Compost vs vermicompost

Hey guys I've been doing a lil research and I'm confused! I've always thought ewc and compost are two different things! As in ewc is more of earth worm poop and compost is organic material breaking down!

So let's say I composted in my worm farm(homemade tote turned into worm farm) could I technically do that as long as it didn't get too hot? And if I did when making a tea would I still need ewc and compost or just one scoop of this this worm/composting bin? I'm very confused and I don't understand this! Amy help or clarification would be greatly appreciated!

You’re right, they are two different types of compost. EWC, Leaf Compost, Composted Cow Manure, Composted Sheep Manure, Mushroom Compost, Sea Compost... the list goes on. The more different types added together, the merrier

GrowGorilla said:

You’re right, they are two different types of compost. EWC, Leaf Compost, Composted Cow Manure, Composted Sheep Manure, Mushroom Compost, Sea Compost... the list goes on. The more different types added together, the merrier

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So when I make a tea this would work for both ewc and compost? Or would I still have to buy another kind of compost to mix with it?

Greenthumbs256 said:

So when I make a tea this would work for both ewc and compost? Or would I still have to buy another kind of compost to mix with it?

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You can use EWC by itself. It’s probably the best compost you can get.

A worms gullet contains a vast array of microbes, enzymes and hormones which decompose organic matter very quickly when compared to the natural decomposition process which relies on microbes alone. To answer your Q worm poop itself is a form of biodiverse compost. It takes 4-8 weeks for worm compost to break down most organic matter into humus whereas the same material would take 20 weeks or more to decompose in a traditional compost pile.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3725894/

There's no requirement to have both kids of compost in your mix or teas but you certainly can add any or all types if desired. Worm castings are really all you need for growing mj but composted manure or guanos are good to add as well as regular compost from a backyard pile. Diversity in a soil mix is never a bad thing.

I topdress my plants at 2 and 4 weeks into flower with fresh ewc and the girls love it.

This time around I have 2 watermelon clones. I’m going to topdress 1 with fresh compost from outside, and the other with fresh ewc. Want to see which is more beneficial.

kkt3 said:

I topdress my plants at 2 and 4 weeks into flower with fresh ewc and the girls love it.

This time around I have 2 watermelon clones. I’m going to topdress 1 with fresh compost from outside, and the other with fresh ewc. Want to see which is more beneficial.

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I'd love to see the results from that!

I think you can forget about ewc teas altogether. There's a YouTube channel called Alberta organic farming or natural farming something along those lines but watch his video talking about teas. EWC over compost if you had to choose one or the other. Also whatever is composting down in your worm bins is what will make up the nutrients in your bin example bananas you'll have more potassium

Left in is compost, right one is veggie ewc. I have a few different ewc bins going. One I feed strictly veggies to, another I feed banana peels and coffee grounds, and the others are a mixture of veggies, fruits, some amendments.

kkt3 said:

Left in is compost, right one is veggie ewc. I have a few different ewc bins going. One I feed strictly veggies to, another I feed banana peels and coffee grounds, and the others are a mixture of veggies, fruits, some amendments. View attachment 4159018

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What in your opinion does the best???

This is the first time I will be using the veggie ewc, and I haven't used the banana ewc yet. So I have nothing to base am opinion on yet. Just got them going a few months back. Bought a tent last fall and am learning how to grow inside as all I've done before is outdoor grows. Can say that when I top dressed my Jack plants inside, they absolutely love it.

Good question,

EWC and compost are two different things, although there is some overlap, as EWC is also a form of compost.

Furthermore, Castings themselves can be further divided down into 2 sub types, technically both composts... those are vermicompost (VC) and pure EWC or castings, the main difference between them being purity, composition, and length of time being worked / broken down..

According to one Worm Farm LLC anyway, VC can be made in just 6 weeks simply by piling in bedding / manure / coir / sawdust / crap / sand etc, whereas pure refined EWC takes up to a year.
Both are forms of composts, but not all composts have any EWC or VC in them.. simply since many composts are fungal in nature, and worms are a bacterial dom compost.

I see the plants needs as a shifting continuum type thing, with younger growth preferring more bacterial dominance, with older growth preferring a more fungal balance. But as Grease has shown us, there is something to be had by having your worms work your outdoor composts that are already amended.. really if you aerate your pile, all your composts can be in one, including leaves and worms, with all your amendments, and all your life.. both fungal and bacterial and everything in between, and all you need to is top dress with the one single compost. Teas can stem from there too. Not that they will be needed once you're at that point..

The purer The castings, the less structure is present and they can get very greasy and slimy. No more than about 10% of total mix. I use about 3 gal in 30 gal mix. I use 5hat much Cotton Burr Compost (Back to Nature brand only) and a gal or 2 of Black Kow manure or other good high grade local brand.

hillbill said:

The purer The castings, the less structure is present and they can get very greasy and slimy. No more than about 10% of total mix. I use about 3 gal in 30 gal mix. I use 5hat much Cotton Burr Compost (Back to Nature brand only) and a gal or 2 of Black Kow manure or other good high grade local brand.

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Which is the reason that you can push aeration up to 50% of total volume once your composts get further refined by worms..

Although, even with that said, I too have been one to say that 10% of total volume, of really high quality EWC is just that, plenty..

33% 33% 33% recipes, are some my least favourite actually.

Like the trichs in your avatar!

DonTesla said:

Which is the reason that you can push aeration up to 50% of total volume once your composts get further refined by worms..

Although, even with that said, I too have been one to say that 10% of total volume, of really high quality EWC is just that, plenty..

33% 33% 33% recipes, are some my least favourite actually.

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Totally agree about the 33% 33% 33% mix ratios, especially after shifting more to seed meals over the animal inputs. Stuff like Neem, alfalfa, soy meal, etc, just adds so much organic material over time compared to blood meal, guanos, manures and the like.

I have nothing against animal products, but like you are shifting more to the higher minerals, micros and such provided by the veg inputs. The added density/OM is just a reality that requires more aeration. No problem if you deal with it, but problems down the road if you don't.

My soil ratio is more like 40% 40% 20%.

With 6 worm bins producing more than you can use there are several that are over a year old and nearly pure EWC. Using more than 10% of this just turns the mix into a muddy mess. It's so concentrated that even 10% could be pushing it., too much of a good thing.

I use no 'thermal' compost at all in my mix. I'm physically unable to make my own and avoid bagged compost no matter the supposed quality for a couple of reasons. First, the cost of the "good" ones, but more importantly to me is, if something goes sideways I don't want to be guessing about ingredients or methods of making something in a bag that I didn't make myself. Doing everything from scratch, I know everything that's in there and just how it was put together.

LOL, I do utilize Black Kow that says Compost on the bag, but I figure it more as composted manure and not an actual compost. I could also be full of shit in my thinking.

Wet

Local nurseries sometimes make their own bagged composts and are a good source for growers. I use Cotton Burr Compost that is bought a couple years earlier. When buying any topsoils or composts make sure they weigh what they should as once they get really wet they are not the same. Things go sour as water can't escape the compost goes anaerobic.

@Wetdog
Glad I'm not the sole contrarian around here, buddy.

Totally agree with you eliminating the guess work too, thats the beauty of from scratch for sure.

I too am not against animal inputs, I just like what the plant inputs are doing.. I still use a bit of animal stuff.. especially frass and fresh DIY castings as mentioned..which I feel allows me to sub out blood meal with ease, and so on..

As for the castings, yeah, once worm farms get really mature, I like to tumble them at least once a month, and increase the aeration of the farm itself to about 50%.. especially once those bottom corners of the VC bins start to muck up a bit with pure EWC. Of course, any pot worms in there will add to the density and muck a bit, so thats a wild card factor that can aid speed in newer bins but cause extra muck in mature ones... Therefore, de-compacting agent like buckwheat hulls.. sometimes charged biochar in various sizes...maybe even some pumice and or DE rocks to top to off.. (NOT powder, ever, that shit clogs folks!) will help keep the farm breathing and aerobic.

3 cups fresh compost topdress into left plant and 3 cups fresh veggie ewc topdress into plant on right. This is my second application if such in 2 weeks. I switched to 12/12 on June 7.

kkt3 said:

3 cups fresh compost topdress into left plant and 3 cups fresh veggie ewc topdress into plant on right. This is my second application if such in 2 weeks. I switched to 12/12 on June 7.View attachment 4164753

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Very cool.. I would put a mulch on top of that so the light and air doesn't deplete the life in there which is the true magic!