Worming 101

[ClackamasCootz]

Pseudo

RE: SmartPots as worm bins

A couple of months ago Microbeman found some commercial fabric bins being manufactured in India and I don't remember the volume that they would hold but it a sizable amount.

The #100 SmartPots container will hold about half-a-yard of beddings which is roughly 14 full bags. This container only costs about $27.00 before the good dude discount. Do you have any idea on how much money it would take buying Rubbermaid containers to hit 100 gallons? LOL

That's if your time is worth anything because you have to drill aeration & drainage holes in the Rubbermaids. And you'll never have enough - never.

Even if you started with a #65 container, that's basically 8 bags and this size is around $18.00 and that's the size that I went with mainly because that was the largest one available on that particular day. Cheap and your worm bin is up and running in about 30 minutes.

Put your money into buying as many cocoons and worms that makes sense. That investment will be returned in a few months. You'll never be able to buy EWC in any store at anything remotely close to what you can do on your own. Never. Ever.

CC

 

[Pseudo]

thanks for the info coot, how do you harvest the caste in a smart pot? Is there a way to calculate caste production vs worm count? thanks again

 

[ClackamasCootz]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRI69IO5y3c

This worm casting harvester has several versions but this will explain the basic concept.

CC

 

[W89]

I saw those on youtube when I first started looking into worms.. easy to make... not much to it, will be making one in the not to distant future

 

[Microbeman]

We use a method which does not disturb the worms and vermicompost so much. Bear in mind that we leave the worms in the material for around 9 months so there is virtually no non-digested material. I think this method may preserve fungi which has grown in the vermicompost.

We use rigid mesh transplant trays filled with the worms' favorite foods (wet peatmoss mixed with bran & sometimes banana peel - molasses) placed on top of the bin or pile. As the worms fill these we snatch them off and start new piles/bins with them. It leaves cucoons behind but so does the other method. The cucoons hatch where the vermicompost is used. The babies can be left or similarly trapped. The cucoons survive being in ACT to hatch out in garden or pile/bin.

 

[Pseudo]

thats pretty cool.. it seems kinda labor intensive vs a flow thru, unless you make a big one with a drive motor

 

[Pseudo]

as far as a flowthru goes i have a couple ??
i see a lot of people using bars or metal tubing for a grate, is there an advantage over using say 1/2 mesh? what is the optimum size for the bottom screen? and what is the deal with the dual winches on the larger models?

 

[MrSterling]

MM I was wondering about the cocoons that got into the act.

 

[lonelemming]

I believe bars are used instead of mesh for ease of extraction. Kinda hard to scrape the castings out of mesh with your hand or hand rake. Seems like the compaction from the weight would also clog that screen up....

LL

 

[ClackamasCootz]

I've never seen mesh recommended for a flow-thru bin ever. Bars, nylon cord, deer fencing, etc.

CC

 

[lonelemming]

Does anyone have any experience with a sliding agitator used on top of the bars in a trash bin flow through design? I have an extra can (50 gal or so) that needs to be re-purposed...a bit hesitant on using the plastic due to excess moisture.

 

[MrSterling]

Hey coot, I'm thinking of getting a 100gal. Smart Pot and just loading it up with compost to occupy these worms half a year. Trying to figure how quickly a few pounds of worms can process that.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

I'd get 5 - 7 lbs. of Red Wigglers and with warm weather (70's is perfect) you should have 2.5 - 3x that amount of worms by the end of June and 100 gallons of worm castings.

Compost can move pretty quickly in the vermicomposting deal - much of the heavy lifting has been done.

HTH

CC

 

[MrSterling]

Always helps, CC. I think I'll stick with the low numbers of worms actually. It'll give me more of a buffer in time and save some cash.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

MrSterling

Here's another way to 'get there' - cocoons. This place sells Red Wiggler cocoons in 1,000 count packs.

1,000 - $25.00
2,000 - $40.00
3,000 - $55.00

These prices are your delivered cost - no games with 'S&H Charges' or anything like that.

Using the typical numbers quoted, you can expect to get 3.2 hatchlings per cocoon. They will be sexually mature in about 42 days. When adult size there are 'about' 1,000 worms per pound. Worms begin to process material as soon as they're hatched. Then look at their reproduction rate with this species when mature - the numbers are difficult to comprehend.

So if time isn't a big pressure (i.e. you have a source for decent humus to carry you through) then this is the least expensive to get up and running. $30.00 per pound for Red Wigglers is a typical price and then add on your charges - $100.00 wouldn't even buy you 3 lbs. For $110.00 with these folks you would have 6,000 cocoons - again if time isn't a big pressure

Of course there are other places on the web that offer cocoons so this at least is a pricing reference to compare.

CC

 

[MrSterling]

I was thinking cocoons but this is literally me leaving for six months and figuring the best thing I can do is come back to ridiculous amounts of castings. I want a system set up simply so when I leave I can say to my schizophrenic family members "just keep this wet". Actually...I wonder if I could Blumat my bin.

 

[xmobotx]

mrS ~idk but; it seems like a blumat might be a good way to insure the bin stays moist enough

would defo set it dripping close to the cone as it would be better on the dry side{unattended anyway} ~just assuring it does not dry completely out

again; just guessing

 

[W89]

If your worm bin is on the big side it shouldn't need wetting very often anyway

oh I forgot I just remembered I had about a cuft of soil I made under my bed so I got it out to mix it up and as i started I have found about 20 worms around 1 inch long must have been some cocoons in the worm castings when I made it.. they seem really healthy an red and nice and solid and wriggly when ya pick em up...

 

[W89]

OK so I just had a little dig about in my worm bin, havent fed them for about a week so I thought I would check em I burried a couple cups of dried comfrey powder which I made by just drying leaves of grinding them up..

And all I have to sayy since the last time I checked about a month ago there has been a serious increase in population, when I first got my bin I sieved through it 6 weeks after starting it and pulled out over 2000 cocoons, once I took the worm castings out I re-added them with the worms and now 2 months later I have literally thousands and thousands of baby worms must be over 5000+ little ones, also the castings are looking top quality.

What im gonna do is collect all the big worms and start a new bin with them that will give the little worms a chance to grow and finish off the castings. then once they grow I can pick them out easier and the worm castings will be ready for use.

I'm well shocked really didnt think there was gonna be so many, they are also really healthy worms nice and shiney with a good mucus coating they are nice and bright in color not dark, they are getting big too some stretching out 6 inches or more they seem very happy, and that makes me happy knowing they are well maintained. I think that has to do with the right conditions, as they are kept indoors in my bedroom it's nice and warm, they are getting regular feeds of small amounts they have a lot of fresh air getting into the bin as I have no lid on it and I'm sure its what is the cause for maximum growth and reproduction.

I will start the new bin tomorrow and let it sit for a week maturing, these worm really liked the forest humus I added after when I done the first harvest, It had a real earthy smell to it and was alive with all kinds of soil food web members that I could see so that makes me believe it contained suffient microbes for food stock which the worms also eat, these casting are far better than the first ones I harvested the bin just wasnt mature then but it deffo is now. I will add forest humus,coffee grinds, comfrey and some rock dusts although the forest humus contains a lot of clay particles as the soil around where I get it from is clay all around the forest humus layer is about 2 foot deep then you get to the clay. which I belive will add to a high CEC also which is good news.. soom enough im going to have so much castings I wont be able to use it all lol so might start selling a few bits on ebay or something, although there is people selling castings on there these are by far better than what I have had from there and the last lot were great but these smell tons more earthy.. But who knows

 

[Azeotrope]

Recently aquired a pound of reds to add to the 2-3hundred reds that I had already. The worms in the pound had been in a very cold garage and were smaller than mine and many were young and/or just not feeling frisky.

Got them home and in 70-74F, been feeding a mix of crab apple/maple/grape leaves and composted hores manure. I wet this mix in a rubbermaid can and throw in cannabis leaf, extra potting mix and whatever. Then I layer it in the bins with Thorvin kelp meal, alfalfa meal, coffee grounds, charred and ground egg shells and lately a little high P seabird guano and porcine bone meal that were both on winter clearance.

Wow, how the cocoons are showing up everywhere and the worms are getting so big! Lots of youngsters. They sure do chew through the crap I add to the bin now. I took about 200 out and seeded another bin with them and a coffee can of castings and cocoons.