Are worm castings fungal dominated?

by Devlin
(Singapore)

If not, can I use worm castings to make worm tea, and use fungal food (such as soybean meal) to make a fungal dominated tea for fruit trees?

Comments for Are worm castings fungal dominated?

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Dec 06, 2011
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It Depends on the Worm’s Environment
by: Compost Junkie Dave

Hi Devlin,

Worm castings, or vermicompost, tend to favor bacteria over fungi; however, the exact ratios depend a lot on the environment in which the worms were raised.

If the environment was rich in high-carbon materials, like newspaper or wood mulch, you’re more likely to have worm castings with a higher fungal count than someone who raised their worms in a less carbon-rich environment. That is, if someone only feeds their worms vegetable scraps, and rarely adds bedding to the mix, their worm compost will be more bacterial-dominated.

If you want to make tea for your fruit trees, I’d recommend using our Fungal-Dominated Compost Tea ingredients on our Compost Tea Recipe page.

To answer your second question-yes, soybean meal will provide a source of fungal-food.

Try varying your brewing time between 12-48 hours (this really depends on your specific brewer). This will create teas with a broad spectrum of organisms, and then you can turn it over to Mother Nature to pick and chose what she needs at that moment in time.

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