Vermicompost is used as a soil additive, conditioner, and fertilizer. It’s function is to add humus and organic matter to the soil. It provides bioavailable nutrients to the plants, increasing soil tilth. Besides it helps with water infiltration and retention, while buffering excessive acid or alkaline soil conditions. Breaking down the organic material through the use of worms forms vermicompost. It also improves biological, chemical, and physical properties of the soil.

The worms break down soil and organic matter and so the nutrients are immediately available to plants. It is also called worm castings, worm humus, worm poop, worm manure, or worm faeces. Vermicast is the end-product of the breakdown of organic matter by earthworms. These excreta have been shown to contain reduced levels of contaminants and a higher saturation of nutrients than the organic materials before vermicomposting.

Properties

Vermicompost contains water-soluble nutrients which may be extracted as vermiwash and is an excellent, nutrient-rich organic fertilizer and soil conditioner. It is used in gardening and sustainable, organic farming. Moreover it is richer in many nutrients than compost produced by other composting methods and has also outperformed a commercial plant medium with nutrients added, but levels of magnesium required adjustment, as did pH. However, it has been found that homemade backyard vermicompost was lower in microbial biomass, soil microbial activity, and yield of a species of ryegrass than municipal compost.

Vermicompost helps store nutrients and keeps them safe from leeching and irrigation.