Choosing the right fertilizer for your garden can be pretty tricky, and there are so many options to choose from chicken manure all the way to horse manure. However, if you are looking for waste that you can manage yourself and use as soon as possible, worm castings and rabbit droppings might be what you should consider.
Both composts are considered cold manure and are perfect for instant application. Worm castings are a fertilizer produced by earthworms. The castings consist of earthworm waste, or otherwise known as worm poop, and require some time to prepare before you can use it. On the other hand, Rabbit manure is waste from rabbits. The rabbit poop is an organic, small round pellet, and the type of fertilizer can be applied fresh, straight from the rabbit hutch directly to the garden. However, what are the differences between rabbit manure and worm castings?
Worm castings introduce air and improve soil structure while providing essential nutrients to plants. A worm bed also repels pests that feed on crops such as aphids and spider mites. As worms eat through organic material, even wasted rabbit feed, they produce waste that makes the soil richer. For large-scale production of worm castings, raise worms in a worm farm. The process of introducing worms is relatively simple as they will break down food scraps, and having a worm farm is a great way to repurpose wasted food, such as coffee grounds.
Worm castings come in football-shaped particles that aid soil aeration, water retention, and drainage. They are an excellent addition to plants, and they contain essential nutrients for plants. Worm castings are composted manure used directly from the compost pile onto any plant. The manure can be used as various bedding materials such as a top dressing, side dressing, worked into the soil, or in potted plants.
The worm castings are manure loaded with nitrogen-fixing and anti-pathogenic bacteria. This cold manure results from natural decomposition processes and is a great way to enhance germination. They absorb approximately 3-4 times their weight in moisture, making them useful for soil moisture retention.
Worm castings have a neutral PH, which neutralizes acidic or alkaline soils. They also increase soil fertility capacity, reduce soil erosion and poor soil structure. Due to the excellent moist bedding material, the soil has high moisture retention levels and is less likely to have soil erosion.
To make worm castings, you need a worm bin or box in any preferred size. However, for this purpose, make sure the boxes are hollow because if it is too deep, it could cause odor and fly problems. The container should roughly be 20-31cm in-depth and have a drainage outlet at the bottom.
You can harvest worm castings in many ways. A popular option is the dump and sort method. This method requires you to pour the composted manure from the worm bin, select the red wigglers and use them to make new manure. You can then add the aged manure to the plants.
Animal manure serves as a soil conditioner, ideal for any garden. Unlike worm castings, rabbit manure can be used fresh and doesn’t need to be aged. Rabbit manure is excellent for immediate use because it is not considered hot and doesn’t burn plants. Manure from cows, chicken, and horses first need to be composted due to how hot they are. Composting the manure mentioned above can take around three months before you can use itin the garden.
Rabbit manure is also considered very nutrient-rich, and it has up to four times more nutrients than what you can find in cows and horse manure. However, you should note that chicken manure has a nutrient content twice the manure from raised rabbits.
Fresh rabbit manure contains around 2% nitrogen, 1% phosphorus, and 1% potassium. It is a rich source of trace minerals, including magnesium, boron, zinc, manganese, sulfur, copper, and cobalt; therefore, it is essential for plant roots. It also increases the life span of microorganisms living in the soil. A doe, a female rabbit, and offspring can produce approximately one ton of manure per year.
Rabbit manure also has higher phosphorus levels than other organic matter, which helps convert solar energy to chemical energy in plants. Its nutrient content helps improve fruit quality and prevent diseases. It is straightforward to work with since it comes out in dry pellets and is not as smelly as other manure.
Rabbit manure is versatile, and you can use it as a fertilizer in various types of gardens such as vegetable, home, and flower gardens. You use the rabbit poop as a top dress or as a nitrogen source in compost piles to speed up the decaying process in compost.
Bred pet rabbits used for composted manure do not feed on plants containing viable weed seeds; therefore, the rabbit poop does not produce weeds when used in a garden. Rabbit manure is collected from under the rabbit cages; therefore, make sure that the rabbit bedding material is also weed-free.
Which one is better? Both are very nutrient-rich, but worm castings are better than rabbit manure for several reasons. One reason is that worm castings have high nutrient content. The nutrients include high levels of beneficial microorganisms. They are also a great source of finely textured hummus plant growth hormones (auxins).
Considering that you have to keep pet rabbits and collect rabbit droppings from them, composting worms sounds like a more manageable option. Both come with the disadvantage that you need time to start the process. To use rabbit droppings, you will need to collect for some time. Furthermore, you will need to wait for the worm bin to ripen before using the worm castings.
For fresh rabbit manure, you have to buy them food. However, with worms, you only need to feed them food waste. Pet rabbits also come with the regular expenses of having a pet, including vet visits, and thus makes worms an easier choice.
On the other hand, rabbit manure has several benefits, such as improving the lifestyle of microorganisms found in soil. The manure pellets are also easy to handle and apply to the garden.
Rabbit manure and worm castings present significant advantages to any farmer. You can choose between rabbits and worms or make hybrid manure from both of them. Whatever the case, you will always win with the two options. It merely comes down to how much time you have and what you are willing to spend your money on.
Do you wish your plants would grow bigger? Was your garden less than it should've been last year?
If you're tired of growing puny vegetables and fruits, it's time for an upgrade...Simple Grow Worm Castings!
What are worm castings? Another term for worm manure. Why would you want to use it in your garden, raised beds, and house plants? Because it makes them grow bigger, faster and healthier...with no chemicals!
How do worm castings do this? It's like giving your plants a powerful multivitamin with everything they need to grow. Trace minerals, nutrients, and most importantly...worm castings are chock full of beneficial microbes. Why does that make a difference?
In recent years, we've learned the importance of gut bacteria for humans and know that it impacts so many different parts of our health. The same thing applies with worms. Gut bacteria from the worm's digestive tract gets into the soil from the worm castings and promotes plant health. Plants have a symbiotic relationship with the microbes from the worm's digestive tract. Plants respond to it and grow really big...really fast!
If you've never tried worm castings before, you owe it to yourself to give them a try. Instead of using traditional chemical fertilizers from the big box store, why not try fresh, certified organic worm castings this year? You'll be able to grow bigger, healthier plants that you actually can feel good about eating.
Take advantage of our special bundle sale on 25lb bags today!
