weeks head start on transplanting. Will see how this works. Thanks Donald for the imput.

hey ya morgan! hope youre staying warm up there..
weve warmed up from last week.. it was like january..brrr..
im "attempting" to start bananas from seed now.. always willing to take on a challenge..
and with the unique composition of castings im thinking of using it as potting mix..when/if i get
these seeds to germingate..
one concern i have is castings not sterile.. and if i sterilizing it is i probably would be killing
off the benificial reasons of using the castings in the 1st place...
? what does everyone think??
i plan to use 1/3 castings... 1/3 perlite... 1/3 coco coir..
i have super results from using a good addition of castings to everything ive planted now..
many reasons many of us raise worms in the 1st place... plentiful source of castings..
reminds me..i have a bin i really need to clear out.. lol
you stay warm up there morgan !!!
happy holidays to all....

Hey Dave, it's too darn cold to even talk about it. Wish I were there in Arizona. The problem with heat sterilization as you say is the killing off of any beneficial organisms. The dreaded dampening off is what concerns me the most in using worm castings (spent media). I have had problems in the past but with Dorthy's watering method of using hydrogen peroxide I didn't have any problems last season. I have prepared a three page summary from net down loads on dampening off which includes two pages of suggestions for avoiding the problem and still getting maximum benefit from your worm castings when used as a germination mix. I have four tomato plants which I plan to pot up indoors today which were started using these techniques and they are healthy. The potting up mix will be about 50% worm castings as well as MG potting soil.

I'm sure you have noticed that docgripe has joined the band wagon here in vermiculture, and I have been re-inspired to do some experimenting with worm castings as a tea. doc's compost tea recipes have always been helpbul as well as his recommendations on germination and potting mixes. I have a large file on both subjects which I am updating and would be glad to share once I finish organizing. Also, I have been working on a new method of making compost tea using a particular method of mixing with a type of mixer which I think will be ideal for both small (5-gal) and larger (up to 55-gal) batches. The piece of equipment I have in mind was manufactured by a friend 20 years ago but never took off. I plan to negotiate a price for the remaining units and would like for some assistance in running some tests, so let me know via D-Mail if you would like to work with me on this one.

morgan

RE: heat sterilization, What if you sterilize and then once the seedlings get a little bigger, you add unsterilized compost tea? The microbes would be happy to be back in their worm castings, I'm sure. I don't know anything about damping off - I just plant what survives and try to remember to skip (next year) what doesn't. I think the damping off problem must go away after the plant is a few weeks old or you could never put them in the garden.
Paul

morgan! it was super here today.. high got to around 48F it was like spring..so i moved most of my potted up bananas,EE
out in the sun.. i think i heard them singing actually...LOL
if its nice this week(no rain/snow) i'll have the boys mow down the rest of the leaves for next yrs composting.. we'll see how
weather holds..
yea..on the casting sterilizing.. maybe i'll just use mostly coir and perlite..and after germination..use aerated tea..
im thinking next spring/summer... of making big batches of aerated tea out back.. my roses,pumpkins sure responded well
to it...
i'll have to go get couple more 40gal plastic trash cans..get some pumps out there..
i think my tropical plants responded well to it as well..i use a 1 part tea to 1 part water..
not sure that using full strength tea would hurt though..its not very potent N,P,K... that would burn anything.
you stay warm up there!!!!
dave

MRAIDER3, I've got a question for the group here. Isn't dampening off a problem whenever soil is too moist (too wet) for the growing seedlings, and not only from negative bacteria and/or fungi in the soil? Also, regarding the introduction of worm castings into the cubing mix, have you considered that castings are ph neutral and add much NPK to the cube mix, and the beneficial mycorrhizal effect they will have by biologically inoculating the soil. A friend at a Soil Cube.com reminded me of that fact and says the addition of castings to his blocks are paying off quickly and dramatically. I'm going to give it a try, and then report back. But at the moment, I don't see a downside. How can ANYTHING outside of a vacuum be truly sterile anyway? Donald

Enough Dave, between you and my wife who is currently playing grannynanny in Texas (Temp 60+F) I am getting really jealous. Snow just keeps piling up here and the heater never shuts off. Good thing I purchased one of those Amish made SunTwins or I would be looking at $450/mo in heating bills like everyone else here. My neighbors on average pay are around $300 plus a month and I am half that. I plan to order two more for daughter and son who live in Colorado tomorrow. They pay for themselves in one season.

As for the larger compost tea I plan to make up several units as well. I haven't heard back yet from the supplier on the aeration units yet, but will let you know what I find out ASAP.

MrD, absolutely right on with the NPK and beneficial effects from using the worm media in cubing. I have used it exclusively now for two seasons for my seed germination mix and have never had a problem with anything other than dampening off which was corrected last season with the hydrogen peroxide watering method. Bottom watering and letting the surface dry out if in deed it gets too wet are the primary means of prevention, however there are a number of other steps that can be taken to prevent this problem.

Most people seem to be concerned about removing the worms prior to using it as either a germination mix or in their potting up mixes. I am not concerned about having a few worms in either. One of the things on my list to do different next season is to had a cup or two of worm media with each hole I dig for tomatoes, peppers, cukes, squash, pumpkin and mellons. I will take this cup or two from the most concentrated worm section of one of my indoor bins. Red wigglers don't overwinter as a rule here, but since I don't have indigenous worms yet in my garden, this addition will be my substitute.
I have found a few of the red wigglers in the spring after tilling in the areas where I have planted tomatoes and peppers. These worms were more than likely from the transplanted plants which were grown in the spent worm media, i.e., from worm egg capsules more than likely.

Another change I plan to make next spring is to mulch my tomatoes and pepper plants with alfalfa hay, and to incorporate some ground up alfalfa grass in the top layer of soil around the base of each of the plants mentioned above. Alfalfa meal is unavalble here so I will make my own. This will not only provide added nutrients to the plants, but provide food for the worms as well, thus aerating the soil and providing better access of moisture to the root systems.

there are alot of recipes out there for soil block mix. most use peat moss , perilite and compost with some misc meals and rock powders. the brown peat moss holds the mix together. I think I would try replacing the compost and bone meals with the worm castings - you will need the peat or you will have a mess.

Some of you were discussing adding worm castings to compost, perlite, etc. for a seed starting mixture. Here is an interesting article on a study done on broccoli and how the broccoli fared with different amounts of castings:

http://news.siuc.edu/news/May07/050907kcj7057.jsp

Craig, I would agree with your approach to using a 50:50 mix of 'brown' spagnum peat moss and verimculture media for making germination cubes. This combination should work fine for holding the cubes together as well as providing the right 'nutrient' balance for starting seeds. The idea that seeds need a sterile, non-fertile media to start in has always seemed a bit strange to me. We start seeds directly in our gardens and that media is neither sterile or non-fertile. After reading OffTheGrid's posted article on broccoli seed started in various percentages of vermiculture media I am even more perplexed. I quess the question is how to you qualifiy vermicompost media or worm castings? What I have called spent worm compost media has a faily low nutrient value, but not all medias are the same. And, my spent media is not consistently the same from one batch to another as well. I think I will post the question in another thread in this form and see if there is any feed back.

There were two other comments in this article as well which caught my attention. "A peat-based growing medium is a non-renewable resource harvested from peat bogs. When it's gone, it's gone." I have read this before and even posted a statement on this several years ago in this forum. However, I have seen nothing to indicate that this resource is close to being gone. The bale prices on peat moss are not jumping by leaps and bounds like oil, so where's the proof that this product is nearly gone?

The other comment in this article was regarding high soluble salt content. Where did the salts come from, the water used to water the plants, or the manure use for medium? That just didn't make a lot of sense to me.