skip to main content

Gardening in Oz

Accidental bucket of worms!

14 years ago

First up - have to confess that I am a complete beginner gardener. I have a mainly container garden just started in my courtyard, which also has a narrow strip of garden around the fenceline. I have a bucket with a few holes punched in the bottom filled with potting mix that I had tried to grow some unfortunate plant in. Plant was looking sick so this morning I took it out and stirred the potting mix about to find that it has lots of big worms in it as well as tons of slaters. From my reading I think that worms = good slaters = bad so I'm wodering what to do with this bucket of soil? Should I throw it on the garden strip worms, slaters and all or should I top it up with something to use later on my container veggies - but what about the slaters? Sorry about the loooong post!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

karlacat
13 years ago
I think slaters are friends in the garden, doing similar work as the worms. Possibly signs of a healthy garden.
Jelopia
13 years ago
Worms and slaters in potting mix = death to plants.

Worms work to break down organic matter, they help make soil biodynamically rich, as do slatters with organic matter, however, when introduced to potting mix contained within a potting container, you will eventually loose most plants, potting mix must at all times be inert, meaning, no active bacteria or fungus, a quality potting mix has been sterilised before sale to kill all organic processes, as potting mix rots within a pot, it robs the plant of Nitrogen, the potting matter becomes smaller leaving less room for air (oxygen being highly important) thus encouraging "Non Aerobic Bacteria" ... Bad bacteria! Dangerous for most plants and especially dangerous to potted plants. pots should not be left sitting on garden soil and if a pot becomes infected with organic life, it must be repotted, or if little damage done, the potting mix must be sterilized to remove any organic life without deleteriously harming the plant.

Hope this helps.

JM
Related Discussions
recycled worm bin - cat litter buckets
Q
Comments (7)
I see why you nested one inside the other. I think keeping the bins outside is good if you can, unless you have a great back porch or somewhere to keep it that it's not in the way. I think we're in the same zone, but here in CA we probably have less humidity and cockroaches than you do. My bins are outside all the time, in the shade. If you do find your worm bucket is getting too wet (starting to smell), you might want to drill a few holes on the sides. I use a hot glue gun, but it sounds like you have that handled with a drill. I actually have a bucket with a few worms going now which has no holes, and I have to keep a flower pot on top to keep the critters out. Not much ventilation, but all seems well anyway. I actually have three going now...2 rubbermades and 1 bucket. The hobby seems to grow. It is fun, and I'm glad you are enjoying it.
...See More
Moving into a Worm Inn - from a 5 gallon bucket
Q
Comments (1)
Wow, hehe. Personally it's really hard to say as I've never dealt with numbers as low as 50 ;). But for my Worm Inn, I put a lot of bedding on the bottom to basically seal it until the VC builds up and forms a plug at the bottom. With so few worms it's more of how much of the compost do you want to add as opposed to the ratio. You can go wrong with bedding so there's no thing as too much. So I'd put lots at the bottom as a plug, Just cardboard to start, then you can put cardboard in with a little bit of compost and build up some layers. I find that useful (I use coffee) as anything between two pieces of cardboard stops them compacting and forming thick slabs. I think I almost quarter filled mine with cardboard when starting. Then you can add your compost depending on how well processed it is (ie.is it going to heat, or turn to ooze and dribble out the bottom...). Might want to break it up into servings and keep some outside until needed (break it up now before it freezes solid). Then put another inch of cardboard bedding on top. Move that aside as you add more of your compost. It's a second home, helps hold moisture and shades the top layer of food being eaten if you've a mesh top. I find the cloth systems pretty indestructable, but I try not to fall into a habit of trying to destory them ;). But with plenty of bedding and that type of system, hard to go wrong. The tricky thing to start is keeping it moist when you don't have that much VC to retain water. Just cardboard with that much airflow can dry out pretty quickly, but overwatering without VC to hold it can end up just draining out the bottom.
...See More
Can I Brine My Turkey In My Well Washed 5 Gallon Worm Bucket?
Q
Comments (19)
"They see long-term medical possibilities in the idea of adding skin bacteria instead of vanquishing them with antibacterials..." "...How funny it would be if adding bacteria were the answer all along." " “It’s very, very easy to make a quack therapy; to put together a bunch of biological links to convince someone that something’s true,” " I am still waiting for someone to write an article about spraying an operating room with good microbes in preparation for surgery. I have hope. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/25/magazine/my-no-soap-no-shampoo-bacteria-rich-hygiene-experiment.html?_r=0
...See More
5-gallon-bucket X worm inn -- call it an F1 hybrid
Q
Comments (7)
I choked the bottom opening down to a rather small cross sectional area. I don't remember exactly but I think it was somewhere around 4" in diameter. I'm new enough at this that I have never harvested anything and don't know how well VC will "flow". I'm thinking that even with the small area I will be able to coax it out with a few punches. I've read some people finding both small and FT systems dry out too fast and others have trouble with plastic bins getting too wet. Maybe the plastic bucket will help hold moisture in but the fabric on top and bottom will allow it to dry enough and provide enough air not to become anaerobic. I have the seams triple stitched. The material was a heavy cheap outdoor sport nylon and I used standard polyester thread. The hanging loops are each stitched down 4 inches into the body of the bag. These are hung with 5/16" diameter hook screws into 80+ year old solid wood 2x10 floor joists. Each hook was able to hold my wight as a test. I blended worm food a few times early on, washing the food processor afterward was not worth it (and my wife was not a big fan of the same food processor being used for compost slurry and baby-food). Right now I am trying the more lazy freeze and thaw method to soften the cell walls. But I am only feeding kitchen scraps to the bins and those tend to be smallish anyway. Maybe by garden season I'll have enough bins and worms to handle garden and yard waste.
...See More
Mimsycatmeow
12 years ago
Worms in your pots are a good sign and should be encouraged. I am an experienced gardener and I have never had any trouble with worms in pots. it is a good and natural process for bacteria to break down your potting mix. You must be doing sonething right for your pots to be so teeming with life. Sterility will not help your plants. Slater do some good work in the garden but can do some damage to plants. You can make some simple slater traps and relocate the slaters to another part of the garden away from your pots. Below is a link to a good article about slater control.

http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s2577408.htm

Related Stories

HOUZZ TOURS Houzz Tour: For the Love of a Cat in Philadelphia

By Vanessa Brunner

Pet-friendly features integrated into a mod, eclectic and colorful home mean everyone in the family is happy

HOUZZ TOURS Houzz Tour: Mixing It Up in a Century-Old Edwardian

By Becky Harris

Different eras, patterns and textures mingle beautifully in a Canadian interior designer's home and 'design lab'

COLOR How to Pick the Perfect Accent Color

By Toronto Interior Design Group

Not sure what colors go together in a room? Here are suggested combinations for different moods and effects

GARDENING GUIDES Get on a Composting Kick (Hello, Free Fertilizer!)

By Matt Kilburn

Quit shelling out for pricey substitutes that aren’t even as good. Here’s how to give your soil the best while lightening your trash load

GARDENING GUIDES Garden Myths to Debunk as You Dig This Fall and Rest Over Winter

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Termites hate wood mulch, don’t amend soil for trees, avoid gravel in planters — and more nuggets of garden wisdom

FARM YOUR YARD How to Grow Vegetables in Containers

By Annie Thornton

Get glorious vegetables and fruits on your patio with a pro’s guidance — including his personal recipe for potting mix

MOST POPULAR Easy Green: 23 Ways to Reduce Waste at Home

By Laura Gaskill

Pick from this plethora of earth-friendly ideas to send less to the landfill and keep more money in your pocket

BASEMENTS Houzz TV: This Guy’s Giant Lego Collection Proves Everything Is Awesome

By Mitchell Parker

You may have seen our story about this architect’s Lego-filled basement. Now watch the video to see just how he organizes all 250,000 pieces

WINTER GARDENING Pruning Secrets for Exquisite Roses

By Annie Thornton

Encourage gorgeous blooms year after year with this time-tested advice on how to prune your rosebush in winter for health and shape

EDIBLE GARDENS How to Grow Your Own Sweet Summer Crops

By Marianne Lipanovich

This guide will help any gardener get started on growing the freshest warm-season veggies and berries for summer

Sponsored