Jus De Ver (Worm Juice)

From kitchen waste to living soil: early results from Jus de Ver

My interest in reducing food waste led me to Bokashi fermentation, which I started using for our kitchen scraps.

Bokashi from Agriton, relies on an airtight environment and specific anaerobic bacteria. Although these bacteria are often viewed as undesirable, the Japanese Bokashi formula works extremely well. The fermented material has a pleasant smell similar to home-brewed beer.

I was unsure about the recommended next step — adding it to the compost heap — because I worried it might attract rodents. Instead, I bought worms from The Wormman in Poole and set up a wormery in a water barrel.

Around the same time, I completed a Soil Food Web microscopy course, exploring ways to create biological amendments and inoculants with specialist equipment.

Drawing on my practical experience, I found a simple way to isolate the biology produced through worm activity. With a few additions, this product has been tested in randomised trials by willing gardeners in the village.

Early results are highly encouraging: strong leaf growth, fruiting and resilience — even before assessing root development and the associated soil biology.

I took samples to the recent Groundswell show for a brief analysis through a microscope by Soil Ecology Labs, which showed good numbers of fungal strands breaking down and feeding on the Bokashi’d material

I then visited Soil Next, where Kati kindly analysed the samples. Their proprietary AI pipeline detected fungi, nematodes, protozoa, assess bacterial biomass and even the quality of micro aggregates. They are using a remarkable robotic microscope too, which allows them to scan microscopy slides in minutes. Combined with their AI they can collect and process hundreds of times more data than would be possible with manual analysis of this kind in a much shorter time period.

Tomatoes grown in sand: the two plants on the right were fed Jus de Ver; the plant on the left was not

What the biology tells us

The early testing focused on several indicators of soil function:

Organic matter: the carbon reservoir behind soil structure, nutrient supply and water retention.

Higher organic matter can reduce input costs by acting as a slow-release natural fertiliser and helping soil buffer drought.

Fungal biomass: supports long-term carbon storage, nutrient uptake and the breakdown of complex plant residues.

A stronger fungal presence can extend the root system’s reach for water and immobile nutrients such as phosphorus.

Fungal: bacterial ratio: shows the main decomposition pathway and the likely speed of nutrient cycling.

Matching the ratio to the crop can improve fertiliser efficiency and support yield by stabilising nitrogen and carbon.

Bacterial biomass: bacteria transform organic material into plant-available nutrients and help recycle nitrogen and sulphur.

High bacterial activity can improve nutrient efficiency, reduce reliance on high-salt synthetic fertilisers and support better soil structure through micro-aggregates.

Bacterial predators: nematodes and protozoa indicate soil food web structure and help regulate microbial populations.

A beneficial predator balance supports nutrient availability, improves nitrogen mineralisation and may reduce fertiliser costs.

The most exciting part? This came from material that only weeks earlier would have gone in the bin.

Early nutrient test results

Sample	Total nitrogen	Total phosphorus
Sample 1	767 mg/l	35.4 mg/l
Sample 2	549 mg/l	39.3 mg/l

These nutrient levels are encouraging. Excessive nitrogen and phosphorus can drive soft, luxury growth that is more susceptible to pests and disease, so balanced results suggest useful resilience.

My own observations through the microscope have revealed plenty of springtails, ciliates and amoebae, along with good bacterial content, while it the later stages nematodes are more prevalent with some fungal colonies. I plan to increase the fungal component by adding more woody material.

Brix Analysis illustrates the scale of sugar content at 11% which is good and shows the added molasses is providing carbohydrates not only for the microbes in the solution but also indigenous microbes in the vegetable beds. Generally, people put plenty of compost of some sort on their beds, and the worm juice will make that material more plant available

The treated plants have generally shown good resilience during the current drought, and leaf production and fruiting has been strong. I’ll share a fuller round-up of this year’s trials later.

For me, the key lesson is simple: waste streams can become biological resources when we collaborate our resources and give microbial life the right conditions to work. Thanks to all that have assisted me on this fascinating quest. The information collected is relevant to gardeners, growers and farmers alike and shows what our soils are missing.

From a highly respected plantsman/botanist in the village.

“Hi Clyde.     Been feeding my tomatoes and cucumbers which are in 10 to 20 litres pots of growing media on your substrate. 

 Could be my imagination however, but I detect that they look greener.  I have not been feeding them any other nutrients. 

 This uncomplicated result could be that your medium is introduced microorganism growth to a substrate  that has no or very little soil  as all plant grown in peat and soil free substrate, although the bottom  half of the  pots are filled  with my own compost from the hot box very little soil if  any is introduced .   Could very well be one (only one as others are an issue brand, composition, nutrient added  ) answer to questionable growth in peat free growing media ?

  Application at 7 day intervals so far two applications.”

Praise indeed.