Say hello to my little friends and their work

[blAsia]

This tub was 3/4 full of:

Misc amounts of grapes
2 - 3 whole apples, core, skin and all - cut up, or as mine was, half eaten.
2 - 3 Large banana peels with some banana
Leaves from canna and other types
"Potting" soil for African Violets
Newspaper, shredded
Cardboard shredded
used coffee grinds
Tea bags, used
***and kept moist for about 2 months

After 2 months, no sign of any fruit, very little newspaper and leaves... as the pic shows, only some cardboard remains.



This is what I got after sifting through 2 different size screens... one to get rid of the cardboard and other large items, and one to get the good stuff, and to be able to get my buddies out. Nice, rich "soil".



Filled it up again, set them free to go to work for another 2 months. It is not large scale, but good enough for seedlings for 2 months, or more.

forgot to mention that you want a really big handful. they will multiply/reproduce, but you want a good starting point.
Peace.

 

[Guest]

so you've just mixed everything together? it is not necessary to make different layers?

great idea, i will steal it from you if i can?

cheers!

 

[blAsia]

go for it.
Make sure the tub has vent holes.
Should be kept moist, but, just moist, not too much.

I sort of mix everything up in one pale, like mixing a tossed salad, then layer it in using a mister to make sure the moisture is all the way through at first.

On top, I put a fresh layer of just soil, or peat, whatever you are using, about 1/2"

Then, lay the worms on top... within a few hours they will make their way down.

Don't keep it in the direct sun, but not in a cold location.

Open it weekly just to check the moisture. If you have kids, they like to see and hold the worms when you do it. Also, once or twice in two months, I pour a little water against the sides to let it get to the bottom. All sides, again, not too much.

You can order the worms from a few different locations or just buy somewhere locally.

When sifting, be gentle and take your time. About an hour for me. You don't want to smush, or kill your friends.

Peace, good luck.
here is one link with info: http://www.cityfarmer.org/wormcomp61.html

 

[green_grow]

thats some nice looking soil. do you "cut" it with bagged soil or grow right in it ?

 

[blAsia]

Mix it for sure. It really looks better in person. Much darker. I may try a bag seed straight in it just to see. Got to check the ph though.

Peace, thanks for stoppin by.

 

[marx2k]

mMmmM that definitely looks like black gold to me. VERY good! I like it a lot. I tried to start a little worm farm a few years back but forgot to cut holes for air!!! The smell was out of this world, and not in a good way

 

[blAsia]

Hey m2k,

No smell with this one... I guess it depends on what you put in it. Of, course, I only used fruits, veggies work too, but of course, no animal products. Even when digging through it, only "dirt" smell.

Peace

 

[abirdintheair]

nice idea blasia, K+ all the way. worms and nightcrawlers are everywhere in my area - not now cuz of the upcoming winter, this is something i definately want to try in the near future.

 

[Guest]

ok, i'll make myself a homemade simple compost tube. if you have time, please take a picture how these vent holes looks like?

take care and peace

 

[blAsia]

Actually this was made for my son...hehehehe
He has had ants, worms, spiders, etc., for pets. I didn't make the lid, someone I know did, but, it is not necessary. Holes are fine, the worms can't climb the plastic walls anyway, nor do I think they would want to leave a nice environment.

But, they are 1" holes drilled, with those plastic inserts you can buy at walmart, I think. I will try to ask where they came from, but again, you really don't need them. The inserts are 1" wide, by 1" deep. You could get by with just cutting slats in the top, no problem.

 

[Guest]

Tnx on info. I learned a lot about vorming, so tomorow i will go in action.

my idea is to make about three layers of container
first: colecting drainage, for fertilizing
second: container for bedding with holes on the bottom for drainage
third: identical to second for making another bedding and to collect worms after they done there job in the second layer.
and of course some kind of lid. don't know what it will look like

pretty good idea right?

 

[abirdintheair]

thanx for the heads up

thanx for the heads up

i went in my backyard today, got a mix of pineapple, pumpkin guts, chopped leaves and paper bags, mixed with outdoor black topsoil. luckily i got 7 nice sized nightcrawlers to do their work while collecting dirt. i think i might add an 18 pack of nightcrawlers from the local fishing store to help out. thanks again blasia for the inspiration, pics comin soon....ps, im using a plastic hamster cage to contain the mixture for me.

 

[Guest]

what is your experience with nightcrawlers? are they any good with digesting the food you give them? i heard they are not apropriet for worming?

 

[green_grow]

i also read somewhere that nightcrawlers werent suitable for indoor composting, but i cant recall why . if you go ahead with using them i would like to hear the results .

 

[threeeleven]

hello little friends.... blAsia have you named them all yet? lol

 

[abirdintheair]

i never knew that about nightcrawlers, i just figured cuz of there size it would work a little better. i guess i can try both regular worms and nightcrawlers, well i am now , just at a higher concentration level.

 

[DoobieDuck]

Bird.... I wondered where you were when not posting on my grows...He He...hey I lived where the soil was really clay, adobe, and the night crawlers were insane in the lawns there. You could catch 100 in about 10 minutes, easy. So would adding some clay help you any in the crawler grow? Dr. Duck.

 

[abirdintheair]

really doobie? I got a location i cant get sandy clay loem/loess type soil thats used for apple orchards and blueberrie/raspberrie patches but i never thought clay-based soils would be any good because of the water retention. whenever it rains there the water in rivers flows a nice dark iron oxide color...

 

[blAsia]

hey all,

good luck, it all sounds good... doesn't have to be purty PM, just friendly.

ABITA: Damn, you got pineapple and pumpkins in your backyard... pretty diverse. Pineapple sounds good to me right now. Yeah, the sugars from fruits I think will work well when combined with all the other stuff... Just veggies would probably be great too, but I combine many things.

I did a litmus test after shaking my product up and letting it sit, and it came back with neutral. I tested some vinegar after that and it was ~ 5. So, i may do one more test just to see--let it sit over night.

Nightcrawlers... they seem to be a little differerent.

Kookaburra Worm Farms:

Our Compost Worms are a mix of Tiger Worms - Eisenia Fetida, Blue Tiger Worms - Perionix Excavatus/Spenceralia and Red Tiger Worms - Eisenia Andrei.

peace

Vicki Duong
August 22, 2007

Earlier we’ve talked about the differences between compost bins and compost tumblers, and let you, our wonderful composting audience, decide for yourselves on what you thought would work better for your needs. Well, let’s put our differences aside and talk about worm composting, also known in the composting world as vermiculture or vermicomposting. There’s really not much to it, we use worms, right? Right, but not just any worms; red wiggler worms or night crawlers are the preferred types of worms to use. Why not earthworms, you ask? Well, I’ll explain that in a second, but let me first tell you why red wigglers and night crawlers are so beneficial to the composting process.

Red wiggler worms, also known as red worms and by their scientific name of Eisenia fetida, are recognized as the best kind of composting worm. Thriving in darkness and swearing off light, red worms are hardy workers and can eat half of their own weight. Additionally, they have hearty appetites and can live off of food scraps such as banana peels and chicken mash (a yummy mix of cornmeal and chicken meat, this is usually used only if you plan to raise your red worms as fish bait). Red worms also live well in damp places, and as fish bait, will wiggle around on the hook since they can survive in water for several days at a time.

Night crawlers which are popular amongst fishermen can also be used as composting worms. With the same performance level as red worms, they’re not really considered your number one composting worm. One reason may be that even though they thrive in cool, shady areas, they don’t seem to fare too well if there’s too much moisture; in fact, once they hit water they’ll pretty much just die. Unusually enough, fisherman seem to like using night crawlers as bait probably because they’re pretty big and fat.

Using earthworms such as the kind that show up when it starts raining is not recommended. Earthworms are great burrowers and excellent soil aerators, but they won’t digest the organic matter and leave behind worm castings, which is what you want. Your best bet is to stick with red wiggler worms. Though not necessary, mixing red wigglers with night crawlers is okay, but you’re fine with sticking to one or the other.

Vermicomposting can be a fun activity for families, classrooms, or even just solo. Just be sure to feed your worms and watch them as they do the work for you.

 

[blAsia]

hello little friends.... blAsia have you named them all yet? lol

Oh definitely, only I forget on a daily basis...