According to The Ecologist magazine: Plants absolutely thrive on Vermiculture products. If you grow vegetables, your increase will be 40 percent for broccoli, 80 percent for tomatoes and as much as 259 percent for carrots.

Earthworm castings contain abundant essential elements plants need for healthy growth. Odorless and non-toxic, worm castings are a natural organic fertilizer that will not wash out with watering, and will not burn even delicate plants. Castings rival chemical fertilizers in their nutrient composition, providing a concentrated source of calcium, magnesium, nitrogen, phosphates and potash. Castings are also safe - you can use them for annuals, perennials, seedlings, African violets, even cacti and succulents, without any threat of chemical harm to either your plants or yourself.

While fertile soil has in the region of 5-million microbes per gram, worm castings have been found to contain up to 100-million microbes per gram - up to 20 times more! In the soil, these microbes continue to break down organic matter into plant-available forms, thereby enabling plant roots to take up nutrients that would otherwise have stayed bound in the soil. These beneficial organisms also suppress the growth of pathogens, which means healthy soil and healthy plants.

It is important to understand that Vermicast and Vermicompost is not the same thing. Vermicast is 100% pure earthworm excrement where as Vermicompost is a mixture of Vermicast and normal compost. Vermicompost should ideally be a 20% Vermicast and 80% compost. It is therefore essential that the value, in either financial or volume context of Vermicast does not be compared to Vermicompost.

Though a unique harvesting process developed by a South African gentleman, Refilwe is able to harvest 100% pure Vermicast. This means that the client doesn’t pay for sand and unprocessed organic material.  Just 100% pure goodness.

Vermicast benefits soil by:

• improving its physical structure;
• enriching soil in micro-organisms, adding plant hormones such as auxins  and gibberellic acid, and adding enzymes such as phosphatase and cellulase;
• attracting deep-burrowing earthworms already present in the soil;
• improving water holding capacity;
• enhancing germination, plant growth, and crop yield; and
• improving root structure.

 

Eisenia fetida also known as redworms, brandling worms, "tiger worms" and red wriggler worms, is a species of earthworm adapted to the environment of decaying organic material. It thrives in rotting vegetation, compost, and manure. It is rarely found in soil, and instead prefers conditions where other worms cannot survive. Its specific name arises because, when roughly handled, it exudes a pungent liquid. This is presumably a chemical defense mechanism.

Red Wrigglers are sold for vermiculture, owing to their remarkable ability to process organic matter into fertile compost, eating and processing their own body weight in a day. The composting process is known as vermiculture, with an end result of vermicast.

This specific species is incredibly prolific and double their numbers every 48 days.

These Worm Farms supports the work of Refilwe, handmade on site, supports skills development through manufacturing, almost 100% bio-degradable & have a very small carbon footprint.

These gorgeous little wooden worm farms are small enough to fit on your desk at work. The top section has space for a plant, followed by a second section with worms for you to look after and a third layer where the vermi Leachate will collect. Use the compost and Leachate the worms produce to feed the plant at the top creating your own little cycle of nature in the concrete jungle!

Kitchen sized wormery to be placed in the kitchen or veranda. Hand made on site by a skills development group out of Rhodesian Teak, it creates a beautiful focal point. The wormery comes stocked with worms and features a built in tray for herbs or plants of your choice. Part of the proceeds go to the Skill development group at Refilwe.

 

Household usage 3 Stories worm farms
Big enough to handle food wastes of a family of 4,  generate your own fertiliser from food-wastes
Available in DIY Kit or completely assembled
Each farm is supplied with a Worm-Voucher, allowing you to receive the needed worms at your convenience