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<pre>I would like to know if other olive growers are using worm juice or castings
on their trees and, if so, what results they are getting. The theory is that
by applying the juice your main benefit is in the increase in mircobiological
activity in the soil which makes better use of the natural nutrients in the
soil and fertilisers that are sitting there unavailable to the plant. Of
course that liquid worm castings have a degree of trace elements too. I have
just put castings around my trees in a random selection and have done the same
with the liquid worm castings as a foliar feed coming up to budding time.

Urea and NPK and such like chemicial fertilisers may be cheap but do we pay
for it in the long run in all sorts of ways?

I am only new to the olive harvest game but last year sold fruit on the
organic market that had to be transported in the heat of summer without
refrigeration (good old Oz Post). I picked one lot of fruit on a Friday ,and
after not catching the post- they sat there until Monday with a few days
journey ahead of them. They arrived with a bloom and as fresh as they were-
they shrivelled instead of going rotten after some weeks(common in organic
produce). Now, at the same time I aquired some fruit from chemicially
fertilsed but very well tended trees . The fruit went rotten in three days. Is
there something in that ? Food for thought

Joanna and Dan Burnet wrote:

> Jon,
>
> I use "worm juice" because it's liquid and convenient. Nitrogen levels
> vary between 5 and 15% depending on which you buy but they all seem to have
> a full range of trace elements.
>
> Dan
> Spring Gully Olives
> SE Qld
>
>
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</pre>
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