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Worming 101

h.h.

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Hello all, curious what I should be doing here on my small hobby farm. Need a grand idea/setup. Thought about using the shit troff on the floor in the barn but then someone said it might not be that swell of an idea. They mentioned the fact it was concrete and no air flow. Thought it would be grand having a 60' worm bin though.
They raise worms in buckets. Not much airflow there. I would try it.
If you're constantly adding fresh shit, there may be contamination problems when you go to use it.
 

Sunshineinabag

Active member
I've been adding NIGHT CRAWLERS to my burlap containers for a coons age! Now I prefer to use red wigglers to do the real work of breaking down what needed to be broke down for easier uptake of nutrients their in .......this being said.......my community gives households blue recycle bins ....my neighbors gave me two extra bins in 2008...... I got a coffee can half full of red wigglers........split them up between the two bins......and in each bin I used a lasagna layer type method for the wigglers to utilize. WORKED GREAT! I found that a combination of mixed hardwood leaves....pumpkins....my hair .......lots of coffee grounds.....no citrus...no dairy .....no salts .......I also kept a overflow tray like you'd have in a hamster enclosure to catch any fluid that would leak from the holes open the bins....had no real issues and the red wigglers DO SERIOUS WORK. If left alone to build their community. It's super important to have an area of the bin that Can be their "housing" . I'd honestly recommend this to anyone who enjoys saving money and what a great way to teach the furture generation! Regenerative FARMING of all plants is needed! I digress as I type this my old bins had been stolen out of my property when I left for an internship last year.........Now I will go about thus again.....maybe take some pics of the progress and put em up here if u all don't mind!
 

Microbeman

The Logical Gardener
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Hello all, curious what I should be doing here on my small hobby farm. Need a grand idea/setup. Thought about using the shit troff on the floor in the barn but then someone said it might not be that swell of an idea. They mentioned the fact it was concrete and no air flow. Thought it would be grand having a 60' worm bin though.

Assuming shit troff means where you scoop shit and bedding to and no animals are walking on it; this is ideal and is how many professional vermicomposters do it - on cement.
 

Microbeman

The Logical Gardener
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On concrete.
Cement would dry them out.

The largest production I personally saw was on cement floors in barns. There was approximately 2000 feet of windrows with mega red wrigglers. This was at Yelm WA. As I recall we bought around 150 pounds of worms. They were fed partially composted dairy barn clean out [primarily manure].
 

h.h.

Active member
Veteran
Sorry.
Didn't mean to confuse the thread.
Cement is to concrete.
What flour is to bread.
 
T

Teddybrae

I shuffle into your presence ... head bowed ... a humble Man who knows but little. I thinks tho' that h.h might be right providing the concrete is not waterproof, or is without a waterproof membrane under it.
Certainly here in the Land of Oz the environment can get very, very dry, even under concrete.


Sorry.
Didn't mean to confuse the thread.
Cement is to concrete.
What flour is to bread.
 
F

fat freddy

cement is powder. concrete is made from cement powder.
Anybody can be wrong about anything.
 

h.h.

Active member
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To be clear.
Concrete should be fine. The humus should seal it and keep things moist.



What Fat Freddy said.
Cement is powder.
 

Microbeman

The Logical Gardener
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cement is powder. concrete is made from cement powder.
Anybody can be wrong about anything.

Thanks. I should have stated it correctly. Where I am the set up stuff is called cement. So that's my excuse. Did you know that Mayans first engineered hydraulic cement?
 

Microbeman

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Hmmm. Is it correct to say that dam is made of hydraulic cement or do you say it is made of concrete that was hydraulic cement?
 
F

fat freddy

I have no idea sorry microbeman, maybe made from, or built using, hydraulic cement?
I once asked my concretor mate for a bag of concrete and he gave me the drum about 'cement powder' and 'concrete', never forgot it. Thats as far as my knowledge goes when it comes to that trade.
Remember the Beverly Hillbillies? Jethroe use to call their swimming pool the 'cement pond', made me laugh so hard. Nothing to do with worms but a funny thought.
 
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GOT_BUD?

Weed is a gateway to gardening
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While technically incorrect, cement and concrete get interchanged so regularly I'm pretty sure it's become accepted vernacular to call concrete cement.
 

h.h.

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Hydraulic cement is used in making hydraulic concrete that's used to build dams.
Its like calling "flour" "bread".


Edit:
Wrong.
"Hydraulic" cement not used for concrete.
 

Microbeman

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Hydraulic cement is used in making hydraulic concrete that's used to build dams.
Its like calling "flour" "bread".

Although that may be correct, never in my life have I heard the expression 'hydraulic concrete'. It has always been hydraulic cement so I guess its just another case of degradation of the English language. I also use the term 'cement truck' and would one not think it should be concrete truck, since the mix is already done...or does it need to be cured to be called concrete...and then how cured must it be?....since it cures for up to a year or more:biggrin:
 

h.h.

Active member
Veteran
Cement trucks bring powder to the batch plants.
Concrete trucks haul concrete.

Another misconception is "pouring" concrete.
Concrete is "placed" , not poured. It isn't liquid. Its a solid.


Edit:
My mistake.
Hydraulic cement is used as a sealer, not for making concrete.
 

Microbeman

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Hydraulic cement is actually a cement which can keep curing even surrounded by water. That is why it is used in dams. Home Depot will have you believe it is a sealer bought in a bucket. Others will tell you the Romans invented it or some Brit but it was in use before either by the Mayan people. Another expression for it is Mayan cement or Mayan resistance.

http://www.theoldexplorer.com/index.php/maya-technology/cement
 

h.h.

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https://www.cement.org/search-resul...ndex&searchQuery=hydraulic+cement&wordsMode=0
Portland cement is a hydraulic cement which means that it sets and hardens due to a chemical reaction with water. Consequently, it will harden under water
Hydraulic cement is actually a cement which can keep curing even surrounded by water. That is why it is used in dams. Home Depot will have you believe it is a sealer bought in a bucket. Others will tell you the Romans invented it or some Brit but it was in use before either by the Mayan people. Another expression for it is Mayan cement or Mayan resistance.

https://www.theoldexplorer.com/index.php/maya-technology/cement
 

h.h.

Active member
Veteran
Type III is generally used underwater as it sets faster.


Hydraulic refers to lime.
I'm sure a lot of societies figured it out simultaneously.
You slow the cure of concrete by keeping it wet.
Basically underwater.
Horseshit works also.
Gives it a nice brown color. Nice texture.
 

GOT_BUD?

Weed is a gateway to gardening
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Back on topic - How do I tell if worms are surviving and doing their thing in my new farm?

I have a few I can see on top munching on the newest food I put in there. And none have re entered the bottom bucket that I use to collect runoff.

Nobody is trying to escape and it doesn't stink like rotting anything. So are all signs pointing to :good: ?
 
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