Can I use it as organic weed killer?????

[Blue Bird]

Have a few gallons of worm wee from my wormery.  Can I use it full strength as a weed killer ? anyone know ?

[Blue Bird]

[Baccy Man]

If you are producing gallons of leachate then there is something very wrong in your wormery. You should be producing very little if any. You need to add more dry materials to absorb the excess liquid & correct the moisture levels.

Moisture levels are critical to the survival of all earthworm species because it is moisture within the worms body that gives it shape, enables it to move, and aids in the worms ability to absorb oxygen. To facilitate the absorption of oxygen the skin is very thin and permeable, meaning that the moisture within the body cavity is easily evaporated off, particularly in dry environments. The moisture range for most worm species is from 60-85%, which ensure the worm can absorb as much moisture as may be lost. Higher or lower moisture levels can be extremely detrimental to their health.

I have never heard of leachate being used as weedkiller so I can't help much there the only regularly suggested use is as a liquid fertiliser although there are 2 lines of thought on the benefits.

Most of the companies selling the worms/wormeries will tell you how wonderful it is although a few do acknowledge if you are getting leachate then your wormery is too wet.
On the other hand some studies have shown if leachate (the water drained from the wormery) is used, not only will there be unmineralized organic compounds, but there is the potential for contamination of pathogen organisms and coliforms that can come from some of the raw materials put into wormeries.

[Robert_Brenchley]

You're wasting it if you try killing weeds with it. Dilute it down and use it on your crops.

[Blue Bird]

Have collected the waste over a long period and only been using very small amounts as very concentrated.  Have two large wormeries which do give a good compost in the warmer weather.

Husband gives worms to fisherman friends as well !!!

But thinking about what you have said it may have harmful side affects.

thanks for your comments

Will continue to use on crops and will give some away in bottles

[Baccy Man]

Expanding on my earlier answer although at risk of sounding like I am obsessed with composting.

Some bin manufacturers suggest that the liquid that drains out of a worm bin is compost tea. Bin instructions sometimes encourage worm bin users to pour water into their bins to get more "worm tea", as it's called. Unfortunately, this is leachate, not tea, worm tea is the water in which worm castings have been steeped in. It's a common misunderstanding. This leachate contains only a very small percentage of the nutrients and microorganisms of tea, as well as a significant amount of undecomposed organic matter, that will quickly cause the liquid to turn anaerobic. Be careful, and only give this liquid to your plants if it is still aerobic (your nose will tell you), and don't pour water through worm bins. Use only finished stable vermicompost and follow specific tea-making instructions.

Some of the confusion regarding whether or not to use leachate results from the current popularity of "compost teas" and "castings teas". To ensure we are all on the same page, "teas" are defined as a steepage generated by placing finished, stable compost and/or worm castings in water; some people agitate the water, some don't; some aerate the water, some don't; some add nutrient solutions to amplify the biology, some don't. Regardless, "teas" all use as the substrate from which the initial biological community, nutrient and other chemistry are extracted, finished, stable material.

Leachate, on the other hand, is liquid that drains from an actively decomposing mass of organic matter, thus it is liquid that is in contact with undecomposed material in the system. It is this factor, coupled with the cause for liquid to be draining in sufficient quantity that it can be collected, that creates concern.

Composting and vermicomposting are processes understood to destroy or at least significantly reduce pathogenic organisms, typically rendering their numbers suficiently low to pose little threat to human health. Because leachate drains through material that has not been thoroughly processed, however, pathogens like e-coli and salmonella associated with household organic waste and even garden waste can potentially be picked up in the leachate and contaminate the surfaces of fruits and veggies to which it is applied. It's important to understand that the concern is not that plants might take these pathogens up through their systems, but is a concern over surface contamination of garden produce. Those who choose to use leachate on edible plants are encouraged to wait several weeks after application before harvesting to ensure pathogens have died off before produce is eaten.

Water is generated by the composting and vermicomposting processes as well as being released from organic matter as it is broken down. In most healthy worm bins and compost piles the released moisture is absorbed by the the surrounding organic matter, thus little water drains freely from the system. A healthy worm bin, for instance, generally produces little more than a few ml of liquid per week. A system from which liquid is draining freely is typically a system that is saturated, thus, it can hold no more water. This is of concern because the water saturating that system is displacing oxygen, setting up conditions favorable to anaerobic microorganisms. Even if there are no significant odors, very wet compost piles and worm bins tend to have significant levels of anaerobic activity. The by-products of anaerobic decomposition, phenols, terpenes and alcohols, are water soluble and are toxic to plant roots, thus leachates often contain significant concentrations of these phytotoxins though there is no outward evidence of such. These leachates applied to plants often cause damage and can even kill sensitive plant species or plants treated with leachate with significant levels of phytoxins. To be sure, many people use leachate with excellent effect, but for every leachate advocate whose garden sees tremendous benefit I can introduce you to someone who killed or weakened their garden with leachate use. It's a risky thing using leachate. Many people will dilute the leachate (the general recommendation is 10 parts clean water to one part leachate) which often does remediate problems, but dilution also tends to dilute the benefits, rendering the stuff little more benefical than plain water.