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byrdmando
9 years ago
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byrdmando
9 years agoRelated Discussions
Worm Factory or Worm Factory?
Comments (19)I just sent the following email t the manufacturers of the Worm Factory. Following is their not very satisfactory response: I am a fairly new user of a Worm Factory (the real one, I think), but not new to worm composting. I am now on my third tray, and here are the issues I am experiencing: The lid, which sits inside the working bin allows rain water to get into the the bins. The bottom two layers are getting very compacted - about 50% and The finished compost is very wet, almost a clay consistency due to the heavy infiltration of rain. It is very annoying that I need to invent a lid to prevent these issues - I bought a factory made system so that it would not look slap-dash! Question: Is there a good way to dry the mucky bottom layers out? Is there any value in putting some sort of spacer, or stop between the trays to limit the compression? I am only on my third tray but see an awful lot of compression in the lower levels. (some of it due to the weight of the saturate top two trays...) Is there an aesthetically pleasing way to keep the rain out? For the price I did not expect to have this problem. ------------------ And the company's response: "Thanks for the email. I apologize for the issues you've been having. The standard Worm Factory is not meant to sit outside in the rain and if kept outside it needs to be placed somewhere will it not be soaked, like under an overhang or shed. It seems all your issues may be stemming from this. Moisture is an important aspect to be controlled in worm composting, and having your bin soaking wet is no good. The compost should be moist to the touch, but not dripping wet. The best way to dry out the bin is to put some dry sheets of paper down to soak up some of that excess moisture. You do not want to put spacers between the trays as they should be resting directly on top of each other. The reason for this is that the worms can't jump between the top level of compost on the tray below to the tray above, the holes on the bottom of the top tray need to be physically touching the top layer of compost on the bottom tray for the worms to climb through. Unfortunately, the standard Worm Factory was not meant to sit outside in the rain. We did release a newer model, the Worm Factory 360, which comes with a moderately weather proof lid that hangs over the edge of the top tray, and a redesigned base. However, we do not sell the individual components of our models."...See MoreHelp!! Worms dying in new 'Worm Factory'
Comments (15)OK...I thought I was over the killing my worms stage, but I just lost my worms because of too much moisture. The worms were climbing out the sides of my stackable compost system and ended up dying because of the high temperatures during that week. When I drained out the tea, there was about 20 oz of liquid from the spigot. It was my fault, because I neglected to check the system during a week of high temperatures and I think more moisture developed from the rotting food than I normally expect during my weekly check ups. I was wondering, if I just left the system alone, whether the cacoons that were already there would still hatch. It has been a week since I discovered the carnage. I loosened up the entire system by tossing each tray and have not added any new food. I did notice some mold, but there has not been any flies or other things crawling around in the compost. This is worrisome because the first time I killed my worms when I was just starting out over a year ago, there were a few worms left. The remaining worms came back like a champ and I had what looked like thousands of them in my 3 bins. I am grateful for any advice or help....See MoreUnhappy worms in worm factory
Comments (7)How many levels do you have? Maybe it's not a different food but rather an amount all at once? I find worms attempting escape after the addition of too much broccoli stalk unless it's well rotted. I think it has to do with gases released, but I don't know for sure. I just notice that as long as there is the strong smell, the worms are trying to leave, but once the smell subsides the worms seem content to stay down and resume eating, pooping, making more worms. Maybe it's a combo of food or maybe you have peels that have soap of some kind or another chemical on them. Unfortunately, there have been times when a bin suddenly seems inhospitable to worms for a short time and while I try to figure out what went wrong the worms become content again. So, the problem often gets fixed before I even get the opportunity to pinpoint the cause. It often seems aeration is the key. I leave the top off with an LED light on when worms seem unhappy. If it smells bad, I cover it with some leaves. In a worm factory, it's not a bad idea to keep an extra level handy. If the worms seem dissatisfied you can just add bedding to the extra level and put it on top. I use half finished compost since if there is a smell the compost tends to filter it out fairly well and gives the worms something to eat. Shredded phone book works well, too. After a day or two you can then dump the contents into the previous level as the previous level will likely have settled as the water from the food drains down leaving room for the addition. That way the extra level stays an extra level in case you need it again later. Does that make sense? The couple of days (or longer if it that's what it takes) will likely lead to enough rotting and ph balancing to make things hospitable again. I've never noticed worms to be bothered by fruit flies. My outdoor summer bins get them real bad since I top feed those....See Moreworms won't leave bottom tier of worm factory
Comments (4)Not sure IF Im understanding your situattion. I also have the worm factory and a homemade setup and there are always worms left in the bottom tray that dont move up but most at least 80% or more should have moved up. One other thing that can be done if Im understanding you correctly is move the bottom tray to the top and put a bright light over it and move the mix around so the worms will urged to move down, but if you leave that tray on top all night you will have defeated your purpose as more worms will move up from underneath ,, thats just the way it is....See Morebyrdmando
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9 years agoCharlie
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9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoCharlie
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