Vermicomposting Worms as Pests?
dcp123
9 years ago
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mendopete
9 years agorayzone7
9 years agoRelated Discussions
Vermicompost or local source of red wiggler worms
Comments (19)Whether or not you keep a lid over the bin makes a difference in how much moisture is evaporated, and how much is needed to add. The time of year and temp and humidity obviously will make a difference. I found my worms really, I mean really, liked cantalope during the melon season. I'd find stores that had trimmed the rinds rinds etc off and would give that to the worms and in a day or two there would be nothing but the fiberous outside, and my worms would be gathered there. Coffee grounds are something they enjoy, and are also good for the soil without the worms, but with that worm kick... They also seem to like to hang out in egg shells. Give them a bit of grit so they can grind the food up, as that's what they use to help digest the food. If you have outside bins in phoenix you will probably need to mist them occasionally. I did. Not soak, just a misting. As mentioned above, with a lid partially covering they moisture may condense on the container and last longer. There was a guy out in cave creek that sold the red wrigglers. Not sure if he's still there. He would go to some of the farmers markets in northeast phoenix. From what I've read the material said the microbes like the castings themselves as 'housing'. Says the casting are porous and the microbes 'move in' and take up residence there and start breaking down the soil as useful products for the plants to use. Red Wrigglers like to hang out at compost areas, where as the night crawlers alot of bait shops sell are more deep soil worms. They don't so much stay around in the shallows and process compost material like red wrigglers. They probably won't stay where you put them as they'll be going deep and moving around. Nightcrawlers are better for aerating your soil then red wrigglers though, so they both have their place in the garden and compost pile. The red wrigglers will stay to the outside of the compost, or more like where the compost isn't as hot while it's 'digesting'. You will want to compost hot fertilizers a bit before putting them with the worms, as the environment may get a bit hot, especially in the phoenix area, as the material breaks down, then the stuff that's on the edges of the pile, or under that is already 'cooled off' will be where the worms will frequent. Red wrigglers will mostly stay where the composting material is though. That's what they thrive on. I saw an article, can't verify this yet though, but someone had a cardboard box that had been soaked with soy oil that sat on the ground for a couple weeks, and said when they lifted it there were a colony of worms under it. As though the soy oil was what they were after. May be wrong, but I intend to experiment with this. The soy, being a legume, with add nitrogen fixing nodules to the ground, and the beans will give oil if 'processed', as well as the meal feed critters, so it's gotta be a win win situation. Enjoy...See Morevermicomposting (worm composting)
Comments (5)Hi Charlie, About 10 years ago I started 2 compost bins that were basically big totes with some small patches of screening in the bottom to allow any liquid to drain out. I tried one with a pound of red wigglers and one with a pound of Africand nightcrawlers. Both reproduced, although the red wigglers reproduced faster. I kept these in my unheated basement so colder than the African Nightcrawlers would like and they definitely slowed down their composting/reproducing over the winter. The red wigglers slowed down as well, but not as much. They made great compost and took care of most of our kitchen scraps. We did not add a ton of other stuff like lawn clippings, etc., but if I had more bins that would have probably helped increase the production of compost. I didn't have any of those expensive worm composting setups since that seemed crazy to spend all that money just to get some compost... but maybe they are worth the investment. The bins seemed to work fine and I started them out with shredded newspapers and a little dirt from my backyard. That mixture was soaked and I immediately tossed in a few banana peels which I had heard were among their favorites. I kept a layer of wet newspapers (for example the Washingtpost Metro section or classifieds) on top to keep them somewhat contained. I had heard the African Nightcrawlers can wander off, but between the paper on top plus putting the cover on the bin (with some screening glued over a few holes) seemed to keep them content to "stay home." Besides bananas, watermelon rinds were also a big success, but they basically consumed most everything once it had rotted for a while. I also dropped my coffee grinds with some water into the blender with egg shells whenever I had eggs and just poured that in under the top later of wet newspaper. Whenever I had something to add I just stuffed it in under the newspaper, moving each "deposit" a little further around the circumference so the worms could basically run laps around the bin as the ate the more decomposed content. Over time I grew a bit tired of it and hadn't really expanded the number of tubs which I should have done if I wanted more compost. I had chosen the African Nightcrawlers to possibly use for fishing since they are bigger, but I should probably have just focused on the composting side since I think the red wigglers or ensenias are more efficient. At the time I was very busy with other stuff and not as much into gardening, so I eventually dumped the worms in my compost bin since I had lost interest. Right now I'm thinking of starting again with 2 tubs of either red wigglers or possibly the compost mix from www.bestbuyworms.com which is where I originally got the worms all those years ago. But because of shipping it isn't very cost effective to just buy a pound of worms, so if you are interested in ordering let me know and perhaps we can put in an order and share the cost. I'm in Arlington, VA. Best,...See MoreSeparating worms from vermicompost
Comments (18)I've never worn gloves while sifting worm castings. I've usually done the mound technique for sorting worm castings and it is very tedious. I do know that window screen works just fine as a layer that worms can crawl through. Like the rolls of fiberglass window screen that you can get for a few bucks at the big box home improvement stores. We actually use layers of screen in our bins since we don't have a stacking system. the screen lets us lift out the newer bedding/food so we can scoop out the more finished stuff from the bottom for sorting. I kinda like the idea of putting the more finished stuff on top of a screen on a prepped bin of bedding. It would not sift out the cocoons but I suppose I could then put the castings into a bucket with a yogurt container (with some holes) of corn meal. For the corn meal method of collecting stragglers, does anyone know how moist to make the cornmeal?...See MoreA link to useful worm and vermicomposting information
Comments (1)Thanks Joseph, for sharing Vermicompost topics list link. ItâÂÂs really helpful for us, to get useful information like that on Vermicompost....See MoreCarlosDanger
9 years agoequinoxequinox
9 years agoFrancoiseFromAix
9 years agodcp123
9 years agodcp123
9 years agoHIFromCA
9 years agoskittlehr
9 years agotim45z10
9 years agohummersteve
9 years agoHU-272294615
7 months ago
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