Vermicompost (i.e. worm castings) enhances plant quality by augmenting soil organic matter and inoculating plants with diverse soil microbes that aid in nutrient and water retention and uptake. It also alters defensive secondary chemistry, with interesting tri-trophic consequences. We present results from an exciting new project anchored by a network of school gardens, and report how vermicompost amendments alter growth and attraction of herbivores and their natural enemies along an urbanization gradient.
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