Vermicompost questions, answered

Vermicompost, called kenchua khad (केंचुआ खाद) in Hindi, is compost made by earthworms. The worms eat pre-composted cow dung and plant waste and leave behind dark, crumbly castings. It feeds the soil’s microbes and releases nutrients slowly, so plants get a steady supply without the risk of burning their roots.

Fresh cow dung is still breaking down: it heats up, can burn roots and often carries weed seeds. Regular compost is better but often coarse and uneven. Vermicompost is finer, more uniform, richer in beneficial microbes and free of bad smells. Read the full comparison.

Good vermicompost is dark brown to black, crumbly and slightly moist, and smells like damp forest soil. It should not smell sour or of ammonia, feel soggy, or contain lumps of undecomposed dung. Ours is sieved to 3 mm and every pack carries a batch number and month of manufacture.

All of them: vegetables, herbs, flowering plants, indoor plants, lawns, fruit trees and field crops. It suits both pots and the ground.

Not yet. It is made only from aged cow dung and farm plant residues, worked by earthworms, with no chemicals added. We do not call it organic until certification is complete, and we will add the details here when we have them.

For a new pot, mix 1 part vermicompost with 3 parts soil: about 0.35 kg for a 6-inch pot, 1.2 kg for a 10-inch pot and 3 kg for a 14-inch pot. For plants already growing, mix 100–200 g into the topsoil and water well. See the full table.

Every 30–45 days for pots in the growing season, before every new crop in vegetable beds, twice a year for fruit trees, and in February–March and after the monsoon for lawns.

No. It is rich and holds a lot of water, so roots can rot in pure vermicompost. Mix 1 part with 3 parts soil, or soil and cocopeat.

It will not burn roots the way raw dung or chemical fertiliser can, but too much in a pot keeps the soil wet and heavy. Stick to the 1:3 mix for new pots and 100–200 g per feed.

No. Finished vermicompost smells like damp forest soil. A sour or ammonia smell means the compost is not finished.

Close it and keep it in a cool, dry, shaded place. The best-before month is printed on each pack.

MRP, including all taxes: 1 kg ₹149, 5 kg ₹499, 10 kg ₹899, 25 kg ₹1,499. The 25 kg bag works out to about ₹60 per kg. Delivery is extra and depends on your pin code; we confirm it on WhatsApp before you pay.

Tap any “Order on WhatsApp” button on this site, or message us on WhatsApp at +91 96256 06788 with the pack size, quantity and your pin code. We confirm the total and delivery date, then you pay by UPI or choose cash on delivery on our local runs.

Our own weekly delivery runs cover SBS Nagar, Ropar, the Chandigarh tricity (Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula) and Delhi NCR, with cash on delivery. Elsewhere in India, including Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar, we send 1 kg and 5 kg packs by courier, and 10 kg bags within North India. Delivery details.

Yes. 25 kg bags can be delivered locally or picked up from the farm, and we quote a farm-gate price for orders of a tonne or more. Message us on WhatsApp.

WB Farm is on Nagal Tibba Road, Village Kular, Tehsil Balachaur, District SBS Nagar (Nawanshahr), Punjab 144521, in the Shivalik foothills. Read the farm story.

Yes. Visits include the worm beds, a potting session and farm tea. Request a date and we confirm on WhatsApp within a day.

Our haldi is growing at the farm without chemicals, in soil fed with our own vermicompost. Join the WhatsApp list and we will message you when the first harvest is ready.