You would n’t generally expect to get hold the perfumed olfactory property of woodland soil in a glasshouse , and yet there are some growers with such sweet - smelling , well - functioning soil . unusually enough , these are principally abroad , while the worms they use for it regularly come from the Netherlands . Mark Thur of Megrow knows all about it . He is a vermiculturist and gives advice on the use of earthworms to meliorate the soil structure .
Mark started at Megrow four years ago . Megrow is the consultancy of The Dutch Nightcrawlers in Almkerk , the Netherlands . His company produces many worm for the fishing industry , yets ome growers found their mode to the company on their own in their hunt for worms for better soil . However , most grower still make little use of worms . " Even constitutional growers sometimes lack the right knowledge . They know that worms are important , but they are still too quickly satisfied as soon as they see them . "
Problem solversOften , Mark can tell what the ( polish ) problem is only from the enquiry the grower require . " What I often learn is a trouble in the corner of the greenhouse where the piddle is retained . agriculturist then look for a way to make the water penetrate into the soil better . They then turn to worm to dig piddling TV channel for drainage . "
At such times , the worm serves a mechanically skillful role , as Mark calls it . " you may see the same thing now on the Museumplein in Amsterdam , for instance . All the ME vans and water supply cannon that push back over the gage there stimulate soil crush . We come out worms to figure out that issue . "
He also pick up questions about using worms for chemical substance purpose . For example , when compost or magnesium has been spread . " The grower wants the food and atomic number 12 to reach the roots properly , and also opt for dirt ball to achieve this . "
Deployment of worm against soil compaction at Amsterdam ’s Museumplein
VermicompostWorm expert relegate worm into three mathematical group : worms that be in the bedding material bed on top of the soil , worms that move horizontally in the upper 60 cm , and worms that make vertical passages and move from ground horizontal surface to groundwater . The ones that facilitate agriculturalist with the above problems are in group 2 and 3 .
The first group ones are well noticed because they move in the upper layer of the soil and lay their ball there . The hoummos that worms make is called vermicompost . It is a non - animal form of manure that does not release nitrogen and contains all the useful nutrients that are whole absorbable by plant . " It ’s a long - acting organic soil improver . "
In the finish of medicinal cannabis in the United States , the compost form has already been discovered by growers . Here , less so . " Why it has watch on there , I do n’t cognize . Perhaps with the arrival of cultivation in Europe , the popularity of vermicompost will also increase here . "
VanguardMark is a great exponent of a permanent worm population in soils . For this , a premix of the three chemical group of worms is important . " I still find a portion of soils without worm , and if I do find louse in the greenhouse , it ’s often worms from mathematical group 1 . Worms from groups 2 and 3 are often missing . The growers who do act upon with worms , use them for a permanent in - house output of vermicompost . In ornamental plant refinement , for example , there are already agriculturist who deliberately forget their pruning waste on the grime so that the worms can make vermicompost from it . A few constitutive greenhouse vegetable growers have also reach this stage , as have some adviser who also provide external advice . However , they are still the avant-garde . "
Post - steaming package and lasting populationsWhen Mark set forth four years ago , he was still new to the ' worm industry ' . He had made nature documentaries and had been a nurseryman . " As before long as I came into contact with the company , I decided to take up the gantlet and depart work on on making the worm intimately known for its role in soil structure . It turned out that the company already had a freestanding line of descent for worms breed specifically for soil anatomical structure melioration . However , for a long time they were only used sparingly in practice . "
In the nursery , affair are getting good and good . Suppliers of horticultural products now even include the worms in their product range of mountains . " There are a few standard intermixture on offering . In due meter , I would like to add a post - steaming package . At the moment , a large part of the population dies after each round of steaming and a raiser then needs new worms . grunge steaming will be nix in the penny-pinching futurity . The worms needed to build up a permanent universe will be add to the post - steamy software program . That usually ask about 24 weeks . "
Mark keep track of all permanent worm populations known to him on a map . " My goal is to rejuvenate as many agrarian soils as possible . " He also has a dot on the purview . " I would like it if , in the farsighted foot race , the knowledge is so widespread that I can take a step back . When I started , I take a heap of scientists interrogative sentence . today they also ask them back . The time is ripe for growth . "
For more entropy : MegrowMark Thur+31 ( 0 ) 6 - 48939814[email protected]www.megrow.nl
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