Who will come out on top in the battle of worm castings vs. bone meal fertilizers? This article looks into the features, benefits, and disadvantages. We also explain why we think organic worm castings are better to use on your plants and improve your soil's health.
Worm castings (like Simple Grow) are among the best overall organic fertilizers for your plants. This fantastic natural soil conditioner is worm poop, the waste by-products of earthworms, one of the most important insects in the soil microcosm.
Bone meal is an extremely popular fertilizer made up of steamed animal bones and then ground to a powder. Full of minerals and nutrients that nourish the soil, it is easily absorbed by the roots and helps with soil amendment.
You can easily confuse worm castings and bone meal.
Both fertilizers are slow-release sources of nutrients for the soil and plants, so if you are looking for a fast-acting fertilizer, you need to think long-term when planning your garden and crops.
Bone meal and worm castings have high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen, which help boost plant growth and are rich in trace minerals. Both are good sources of calcium and potassium. They are also organic, additive, and chemical-free, vital for your plants and soil health.
Although organic fertilizers, bone meal, and worm poop bring different elements to your plants and, eventually, the table. Here are the main differences between the two products.
Plants thrive in soil rich in worm poop. Worm castings do more than provide nutrients to your plant. They improve the soils' health, water retention rate, create aeration, and prevent root diseases. Castings also contain humic acids, which stimulate plant growth and good microbes in the soil. They are also highly water-soluble.
More importantly, worm castings are not toxic to the soil's health and conditioning, regardless of the quantity used.
On the other hand, too much bone meal fertilizer can burn the plants' roots, preventing any absorption of nutrients. It might also lead to excessive phosphorus levels in the soil, which inhibits plant growth.
Also, bone meal does not work on alkaline soil. Check your soil's pH before applying - if it is above seven, the bone meal will not work because the plant will not absorb the phosphorus unless you correct the pH level.
It is also highly toxic if ingested by animals or humans, so it is essential to apply it and store it safely.
You want your plants to grow, and so do we. There are a variety of organic fertilizers available - here is a brief description of the most popular.
Many people confuse blood meal with bone meal fertilizer. Like bone meal, it is another by-product of the slaughterhouse, but blood meal originates from dried animal blood.
It derives from cow blood, but many products also include pig blood. Blood meal is amineral-rich, dry, inert powder and an excellent nitrogen source.
Cow manure, or cow droppings, is probably the most popular fertilizer used by amateur and professional growers. It is low in nitrogen and full of essential nutrients to boost plant growth. Cow manure is highly water-soluble and quickly absorbed by the vegetables' roots.
Bats droppings, or guano, are incredibly high in nitrogen and phosphorus and are sometimes used as a fertilizer. The droppings are shaped like pellets and are crumbly to the touch. It is an effective fertilizer but can be toxic if allowed to accumulate in residential areas.
Similarly, you can buy seabird guano to use as fertilizer. Like the bat guano, the seabird droppings are a great way to increase soil amendment.
This fertilizer consists of dried, steamed, and crushed fish bones ground to a powder. Fishbone meal has a very high percentage of phosphorus and breaks down faster than bone meal. Farmers and gardeners can use it on most crops, including tomatoes, bulbs, and compost heaps.
Creating your compost heap is an excellent way of reusing your garden waste, such as weeds, grass clippings, and leaves. Add your eggshells, tea leaves, and used coffee grounds to the mix to create a rich fertilizer for your plants.
Cottonseed meal transforms the by-products of the cotton plant after the harvesting of cotton and the seeds crushed. It is an excellent slow-releasing fertilizer heavy with minerals including nitrogen, phosphorus, and iron.
Kelp meal is seaweed transformed into organic fertilizer and a source of over 70 vitamins and minerals. You can buy it as a liquid fertilizer or powder. It is an excellent bio activator, waking the microbes in the soil to help break down organic matter and increase plant absorption. Kelp is rich in nutrients and minerals such as phosphorus and calcium.
Like cottonseed and soybean meals, alfalfa meal comes from fermented alfalfa seed plants. This fertilizer is one of the most popular organic fertilizers because of its easy absorption and application. It is also high in trace minerals and relatively inexpensive to purchase.
Worm castings fertilizer is the perfect all-rounder for soil, plant, and crops. The earthworms feed on organic material and produce additive and chemical-free castings. It does not burn the roots and earth, and there is no limit to how much you can apply. This type of fertilizer usesmaterialsfound in nature to boost the plant's natural growth process, and you can't go wrong with that.
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!
