How to make vermicompost

We are heading towards an era of organic and inorganic is going to be a word of past. There is a logic also behind this. Pollution, adulteration and spread of dangerous diseases like cancer are making life a bit difficult. Not only this people are realizing that inorganic substances may make few people rich but can not be sustainable to majority of people. It is getting difficult day by day to feed the growing population using chemical fertilizer, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides etc.

The chemical fertilizers don’t restore all the nutrients needed by plants. Fertilizers supplies macronutrients, needed in large quantities to grow plants properly. However, micronutrients, are being steadily depleted from the soils and these nutrients are not supplied by these fertilizers.The micronutrients are important for crop nutrition, growth, and production.

People living in rural, semi-urban and urban areas can earn a good amount of money from the sale of vermicompost. It’s a new product that is getting very popular among farmers and people growing ornamental plants and vegetable crops in their kitchen gardens. Vermicompost is being used in the orchards also. Vermicompost is rich in plant nutrients and provides not only the vital macro elements such as N, P, K, Ca, Mg but also the micro elements such as Fe, Zn, Cu, etc. Apart from this, it contains plant growth-promoting substances. The process of preparing vermicompost is known as vermiculture. Vermiculture means artificial rearing or cultivation of worms (Earthworms). Earthworms eat cow dung or farm yard manure along with other farm wastes and pass it through their body and in the process convert it into vermicompost. It is rich in humus and can also be prepared using municipal wastes, solid and liquid waste of the industries, agricultural waste, animal droppings, weeds, forest leaf litter and household garbage’s. This is a simple and easy process and can be easily handled by the farmers. In this process, organic wastes and complex organic residues are degraded and broken down into simpler water-soluble substances by earthworms and microbes. Earthworms are capable of storing heavy metals and pesticides in their tissues and play a role in detoxifying polluted soils, too.

Multiplication of earthworms:

Eudrilus eugeniae completes its lifecycle in about 65-80 days. Although earthworms are bisexual, their mode of reproduction is through cross-fertilisation . Adult worms take 15-21 days after the copulation to lay the cocoons (approx. 400 cocoons in 2 months). Again 15-21 days are taken to hatch the eggs present inside the cocoon into neonates. Neonates attain adulthood in 35-60 days.

Release 50 numbers of earthworm to 10 kg of mixture ofcow dung, husk and other locally available materialkeep it in shade. The mixture should have atleast 50% cow dung in it. Keep the mixure wet by sprinkling the water over it. Within two months, earthworms may multiply 300 times.

There are three methods of producing vermicompost. These are: 1. Pit method, 2. Heap method and 3. Wooden box or brick column method. Heap method is found the most effective method. Hence we will describe here the Heap method in detail.

Heap method: In this method, composting is done on the ground. Organic material is piled up on the ground as shown below. Select the surface that is under the shade.

Step 1. Treat the ground with chlorpyriphos @ 2ml/l of water to prevent ant and termite

problem.

step 2. Use a polythene sheet to cover the ground of the area

Step 3. Place the cow dung/FYM and other material in the layers as per the method given below.

First layer — Spread a layer (8-10 cms) of decomposable plant material;

Second layer -- Sprinkle rock phosphate on top of the decomposed plant material (2kgs).

Third layer — Spread a layer (8-10 cms) of cowdung/ farm manure/ biogas slurry

*Fourth layer — spread earthworms (1000-2000 in number);

Fifth layer — Spread a layer (8-10 cmc) of cowdung/ farm manure/ biogas sludge;

Sixth layer — Spread a layer (8-10 cms) of dry crop residue/ green succulent leafy material, plus cow dung;

Seventh layer — Spread a thick layer of mulch with cereal straw on the top. It prevents loss of moisture and acts as a barrier to predators like birds.

The heap should form a dome shape.

Sprinkle water over the whole mixture at 3-day intervals for 2 months, to maintain adequate moisture and body temperature of the worms. In about 60 days, the material is degraded completely and vermicompost is ready for harvesting. When the compost is ready, it is black, quite lightweight and has a pleasant, earthy smell.

Separate the upper portion of the heap and sieve the lower portion to separate the worms. They can be used again for preparation of more vermicompost.

*Alternately , Cow dung/biogas slurry may be pasted over the third layer and material allowed to decompose for 20 days. After 20 days earthworms are allowed to enter the heap through the cracks.