Newbie attempts margarine tub worm bin
Bentley over at redwormcomposting.com remarked that a person "could literally start a small worm bin in an old margarine container," and I've heard that smaller bins are good for tiny populations: easier for worms to find each other (even inadvertently) and decide to mate. Recently the household finished a tub of margarine, and it occurred to me that I never really paid enough attention to timing the bucket setup I started with a few dozen worms. So, time to try a micro bin. This could be interesting.
As time is an ally that eventually turns all things to compost, it's important to foster an interest in composting while they're young.
No drainage for this one, so I'll need to be more careful with moisture level, but I do need air holes for ventilation. It's 2:30 in the morning, I don't want to get out the power drill. A hot nail will do fine.
I know some people prefer and recommend not using a lid. If anything, they keep a bright light on above the bin, to keep the worms down where they're supposed to be. I'm using a thin plastic that, while opaque, does permit some light, so I'd rather keep my bins in the dark, and use lids to keep the worms from wandering too far.
That doesn't look like eisenia fetida.
While my bucket bin is fairly inclusive, for the margarine tub bin I won't be adding any non-worm critters on purpose. Critters that get in on their own, or stow away in soil or scraps, are fine as long as they don't cause any trouble.
-Time Passes-
8:00pm
For bedding I'll be using corrugated cardboard, scissor cut into small pieces of various sizes and shapes, as well as a napkin I used to wipe up a worm food spill. Both the corrugation and the assorted shapes should help to keep the bedding from packing up too tight, and going anaerobic.
Food is a mix of boiled shredded carrots, used coffee grounds, ramen nobody wanted to finish, ground egg shells, and leftover oatmeal, frozen and thawed in plain tap water to soften further. Yum. I didn't worry about grinding the shells all the way down to powder. The tiny pieces can be used as grit for the worms' gizzards, the coarser chunks can sit there and act as a slow release calcium carbonate source, insurance against things getting too acidic.
Microbial inoculation with a handful of soil from an overgrown, untended spot not too far from home. Pictured: more than a handful.
Filled the tub most of the way up, and mixed with a stick I pulled out of my developing compost pile. This served two purposes: further microbial inoculation, and keeping that crap off my hands.
Almost ready, but it still lacks two of the most important ingredients: worms, and time. First things first, tuck it in with the bucket bin and the paper waste holder AKA stacking bin #2, and let it sit for a week. I'll check on moisture level from time to time, but for the most part this thing is getting ignored for now. Just giving the microbes a chance to colonize and multiply.
After the week is up, I'll pull 2-4 worms from the bucket bin, and move them into the margarine tub. It's a tiny number of worms for the job, but I can't spare many if things go south and they die (started the bucket with about 50), and it will be a good opportunity to check out red wigglers' self replication capabilities over time. Also, it gives me a chance to investigate the claim I've seen that red wigglers can adapt to overfed conditions with time and neglect, it's too much messing with them that kills them.
Comments (35)
Billy Young
8 years agoJon Biddenback
8 years agoDay 3: A little bit of standing water in the bin. Either the local six year old sabotaged me (unlikely, the tub was where it belonged instead of on the floor), or the food is releasing water from inside.
Stirred it up a bit, maybe the cardboard above water level can absorb it if it's submerged. If it's still flooded in a couple days, I'll pour the water off into the bucket bin with drainage before moving in worms.
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How to make a worm bin
Comments (3)Proudgm I'm a newby so take this as such. I am on my second week with 15 lbs of worms. I built wood worm bins. The worms have all kinds of escape routes. In fact no effort was made to stop them. What I have learned is if the worms are happy they don't want to leave. out of 15 lbs I have yet to find one worm that tried. Hope that helps. I am in zone 6 as well. My worms are in the garage for now but I will leave some outside next winter. My plan is to dig a hole for my bins to sit in. Probably half in the ground and half above. What I am using now for heat is an aquarium heater in a big glass jar. So far so good on that one. Good luck Darren...See MoreConsidering starting a worm bin - advice for a newbie?
Comments (19)It might be a good idea to line the sides with corrugated cardboard to block the light and it will help absorb excess moisture. It is easier to mist water on the surface of the bin rather than extracting water from a too wet bin. You may keep the bottom bin w/o cardboard lining to discourage worms coming/staying down. Don't panic if you find worms on the underside of the lid because of condensation. Just wait and see before youstart drilling or cutting the lid. Whenever I converted a bucket or tote into a worms bin, I find it easier to make 1 big hole and attach weed cloth to it. One problem with the container material is however to find adhesive that will stick. I used double sided tape on some and on others when I only kept the rim of the lid, I cut a bigger piece of weed cloth so it get over the entire top of the bin and just jammed the lid on it. Hope this gives you some ideas. Welcome and good luck....See MoreGot My First Worm Bin Today
Comments (8)Actually, I just guestimated the size of the box last night because it was late and I was sleepy. The box is 16 1/2 inches by 12 1/2 inches by 9 inches deep. I read some more on this website before I finally went to bed, plus I followed a link provided for a children's website on earthworms (since I don't know much about worms, other than they are an organic gardener's best friend, a child's website did seem an appropriate starting place to learn). Anyway, based on what I read, I think I've figured out a workable battle plan, but could sure use more experienced folks insight on this. Here's my plan, unless you folks have a better solution to share: I'm going to get a second plastic tub that is the same size. I'm going to drill a few 1/2 inch holes at the bottom, placed to facilitate drainage. I'm going to go inside the box with some of this plastic screening that looks like window screening but is made of flexible plastic, and glue patches of this screening over the drainage holes so that the worms can't crawl out. To facilitate air circulation (which the folks my husband bought this from say is important), I'm going to take the lid and cut a big 3 inch by 4 inch hole in it, and then cover that hole up with plastic screening too. After I prepare the new plastic bin with the drainage and top holes, I'm going to move the batch of worms and peat moss from the box I already have to the new, properly prepared bin. Then I will put the properly prepared bin in a drip pan, raised an inch or two in the air by wooden supports (which are taller in the back of the bin than in the front) so that there is a slight angle to the way that the worm bin sits in the pan. This is to facilitate draining. The drain holes will be placed so that excess water will drip out the bin into that drip pan. I will then place this setup in an extra bedroom closet, where it will be dark all but maybe 10 or 15 minutes each day, where I will feed them their Worm Chow once a day and moisten as necessary. I will then put holes in the plastic bin I currently have, and about 6 to 8 weeks from now when the population is grown in the bin, I'll move half of the worms over to the new box and put more moistented peat moss in both boxes to fill them up. I can understand the suggestion to just put the worms outside, however, my garden sits in the middle of Sunstroke Acres and -- despite the fact that it is not even officially summer yet -- we have had 90 degree plus days every day for several weeks now. This is the hottest "spring" on record in these parts. Those little critters would probably bake out there if I put them out right now in these abnormally harsh weather conditions. Plus my garden is completely full of plants right now that have full root systems at this point. Everything is big and coming up fast. I don't want to go disrupting my earthen beds right now if I can help it. You know what they say "Don't mess with somthing that is working quite well." I figure on waiting until the fall, when I prepare my beds for next spring. That's when I routinely fork the organic mulch I use during the growing season (a mixture of shredded leaves and shredded pine bark - a "brown" when it comes to composting) into the top 5 or 6 inches of soil. At the same time I add in some Starbucks coffee grounds (a "green" when it comes to composting, placed into the soil so that I can compost my mulch over the winter). After I have forked in that mulch and coffee combination, I routinely wet it down till it has the moisture consistancy of a wet sponge. This will cause the sheet composting operation to temporarily heat up, so I will have to wait a few more weeks I figure to add the worms in. But the initial heating up of the bed will discipate in a week or two, after which I can wet the bed again to the consistancy of a wet sponge. At that time, I should be able to add the worms into the soil safely, I figure. It will be a cooler climate by that time, and they will have plenty of fresh "eats" and the same soil moisture content that they will be used to. I figure on covering the beds with a crushed oak leaf "winter mulch" after the worms go in, to protect the worms and other soil microorganisms from any harsh winter conditions that we might experience here in the mid-south. Anyway, that's what I'm thinking right now. Any suggestions for improvement in my scheme, or valuable insight you would be willing to share with this newbie?...See MoreBrand new worm Bin, worms running for the hills
Comments (35)Nappy... your guess of about 600 (euro per pound) is probably close however that is not too many for a 13 gal container. I started with two 27 gallon bins, about 2/3 filled and put about 3000 (red wigglers/euros mixed) in one bin and 5000 in the other. That was no where near high density. In the first four months the numbers way more than quadrupled without issues and last month when I added two more bins and split the populations the density was WAY more than what I'd started with in the original bins but know this, I did supply prodigious amounts of food continuously, and a generous part of it were powdered grains and other high protein items in addition to fruit and vegetable pulp. Before I ever introduced any worms into the original bins, I'd had the bins prepared already with the bedding of coir/peat and added soil/leaf compost and buried 10 pounds of juiced pulp under the bedding for about 3 weeks to get the microbe population started and so when the worms arrived in the mail I just dumped them into the bins and they had an immediately available food source from day one... and plenty of it. Within 2 days I found many of them burrowing through the middle of that pulp pile so I assume they were eating... it soon turned into a huge mass before the week was up. Your worms may be wandering out of the bin due to lack of a sufficiently ready food source. Yes, try to get some leaf litter in there or open a can of pure pumpkin or creamed corn or cooked spinach (packed without salt) and put it under the bedding and see what happens over the next few days.... you'll need to wait until a mass of worms begin mobbing it before turning the light off... in any case continue to keep the lid off the bin. Somehow I missed it that you've only had this worm bin set up for 2 days! (which should make it 5 days by now)... Worm bins are an ecosystem that will take time to develop so be patient and give it a week for the worms to settle in. Remember their whole environment was just radically changed and so it will take a few days for them to adjust.... just adjusting to the pH of the bin could take a few days......See More
rayzone7
8 years agoJon Biddenback
8 years agoAugust 15 2015, IOW Day 5
Moisture check!
Hmmm... I'm glad my new bin is happy to see me, but that's a little TOO wet.
Mold is good, mold is breakdown assistance and food, but mold thick enough to start forming solid mats is no bueno. The last thing I need is my tub bin growing a mold toupee, and touring the country as a Trump impersonator. Then again, maybe I'd make more money that way.
Poured off the excess fluid into the drained bucket bin, and stirred what's left with a stick to break up the mold. That looks much more inviting. I mean, I've lived in worse apartments.
While the pictured finger IS organic material, I won't be adding it to the bin just yet. There's more use I can get out of it before I compost it.
A couple more days of sitting and culturing, and the worms move in. I'd tell them to start packing their bags, but they seem to travel pretty light. Good luck to them.
Jon Biddenback
8 years agoAugust 17, 2015
Day 7Time to check up on the wormless worm bin. So, just the bin for now, I guess.
Hmmm... still looks a little swampy. Am I housing worms here, or gators?
Quiet, you, I didn't ask for your opinion.
Gravity draining into the bucket bin was pretty slow going, so I aimed for the moisture of a wrung-out sponge by wringing out the bedding. Hey, what's this? Some tiny, whitish, maggot-like creatures are in the bedding, possibly maggots. Their eggs must have hitched a ride in the soil, the old food, or maybe been laid in through the air holes.
They managed to sneak into the bin on their own, so I'm not going to evict them, unless they start causing trouble. They might eat things the worms don't like, or compete with them to see who comes out on top. If they turn out to be better composters, hell, I might keep them.
Fluffed the squeezed bedding back up, and mixed in a dry, torn sugar bag liner, to absorb a little more moisture. Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.
Tonight concludes the week of prep time. It may not be perfect, but the worms work for me, not the other way around; there's no sense in spoiling them. Tomorrow, worms will be moving in. Sink or swim, worms, but I'll try to keep your bedding dry enough that you don't literally have to sink or swim.
Jon Biddenback
8 years agoAugust 18, 2015
Week 2Bin, meet worms. Worms, bin. You'll get along great.
Four would probably give me a better margin for error, but I can spare two more easily. Besides, they've been reproducing in the bucket bin, either or both of these worms might already be pregnant, and reproduce even if one dies. Starting from just two they'll wind up inbred sooner or later, anyway.
Looks like they approve of the local conditions.
Enjoy your new home. Be fruitful and multiply. Don't go forth, though, I'd prefer it if you stayed right there.
Conditions in the bucket bin are a little bit smelly. Things are going fine, but some bread slices I threw in there are making a yeasty smell I don't much care for. Tore up a paper sugar bag and threw it in on top to cover the bread.One of the triplets was thoughtful enough to help me tear up the paper.
Jon Biddenback
8 years agoAugust 25, 2015
Week 3
Let's just open the lid and have a look at that bin, there.
Crap! Top of the bedding is looking rather dry, there. Taking a sniff, though, it has less scent than before. Called in a consultant, pictured above, and she concurred.
So... First look tells me worms might be dead, but nose tells me they're alive and well and rebalancing the microbe population to one that smells more like mild earth. Internal dischord! The eternal struggle which can never be resolved! Or...
I suppose I could pull some of that bedding back, and check out what's going on down below.
Ahh, here's a healthy looking specimen... Down in the muck? No, not quite, just above it, and a couple inches below the dryish surface. I guess they sought out just the right balance point of moisture in the tub and settled in there. Doesn't care much for me peeking in on its privacy, and its partner dove for cover, but they seem fine otherwise. Seems to like it a little wetter than I expected.
No visible cocoons yet. Come on, guys, I didn't leave you a Nintendo in there, all there is to do is eat and ****. Then again, even in a margarine tub, there's a lot of room to hide the cocoons of only two worms. I'll give y'all some privacy. You just keep doing what you do.
rjfillmore
8 years agoJon Biddenback
8 years agoJon Biddenback
8 years agoquone9bsunset21
8 years agojknsm
8 years agoJon Biddenback
8 years agoSeptember 10, 2015
Week 5
Illness and lack of internet access stinks. Fortunately the worm tub doesn't, at least from outside, so let's check it out.
Lid's off, still smells mild and sweet. Good sign, kitty approves. Looking a little dry, though. Perhaps the top layer is always going to do that because that's where the only ventilation is. Better investigate deeper. I don't want the worms pretending nothing's active and no one's home so they can hide bodies and criminal activity in there.
Oh, there's the moisture, about half way down. And... hmmm. I don't see any bodies or meth labs, but something is hiding in here. Looks like some kind of larva or pupa. I don't know for sure.
Maybe something interesting will hatch. Or maybe something horrible. For now it doesn't seem to be causing any trouble trying to wreck up the place, so I'll let it be. Still no sight of worms or their cocoons so far.
It's getting wetter and wetter as I dig deeper. At this point, I would describe conditions as "slimy".
Okay, now things are starting to stink. Pretty badly, it smells like a sewer down here. How can anything live in here? And how can it smell this bad down below and have no smell at all coming out the top? But... is that a worm I see?
Yup, there are my worms, hanging out in the smelliest, slimiest sludge in the bin.
I don't know how they don't drown. I don't know why they want to be there. If sewer conditions are what they prefer, maybe I should park the tub in front of some old TMNT reruns and see if it improves morale. Don't know if worms have morale, but something seems to be off, I haven't seen a single cocoon.
While I was taking the bedding apart and checking it out, I spread it and let the slimy bits dry in the air some. Course the dry bits already seem a little too dry, and these guys seem to like it wetter. Added a little bit of water, and closed the tub back up.
Jon Biddenback
8 years agoSeptember 16, 2015
Week 6
It's been hard leaving the margarine tub bin alone. Are my worms sick? Did I add too much water? Did those pupae hatch and aliens burst out to take over Earth in stealth? I told myself I'd pester them as little as possible, just let them be to adapt themselves and their conditions or die, but I want to know what's going on in there!
Apparently, I'm not the only one eager for a look. Let's get that lid off, Fuzzbucket.
Top layer looks much moister than before. Again, there's no offensive odor, just a mild soil smell... so far. Doesn't look like dirt, smells like dirt, okay whatever. I see one of those larva or pupa things, apparently they were not viable or they take longer to metamorphose and take over the world.
Looking deeper, apparently increasing the moisture level in the tub has encouraged them to come up a little bit. Hi worm, I see you peeking out. Oh, that's a butt.
These worms you sold me, they won't mate. They just squirm around, eating, and not mating. You sold me... queer worms.
Even with a second pair of eyes, not a single cocoon spotted.
Still stinks at the bottom, too.
Worms seem to be lively, but they look... odd. Not string of pearls odd, but not the way they used to.Week 2:
Week 6:
Holy crap they got big! They've both got the dark red stripes and the yellow tails, they should be the right worms, but what the hell?! Maybe I got eunuch worms, which can't breed but grow forever.
Well, they're still alive and functioning, kind of, so back in the bin to let it sit and see what happens. Maybe the worms are just having a temporary difficulty they need time to sort out. Life is dynamic, doesn't always do what you expect, let it adapt and do what it does.
Speaking of the unexpected, Kitty, you're nuts. Stop trying to eat the rotten cardboard.
Jon Biddenback
8 years agoOctober 02, 2015
Week 8
Margarine tub worm bin check in. Did the worms breed explosively? Did they bloat up sick and die? Did they stage a jail break and escape? What happened to the aliens?
Top layer looks and feels pretty dry, also moldy. It smells of nothing, not even mold. How does mold not smell moldy?! There are some tiny arachnid-looking creatures scurrying about, too small to picture. Probably spider mites. Nothing else interesting up top, so begin the excavation.
Got about half way down before it started smelling poopy. Weirdly enough, this smelly part of the bin still seems (relatively) dry.
A little bit lower, and there's a worm. Must be alive, it dove for cover right quick. Moister conditions, too. These worms seem to like it as wet as possible and don't care about anaerobic conditions. Maybe it's a new aquatic subspecies.
There seems to be another kind of worm in here, or maybe a maggot. Possibly the aliens from the weird little pods? Looks like it might be heading north, but it's actually southbound: big booty, tiny head. I've known some humans like that.
Another strip of cardboard reveals a blackening effect. Either it's breaking down without being eaten, or those are scorch marks from the aliens' tiny ray guns. I wonder if ray guns can make good compost faster than regular. If so, I might have to order me some
No pooling water at the bottom of the bin, but the material here seems pretty slimy. The worms seem to like it, though.
All the way to the bottom, every scrap of bedding examined thoroughly, and not one single cocoon in the whole thing. None. What the heck, guys? Gals? I'm not sure how hermaphrodites prefer to be talked about, have I offended you and you're on strike?
Repacked it all together, added a splash of water cause the worms seem to like it wetter than expected. No real news, what a gyp.
At least SOMETHING is reproducing around here.
Jon Biddenback
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoOctober 03, 2015
Week 8A more experienced wormer put forth to me the idea that I might actually have two different lookalike species in this tub. Entirely possible; they were sold as the common name red wigglers rather than by species name, and I don't know how picky a bait shop is likely to be anyway. Might be one e. fetida and one e. andrei. They're not gay, they just prefer the company of other (kinds of) worms (maybe). So let's give them another chance.
Found a couple more volunteers in the main bin. Obvious clitellum, dark red stripes and yellow tail on both, they're fully adult and should be the right species.
Get in there and party, guys. Not you, Fuzzbucket.
I hope you dream of large women, cause holy **** what a difference! They're about triple your girth relaxed.
Fat bottomed girls, you make the rockin' world go 'round.
Jon Biddenback
8 years agoOctober 09, 2015
Week 9
Contents of the bin seem to have sunk. Not sure what to make of it. Maybe they got too heavy, and collapsed into themselves under their own gravitational pull.
First my PDA has a camera, and now black holes are everywhere? People need to know these things!
Didn't take much digging to spot worm flesh this time. I guess they're getting a little more comfortable at higher levels. Good deal.
No odor all through the bin. That's a weird change, but not an unwelcome one. I'm not sure what it means, but I'm hopeful it means the bacterial balance in here is shifting towards the aerobic and beneficial.
No cocoons spotted in the bin, either. I was hoping, but not really expecting any yet. Maybe in a few weeks there will be some. Might be there was one or two that I missed while searching. I thought I'd spotted a baby worm, but it turned out to be a rootlet from the initial soil inoculation, broken down enough to be limp and flexible.
Whatever in this bin is making herculean worms has already worked on the new arrivals. Those are some big worms. Maybe I'll refer back to this journal thread next fishing season, when I could use some real brutes.
Jon Biddenback
8 years agoOctober 21, 2015
Week 11Help!
I don't know what the hell is happening with this bin. It looks right most of the way through, it smells mild and sweet. There were a few small white balls, I don't know if they're fungus or eggs.
Worm flesh was spotted after almost no unearthing at all. They're venturing closer and closer to the surface.
A little bit of water pooling near the bottom. Has this gotten wetter somehow? Maybe one of the worms couldn't hold its water and went pee. Heh, yeah, like they're that big.
Um....
That looks a little... thick.
Mother of God! These aren't worms, they're graboids!
Jesus, that one's so big, it has a facial expression.
Those aren't centimetres.
Searched every scrap of bedding and casts, and still zero cocoons spotted. Instead I have these great hulking brutes trying to eat me. I should take them fishing next season: just dangle them over the side of the boat, and let them grab the fish like pythons.
I don't know what to make of any of this. Just gonna put the lid back on, put them in the cabinet, and hope I don't do anything to make them angry.
hummersteve
8 years ago11otis
8 years agoJon Biddenback
8 years ago
Mackenzie Mielczarek
8 years agoJon Biddenback
8 years agoJon Biddenback
8 years agoJon Biddenback
8 years agoI guess never say never. A neighbor cat turned up, and the horde was none too happy about it.
Not pictured: four grave markers in the back yard.
Jon Biddenback
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoNovember 07, 2015
Week 13
Posting from a smartphone that doesn't like to make big complex posts. Let me sum up:
Tub bin was accidentally knocked over and drained. Status check revealed dark, sunken, casting-loaded bedding, no smell, live worms of various sizes and colours (including one huge, slow, translucent-pale worm I've named "Jabba"), and 1 cocoon (finally!). Offered the worms some rotten strawberries and some fresh newsprint bedding to congratulate the new arrival.
Jon Biddenback
8 years agoNovember 19, 2005
Week 15I hope giving the worms the rotten strawberries wasn't a mistake. There's still a lot of bedding in there that isn't broken down, and aren't they supposed to use that as a Plan B food supply? I'd better check on them.
No worms visible up here, they probably heard me coming, but there are clearly castings in this new bedding. They've been here.
The rotten strawberries are gone, only seeds left and not many of those. I guess the worms haven't been overfed; they seem to have been hungry. Or maybe they just like strawberries. I prefer blueberries, but to each their own.
The worms are looking healthier. Their colour is back to normal and they don't look so fat. But... something seems off.
Jabba! Jabba, NOOOO!
He's gone. Jabba's gone. There are only three worms in here. He can't have escaped; I take care not to let the worms wander while I check out the tub, and the air holes are way too small for his impressive girth. He must have died, broken down and been eaten.
Why did Jabba die? What do I know?
The others didn't murder him; they're detritivores, and they don't have knives, or guns, or teeth. There isn't enough population or money in there for them to have developed politics or unions yet. Jabba was huge, massive, one could even say overweight. The moisture and temperature of the bin have been kept within range. The worms have plenty of bedding that isn't broken down... hmmm.
That bedding may still be intact, but the colour is awfully similar to the colour of their poop.
The worms have been in there a hell of a long time with no bedding change or new feeding; I overfed the bin early and left it alone. They clearly prefer the new bedding and the "fresh" strawberries over what they already had. The worms got big, but they also got weird. Maybe... maybe the worms have done all they can with this old bedding. The system is close to being sealed, they don't have allies like isopods and stuff to shred things apart and ease processing. Maybe the stuff is so saturated with their leavings (toxic waste to them, same as everything else with its own excrement) that they can't eat or live in it anymore. Maybe Jabba was so big because he was bloated and sick.
Okay big guy, I hear you. Your death won't have been in vain.
Time to prepare something new for the survivors. Lizard unrelated, he just showed up while I was doing prep.
Dig all that poisonous old bedding out, leaving just the new stuff.
This is a good time to take inventory and see what I've got. Only three worms, but a little bit healthier, and one cocoon. No, make that four cocoons. I don't know whose they are, but I choose to believe they're all offspring of Jabba, knowing he had little time left and getting busy as possible. I'll take better care of your descendants, Jabba, your lineage won't end on my watch.
New bedding will be a mix of egg carton cardboard, dry dead grass, and assorted shredded leaves and wood chips from a local tree trimmer's recent dump in my driveway. Wet it down with rain water, dump in a can of UCG for food, and a lot of ground egg shell for grit and pH buffering. Throw in the old bedding for microbial inoculation now that they finally got it balanced to stop stinking the place up. Mix it together, and... that's a lot of coffee grounds, this stuff is stained so dark it looks like it's already somewhat decayed. I'd better let it sit for a few days in case it heats up.
Jon Biddenback
8 years agoNovember 27, 2015
Week 16
The new bedding and food mix never heated up, but I've been busy. Besides, better safe than sorry. I did have to add dechlorinated tap water to it a couple times, but it seems good to go now. That stuff is stained dark as hell with the coffee; it's going to be tricky to tell how it's breaking down. I'd better get it to the tub soon; they've only got very little bedding to live in and eat right now, and it's been over a week.
Found a weird little thing in the tub. It looks like a cut or broken section of worm. I'm not sure what the hell it is, but the worms seem to be okay. Bodies intact, clitella present.
Weird, I remember leaving the cocoons in a wad of old castings, what's this doing out loose?
I guess the worms are happy that the nasty old bedding is gone. There are more. Looks like 8 intact cocoons and 2 that I accidentally burst. I thought they weren't supposed to be fragile. One burst cocoon was pale, one was very dark. Maybe the one was a dud, and the other was close to hatching and I helped it along. I don't know, but they're reproducing better now, anyway.
Load up the new bedding/food mix in the tub. I'll try not to pack it down so it won't go anaerobic, and leave a little room instead of filling it up to the top, so the worms are more likely to bump into and find each other. They seem to breed better in a somewhat cramped space, though I don't want to crowd them too badly.
I got way too much bedding and food mix for the tub, but that's fine. I got another worm bin I started in part of a weird semi-automatic cat litter box, housing a mix of euros and whatever turned up in the rotting dead leaves on the driveway; I think lumbricus rubellus but I saw a couple with a weird purplish-blue sheen in the sun that makes me suspect perionyx excavatus. I can give the rest of the food and bedding mix to them.
Jon Biddenback
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoJon Biddenback
8 years agoDecember 07 2015
Week 18
Glumness, new confusion, and some hope. Not much camera work, not much to see.
Checking out the material in the bin, it smells mild and sweet. Retaining moisture better than I expected, too, it's not too dry on top and no soggy spots on the bottom. The worms are clearly still breeding; these are new cocoons, right at the top.
There are some tiny worms in the bin, not a lot but enough to find while searching. They're too small to catch on camera, maybe 2-3mm each. They're so thin they show the colour of what they're on rather than their own colour, if any. Maybe they're potworms... I guess I shouldn't have thrown all that marijuana in there. Just kidding, I don't smoke marijuana. Anymore.They might be potworms, or might be just-hatched ENC. They're too small to be adult potworms, and I could easily see two or three worms that size fitting into a cocoon. Guess I'll have to wait till they get a little bigger, and see if they go translucent white, or red.
The big ENC are still returned to their normal dimensions and colour, but there are only two of them now. Sad, sad, sad. I know one of them has died. The air holes, while plentiful, are tiny, and the lid of the tub fits tightly. Plus, the area under the sink is dusty as hell, and there is neither a worm corpse nor worm tracks pointing to an escape. RIP, unnamed worm.
I thought the worms were on the mend. I can see that they're still producing cocoons. I don't know why another one died. My dear wife points out that maybe they tried to recover, but that one was so sick it just couldn't take the strain and died anyway. That might be it. Or maybe they're still in dire straits, they're producing cocoons like mad as a way of throwing a life preserver into the future, and their appearance is irrelevant. I just don't know.
Hmmm. When in doubt, listen to the worms.
Those tiny translucent threads are telling me something, I just don't understand it yet. If they're infant ENC, they're suggesting that things are mostly OK, **** happens but life goes on. If they're potworms, they're saying that conditions in the bin have gotten too acidic, and I need to add more egg shell - maybe scrap all the bedding and food and start over, with a higher proportion of calcium and less food, next time.
I'm listening, worms. Teach me how to take care of you.
Jon Biddenback
8 years agoMack: they seem to be racing with the worms to see who can reproduce faster.
hummersteve
8 years agoNice story and pix all the way thru. I have a similar start. Ive been worming for a while so I have a lot of worms to choose from. Anyway I just took about 12-15 worms and put them in this cutting pot. The pot measures 6" dia. and 7" in depth. So these few worms have some room to roam. They have been in this pot for about 6weeks. The potting mix is peat, vermiculite. no other fertilizer of any kind. Although I have given a liquid seaweed drench on occasion. I wanted to see what would happen with just the castings these few worms would leave. I have also done the same thing to a few other cutting pots. One thing we have to remember to use worm castings correctly they work like time release fert. in that they release some of their nutrients each time you water so you need to water on occasion. I put a spoonful of worm food once a week which may in fact be too much for this small amount of worms. This cutting shown was much smaller in the beginning . For the most part the worms have stayed in the pots. Though recently I find 3 worms dead on the floor . Consider the fact I added the same amount of worms in half a dozen different pots is not a bad record. The paper added on top is to keep fungus gnats away.
Jon Biddenback
8 years agoJon Biddenback
8 years agoJanuary 05, 2015
Week 22
New year, new life.It turns out those maggot-like creatures were in fact maggots; I found two small flies hanging around inside the top of the tub. One of them stopped for a photo op. Kinda blurry, he's the left blob near the rim.
I'm not sure how they got in there, but oddly enough, they didn't fly, they only walked around. Can you still call it a fly if it doesn't? Maybe due to metamorphosing in such a small, tight space, they never really bothered to fly because there was no point, need, nor ability.
Material seems to be shrinking, but not compacting. More casts throughout, good sign. Worms still have plenty of eating to do, but they're working on it. Smell is mild, sweet, and earthy, material is damp but not wet, also good signs.
Fuzzbucket will not leave me alone! Have you been pissing in my other worm bin a lot because you're jealous of the worms? Damn needy cat. Fine, have some attention, then let me get back to work on my journal.
Yay! Some of those tiny threads were infant ENC! I spotted two at least, got a picture of one. Aw, look at him, so adorable.
Two adults still in the bin, kinda sluggish cause it's getting cold, but active and seemingly healthy enough. I keep reading that composting worms born into rough circumstances prosper far better than adults introduced to them; perhaps the Jabbas Junior will thrive and multiply rapidly once they reach adult size.
Still plenty of unhatched cocoons in the material. With any luck, this mini-bin will be swarming with hungry babies soon.
Jon BiddenbackOriginal Author