I know this thread is very old, but it's one of the only really relevant links to come up when you google this. After never finding a satisfactory answer, I just tried it in my indoor plastic tote worm bin (made from 2 nested 10 gallon totes from Lowes http://www.lowes.com/pd_332449-61896-332449_1z0yly3__?productId=3276019&pl=1), and the worms adore sourdough starter. At first I thought something was wrong because every worm in the bin ended up in a giant, writhing mass where the starter was put down, but it turns out they were just super excited to eat it. It gets kind of hot, though, so be careful with quantity if the temp where you keep your worms is high. You'll see more condensation in the bin with the starter in there. I've put down up to 1/4 cup with no bad consequences to my bin. I don't know about larger quantities--I would guess it depends on the size of your bin and worm population. I had no problems with odor generally, but there can be a funk for a while if you uncover just the area where the starter is--probably because it can cause a wet, sludgy spot. I've since started to take out some older bedding and mix it into the starter before putting it down. The worms seem to prefer to eat the castings/organic matter/bedding that has soaked up the starter rather than eat the starter itself anyway, and it helps me control moisture better. If I notice that the spot with the starter is getting compacted and funky, I fluff it, and it seems to nip the problem in the bud. Anyway, I'm sure this is no help to the original poster anymore, but maybe this will help the next person who Googles for the answer to whether it's OK to feed sourdough starter to the worm bin.

There are still some unknowns here, such as how well the health of the soil has been looked after over the years, and what the watering routine is like. If the soil hasn't had sufficient quality organic matter added back into it and too many fertilizer salts applied, it's possible that the texture is poor, the nutrient holding capacity is low, and/or that it has lost many of the beneficial soil microorganisms that assist in nutrient assimilation in the first place. In my estimation, fertilizer isn't the main driver behind restorative growth; rather it enables healthy growth in the presence of the primary drivers, water and light (and their plant product, sugar). I would think that after so long, any roses that truly do poorly on their own roots wouldn't have survived at all. I agree with the others that fertilizer should be broadcast more widely. If you need to stimulate root growth, a nutritive top dressing like compost can be lightly cultivated into the top layer of soil, which should break a small number of feeder roots and cause their regeneration into a fresh source of nutrients rather than exhausted soil. It's possible there are other things going on, such as allelopathic chemicals leached from the plant that could even become toxic to it over time, but a healthy soil microflora is also the primary way to break down those kinds of toxins. That's slightly speculative, but I'd be surprised if roses didn't have at least some allelopathic tendencies, since many of their relatives do - and being sun-loving shrubs, a little chemical warfare is in their best biological interest. This is getting dangerously close to becoming a discussion of rose soil sickness, so I'd better stop while I'm ahead ;) Stefan

Ok, Patti, pour yourself a nice, tall glass of iced tea, take a deep breath and relax! Your questions are certainly not stupid, you have done nothing wrong with your bin, and it sounds as though you have some excellent resources for use in the system. All is well! First, you need to know that while straw may not be the first most favorite bedding of many vermicomposters, it is by no means a poor bedding choice. That you used straw mixed with paper means that, regardless of what any of us think of straw, it is most likely that the environment you've created in the bin will be wonderful from the worm perspective, and it is their opinion that matters most. It was not a mistake to use the straw, regardless of whether or not it was chopped. Some folks prefer materials other than straw simply because straw takes longer to break down than many of the other bedding options, thus, you may find bits of it in your "finished" material. This is the biggest challenge associated with the stuff, however, and if this is the worst thing you ever have to deal with you are cerainly in very good shape! ::grin:: On the upside, the fact that straw will tend to hang around longer than most other bedding options means that it will remain in the system after all other materials have been fragmented into very small pieces, aiding in keeping channels open for good oxygen penetration. The take home message in this is that straw, as with all bedding materials, comes with some drawbacks and some advantages, but it is generally considered a good bedding option and is used successfully in many home vermicomposting systems. You're in good shape! As to feeding your worms, begin small and work up based on worm activity. Consider burying about a cup of food scraps (be sure to include some moist, succulent veggie and fruit peals) in the bedding, making sure the scraps of completely buried, and check this pocket of scraps daily to see when the worms move in to begin feeding. Once they've become active in the first addition of food scraps, bury another cup or so of scraps in the bedding, adjacent to the first addition. Check this new addition of scraps daily to see when the worms move in. When they move in to the second addition of food scraps, add another adjacent to it, and keep checking. The previous addition of food does not need to be completely finished before adding more, there simply needs to be several worms active in and/or around it. Feeding in this way means you are feeding based on worm activity, and ensures you are adding sufficient material to keep them well fed and comfortable with breeding, but not so much that the bin envionment can become overly wet (due to the high moisture content of food scraps) and unpleasant. As to ants, it is only fire ants about which we need to be concerned in North America, and we do not have fire ants here in the PNW (I live in southwestern WA state). Few ant species anywhere in the world are predators of earthworms and none of our Northwest species are problematic in the bin at all. The presence of ants in the soaked leaves should NOT discourage you from using those leaves, which tend to have many advantages in a worm bin. Add the leaves! You'll be glad you did! It sounds as though you're doing just fine with your bin. Mix some of those lovely wetted leaves in as a part of the bedding, add some food, and don't be afraid to check on the progress of the worms, despite the cautions agains "disturbing the worms" that you might read on other web sites. These worm species are incredibly tolerant of disruption to their environment, and a system functions far more effectively when the humans involved are comforatable with observing and interacting with the bin environment. This is really is a simple system to manage, Patti, and it sounds as though you've started things off very well. You and your daughter are going to love it; trust me! Kelly S

I've read the statement that sow bugs/pill bugs/rolly pollies/slaters compete with the worms too, but you can add that to your list of internet myths badly in need burial, but with the unfortunate gift of apparent immortality. There are NO invertebrates that compete with the worms in a worm bin, because the worms will ingest the manure of all of these organisms as a nutrition source. Let's say this again, all together; there... are... no... invertebrates... that... compete... with... the... worms... in... the... bin! Now, commit that phrase to memory and smack anyone who suggests otherwise, and we may find more folks willing to try vermicomposting and not fearing the critters they see crawling through the system! Ok, in all seriousness, sow bugs/pill bugs/rolly pollies/slaters are omnivores whose preferred food source is some of the toughest organic materials in the bin; stuff that is very lignous or high in cellulose, which is difficult for most of the other organisms, both micro and macro, to break down. Their powerful mouth parts are able to bite and chew these tough materials, and their digestive enzymes break them down, fragmenting them so they can be ingested and stabilized by the worms once they pass outof the sow bugs/pill bugs/rolly pollies/slaters as poop. This is the good side of these guys. It needs to be understood, however, that when castings containing sow bugs/pill bugs/rolly pollies/slaters are introduced to closed environments like greehouses where their preferred OM food sources are in short supply, they will begin feeding on tender plant shoots. It is this aspect of their behavior that has led some to have concerns, and it is people erroneously applying these concerns to environments where sow bugs/pill bugs/rolly pollies/slaters are not a problem that has created concern about finding them in the worm bin. So, bottom line, sow bugs/pill bugs/rolly pollies/slaters are wonderful in the bin and we love them. They are fine if they remain in the castings when they are applied to the outdoor garden, but if the castings are to be applied to plant starts or seed start mix in a greenhouse consider freezing the castings for several days before use to eliminate any potential sow bugs/pill bugs/rolly pollies/slaters problems. There, now wasn't that easy? ::grin:: Kelly S