Having a Tea Party
Carla Albright June 11
In my last blog I talked about the benefits of having a worm bin. This week, I want to explain how best to use those wonderful worm by-products.
There are two types of worm products. The first is vermicastings. Vermicastings are the waste product that is produced by the worms. In other words, worm poo with no other organic matter mixed in. Vermicastings are almost black in color and actually resemble friable soil. There is a lot of nutrition in vermicastings but they are also temperate enough to be used directly around plants as soon as it comes from the worm bin.
You might want to sort the vermicastings from the rest of the bin because worms can’t survive in pure castings. You could also let the worms totally break down the compost and then set up a new bin and move the worms over. In my personal case, I have 3 levels in my worm bin and one of them is pure castings while the other two hold the kitchen scraps. This allows my worms to move to where there is food for them.
The second form of worm product is the vermicompost, which is simply a combination of vermicastings and the broken-down organic matter in the bin. Vermicompost looks very much like regular compost bin material, with pieces of scraps still identifiable.
You can use either vermicastings or vermicompost in a variety of ways. I am very careful not to take any worms with me when I remove vermicastings or vermicompost. I use mine to top dress around my perennials which gives them a nice, nutritious feeding. But it can also be used to top dress houseplants as there is no odor to it by the time it is broken down. (Actually, I have never noticed an odor to my worm bin either.) Vermicompost and castings can also be used in the bottom of a hole in the earth when transplanting annuals or perennials. They can also be mixed in with potting soil for an extra boost of nutrients when planting pots or hanging baskets.
But my favorite way to use the worm products is by making a liquid all-natural fertilizer with them. This is called “worm tea” or “vermicompost tea.” Worm tea adds beneficial microbes into the earth that are easily absorbed by the plant. It won’t burn plants like some chemical fertilizers might and can be used on all types of plants, indoor and outdoor.
The easiest way to make worm tea is to steep the vermicompost (again, without worms) overnight in a large container of water. Add about ¼ cup per gallon of water, straining the vermicompost by pouring the mixture through a fine sieve or filter. Even easier is to add ¼ cup of vermicompost into a paper coffee filter and tie it closed with some twine. Place that into a one-gallon watering can and let it brew overnight. In the morning, remove the “tea bag” and compost it in an outdoor compost bin. You can then use the water immediately on your plants.
During the growing season, you can feed your houseplants once a week or every ten days with the tea. (I mix up a new batch each time and don’t use old tea.) Veggies and garden plants will also benefit from a weekly feeding of worm tea. You can also place the worm tea in a spray bottle and give your plants a foliar feed. I have read that powdery mildew can be reduced if you use the tea this way on your roses. I am going to try that this summer.
I also draw off the water at the bottom of my bin about every three months and place that in an old juice container. When I want to fertilize my orchids, I take one-part worm water and mix in 50 parts tap water. This can also be used immediately as a soak as it won’t burn the orchids.
In addition to reducing your kitchen scraps by using a worm bin, the worm by-products of vermicompost and worm tea are very effective ways to naturally feed your plants.
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© 2025 Carla Albright
Rockaway Beach, Oregon 97136
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