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		Earthworm Biology and Production
		Page 9 of 9	Pages: 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9
		Earthworm Castings Castings are a natural by-product of earthworms and are rich in organic matter and nutrients for plants. When added to normal soils in gardens or lawns, they will provide the same kinds of benefits as other bulky organic fertilizers. Castings today are not commonly used as fertilizer by large commercial plant growers, because their cost is relatively high compared to other fertilizers containing the same or greater amounts of nutrients. However, castings are used by some organic gardeners, and are sold commercially in a few nurseries as a soil amendment or planting medium for ornamental plants grown in baskets or flowerpots. References Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife. 1970. "Earthworms for bait." U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Fish Hatcheries. Leaflet FL-23. (This leaflet is being revised.) Chadwick, L. C. and K. Bradley. 1948. "An experimental study of the effects of certain earthworms on crop production." Proceedings Amer. Soc. for Horticulture Science 51:552-62. Douglas, D. E., and Gaddie, R. E. 1975. "Earthworms for ecology and profit." Vol. I. Scientific earthworm farming Bookworm Publishing Co., P. O. Box 655, Ontario, CA 91761. Edwards, C. A., and Lofty, J. R. 1972. Biology of earthworms. Chapman and Hall, Ltd. (Available from John Wiley, 605 Third Ave., New York, N. Y. 10022). Home, Farm & Garden Research Associates. Let an earthworm be your garbage man. (Available from Shields Publications, Box 472, Elgin, IL 60120). Hopp, Henry. What every gardener should know about earthworms. Garden Way Publishing, Charlotte, Vermont 05445. Hopp, H., and C. S. Slater. 1949. "The effects of earthworms on the productivity of agricultural soil." Jour. Agri. Research 78:325-339. Satchell, J. E. 1967. "Lumbricidae." In: Soil Biology. A. Burges and F. Raw (eds.). Academic Press, New York. pp.259-322. Schaller, F. 1968. Soil Animals. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor. Shields, E. B. Earthworm buyer's guide and directory. Shields Publications, Box 472, Elgin, IL 60120. -------------------------------------------------------- Footnotes This document is Circular 455, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. It was originally published as Leaflet 2828 for the Division of Agricultural Sciences at the University of California, July 1976, and was reprinted as FCES Circular 455 in May 1979. Circular 455 was revised October 1999. Please visit the EDIS Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ The authors of Leaflet 2828 are J. P. Martin, professor of Soil Science, Riverside, CA; J. H. Black, Farm Advisor (Entomology), Kern County, Bakersfield, CA; and R. M. Hawthorne, survey entomologist, Division of Plant Industry, State Department of Food and Agriculture, Sacramento, CA. This publication was reviewed for use in Florida by R. A. Dunn, professor, Department of Entomology and Nematology, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, 32611. Information on white worms (under "Earthworm Pests and Diseases") was modified by Dr. Dunn in 1998 to reflect Florida conditions. This publication was printed with permission of the authors and Cooperative Extension, an educational agency of the University of California and the United States Department of Agriculture. -------------------------------------------------------- The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin. For information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension Service office. Florida Cooperative Extension Service / Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences / University of Florida / Christine Taylor Waddill, Dean -------------------------------------------------------- Copyright Information This document is copyrighted by the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) for the people of the State of Florida. UF/IFAS retains all rights under all conventions, but permits free reproduction by all agents and offices of the Cooperative Extension Service and the people of the State of Florida. Permission is granted to others to use these materials in part or in full for educational purposes, provided that full credit is given to the UF/IFAS, citing the publication, its source, and date of publication. SimplyDiscus.com gratefully thanks the Florida Cooperative Extension Service for permission to use this article. Please visit them at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/

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