had my first stragglers in the bottom of the flow thru

13 years ago

I am testing out the font colors and htmlÂ

I made this FT on mother's day so it is only ~1 mo old. So I am no expert but wanted to share my experiences. Please let me know if anything I did was incorrect so I can learn! .

I dumped it a week ago or so and then added cantaloupe slices to the top (couple at the bottom which may be the smell problem) that were pre-frozen and thawed. I also did add some leftover frozen corn to the mix when adding the cantaloupe but the corn was all gone. I guess worms love corn. .

Today I went to check. I have been busy so I have not checked on the worms in several days. .

The bottom of the FT had a piece of cardboard to soak any moisture and to provide a hiding spot for stragglers. I saw one on top of my cardboard and a lot of lechate (sp?) (This was the first time for any liquid at the bottom for me).I lifted the cardboard and saw more small worms. .

I decided to dump the bin and check it out to make sure the worms were ok. .

It was smelly and really wet. .

I guess I finally over fed! :) However I did not see any dead worms. Maybe the ones in the bottom liked the wet piece of cardboard more than the bin area? .

I reassembled the bin with a little less newspaper at the bottom. I had it really thick before and it was yucky! I also put some cardboard on top (1 layer ripped up). .

The bin was re-assembled with shredded cardboard/newspaper layered with the old bin contents. .

I also added 4 or 5 toilet paper rolls that had more tp rolls folded in several places. I thought this may work as a good nursery for the worms. (I saw the idea here somewhere. thanks to the person who posted it) .

I also ripped the yucky newspaper that was on the bars paper in smaller pieces. I did not take it out but mixed within the re assembled bin. (Some had cocoons in the layers) .

I also saw a baby see thru worm. I almost did not see him so I am sure there were more. .

I also saw black looking stuff/castings that looked almost good enough to throw on the garden but I decided to let the worms process it more. .

Most of the cantaloupe that was left was put back in the top section covered with lots of shredded paper/cardboard. .

I think all is much better now. I will hold off on feeding for a while since the cantaloupe was still there. I have a nice black banana in the freezer waiting for the next feeding. .

Sorry for the long post I wanted to share my experiences of overfeeding. Maybe my set up mistakes can help someone else. .

Karen .

PS: I hope the color changes did not give you a headache.

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Comments (6)

randomz
13 years ago
You have found the problem with newspaper, it just clumps and sticks together not really serving much purpose when it's like that.

If you dump and rebuild again, don't add any food or bedding except to the top. That way it has more time to get properly processed before coming out the bottom.
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equinoxequinox
13 years ago
Sounds like a recipe for 7 layer salad. That is about the way I do it. Fun, No?
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11otis
13 years ago
Many people who built FT are stepping up from smaller systems be it DIY or bought. Once the FT is "ready" for worm population, either an entire tray or partial bin got dumped into the FT in 1 place and let the worms explore the new frontier at their own pace. So it's not as if the worms get up rooted and moved to a different environment, instead, the worms including their usual environment is placed into a larger space. In theory, anything wrong with the new space, the worms can always stay put or move back rather than wandering further. It also means that a lot of MO came to the new FT from the dumping.
I have re-read your post ""I did it...I made a flow through bin!"", so your worms are all recently bought.
I think you misunderstood the concept when people were writing about their FT and reporting how much food they throw in there and it's still OK. IMHO, even with an FT, if the worms were shipped just with some of their bedding, you still have to go slow to get the worms over their shock and/or stress. I didnÂt know until I joined the forum that worms could experience shock and stress, just like us.

I have read of a guy who built a wooden FT and bought the worms with the VC and manure they lived in by the garbage bags full. In this case he was able to start "over" feeding straight away, also because there was a very healthy worm population, so he reported.

""It was smelly and really wet. . "" smelly ... which means it got anaerobic because of too wet and the cardboard >> not enough oxygen..
It is a good thing you re-used the yucky newspaper because I am sure it is loaded with MO.
You do need to put something over the grating so stuff won't just keep falling down, until it is finished VC. So, a few layers of newspaper should do it. Also newspaper soak up moisture more readily than a big piece of cardboard (shredded is different) on their smooth sides. And will soak through to the exposed bottom of the newspaper and evaporate (up to a certain amount).
The leachate will usually come down along the walls of the FT.
Good luck with your worms.
karendee
Original Author
13 years ago
thanks for all your great info everyone! I am still learning.

It is so hard not to feed them more!

I shredded many carboard boxes and some newspaper to be ready for wet feedings in the future.

Currently it may be a little dry but I am waiting for the bin to sit for a bit before I add any moisture. the top was covered with a bunch of shredded cardboard so it may take some time before it gets moist at the top.
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equinoxequinox
13 years ago
"It is a good thing you re-used the yucky newspaper because I am sure it is loaded with MO." I too was glad you re-used the yucky newspaper. I was worried you had thrown it away right when it was getting good.

"I shredded many carboard boxes and some newspaper to be ready for wet feedings in the future." My pile of bedding materials ready and waiting for a worm bin need make me feel rich.
steamyb
13 years ago
Your post reminded me of the sixties.

had my first stragglers in the bottom of the flow thru

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randomz

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had my first stragglers in the bottom of the flow thru

Comments (6)

randomz

equinoxequinox

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11otis

karendeeOriginal Author

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steamyb

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