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Johnstown
Recycling
and
Worm Farm
Johnstown,
Slanemore, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, Ireland.
Contact:
Michael Dolan @ 086 - 2599 165 / info@johnstownrecycling.com
THE
WORM FARM
What
does the worm farm consist of?
At the moment
our Worm Farm consists of 3 Worm Beds,
approx. 25m.
long x 3.5m. wide x 0.3m. in height.
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Pull back the
covering and we can see the worms feeding and breeding happily.
Worms will eat
Vegetable & Fruit Peelings, Tea Leaves, Coffee and crushed egg
shells, Weeds, Hair, Paper and soft carboard, Animal Manure,
Evergreen Clippings & even Vacuum Dust.
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What
is produced?
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Well, firstly
and obviously, more worms! There is a ready-made market for these
worms in Ireland from the fishing industry, both from native
fishermen and from tourists.
Did you know
that Ireland imports worms on a daily basis from the UK? - so the
market is obviously under supplied.
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Secondly
"castings" are produced - this is what the worm excretes
from its body after it has "eaten" (worms have no teeth -
they grind material in a muscular gizzard  more...)
the materials above.
Information
on Castings
Castings are
the richest natural fertilizers known to man. As little as a
tablespoon of pure worm castings provides enough organic plant
nutrients to feed a 25-cm potted plant for more than two months.
Castings
contain what no other chemical fertilizer can provide. They contain a
highly active biological mixture of bacteria, enzymes, remnants of
plant matter and animal manure, as well as earthworm cocoons. They
are rich in water-soluble plant nutrients and contain more than 50%
more humus than what is normally found in top soil. The nutrients are
as follows: highly concentrated nitrates, phosphorus, magnesium,
potassium, and minerals such as manganese, copper, zinc, cobalt,
borax, iron, carbon, and nitrogen.
Castings
are absorbed easily and immediately by plants.
(unlike
chemical fertilizers and manure).
Castings
will never burn plants.
Castings
are nearly odorless (they smell like a forest after a hard rain).
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Comparison
between Chemical Fertilizer and
Worm
Castings |
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Chemical
Fertilizer |
Worm
Castings |
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50 pound bag
- 15-5-16
available
- 7.5
pounds Nitrogen
- 2.5
pounds Phosphorus
- 17.5
pounds usable product
- 32.5
pounds useless fillers
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-
50 pound bag
- All
Readily available
- Rich
in Nitrogen
- Rich
in Phosphorus
- All
usable product
- No
useless fillers
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