FAQs

Vermicast is a technical term for earthworm castings (worm poop). There are approximately 2,700 species of earthworms, but our vermicast is predominantly produced by the earthworms Eisenia fetida and Eisenia andrei.

MyNoke sells only pure vermicast so there are no added chemicals, fertilisers or fillers.

MyNoke vermicast is highly beneficial to plant growth: earthworms produce bio stimulators (plant hormones) like cytokinins, gibberellins and auxins such as indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). Gibberellins and auxins boost root growth and activity. This increases nutrient uptake and provides plants with greater access to water in the root zone.

IAA has been proven to be effective in repelling insects such as caterpillars and aphids, at the same time it attracts pollinators.

Vermicast also contains soil microorganisms – bacteria, fungi, mycorrhiza, protozoa (flagellates, amoebae, ciliates) that are beneficial for soil health. These microorganisms unlock nutrients in the soil, converting existing nutrients into plant-available forms – which are needed for root development, plant growth and increased yields.

Vermicast naturally contains the phosphatase enzyme that unlocks the ‘inaccessible’ phosphate of your soils.

One of the great benefits is that by consistently applying vermicast you improve and regenerate the health and functioning of the soil. This is beneficial for established and establishing plants.

There are a variety of nutrients in vermicast already. Improvements to your soil via the addition of vermicast mean you do not need to rely on mineral fertilisers. Over time as the vermicast regenerates your soil, plant demand for mineral fertiliser and irrigation water naturally decrease.

This translates into time and money savings and the benefits of enjoying greater yields from crops that are healthy and increasingly pest resistant.

MyNoke vermicast meets the New Zealand Standards for Composts, Soil Conditioners and Mulches; NZS4454:2005.

Our customers have found the following application rates achieve the best results:

Bulk vermicast:

Orchards: 20 t/ha of MyNoke vermicast, either as band or broad spread for initial application or when the soil fertility is poor e.g. new orchard. In the following years application rates may be reduced to 10 t/ha. Ideally applied by the end of winter or early spring. MyNoke vermicast can be applied throughout the year depending on access to orchards.

Maize and cropping: 20 t/ha of MyNoke vermicast for maintaining the humus level and improving root development. After conversion and contouring up to 50 t ha (7 mm) can boost soil humus content, stabilise soil pH, and establish a productive cations exchange capacity (CEC). Application is best after soil tillage (if any) and before planting.

Pasture: 20 t/ha before renewing pasture to improve germination and root development of new pasture. On established pasture either 10 t/ha in spring or 5 t/ha twice a year as split application after grazing or mowing. MyNoke vermicast can be mixed with RPR, lime and farm manure if required.

Home Gardens & Lawns:

Top Dressing: Apply a thin layer of vermicast to plant bases in your existing garden bed and lightly water. Ideal for lawns too. For new garden beds or before planting, apply a 2-4 cm thick layer of vermicast and mix in 5-10 cm deep. 

Potting Plants: Mix 25% vermicast with potting mix when planting. For existing pot plants, sprinkle a handful around each plant base. 

Please take a look at our additional resources for more information, or Contact Us to discuss your specific needs and requirements.

Our recommended method is to incorporate vermicast into the planting hole rather than applying a layer to the soil surface (which is what we recommend for established trees).

Method
Dig/bore the hole. Some planting hole drills compact the side of the hole which makes it difficult for new roots to penetrate. Rough up the soil on side of the hole, add some vermicast mix to the base of the hole then place the tree in the hole. Fill the gap between the root plug and the wall with the remaining vermicast mix.

Quantity of vermicast
If the soil is low in organic matter, use up to 2/3 of vermicast and 1/3 of loosened soil for packing around the transplanted tree. If the soil is high in organic matter, use up to 1/3 vermicast in the mix.

Note
If the planting edges are not roughed up and vermicast is not mixed with the soil, the vermicast can soak up and hold a lot of water (a good thing), but the soil next to it remains very dry. This can create a barrier to new root development resulting in trees that become root-bound within the planting hole. If water is available, water the root zone well.

A 1-2 cm thick layer of vermicast can be applied to the surface of the soil around the rooting zone. Optionally, this can be gently massaged into the top 2 cm of soil by hand/with a small hand fork. If some mulch is available, place this on top of the vermicast. Water well.

If your plants are already potted, you can sprinkle one handful of vermicast around the plant and massage it in the top 2 cm of the potting mix. If the plant is bigger e.g. a shrub, use more vermicast! If you are making up a new pot for planting, combine one scoop of vermicast and four scoops of potting mix before planting.

What’s the difference between compost and vermicast, and which is better for kiwifruit orchards?

Compost and vermicast (worm castings) are both excellent organic soil conditioners, but they serve different purposes.

Compost provides bulk organic matter that helps with moisture retention and soil structure.

Vermicast, on the other hand, is a concentrated soil enhancer packed with plant-available nutrients, beneficial microbes, and growth-promoting compounds.

For kiwifruit orchards, a combination of both can be ideal - compost to build structure, and vermicast to boost soil biology and nutrient availability where it matters most.  Or your orchard may benefit from one or the other.

Our comparison table is an excellent resource to help navigate the right solution for your orchards' needs, or the following provides an overview on a few key differences:

Compost

Compost is made by breaking down organic waste such as green waste, wood waste, manure, and food scraps through microbial and fungal decomposition at high (65^oC+) temperatures. The result is a stable, humus-rich material that improves soil structure, aeration, and water retention. However, its nutrient content and microbial life can vary depending on the feedstock and composting process.

Pros of Compost in Kiwifruit Orchards:

• Adds bulk organic matter - Helps improve soil structure and moisture retention.
• Contributes to long-term soil health - Over time, organic matter builds soil resilience.
• Can be locally sourced – Availability and price vary depending on supplier.

Cons of Compost in Kiwifruit Orchards:

• Higher upfront cost per tonne – Generally more expensive than vermicast per tonne.
• Highly variable nutrient content – Nutrients aren’t always in plant-available forms and nutrient content varies depending on the quality of the feedstock the compost is derived from.
• Higher C:N ratio - Compost will often come with some remnant woody or undegraded material which, when applied, may continue to degrade in your soil. If the C:N ratio is high this can immobilise nitrogen which prevents your crops from being fed.
• Inconsistent microbial life – Due to the higher temperature of the initial composting, larger fungal populations and smaller microbial populations will be present. While some lower temperature microbial populations will colonise during the compost maturation these wil typically be in much smaller numbers.

Worm Castings (Vermicast)

Worm castings, or vermicast, are created when composting worms digest organic matter, producing a fine, crumbly material, rich in nutrients, beneficial microbes, and humic substances. Vermicast delivers highly bioavailable nutrients and actively enhances soil biology.

Pros of Vermicast in Kiwifruit Orchards:

• Lower cost per tonne – Generally more affordable than compost per tonne.
• Large microbial community – As a result of processing through the worm’s gut, worm castings are packed with beneficial plant growth promotors, bacteria and fungi that support plant health and help to suppress plant disease.
• Bioavailable nutrients – Provides a plant-available, stable nutrient supply.
• Improves soil structure and water retention – Helps maintain moisture and supports root development.
• Lower C:N ratio and more stablised – Unlike compost, vermicast is created as a result of processing through the worms gut. The resulting output of worm castings is more consistent in nature, rather than containing unprocessed or remnant woody materials .

Cons of Vermicast in Kiwifruit Orchards:

• Local availability (and therefore transport) close to the orchard site can be a challenge – MyNoke’s vermicast is available from our Tokoroa, Taupō and Ohakune sites, in the central North Island.

Want to know more?  Get in touch via our contact form, or call us on 0800 MYNOKE.

If you can’t find any worms in your garden you might want to introduce soil dwelling earthworms or inoculate (technical term) your soil or raised beds with earthworms. When you find very few worms and you want to have more and different species you can introduce a mix of soil dwelling earthworms.

Please do not introduce compost worms when you need earthworms living in your soil. Compost worms live mostly on top of the soil and eat litter and organic waste.

To add soil dwelling earthworms, dig a shallow 5 cm deep whole in your soil or raised garden bed, make sure the soil is loose and damp – not soaked with water or powdery dry – place some earthworms in the hole and cover with damp soil. If you add earthworms to your turf just lift the grass sod and place the earthworms where the roots are growing. Put the grass sod back on but do not compact the grass sod the same day. You can safely compact the sod the next day. Keep the soil moist where you introduce the earthworms.

If you want to, you can place the grass sod upside down which gives a loose and safe place for the earthworms to start their work.

In gardens where you water your plants and beds you can introduce earthworms any time throughout the year. You should not do so when soils are too dry or cold. Soil dwelling earthworms are dormant in summer when soils are getting dry and in winter when soils are cold or even frozen. This means they are digging deeper into the soil and curl up doing nothing but waiting for moist and warm soil conditions. So, when you are looking for earthworms in summer and winter and don’t find many, this is why.

If you have free range chickens in your garden, you should keep the chicken locked out for a few hours. Keep the soil moist for the next few days.

Remember that you need to feed your earthworms even if they are living in the soil. Use some mulch, not bark or wood chips, rather leafy materials like grass clippings. Leave some organic residues in the soil to decompose in the soil or apply compost to your soil.

As most orchards and pasture are not irrigated, we strongly suggest introducing earthworms in spring when soils are moist and earthworms can migrate into the soils. As farms and orchards require bulk supply, we can supply these only in springtime as our soil dwelling earthworms are dormant from summer to winter.

Get in touch for further details.

Worms have a simple digestive system. It is basically a tube running from the mouth to the anus with some glands and structures that help to break down the food.
Worms have a mouth but no teeth, so they have to swallow their food without chewing. If their food isn’t ground up or rotting (soft enough to swallow), they won’t be able to eat it. Imagine your grandad trying to eat a fresh apple without his false teeth. A worm would struggle too!

When a worm finds some organic matter (food) to eat, it sucks it in using the muscular walls of its pharynx. The food is coated with saliva and swallowed. It passes through the oesophagus and into the crop and gizzard. The gizzard is a little pouch that the worm holds small grains of sand in. When the swallowed food passes through the gizzard, it is ground up by the sand into smaller particles before moving into the intestine. This makes it easier for the digestive juices to break the food particles down even smaller so the worm can absorb the nutrients into its bloodstream and pass out the rest of its food as castings (poop).

Eisenia fetida (tiger worms) can eat up to half their body weight in a day!

Earthworms have no bones so they are classed as invertebrates (they have no spine). This makes them very flexible and able to change direction very quickly.

Earthworms have two types of muscles in their bodies: longitudinal muscles that run the length of their bodies and latitudinal (circular) muscles that run around their bodies. On each segment of the worm, there are setae (fine bristles) that can be extended and retracted to ‘grab’ the soil. Muscles and setae are needed for movement.

First, the circular muscles contract (squeeze) stretching the earthworm out and pushing it forwards. Then the bristles at the head of the earthworm grip the soil. Next the long muscles squeeze, pulling the tail towards the head. The bristles at the head let go of the soil while the bristles at the tail grip the soil. Finally the circular muscles squeeze again to lengthen the earthworm and push the head forwards. The worm repeats this over and over to move forwards (or backwards).

Just like us, worms use oxygen and produce carbon dioxide. Unlike us, earthworms do not have lungs. Instead, they have a special skin that oxygen and carbon dioxide pass through. Worms do not have control over oxygen moving into and carbon dioxide moving out of their bodies. This happens because of an automatic process called diffusion.

Diffusion is the movement of molecules of something (like oxygen or carbon dioxide) from an area of high concentration (where there are lots of molecules) to an area of low concentration (where there are fewer molecules).

You can observe diffusion in your morning coffee. Put a spoonful of coffee (highly concentrated molecules) into a cup of hot water (low concentration). The water turns brown as coffee diffuses into the water. Stirring speeds up this diffusion.

There is no stirring when it come to diffusion of gases into and out of the earthworm. To make sure diffusion happens fast enough for the earthworm to survive, earthworms must keep their skin moist. To do this, worms live in a moist environment (underground, safe from the drying wind and sun) and produce a slimy mucus that coats their skin. Too much water is a bad thing though as worms can drown.

At MyNoke, we rely on nature’s original recyclers - earthworms - to transform organic waste into safe, microbes-rich vermicast. This FAQ explains the two key stages of the sanitisation process: what happens inside the worm (Gut-Associated Processes or GAPs) and what happens after the waste is excreted (Cast-Associated Processes or CAPs). Together, these biological mechanisms significantly reduce pathogens, making vermicast a safe and powerful input for soil and plant health.

1. Gut Processes (GAPs):

• Mechanical grinding: Following ingestion, organic waste is mechanically ground in their gizzard and crop, killing some pathogens.
• Digestion: During transit through the gut, digestive enzymes secreted by earthworms and their gut microbes break down the pathogens and other harmful components present in the waste​.
• Secretion of Antimicrobials: Fluid secreted by the worm gut and endosymbiotic microbes contain antibiotics which kill pathogens.
• Microbial competition: During gut transit, pathogens are destroyed as they are outcompeted or predated by endosymbiotic microbes.

2. Cast Processes (CAPs):

After partial digestion, the waste is excreted as vermicast. This material undergoes further microbial action, which helps sanitise the waste.

• Microbial competition: Casts enter a maturation phase following excretion in which microbial communities continue to compete for nutrients released during worm gut transit. Pathogens are reduced as they are outcompeted by other more favourable microbial species.

For those interested in digging deeper into the science behind these processes, we recommend reading A Comprehensive Review of the Fate of Pathogens during Vermicomposting of Organic Wastes. Or feel free to get in touch with us at MyNoke - we’re always happy to talk worms!

MyNoke is the largest vermicomposting (worm farming) operation in the world, currently processing over 140,000 tonnes of organic waste every year.

We currently operate three vermicomposting sites, all located in the central North Island of New Zealand. These sites are in Tokoroa, Taupō and Ohakune.  

Vermicomposting is the ideal technology for wet organic wastes such as sludge and semi dewatered materials. Worms require a moisture content between 60% and 90% depending on the structure of the ‘feedstock’.

At MyNoke we combine wet resources with semi-moist materials. Sludge with no structure is mixed with carbon-rich fibre to provide the structure compost worms require.

Yes – with some limitations though, as anaerobic digestion reduces the carbon content in organic waste but increases nutrient content such as nitrogen. High ammonia concentration in the digestive can be toxic to earthworms. At MyNoke we buffer the nutrients with fibrous resources to balance nutrients and fibre for the wellbeing and performance of our earthworms.

Plastics including bioplastics will not get digested in a biogas plant and remain in the digestate - earthworms don't like plastics, therefore we can't take this type of waste.