Worming 101

['Boogieman']

No food in there at all.

Worms love alfalfa meal.

 

[flylowgethigh]

Do I need to put in food? I can get organic lettuce, just threw some out, dammit.

I could put some food in the tubs down in the shed, no plants going in there for a while.

 

[Greenheart]

Bananas are a favorite. Light for the first 24-48 hours on a new bin. I've always fed mine veg/fruit scrap and amendments. They break it down into plant soluble material. If you keep a lid on it expect to find them crawling on the surface, walls, and lid. They love to explore. Red wigglers are top composters. Euro's a second choice available at local bait shops.

 

[hayday]

My worm get fed every two weeks or so. Lettuce,squash and green beans,, carrots, cabbage and newspaper, eggshells, coffee grounds with filters, bananas when available . After a harvest of castings, I usually find a few worms outside of the bin.I figure their home got disrupted and they are looking for something but if they’re left alone, they stay put.

 

[Fitzera]

It's probably already been said, but that's alot of pages to go through. What size screen have people found to be the best for screening the castings? I tried the bread technique to get the worms all one side or a container but i have wayyyy too many worms. It didn't really make a difference, so I think screening will be my best option. I really need to harvest though as it's getting deep.

 

[flylowgethigh]

I have a bin of Spagnum peat that is only for growing worms. Yesterday I checked and they are almost all gone!! No signs of moles getting in and eating them.

So I put the brown paper shipping companies use as filler, on top of the material and wet it. That helps keep the peat wet. I feed lettuce under the paper.

I also use pieces of cardboard on top of the material (other bins have soil) to help keep moisture in. The bin has air gaps on the lid.

What could be killing my worms? I expected a few thousand in there by now.

 

[Greenheart]

I'm not the guru for certain but there are a few ?'s for you on the worm situation.

Kind of worms you are using? Canadian Crawlers are picky for example.

Are the beds too moist?

What about temps?

I have seen mass die offs in the past and it usually had dead worms on the surface. If you temps are too high and the bed too wet they might be dying in the bed and dissolving.

Could something be acidifying the bed?

Is there anyway they could be escaping?

no worm eggs found?

Just a few thoughts on the matter hoping to help. I've no doubt you likely thought some of the same ones already. Sometimes the glowing neon signs can be missed until an outside source points them out though.

 

[Switcher56]

No dog in this fight... an interesting view on "earth worms.

 

[PWF]

don't forget sand*.
worms have a gizzard like chickens and use the sand to help them digest.
you aint organic if you aint wermin'

 

[nono_fr]

Hello,

don't forget sand*.
worms have a gizzard like chickens and use the sand to help them digest.

Instead of sand I use eggshell powder for the same effect . I do it with a coffee grinder .
Make ph up because worms don't like too much acid. ( egg = calcium )

 

[nono_fr]

Hello ( again ) !

With worm compost, I make aerated tea and I want to share a link with a lot of tips : http://microbeorganics.com/

content :
What Is Compost Tea
More On Compost Tea (2013)
Organic Growing from a Microbial Perspective
Living Soil
Root Exudates
So You Wanna Build A Compost Tea Brewer
Microbe Identification

 

[St. Phatty]

I wonder what would happen if you fed your worms food scraps that are high in Phosphorus & Potassium.

Seems like it's very possible to tailor the worm castings to match the flowering requirements of our favorite plant.

 

[nono_fr]

Hello,

I wonder what would happen if you fed your worms food scraps that are high in Phosphorus & Potassium.

Seems like it's very possible to tailor the worm castings to match the flowering requirements of our favorite plant.

You can give them banana to have phosphorus and potassium . Worm like banana !

You can also give ( dry ) comfrey for a flowering worm compost . Here a link to use comfrey :

7 Comfrey Uses in the Permaculture Garden​

*****

The last aerated tea I made, I extract dry comfrey and valerian for 12 hours with molasse and after I add wormcompost for 24 hours ( with molasse each 12 hours ) .
This is a tea for the begin of flowering ( when you see the first white hair ):

The hardware ( I bought the 400 μm mesh on a brewery site ( beer ). I adjust the heater to 21 °C ) .

and the biofilm ( = a lot of bubbles )

 

[St. Phatty]

Well I give my worms old Cannabis.

In a 32 gallon plastic can in the garage, got maybe 20 gallons of Castings for this year's crop.

Will be spread among 4 main pots, though I think I will have a lot more than 4.

 

[herbgreen]

Great! Love the plant brews!

 

[flylowgethigh]

Worms love alfalfa meal.

My worm bin has basically been a failure, but I keep trying. I tried putting some watermelon rinds in, red side down, and they love them. I lifted one and there was an orgie underneath.

 

[nono_fr]

Worms loves cofee grounds with cardboard and you add your vegetable peelings .
When you give something to eat, it take 1 week to be ready for the worms, before them micro-organism and Springtails (Collembola) breaks down the food .

Springtails (Collembola)

Collembolans are omnivorous, free-living organisms that prefer moist conditions. They do not directly engage in the decomposition of organic matter, but contribute to it indirectly through the fragmentation of organic matter and the control of soil microbial communities.

 

[flylowgethigh]

My bin is very good at growing rolly-polly bugs. Are springtails a good bug? I had a bunch of them one run.

The worms love the watermelon, probably for the sugar.

 

[buzzmobile]

Worms love corn meal.

 

[nono_fr]

worms need springtails and bacterias, this is ecosystem . When you begin a wormcompost it takes 1 or 2 month too have everyone !