Gardening by Cathy

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Upside down plants can take a lot of water and so have a tendency to dry out the soil faster than just a regular hanging basket filled with flowers would. Hence, adding worm soil just may reduce the number of times you have to water.

Red worms or squirmies, affectionately named by my husband, can be a fun hobby. They actually like it when you do not fuss over them. They will eat your leftover vegetables, egg shells, and bits of cardboard to make a special type of soil that is rich in nitrogen and has enough moisture to stick like clay. I once harvested the worm droppings and was able to compress them into a large ball.

However, it is the moisture holding property that makes them stick together, they will release their nutrients, as opposed to clay particles. Also, while clay particles adhere so strongly to each other that they form a wall for roots to force their way through, vermicompost is easily penetrated by roots. Their bonds are much weaker. The main exciting property is their water holding capacity. A regular loam soil will lose moisture faster than a soil that is part vermicompost.

So when you make your hanging basket soil mixture add a couple of handfuls of worm droppings, then sit back and have more time to smell the roses.

Tomorrow I will expose a secret to multiplying red wrigglers that few vermicomposters ever consider doing.

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