So if I throw worms in my compost pile along with other goodies, am I making EWC or is it still technically compost?
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Yes, it will become vermicompost. Give the worms about three months to work on it and it will be golden.
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First, I wanna say thank you @ReikoX for all your help and wealth of knowledge; I truly appreciate it!
My follow up question is this, if I have the vermicompost, then should I add compost and or EWC to my base or just use the Vermi at that point? The plan is to get about a yard of compost (it from a friends horse and its been composting for a year or so already so it shouldn’t be hot by any means) and add some excess Kelp meal I have leftover (maxi crop) from tea’s I have made in the past. Then I was going to go to Wally world and pick up a few cans of red worms from the bait section and dump em in. I’ve going through the worm bin thread and was wondering if it would make sense to top it with some old newspaper (or shredded paper) that I have for a food source as well as some clippings? Or would that be overkill at that point? Again, thank you all for your help!
- BD
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I tend to use as much vermicompost as possible. Generally I need more compost.
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Dude, worms from the bait shop will work, but for the quantity you get, youre better off ordering online. Its something like 500 for $20.
Love this thread by the way. I routinely go back to some of the others that are out there but damn if this one doesnt get right to the point in the first handful of posts!
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Ok, I’m high and here we gooooo…
Here’s two of my mistakes.
Don’t let your pots dry out. I like worms in my pot and if the pot gets dry, worms die (and the rest of the microbes). Blumats work great for organics and make this a no brainer or use a SIP system.
Homemade EWC’s changed everything for me. It made growing organic easy. This is my number one tip for everything wrong in an organic garden. Put EWC’s on it.
This is a great thread for worms. We nerd out on our worms there. Its a good place to ask questions.
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For purchased products the OMRI stamp on the package is usually a good sign that the product doesn’t carry any “fake” organics.
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I was waiting for someone to mention that. I read the same thing. I bought it and never used it…
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Whats the problem w Aluminum? Does it build up in the soil and become toxic? Or gets absorbed by the plant or something else?
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So this is the current updated formula in case anyone is following this and curious.
-----------------Base--------------------
Peat Moss (2.2 cu ft) 30%
Vermiculite (“Homemade” via Horse manure compost with Worms added and let sit for ~3mo. ) (2 cu ft) 30%
Perlite (2 cu ft) 30%
Sum of Base: 6.5 cu ft (0.2ft account for potential loss)
----------------Amendments----------------
[Reicpe is based on per cubic foot of base]
Kelp Meal (1/2 cup)
Neem Meal (1/2 cup)
Crab Meal (1/2 cup)
Oyster Shell (1 cup)
Fish Bone Meal (1/2 cup)
Langbeinite (1/2 cup)
Malted Barley Powder (1 cup)
Basalt (2.5 cup)
BioChar (6 cup)
Gypsum (1 cup)
----------Beneficial’s added------------------------
[Reicpe is based on per cubic foot of base]
Root Magic (1/8 tsp)
Pondzyme (1 tbsp)
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I have no dog in this hunt - just posting this up cause I had it.
azomite-analysis.pdf (350.9 KB)
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I figured I would drop the Azomite and replace it with Basalt; it meets the micro nutrient needs I was intending the azomite to fill, so win win!
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Cannabis is a Bioaccumulator so it will absorb those heavy metals from the soil
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Yup. Go with the rock dust. This country is crazy enough without Aluminum o.d. ha ha. I have read that adding at once is okay, but if you recycle your soil mix not to keep using it again and again. I have no personal experience either way. Better safe than sorry.
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I think you ment vermicompost, damn auto correct. 
What I would do, is add all your amendments to the horse manure compost, add the worms and let them work over everything. Then you should be able to mix up your peat and perlite.
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Looks great. You’ve got a few extras, but this is almost identical to my mix. One thing to look at in the long term is a pumice or lava rock instead of perlite. It won’t float to the top over time and has added nutrient storing benefits.
That mix will set you up for a worry free grow 
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Truthfully, I was baked, haha. Should I add the peat moss as well or leave that to add until I am ready to use it?
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My pots drain great with 1/3 EWC. This goes back to why @BDGrows it is important to make your own EWC. My EWC base recipe is 1/3 perlite and I also add “pine bark fines” to my bin at about 15%.
My EWC’s are light and fluffy, hold water, but do not get as soggy. You NEED a good aeration for worms. I tried rice hulls but this would cause a static worm bin to peter out in about 6 months. Worms like it fluffy and I can keep a static bin going for 12 months now.
My opinion on Azomite? Aluminum is toxic to cannabis at any levels. The PH alone should keep Aluminum uptake to about nothing, but Cannabis has a “dynamic accumulation” ability with soil. I’ve used it before and I’m very healthy but there are concerns.
That being said, I think there are better alternatives to Azomite. I stopped using it about 3 years ago because I switched to leaf mold.
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The plants uptake the aluminum then pass it on to you, it’s a key ingredient that causes dementia.
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Edit and why I don’t understand, it’s used in vaccines and chemtrails for weather control.