Definition of vermiculture.

: the cultivation of annelid worms (such as earthworms or bloodworms)

especially for use as bait or in composting.

A vermicompost bin mimics natural processes, allowing organic waste to break down into nutrient-rich
compost, which can be returned to the soil to help new things grow. Vermicomposting helps the
environment in the following ways: Reduces Waste Sent to our Dump Sites – Up to 30% of our daily
household waste is organic.

A “Vermicast” is just a fancy word for worm manure, also called castings. AVermicompost contains small
amounts of undigested organic matter mixed in with the worm castings. Those particles, referred to as
"humus," will continue to break down in the soil and release valuable nutrients to your plants.

Definition of vermiculture

: the cultivation of annelid worms (such as earthworms or bloodworms) especially for use as bait or in
composting

Examples of vermiculture in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Workshops for students of all ages teach basic plant care, plant nutrition, composting and vermiculture --
gardening and composting with worms.

— Jennifer Conn, Akron Reporter, cleveland.com, "Shanti Community Farms offers Akron refugees space
to farm and a sense of purpose (photos)," 12 Apr. 2018

Topics include: perennial flowers, improving garden soil, pruning raspberries, vermiculture, composting,
vegetable garden planning, culinary herbs, growing roses, more.

— idahostatesman, "Starting plants from seed among upcoming Boise gardening events | Idaho
Statesman," 14 Feb. 2018

Vermiculture refers to the scientific process of worm cultivation or artificial rearing of worms for the
benefit of humans. The output of vermiculture is called vermicompost and is nothing other than the
earthworm excreta and hummus are its major constituent. The vermicompost is formed by the process
in which earthworms eat the farmyard manure or cow dung in addition to the wastes from farms and
thereby producing it.

Similarly, items like household garbage, industrial wastes in liquid form and wastes from municipality
could be processed in the same fashion. Most of us would be surprised by the fact that these
earthworms are essential for maintaining a healthy environment rather than just converting garbage to
useful manure. The process of earthworm multiplication and garbage conversion by earthworms into
compost are very simple, that farmers could do it by themselves.

How to Multiply Earthworms in Large Scale

To help earthworms to multiply on a larger scale, the farmer could mix any plant materials, dried leaves
and cow dung in a 1:1 proportion. Once done, we would release around 50 earthworms on the husk or
mixture of dried leaves and place it under the shade. For maintaining the moisture level, keep sprinkling
water over it on a timely basis. Within a timeframe of one to two months, the earthworms would
multiply by 300 times relying on this process alone. Thus, the new earthworms would assist us in
preparing the vermicompost.

Merits of Vermicomposting

Since it does not contain chemical elements, vermicompost being prepared from organic wastes
(biodegradable) is a natural fertilizer and eco-friendly too.

Does not impact the environment, soil, and plants in an adversely.

Soil compaction is reduced by it by boosting the soil aeration, tilth and texture.

Owing to its high organic matter content, it improves the soil’s water retention capacity.

Better nutrient absorption and root growth are promoted by it.

Both the micro and macronutrients of the soil status are improved by its use.

Safety Measures

The pit for the compost should be shielded from exposure to sunlight
Guard the worms against pests and rats, bird, ants etc.

Sprinkle water on the pit when necessary to sustain the moisture level.

From the above discussion, one could state beyond doubt that earthworms are certainly one of the
significant creatures on earth despite them being tiny in size.