Worming 101

[Bueno Time]

Got my worms early, today so I wanted to get their homes finalized I had the bedding already moistened and in bins to equalize moisture a bit so that was ready enough to use.

I ended up only going with 2 3 gallon bins, each half full of bedding/worms to start (~4" depth). I was going to start 4 bins with no drainage holes in the bottoms since I was seeing that people said if you watch the moisture of the inputs you wont have leachate collecting in the bins but seeing more and more videos on youtube and stuff I decided to use two bins for hte worms and two for collecting any leachate to help keep the bins from getting so mucky. I just quick drilled 15 1/8" holes in the bottom of each top bin 3 rows of 5 holes evenly spaced and put a piece of screen material in the bottom before adding the bedding back to the bins.

I had 3 rows of ~60 1/8" holes around the top of each bin (~180+ holes per bin), hopefully is enough air exchange, I will get some pics up soon.

Bueno, is there any way you could get a picture of what two pounds of worms looks like when you get them? I ordered from uncle jims 5 years ago and vaguely remember what it looked like. I'm going to be ordering from a new place soon for a large vermicompost op so I'd like to be able to compare the two. The place I'm going to use has pics/videos of their pound of worms and from what I do remember, I feel theirs looks like quite a bit more than uncle jims. Would love to make a comparison of the two companies. Thank you.

Also just made an order to the bou and requested your Pineapple Express x Cheese N Chaze and your Blackberry Jones x SWT #4 IBL. Excited to try them out!! Thank you for sending them in!!

I'll have to get some pics of the bins I have going at the moment. Soon, I'll have some fairly large outdoor bins that I'm excited to get started.

Man, I wish I saw this post earlier I could have got pics for you. Even thought about taking a couple quick pics of the worms but decided not to.

I got my worms ~3 hours ago and as soon as I got the box I went straight in to put them into the bins. It didnt seem like 2000 worms to me though really but hard to tell, they were all tightly wadded up in a ball and was gentle to coax them apart with my fingers against their will and just dump roughly half and half in the two bins. I have the bag they came in still and it was full with worms and peat bedding. The bag did have a considerable weight for its size though so maybe it really was 2lbs or so, checked the empty box for shipping weight but none was marked.

Pretty cool you requested my freebies! I only grew 3 seeds of PE x CC and got two males and a female and the female pheno was very frosted and smelled like creamy pineapple. Should be some good phenos to be found with the parents involved (Pineapple Express, Exodus Cheese, SSSDH). I never grew any of the BJ SWTs or any of the seeds I made with the SWT#4 males, so I would be interested in seeing what you find in both your freebie packs when you pop them. Good luck.

 

[stoned-trout]

use you dope scale to weigh em...I like upward migration setups the best..

 

[Bueno Time]

Heres some pics of my bins.

Any suggestions on things to make it better or do you think this looks pretty good as far as ventilation is concerned.

I started by drilling one row of holes and didnt look like enough so i did another row between the other holes still didnt look like enough holes and then did a third row around the top edge of the bins, holes all drilled with an 1/8" bit (took like an hour to do the holes on the 4 bins lol). Then 15 holes in the bottom of each top bin with the bottom bin in each double stack for catching the leachate.

use you dope scale to weigh em...I like upward migration setups the best..

lol, ya it makes good sense to do an upward migration setup. I am cheap and it was easier for me to find a space to fit a couple bins. A flow through setup would be sweet even one of those hanging bag type setups.

 

[sticky367]

Edit: double post

 

[sticky367]

I'm scaling up my worm bin into a worm pile this week. Planning on creating a space using bricks and throwing a tarp into that space to minimize lost wigglers.

So far planning on adding aged horse manure and rabbit manure (age unknown) plus produce food scraps from a local source. Plus food scraps form the kitchen, excluding onion, garlic, citrus. topping it off with a leaves from an apple tree. will probably need some bedding, I have access to fir bark, coco coir, rice hulls all cheaply so I was wondering if anyone had suggestions for my bedding. Hoping to make about 1.5-2 CY of castings finished. Adding in a little soil with sand for their digestion. Pile will be covered by a heavy and very breathable tarp thing I have laying around.

I would say I have about 1-2000 worms already, I plan on buying some red wigglers maybe another couple thousand. I will post pics of the progress.

Bedding: Whats the best option? rice hulls, fir bark1/4''minus, coco coir....any other? My current bin has no bedding just straight food scraps and they seem to be doing well.

 

[bigshrimp]

I dont do bedding/feed layer but instead make a feed mix which has some structure to it. My feed mix is detailed a few times in past pages.

Bedding/structure is kind of a tough one, you want something that provides good structure and air capacity but also breaks down in a reasonable time. I add a bit of fine coco to my feed mix along with some rice hulls and almost decomposed punk wood. The rice hulls dont break down in time but i dont mind some in the final product. Alot float to the top which i just scoop of and add to my mulch layer.

 

[DAVES NOT HERE]

finally read through the entire thread...got a worm bin that is doing great and about to start 2nd one. You tha man SUBY

 

[stoned-trout]

I couldn't imagine not having atleast one...I got one inside and several outside..... bait ,fertilizer and soil conditioner.....respekt the worm.....yeehaw

 

[draconis]

Bueno... Thank you for posting the pics. I was trolling the net earlier today looking for ideas on this and should have just looked on ic first.

 

[Bueno Time]

Nice draconis, I just harvested my castings yesterday with a lb of worms per bin they really tore through the bedding and food fast once they got going. After I harvested both bins for castings I split the worms into all 4 bins now they are no longer double stacked. I never got any runoff at all from my bins with the holes drilled in the bottom, so I didnt bother drilling holes in the other two bins bottoms or double stacking bins to catch runoff/leachate (because there was none). If you are careful on how much moisture your adding to the bin you wont get runoff at least that is what I am seeing. You dont want it too dry though either or the worms will suffer they like it nice and moist but not soaking wet. Probably better off safe than sorry and drilling holes in the bottoms if just starting out though until you get the moisture levels down, or use smart pots I hear lots of people have great results in those too. Im sticking with using the bins for now since I live in a low(er) humidity area it helps keep the moisture in the bedding so Im not misting the bedding all the time.

I got about close to 2 gallons volume, just over 7lbs of moist but not wet castings/vermicompost, going to add all of it in my next soil batch of ~20 gallons.

In a couple months I should have double the amount of vermicompost if all goes well, pretty awesome.

 

[Siskiyou]

Nice harvest, Bueno Time.

 

[stickydank]

worms for my gardens/ castings & Free compost for plants and Free protein for my fried dinner.. maggot buckets for my chickens they rain down when they mature after they eat too much and crowding.. flys are a seasonal critter here
very cool so much to learn
thanks stickydank

 

[redlaser]

Heres some pics of my bins.

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Any suggestions on things to make it better or do you think this looks pretty good as far as ventilation is concerned.

I started by drilling one row of holes and didnt look like enough so i did another row between the other holes still didnt look like enough holes and then did a third row around the top edge of the bins, holes all drilled with an 1/8" bit (took like an hour to do the holes on the 4 bins lol). Then 15 holes in the bottom of each top bin with the bottom bin in each double stack for catching the leachate.



lol, ya it makes good sense to do an upward migration setup. I am cheap and it was easier for me to find a space to fit a couple bins. A flow through setup would be sweet even one of those hanging bag type setups.

Looks like you have plenty of ventilation, from my limited experience with worms I'd expect some to wander out of those holes. My worms are double-toted like yours and I cut 3x5 inch square holes (2) and caulked plastic window screen over the holes.

 

[Applesauce]

I am doing the CC recommended method of putting aged horse manure in a #65 smartpot and using that as a "worm bin".

My questions are, should I (do I need) to add anything additional? The manure has been aged for about a year and is cut approx. 50/50 with aged thermocompost. Everything is completely broken down at this point, and I am hoping I can just set it and forget it without having to mix additional items in.

 

[stickydank]

great thread and posts
how egg would 500 worms breed if a worms life is year on avg. how many times do thet breed how many eggs do the make a month

 

[Bueno Time]

I dont know it depends on the conditions, if optimal they will reproduce exponentially fast.

I started with 1lb per bin and when I went to harvest the bins in a little under 2 months there were easily a couple thousand tiny babies in each of the bins (1-2cm long, red and threadlike). They will multiply quickly.


"How Fast Do Red Wigglers Reproduce?
By Sarah Tuttle, eHow Contributor


Cocoons

When red wrigglers mate, they produce small, yellow sacs called cocoons. Sexually mature wrigglers can produce between two and four cocoons a week. The cocoons take between four and a half and 11 weeks to hatch. On average, three hatchlings emerge from each cocoon.

Age of Maturity

Red wigglers reach the age of maturity at approximately 3 months old. According to the City of Euless’ worm composting page, once red wigglers have matured they will develop a “bulbous gland about one-third of the way down its body called the clitellum.” Once the clitellum appears, the wiggler is able to reproduce.

Rate of Reproduction

Though it takes two red wigglers to mate, each wiggler will produce its own cocoon. Assuming an average of three cocoons a week, with an average of three hatchlings per cocoon, one wiggler can produce approximately 468 hatchlings per year. As the hatchlings mature, they will produce cocoons of their own, rapidly increasing the wiggler population.

Climate Control and Reproduction
Cold weather can delay sexual maturity in red wigglers. According to Vermicoast, for optimum reproduction rates, soil should be kept at 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and “moist to the touch, but not dripping.”

Read more : https://www.ehow.com/facts_6954660_fast-do-red-wigglers-reproduce_.html

 

[draconis]

Thanks again Bueno! I do have one question for you though. From the pics it looked like you had them inside, I'm in the lovely great lakes region so I am going to have to run mine inside as well till spring when I can move them to the garage. Was there any smell or order that came from the bins? I guess that might depend on what you use as feed but if there is I don't think the wife will be very happy.
On a side note I also just requested your blackberry or platinum from the bay. Hopefully I get one or both Planning on doing a diary with the new room set up when they all roll in. Thank you though for the work that you have put into it. Helps all of us out here a lot.

 

[Bueno Time]

Thanks again Bueno! I do have one question for you though. From the pics it looked like you had them inside, I'm in the lovely great lakes region so I am going to have to run mine inside as well till spring when I can move them to the garage. Was there any smell or order that came from the bins? I guess that might depend on what you use as feed but if there is I don't think the wife will be very happy.
On a side note I also just requested your blackberry or platinum from the bay. Hopefully I get one or both Planning on doing a diary with the new room set up when they all roll in. Thank you though for the work that you have put into it. Helps all of us out here a lot.

Nice I lived and grew up on the west coast of Lake Michigan for over 20 years, great place. Damn cold winters though.

Bins didnt smell bad at all actually close to odorless but I didnt let any whole foods decompose in there I added frozen and blended fruit/veggie scraps plus a little dry foods.

Also if you get the Blackberry Jones or Platinum Jones x SWT#4, not sure what to expect from those since I never grew any of the Jones x SWT#4 crosses but hopefully you find something good. Id be very interested to see what you find.

 

[draconis]

That is great news to hear.

 

[stickydank]

thank you for the worm info

thank you for the worm info

I dont know it depends on the conditions, if optimal they will reproduce exponentially fast.

I started with 1lb per bin and when I went to harvest the bins in a little under 2 months there were easily a couple thousand tiny babies in each of the bins (1-2cm long, red and threadlike). They will multiply quickly.


"How Fast Do Red Wigglers Reproduce?
By Sarah Tuttle, eHow Contributor


Cocoons

When red wrigglers mate, they produce small, yellow sacs called cocoons. Sexually mature wrigglers can produce between two and four cocoons a week. The cocoons take between four and a half and 11 weeks to hatch. On average, three hatchlings emerge from each cocoon.

Age of Maturity

Red wigglers reach the age of maturity at approximately 3 months old. According to the City of Euless’ worm composting page, once red wigglers have matured they will develop a “bulbous gland about one-third of the way down its body called the clitellum.” Once the clitellum appears, the wiggler is able to reproduce.

Rate of Reproduction

Though it takes two red wigglers to mate, each wiggler will produce its own cocoon. Assuming an average of three cocoons a week, with an average of three hatchlings per cocoon, one wiggler can produce approximately 468 hatchlings per year. As the hatchlings mature, they will produce cocoons of their own, rapidly increasing the wiggler population.

Climate Control and Reproduction
Cold weather can delay sexual maturity in red wigglers. According to Vermicoast, for optimum reproduction rates, soil should be kept at 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and “moist to the touch, but not dripping.”

Read more : https://www.ehow.com/facts_6954660_fast-do-red-wigglers-reproduce_.html

thats bout 12 cocoons 40+ lil red babys worms a month
40 babys X's 750 alil less than 1 LBs of horny red wigglers
equals 30,000 babys so thats worm making machine sounds like a good business to be in I have rabbit that make great poop for the garden