WHAT IS VERMICOMPOST FERTILIZER?

Vermicompost fertilizer is an organically produced nutrient rich soil amendment that is used to improve the overall growing conditions for all kinds of plants. This type of fertilizer improves biodiversity, soil aeration, and water retention. If is also a useful tool to help plants through stressful situations.

WHY USE JUST DIRT FERTILIZER.

Our process begins with feeding our worms a 100% all organic diet that includes specific vitamins and minerals. This ensures that we start with the best quality vermicast possible. The vermicast is then liquified to produce high-quality products for our customers.

Vermicompost is composed of magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, nitrogen, and potassium.

Vermicompost can also be helpful in suppressing pests such as whiteflies, aphids, fruit flies, etc. The enzymes it contains, weakens, and destroys the exoskeleton of various insects, which repels the hard bodied insects.

Vermicompost contains anti-disease and antimicrobial chemicals that can aid in suppressing diseases like Phytophthora, Pythium, and Fusarium.

Whiteflies are a flying insect, that resembles a moth. They are white and have a triangle-shaped body. These pests destroy plants by laying eggs on the underside of the primarily new leaves formed on a plant. An adult whitefly can lay up to 400 eggs in a 30-day period. When these hatch into larvae, they immediately begin to suck the plants juices. This process begins to kill the plant by interfering with photosynthesis. Whiteflies infest plants very quickly and the results are devastating. Much like aphids, these pests leave a milky, sticky substance on the leaves of the infested plant. This sticky substant if left untreated can form a fungus, which will also slowly kill the infected plant. These pests will attack soft leaved houseplants, citrus trees, sweet potatoes, greens, cabbage, tomatoes, okra, eggplant, and peppers. Whiteflies can be brought home from nurseries and greenhouses or just be found in nature.

Aphids are a soft bodied insects that are also known as plant cows or plant lice. These insects are pear shaped and sucking mouth part that is like the whitefly. Pest like aphids, secrete a milky sticky sweet substance when feeding on plants. This attracts ants in most instances and provides a welcoming breeding ground for the fungus, sooty mold. The ants will take care of the aphids as people would livestock on a farm. Aphids have several natural enemies like ladybugs, hover fly larvae and lacewings. These insects are often unsuccessful in suppressing the aphid population on plants due to fact that ants will fight off, remove the eggs of the enemy as well as kill them. There are several species of aphids and vary widely in color. They can be found everywhere in nature. These pests are hard to manage and can spread disease from plant to plant due to the way they feed.

Fruit flies are two-winged insect with red eyes, that cause more damage to fruits and vegetables than any other insect. These pests' can be found in supermarkets, homes, restaurants, gardens and anywhere these are fruits and vegetables. Fruit flies lay their eggs in open wounds on damaged and ripe fruit. An adult can lay as many as 500 eggs at a time, that can hatch in as little as a week. These eggs hatch into larvae that feed on the vegetables and fruit that are laid on. These larvae make the fruit inedible. Fermenting vegetables and fruits like tomatoes, grapes, melons, bananas, onions, pineapples, apples, and potatoes are the most common attractant for fruit flies. Consuming the infested fruit, could potentially pass on a disease.

Caterpillars are butterflies and moths in the larvae stage. They primarily feed on the tissue between the leaves eventually leaving nothing but the veins. Caterpillars also have been known to feed on the shoots, flowers and in some cases the fruit. These pests do considerable damage to plants, trees, and crops if the population is not regulated.

Vermicompost fertilizer can suppress caterpillars and other insects' due fact that it contains an enzyme called chitinase. This enzyme causes the exoskeleton of the insect to break down, making an unfavorable living environment.

Phytophthora disease also known as potato blight, late blight, sudden oak death, or rhododendron root rot, is a plant damaging oomycetes (type of water mold) a fungus type or organism. This disease is usually caused by a plant being planted too deep or the soil around the base of the plant being wet for prolonged periods of time. A symptom of this disease is tuber decay, brown rotting, and shriveled leaves. This disease is one most common disease found in nurseries. Phytophthora disease causes over a million dollars in damages to Oregon's shade tree industry annually.

Pythium disease also known as water mold. This type of fungal disease attacks the roots of mature plants causing lesions on fine feeder roots and root tips. This type of fungi can be present in the soil prior to planting. If this is the case, the disease will attack plants at germination and cause the seedling to collapse at the soil line. Pythium disease has been known to attack almost the entire plant, including the leaves, stems, fruit, roots and tubers. The most common effects this disease has on plants are crown rot, wilting, stunted growth and death. Due to the harsh results this pathogen brings. It is important to be aware if you have this infection in your soil prior to planting.

Fusarium disease also known as fusarium wilt, is a fungal infection that starts in the soil. It is commonly found on cotton, turfgrass, strawberries, eggplants, peppers, ornamentals, and tomato plants. The usual signs of this disease are brown discoloration, yellowing, wilting, stunted growth, and death. The early signs will typically appear on one side of the infected plants. The easiest way to avoid fusarium and other types of diseases, are to avoid over watering the soil.