Worming 101

[mad librettist]

I'm going to make an effort to get some of these euros. Will they react well to the bokashi diet?

Anyway, I started giving my worms charcoal today. I just crushed it and sprinkled it on liberally. Anything else I need to do? I'm thinking the acidic bokashi and alkaline charcoal (I did not rinse) are a good match, on top of all the other benefits.

 

[jaykush]

just keep adding scraps as you would normally. and apply a sprinkle of char every now and then. no need to add a lot, a little bit goes a long way.

 

[Can & Juana]

Hi folks, and here's a bin I recently made..

If you want the organic sweetness, worm casts are a must!

 

[HighonPottery]

that's a nice bin! i was gonna make one just like that before i just broke down and bout my tower thingy. what did you use to separate the layers? i didn't want to use 1/4" metal mesh because it would eventually rust out. that was the one thing that stopped me.

 

[Can & Juana]

Thanks!
I used 1/4" galvanized screen from Depot. It won't rust.
The base has a layer of that weed control stuff (a kind of plastic? material with small holes to let the water through) so the worms don't end up in the leachate tray.
So far so good. I originally wanted one of the plastic tower systems, of which there are many kinds, but didn't want to spend $100 ~ $150 for one. The materials for this one cost about $50 I'm thinking maybe Linseed oil to protect the wood from rotting..

 

[Maina]

I think my worm bin PH is of .I have like 12lb of euros and about 6 months ago there where baby worms and eggs all over .I split them up into 2 bins and over the last 3-4 months im not seeing new eggs or babys,Then bin doesny smell.They get great food,could it be ph .If I added wood ash and char to there beds how much .they are in 2 55 gallon drums that lay down and the are 70% full.what ya think

 

[mad librettist]

fyi char is already high in ash if you don't rinse it first.

 

[Maina]

sooo would yhat help my high PH

 

[mad librettist]

no.

It would raise it. Just like any ash.

To lower it use foods high in N I guess. Mine must be pretty acidic with all that bokashi compost, but who knows.

 

[MrFista]

Give them some fruit and cut out the eggshells for a while see what happens. They might like a bit of blood meal too. Sometimes they're not mating as they've no bedding to lay coccoons in... might need to clear out some space and add fresh bedding.

If you haven't overdosed them in shells/lime etc I suspect it is a space/humidity/temperature related thing. Some physical thing in the environment.

Maybe they were visited by a snake and developed shame.

 

[kingjames488]

Hmm, not sure. Read "Mycelium Running" and "Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms" by Paul Stamets.

Sterilization is crucial and you will get a lot farther if you sterilize. I am trying a couple experiments right now, one of which is taking grain spawn from Oyster mushrooms and putting it in the worm bin. Here's some pictures, the mycelium is healthy and strong. Not sure if I will actually get any mushrooms, but the mycelium is still doing its job.

Mushrooms are a fungus and can grow in any suitable environment... just like marijuana is a plant and can grow in and suitable environment.

the reason sterilization is important when growing edible mushrooms is so that other types of potentially deatly molds and mushrooms dont grow along side whatever your trying to grow, or even take other compleately.

so you could prolly grow mushroom producing fungus in a worm bin, but it wouldn't be safe for consumption.

 

[mad librettist]

It would, however, lower pH!

Duh that's the answer! Food for fungi!

 

[VerdantGreen]

im in - just been given a worm bin by my friend (been waiting for him to do this - i knew it would be a short lived fad for him )

its a tall one with a sump at the bottom that also collects liquid which can be tapped off and diluted for feeding plants too.

anyone else got one like this ??

VG.

 

[mad librettist]

Hey that's neat.

FYI vg, I've notices the best production and processing when there is little or no runoff.

Might be a chicken an omelette thing.

 

[treefrog]

im in - just been given a worm bin by my friend (been waiting for him to do this - i knew it would be a short lived fad for him )

its a tall one with a sump at the bottom that also collects liquid which can be tapped off and diluted for feeding plants too.

anyone else got one like this ??

VG.

Don't you love friends like that!?
Is it a stack-able can-o-worms or worm factory type of system?
If so, they are fantastic! I didn't want to spring for one and am not fortunate enough to have such a friend, so I built one (stack-able) out of wood and have never had any runoff, even when putting 5 lbs of of wet, thawed out veggies in it, though my levels are 16" x 16" x 6" in size.

I'm in the process of making a system like Mad's too, because one system just isn't enough to process all of our kitchen waste. It looks like the easiest way to produce large amounts of casts..

Do you agree ML? Also, do you have any cast-harvesting pics?
I would love to see them

 

[mad librettist]

Cast harvesting pics? No lol never thought of that. I don't do it all in one go but let me see what I got when I get home.

Got a good amount in one bin but it's for my 14 gal tub and I just threw some bokashi on top. I can scrape it off though. Some material has been there over a year so it should make good soil.

 

[treefrog]

I'm just curious about the harvesting of that flow through bag you have and how it differs from 'bins' is all. It's not that I have a worm fetish... really, I swear.

 

[SneakySneaky]

heres a great link for a worming 101 also, done by the city of sacramento. i think it was charles darwin who said the believed there wasnt a single piece of soil on the planet that hadnt at one time been through an earthworm and i agree


http://www.cityofsacramento.org/parksandrecreation/pdf/vermicompost-01-08-09.pdf

 

[JackTheGrower]

heres a great link for a worming 101 also, done by the city of sacramento. i think it was charles darwin who said the believed there wasnt a single piece of soil on the planet that hadnt at one time been through an earthworm and i agree


http://www.cityofsacramento.org/parksandrecreation/pdf/vermicompost-01-08-09.pdf

I read excerpts his last published works In a book called Hen's Teeth and Horses toes. Mr Darwin watched a stony field transform to a smooth pasture over the space of 10 years due to Earthworms.

http://darwin-online.org.uk/EditorialIntroductions/Freeman_VegetableMouldandWorms.html


The poor man suffered. His wife didn't like his Evolution theories but she remained a loyal wife.

 

[NUG-JUG]

The poor man suffered. His wife didn't like his Evolution theories but she remained a loyal wife.

True Jack..Neither did the religious establishment. He was always very humble about his ideas till death...