I bought the vermis terra brand off of amazon the premium one .. I thought I got the other not so cheap bag for 16.00 I really don’t know the difference between the 2 other than price I’ve used it 2 years ago again I’m new to the garden world so I read
And buy and so on it has done great for my indoor peppers I can’t comment on the outside because I don’t have enough experience or know Whst things should and should not grow like. As long as they don’t die I’m good..

Does MycoGrow ever go bad?

AKgardener wrote: ↑Fri Feb 10, 2023 1:48 pm I bought the vermis terra brand off of amazon the premium one

It seems like weight may not be a good way to compare worm casting products. It is tempting to do a test. I will have two different brands of worm castings. It shouldn't be too difficult to dry some of each and compare the weight of wet vs dry. However that would be only one parameter and I am sure there are many others. One thing I noted is Vermis Terra lists NPK as 0.6- 0.7- 0.2. The Wiggle Worm I am getting from Walmart is 1-0-0 and the Worm Bliss I am getting from Amazon has no NPK indicated.

A few comments from Amazon reviews.
.
.
.

Seems More Expensive -- But It's Not

I admit that I used to just buy the less-expensive brands of worm castings. In the past they were OK, but in the last year my go-to brands seemed like they were way too moist and difficult to use efficiently.

I decided to go ahead and get some VermisTerra brand because they were supposed to be drier and easy to use/spread. I wasn't happy about the price, but then again, I wasn't happy buying bags of water either.

What a difference!!! The VermisTerra is dry, and a little goes a very long way. It's also easier to spread around, and not get clumps. It also doesn't hurt that I get to carry around a smaller container (definitely easier on my back).

I originally got the regular VermisTerra, and this time I decided to get the Premium version. The Premium is even more finely milled, so it seems that it breaks down faster into the "soil goodie" that my plants like.

So while VermisTerra worm castings seem like they are more expensive than some of the other brands, they really aren't. I'd have to buy at least 30 lbs of the other castings to get the same amount of VermisTerra, due to the water content in the other brands. That's 20 lbs of water I don't need to lug around my garden.

High quality

Don't buy those 20 lb bags of earthworm castings sold on here in the giant bag, it's almost all twigs and coarse material. This stuff is extremely dark and like a powder. It is perfect for mixing into your soil, whether you're doing a custom blend or just scratching some on the top. I can already see my tomato and pepper plants responding beautifully. This is the top tier stuff.

Edit: I'm still buying this regularly! I've purchased 5 bags so far and I genuinely prefer this over the other brand stuff. One of the major things I forgot to note before is it isn't dusty either, there's no kickback, which is such a plus.

Worth the extra money

I can buy a 20 pound bag of worm castings at my garden center for half the price. It is false economy though, because what comes out of that bag is super wet; the VermisTerra castings are dry as a bone and basically powder. The wetter type of casting is also much more difficult to mix into the soil, as it tends to clump. Not so with the VermisTerra. I'm happy with my purchase and will buy again when I need another bag.

In my experience there’s definitely a difference in moisture/weight between brands at different price levels, but the clumps I got with the cheaper Brut castings weren’t a big deal and were easy to break up, and there was no filler of any kind, just pure castings (they look like large coffee grounds). So personally I am still not convinced that Vermisterra is THAT much better, but I see them sponsor a lot of youtubers and might order one day to try (if you order directly vs Amazon with a code from youtube you’ll get free shipping and 10% off).

Stopped by our local high-end nursery and this is the brand I purchased last year - went up from $12 to $15 for 5 lbs. i “weighed” the bag and it seemed a bit denser/wetter than I recall. I wonder if the dryer bag from last year had been sitting around for a few months and that caused it to dry out?

I also think the way you’re planning to use castings can help decide which “grade” to pick. I was adding to our beds with a mix of amendments based on Leafgro leaf compost, so I needed bulk. If I was only going to use a little in the planting hole or to top dress existing plants or add to seedling mix then I’d probably choose something more expensive.

I got curious and looks like Vermisterra claims their 10 lb bag contains 25 cups. If my math is correct that’s about .2 cu ft. Brut claims 0.84 cu ft in a 30 lb bag - my best guesstimate would be somewhere between 0.5-0.75 cu ft based on what it looked like dumped in a wheelbarrow. In any case it doesn’t appear that 10 lbs of Vermisterra would be anywhere near the volume of 30 lbs of Brut.

indysun wrote: ↑Fri Feb 10, 2023 10:58 pm Does MycoGrow ever go bad?

My MycoGrow has a best by stamped on the package. It has about 6 months to go and I purchased it about a year ago maybe 2. It sounds like a recommendation and likely is good for longer than that.

I think the only reason I got the brand I did was due to it being popular brand on you tube!! Other than I haven’t seen it any of our stores unless I’m not looking hard enough!!I cannot give a honest comment or comparison because I know nothing about fertilizer.

zeuspaul wrote: ↑Sat Feb 11, 2023 12:33 pm

indysun wrote: ↑Fri Feb 10, 2023 10:58 pm Does MycoGrow ever go bad?

My MycoGrow has a best by stamped on the package. It has about 6 months to go and I purchased it about a year ago maybe 2. It sounds like a recommendation and likely is good for longer than that.

I use MycoGro and keep the unused portion in my fridge. It has been viable for over a year as evidenced by the white filaments that will form on the top of the soil when I use it.

That's what I do, @MissS. I have a section on one of my refrigerator doors where I keep things small jars like the myco, B. israelensis, inoculant, and things like rooting gel, GA-3 solutions, and other things like that. Nobody else in the house, so I don't have to worry about anyone getting into them! And they seem to remain active until used up.

I ran a moisture test on the Plantonix Worm Bliss I got from Amazon (still waiting on the Wiggle Worm from Walmart). I placed a shot glass of the castings in a 4 oz canning jar and placed it on a hot plate with a low temp setting. The initial weight was 31.56 grams. 16 hours later it was 21.32 grams; + 24 hrs 15.90 grams +24 more hours and it seemed as dry as it would get at 15.88 grams. The Worm Bliss had 15.68 grams of water which is a moisture content of 50% (15.68/31.56).

According to this site the proper moisture content is 55%-70%.

Moisture content
Another important factor you need to consider before getting worm casting is the moisture content. This is majorly affected by the production timeline of the product. For example, if your choice of worm casting has been sitting on a shelf for a long time, chances are the water level has reduced and become insufficient. Avoid such products. The right moisture content should be about 55%-70%.
https://www.gardengatemagazine.com/review/worm-casting/
The site gives Wiggle Worm a best overall rating, Brut an Honorable Mention and VermisTerra an Also Consider.

https://wormmy.com/best-worm-castings/
This site also gives Wiggle Worm their highest rating. The VermisTerra comes in at #4 out of 5 with a caveat that some batches can arrive a little dry which some Amazon reviewers think is a good thing. The Worm Bliss I got from Amazon is #3 and no mention of Brut.


I took a good look at the Worm Bliss and it looked like a high quality dark compost to me. I have nothing to compare it to. I didn't notice any clumping. The moisture content seemed about right to me. I did see a few tiny *twigs*? maybe 5% of the product. Now waiting for Walmart and Wiggle Worm and am tempted to try HD and Brut.

I think worm diet is going to be a factor in the end product and a mix of different brands for different uses will be the way to go.

Brut worm
Reed Sedge peat and certified organic ground grains

Wiggle Worm
fed a very rich organic material which contains a wide variety of minerals and trace elements.

Worm Bliss
At Plantonix, we feed our earthworms a 100% organic, vegan, and non-GMO diet.

VermisTerra
We feed our earthworms green waste material such as grass and tree clippings.

@zeuspaul thanks for sharing! I’m very curious how the WW will compare. None of the products I’ve used had any twigs or other materials in them, they looked like pure coarse coffee grounds, but I’m sure that can vary from batch to batch.

@Cranraspberry I inspected it with a magnifying glass. The very small amount of *twigs* were tiny straight objects like about 1/4 inch of the end of a tooth pick. Just ordered some Brut so I will have another one to compare. This stuff won't last long once I start adding it to my 25 gal containers. Also plan to use it in my starting mix.

Here's an article I read about myco that had something in it I hadn't seen before - that some mycorrhizae might help fight root nematodes. Something those in warmer areas might find useful, if it really works.

https://www.motherearthnews.com/sustain ... 1ffG9M9-4w

pepperhead212 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 15, 2023 10:23 am Here's an article I read about myco that had something in it I hadn't seen before - that some mycorrhizae might help fight root nematodes. Something those in warmer areas might find useful, if it really works.

https://www.motherearthnews.com/sustain ... 1ffG9M9-4w

If this is true, I'd sure hate to see how bad my root knot nematodes would be without MycoGrow. For my garden beds here in Tulsa, I occasionally get roots as wide as my thumb and severely galled. I use MycroGrow as directed. Maybe the strains in MycoGrow aren't the same as the ones in the article?

I'm trying some grafting this year to battle the nematodes.

Lee

wxcrawler wrote: ↑Wed Feb 15, 2023 10:36 am

pepperhead212 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 15, 2023 10:23 am Here's an article I read about myco that had something in it I hadn't seen before - that some mycorrhizae might help fight root nematodes. Something those in warmer areas might find useful, if it really works.

https://www.motherearthnews.com/sustain ... 1ffG9M9-4w

If this is true, I'd sure hate to see how bad my root knot nematodes would be without MycoGrow. For my garden beds here in Tulsa, I occasionally get roots as wide as my thumb and severely galled. I use MycroGrow as directed. Maybe the strains in MycoGrow aren't the same as the ones in the article?

I'm trying some grafting this year to battle the nematodes.

Lee

I figured that given there are so many species of myco, they wouldn't all be useful for the same things, unfortunately.

Are you going to try grafting to some supposedly resistant tomato varieties, or another species, like eggplant?

[/quote]
I figured that given there are so many species of myco, they wouldn't all be useful for the same things, unfortunately.

Are you going to try grafting to some supposedly resistant tomato varieties, or another species, like eggplant?
[/quote]

I am grafting Captain Lucky, Aunt Ginny's Purple, Break O'Day, and KARMA Peach to Estamino rootstocks. I actually did the grafting yesterday. We'll see how they do over the next few days. It's my first time trying it, other than a practice run in the Fall where my success rate was 50%.

Lee

wxcrawler wrote: ↑Wed Feb 15, 2023 4:55 pm

I figured that given there are so many species of myco, they wouldn't all be useful for the same things, unfortunately.

Are you going to try grafting to some supposedly resistant tomato varieties, or another species, like eggplant?
[/quote]

I am grafting Captain Lucky, Aunt Ginny's Purple, Break O'Day, and KARMA Peach to Estamino rootstocks. I actually did the grafting yesterday. We'll see how they do over the next few days. It's my first time trying it, other than a practice run in the Fall where my success rate was 50%.

Lee
[/quote]
What is your immediate after care "plant hospital" consist / made of ?

I intend to try my hand at it next year, and I think I am gonna try one of them big plastic tubs from wally world

At the risk of stating the horribly obvious, mycorrhiza and worm castings are two different things. The latter are fungi that form a symbiotic relationship to the roots of plants that helps in nutrient uptake. The former is an organic fertilizer derived from worms, specifically their excrement. I use both in my garden. Forgive me if everyone already knows this but it didn't seem obvious and as this thread was started by a new gardener I thought I'd pipe up.

I used Dynomyco mychrrhiza last year with good results. It's very easy to deposit a teaspoon full of granules while planting. I mix worm castings into my soil and I'm usually able to buy them locally.

I don't know much about the different varieties of mycorrhizae fungi but this site indicate worm castings have mycorrihiza fungi.

I do agree worm castings should have their own thread. I will be adding new comments on worm castings in a dedicated worm casting thread.
.
.
https://gentleworld.org/the-wonder-of-w ... ycorrhizae.
<snip>
Worm castings have high concentrations of two important components for soil health and plant growth: humic acid and mycorrhizae. Humic acid helps plants develop stronger root systems, increases microbial activity and nutrient availability, promotes the activity of enzymes and natural plant growth regulators, as well as, slowing pathogenic fungi build-up. Mycorrhizae, a beneficial soil fungus, attaches to the root system in a symbiotic relationship that helps the roots to absorb nutrients and increase water intake. Basically, a worm’s gut is filled with good microbes and bacteria that are distributed in the garden as they travel and munch throughout the day.
<snip>