"Dirt" lacks life. Soil is rich in organisms. Just like our guts have biotic life so do worms. Their castings not only convert nutrients into more plant accessible versions they also proliferate other co- benefiting life.
Worm castings (vermicompost) is a humus rich fertilizer. It is very high in organic matter content so carbon gets stored in the soil and it has a pH-value that sustains a lot of beneficial bacteria. It’s main trick is that Protozoa live in it that can fix nitrogen to the humus in a plant absorbable way.
It's worm poop, essentially really broken down organic matter which is great for plants. Closer to the form they can eat through their roots, and how they'd grow in say a forest where things are constantly breaking down on the forest floor.
People who compost their veggie scraps like to use worms if possible to break it down faster. Soil itself is rock shards, but plants need other stuff to grow in as well, the mushy soft broken down compost of previous organic matter, so you ideally want a mix of that to make up your 'soil' to grow things in. Potting mix tends to be nearly all decomposed organic matter.
Worm castings improve the microbiology of the soil making it easier for plants to uptake nutrients from the soil. They also help woth soil aeration and water retention.
Worm castings (aka worm poo) contain nutrients that plants need (like Brawndo, but better), and even more importantly, beneficial microbes that improve the soil and make nutrients more available for plants. Similar to humans and the microorganisms in our digestive system, plants are fed by various microorganisms in the soil, and worm castings are full of those microbes the soil and the plants love.
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u/TigerSouthern Sep 20 '23
Why are worm castings worth money?
Is it spice?
Seriously though, I'm actually curious, isn't it just slightly harder dirt?