Living organic soil from start through recycling

[Heliopolis]

Did the Sunflower seeds sprout for you?

They sure did. The rice sprouted far quicker than everything else. Then the millet began sprouting, followed by the milo and sunflower.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

Thank you Helio!!

That answers more than a couple of questions......

CC

 

[Heliopolis]

No problem! By the by, how well do worms take to manure? I have a virtually unlimited supply of fresh cow manure from free range cattle. I would like to put that resource to use in the near future.

 

[Heliopolis]

No problem!

By the by, how well do worms take to manure? I have a virtually unlimited supply of fresh cow manure from free range cattle. I would like to put that resource to use in the near future.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

Helio

Red Wigglers are also called 'manure worms' for good reason. The 2 biggest issues with horse or cow manure are the vermicides that are used in livestock, i.e. vermicides kill most worms. The other issue is that fresh manure is 'hot' and the worms will not survive until the manure is aged a bit. About 1 month seems to be the usual advice. You've probably seen the term 'aged manure' and in that process of letting it sit and 'age' the vermicides are degraded meaning that the worms can set up camp and the vermicomposting process can begin.

So bottom line is that manure is a perfect food for your bins as long as you take the necessary precautions.

Horse manure from a friend mixed with the kick-ass compost that CT Guy told me about - organic fish compost - looking forward to harvesting next spring. This manure & compost mix is in #65 SmartPots in the garage.

CC

 

[Heliopolis]

That was odd... Apologies for the double post.

 

[vonforne]

No problem! By the by, how well do worms take to manure? I have a virtually unlimited supply of fresh cow manure from free range cattle. I would like to put that resource to use in the near future.

They love manure! If you want fresh castings faster use composted cow manure. The little ones will turn if faster than using raw foods. I also like using old soil, roots and all for my bin.

V

 

[Heliopolis]

Yea! I am very happy to hear that. I see what you mean about the vermicides. I just found an article on the red worm composting website about that. I ought to ask the owner of said cattle if he uses them. Is that pretty standard practice?

In any case, I look forward to spending my days shoveling shit.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

Can't say for sure about cattle but horses definitely. Especially if they're being pastured. Look up 'equine vermicide' and you'll see the main one that's used as well as the time needed for it to degrade making the manure safe to use.

The local Craigslist will often have ads for free manure and if they really want to get rid of it quickly they'll add to their offer 'lots of worms' telling you that it's been properly aged.

Check it out - if you can find manure with worms already in there you have a win-win deal. Again it's almost always free. Locally we can find alpaca, llama, cow and horse manures.

CC

 

[rrog]

What is the smart pot option? I seem to recall this. Would a person have a steel rack with wire shelves and have the smart pots on this? I'll google this process.

I have seen most of the following list described in vermicompost:

Alfalfa
Kelp Meal
Neem Meal
Manure or compost
Comfrey
Yarrow
Horsetail Ferns
Stinging Nettles
Fish Meal
Flaxseed Meal
Rock Dusts
Agsil 16
Crab Meal powder

 

[vonforne]

What is the smart pot option? I seem to recall this. Would a person have a steel rack with wire shelves and have the smart pots on this? I'll google this process.

I have seen most of the following list described in vermicompost:

Alfalfa
Kelp Meal
Neem Meal
Manure or compost
Comfrey
Yarrow
Horsetail Ferns
Stinging Nettles
Fish Meal
Flaxseed Meal
Rock Dusts
Agsil 16
Crab Meal powder

Of all of these I found that the worms will hit the neem first over everything and the alfalfa the least. They like alfalfa in the form of horse manure the best. Here in the midwest I have friends with dairy and horse farms so manure is free and easy to obtain. I prefer horse manure the best because it is not broken down by their stomachs as much as cow manure.

Rock powders are a standard for me. Nettles-dried after being fresh cut. Kelp meal in small amounts as it seems to affect the worms......

V

 

[Gascanastan]

Look at this Von guy......talking like he's hip to all this shit..; You know it~

 

[koolkush]

Of all of these I found that the worms will hit the neem first over everything and the alfalfa the least. They like alfalfa in the form of horse manure the best. Here in the midwest I have friends with dairy and horse farms so manure is free and easy to obtain. I prefer horse manure the best because it is not broken down by their stomachs as much as cow manure.

Rock powders are a standard for me. Nettles-dried after being fresh cut. Kelp meal in small amounts as it seems to affect the worms......

V

How about fresh steer manure?

 

[vonforne]

How about fresh steer manure?

Meaning how fresh? Like fresh from the ass and steaming or laying in the field for some time?

V

 

[vonforne]

Look at this Von guy......talking like he's hip to all this shit..; You know it~

I know......I have not been very active lately. My bad. I will try and rectify that.

 

[koolkush]

Laying in the field for a little bit

 

[vonforne]

Cow manure when it is dried on the top a bit seems to attract the worms. As Coot stated if you can find the manure and the worms then it is a win win situation. Fresh as in steaming will do nothing but stink up the bin as the worms will not bother with it until it starts to break down naturally similar to placing a fresh banana in the bin. They prefer them to be black and mushy.

And I was just being a smartass when I said fresh and steaming. lol

V

 

[koolkush]

K thanks appreciate the information

 

[ClackamasCootz]

What is the smart pot option? I seem to recall this. Would a person have a steel rack with wire shelves and have the smart pots on this?

rrog

You're just using a SmartPot as your worm bin. These are made from post-consumer plastics so there's no issue about the 'fabric' degrading from the bioactivity in the 'bin' and doing it this way is far, far less expensive than buying Rubbermaid bins.

For example I purchased a #100 SmartPot for a friend to ship to him for his worm bin. Less than $25.00 - see how many Rubbermaid tubs you would have to buy to equal 100 gallons and then how many hours you would have to spend drilling enough holes for aeration.

Lack of aeration and too much moisture are the biggest topics of discussion at worm bin forums - by far. With the SmartPots you would really have to make an effort to bring on these conditions.

Take your feedstock (manure or compost or both) mix in your amendments and hydrate that completely like you were watering a newly placed transplant. Add your worms or cocoons or both and leave it alone. Completely and totally alone. You should cover the top with cardboard to reduce evaporation.

Monitor the moisture levels and in a few months you'll have 1/2 cubic yard of top-quality vermicompost.

Cocoons are easily sourced online and you can look at the reproduction rate for Red Wigglers to help you make a decision on how many you want to purchase.

It is best to have aeration space on the bottom of the worm 'bin' and you can use an old wood pallet, PVC pipe cut to the appropriate length - you don't want the bottom of the SmartPot sitting directly on the ground, concrete, whatever.

That's it......cheap enough?

LOL

CC

 

[Heliopolis]

Nice info, Mr. Cootz. I need to pick up some smart pots when I get the chance.

I've got a sort of outdoor "shack"... It's open in the front and back, and it has a slanted roof. It's about 10 ft wide, 8 ft deep, and roughly 7 ft in height. I'm considering piling up as much manure (with a few amendments) as I can bring myself to shovel and making large worm "pile". It's my understanding that the larger your bin/pile is, the more stable and foolproof it tends to be. How does this sound?