DIY - Build your own wormbin - Cheap and effective

This is my little christmas' gift for the forum

This tutorial is aided to make you able to do your own vermicompost (from now i'll call it humus)...

Why should i do my own humus, instead of buying it?

Because it's cheaper, it's more effective, and ABSOLUTLY bio. Moreover you'll be able to recycle some trash, being an eco-fanatic and all the stuff like this

Furthermore i have another personal reason. I have always grown in coco and i like coco. I'm just sorry that you can't find organic nutrients for coco. So i decided to make some coco based humus, instead of the usual soil based humus. I'll use it to amend my coco recipe and to make teas...

Where i can find more information about humus?

This is a great site:

http://www.allthingsorganic.com/

This is a very intersting pdf about humus:

http://www.allthingsorganic.com/pdf/Vermiculture_FarmersManual_gm.pdf

The last one especially is FULL of infos about worms and humus: wich one to choose, best environmental conditions, what to feed, growth rate...

Ok which worms should i use?

The best worms are Eisenia Fetida, aka redworms. Unfortunatly i haven't been able to find it, and i have a free supply of Lumbricus Terrestris from the local forest , so i went for Lumbricus.

What to feed to them?

http://www.allthingsorganic.com/How_To/05.asp

I would add: molasses are good, both for worms and plants

Ok this a very simple wormbin design. I have copied from i don't know where, and adapted.

What you need are:

-Two plastic box

-Something to drill holes, whatever you want, just remember you have to make A LOT of SMALL holes.

-Some kind of soil, i used coco.

-Some worms and some trash

The idea is to buy some cheap wal-mart plastic box. Usually big shops to save money place one box in another, and this is what we want. A box in another:



It's better if they are dark, light shouldn't pass, but i bought thoose for just 5 bucks. A dark one would have coste me 10 buck each.

Ok now drill a LOT of SMALL holes in one of them.
There is needed a lot of holes to help the traspiration and the drainage of the humus, but enough small to prevent any worm to go from one box to another.

Be careful: don't leave any sharp border, this would kill the worms... So make the holse from inside to outside, so the sharp borders will be on the outer surface.

Now you have the two boxes:





Place on in the other and wash them. The put the soil. BE CAREFUL: worms HATE salts, so beware. If there are too much salts in the soil then you have rinse it.

I prepare a recipe of 90% coco coir, 5% clay pellets for drainage (i had some spare pellets floating around ), 5% humus to give some of the bacteria to start the reactions.

Be sure the medium is well areated, and spongely wet: it must be wet to the touch, but no water should come from it if you press slightly...



Ok now that the soil is ready you need the worms:




Note: Thoose are the wrong worms. You need Eisenia Fetida, but i wasn't able to find them.

Gently place the worms in the soil an place the box in a dark humid place.

How many worms?

The ideal rate of worms to start with is 2.5 kg/m^3, wich means 1 oz (25 grams) each 10 liters of soil.

Worms will work very well up to 10 kg/m^3, with 20 kg/m^3 the highest concentration desiderable. But theroically there could be up to 50 kg/m^3.

The best humidity is 80%, always be sure the worms has something to eat. Temps can go from 0 C (32 F) to 35 C (95 F). Optimal is 23-27 C (73-82 F).

In around two months you'll have the best humus possibile but the more it age, the better it is

Dudes, that's all

How do you separate the worms from the soil?

Does any one put worms in their pots?

SilverSurfer_OG said:

How do you separate the worms from the soil?

Click to expand...

I use small ammounts of soil, so it's not a big deal. I place the soil on a newspaper, in a very thin layer, and then i can see all the worms.

Anyhow you can also make them starving and then put some food in a box. All the worms will go there.

SSOG - I believe there are a nuber of ways to separate the worms from the bin, but my favorite would be - "Baiting"(let the food supply run low) then use the new food that your about to add, in 1 single spot in the bin. then removing that portion of soil(humus) , and replacing the bait again to make sure you got most of them ( they will gather to the Bait and make it alot easier to remove the worms*1-2days). its the safest way i know, without harming or upseting the worms! ... cheers .. happy holidays!!

-- Also - if you freeze your table scaps(worm friendly food only) then add it into your worm bin they will be able to digest the food alot easier( i think its called predigestion )... oh yeah make sure its not frozen when adding to the bin

Cool. Sounds like a plan. Makin em hungry that is...

I heard banana skins would attract em real fast but no joy when i tried.

Freezing em huh? Sounds interesting.

Very nice thread. There was another thread like this before. Lots of info and other members building units like these. Nice to see more members are getting into raising worms for good worm castings.
Merry Christmas all
BG

JamesChong said:

Very nice thread. There was another thread like this before. Lots of info and other members building units like these. Nice to see more members are getting into raising worms for good worm castings.
Merry Christmas all
BG

Click to expand...

i've searched it... but found none... can you link it?

gramsci.antonio said:

i've searched it... but found none... can you link it?

Click to expand...

This is the thread you want. Pretty good thread with a lot of info. For some reason and I don't know. The pictures have been edited. Which is sad, because it was a cool thread. Still lots of info. I'm also including some other link to same topic. The word I used in my search was Vermicomposting. Worm Bin cam up with some but not what I wanted. Good luck and Merry Christmas.
BG

1. http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=47457&page=4&pp=15&highlight=Vermicomposting

2. http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=53799&page=3&pp=15&highlight=worm+bin

3. http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=60422&highlight=worm+bin

ok in the first days the worms kept on going outside the soil... on the top of the bin or in the small areation holes.... next time i'll do the holes smaller...

now they don't get out so much... the first day every of them got out... now just one or two...

It can be two things: they are all dead, or the food is starting to build up...


Do you guys think that is good to mix the food in the soil? or i have strictly to make levels like in the professional wormbins?

gramsci.antonio

Any way you can post some pictures? I'm curious as to how the unit looks and what size container's you used. I've only read a little on this subject some. I would say the food and no soil, but I really don't know for sure. I think I'm going to buy that book "Worms Eat My Garbage". It seem to be the better of all the books.

I'm trying to think what I'm going to make my unit out of. I've seen allot of plastic rubbermaid container units, but I've also seen some nice wooden units online also. I might go wood with some small screening, will see.

Well, let us know how the unit works out. I hope you can post some pictures for us.
Take care,
BG

there are photos in the first post... you can see it... The bin doesn't change that much...

And there's no need for a book... it's plenty around of good infos...

gramsci.antonio said:

there are photos in the first post... you can see it... The bin doesn't change that much...

And there's no need for a book... it's plenty around of good infos...

Click to expand...

LOLOL, Sorry! It's late here and I'm about to pass out. lol. Very nice unit you got. Your right about the info, but I'm the type of person. That like to have a book around and handy to read. Plus, I like to take a book with me when I head out the door. I'll make sure to post my unit. I really think I'm going with wood. Just got to make sure to use the right one. I know I can't use PT, because of the chemicals in it. I'll have to read up some.
Night,
BG

JamesChong said:

LOLOL, Sorry! It's late here and I'm about to pass out. lol. Very nice unit you got. Your right about the info, but I'm the type of person. That like to have a book around and handy to read. Plus, I like to take a book with me when I head out the door. I'll make sure to post my unit. I really think I'm going with wood. Just got to make sure to use the right one. I know I can't use PT, because of the chemicals in it. I'll have to read up some.
Night,
BG

Click to expand...

Yeah i feel more confortable too with wood, but i'm afraid to buy some coated wood... or that the wood could get too humid/moldy...


Anyhow my little ****ers where doing a little trip... so i toke a photo:



I was wondering: but the food disappear or what?
I buried some bread down there, i think it will get moldy soon... will the mold and the bread disappear? do i have to remove it after a while?

because i don't think molded bread is good for plants

Contact Suby, he might want this in the Worming 101 sticky.

V

Is there a certain temperature that you should move them into your garage? Can you build a deep worm bin in soil with some plastic with holes in the bottom, if you have a garden. Soil stays at 70 deggrees so far down, cant remember how deep though. I think you can buy redworms at the bait store, the scientific name might not be wright though.

stickyfingers32 said:

Is there a certain temperature that you should move them into your garage? Can you build a deep worm bin in soil with some plastic with holes in the bottom, if you have a garden. Soil stays at 70 deggrees so far down, cant remember how deep though. I think you can buy redworms at the bait store, the scientific name might not be wright though.

Click to expand...

the scientific name is Eisenia Foetida, but also Lumbricus Rebellus will do the job.

Ideal temps are 20-28 C (68-82 F) with 25 C (77 F) the best.

Yeah, you could do in the soil... but worms may fleed trough the bottom and it wouldn't be easy to take the bag out for maintence (Eg: mix the soil).

In the first 10 meter you could consider the temp of the soil uniform.

Gidday gramsci

Hey thnks for this info I love the idea of two bins it's so easy. I too prefer working with timber but the humidity here, and the rainfall....

So, two containers it is!

I actually prefer anything but eisenella foetida because they are a bit toxic to fish. I have bush worms but they are 12 - 18 inches long! I feed the odd one to some young trout they tear them to pieces and it's all gone in as minute.

Your bread is not an attractive diet to the worms you have, they'll adapt (and even begin to love it) but bread is bad food, and it won't help the humus much - bleach, rancid oils, salt....

Your worms look like leaf mulchers. They're leaving because of....

Temperature - too hot or cold
Moisture - too wet or dry
Food - not the right type
Light - they're photosensitive

I'll raise some foetida to help the outside gardens, but would love to find someone successfully farming other species while utilising garbage for feed.

Gramsci when you say 5% humus what exactly did you put in there? If you didn't already, it would be a real good idea to go back to where you sourced your worms and grab a shovel full of that native humus.

The worms are more into the microorganisms on the surface of the food which break it down, then the food itself. The food is like the toast LOL. The microorganisms or jelly/butter on top is the good stuff It's normal for the food to decompose some before the worms eat it, but if it's rotting really bad and they aren't eating it placing some of the native soil in your bin will add the microorganisms those worms are more suited to eating on. That's why it's always good to get your worms from someone who keeps worms themselves, so when you get your worms you get some of the beneficials from the bin with them.

Usually they'll eat all scraps to nothing, so no worries of moldy food being in ur finished product. The molding is the first part of the decomposition, the next part is the worms eating it up.

Have you tried sourcing red worms online yet? I always see them offered at some of the online organic gardening sites I visit. In fact just the other day on ebay I saw someone selling a handfuls of his worms, and bin material for those interested in starting their own bin.