Vermicomposters Unite! Official Worm Farmers Thread

[DonTesla]

lol, had the same problem with 1/4. many cocoons...
barrel harvester might be the easier way...
but my next design... want something similar to this...

that way you can harvest from the bottom.. and keep top feeding thru the top...
a lot of vineyards use this setups...
wonder how they make great grapes and wine... EWC

Many cocoons could be a good thing

Been a fan of the double over technique lay tho since the get go

 

[DonTesla]

My old shop that is now out of business tried carrying organic amendments and even had a worm tea club where you would pay monthly $20 and get up to 2gal of tea per week but it didn't work because they didn't keep it fresh- was anaerobic many times I tried to pick it up so I decided to make my own once my wormies were established. The problem is that they just can't make the same money off of us organic growers as they can off growers addicted to nutes. Plus only a few guys working there were knowledgable enough to even help out those doing living soil grows...they just want to sell you stuff & they don't care if your plants are healthy or not as long as you keep buying shit from them.

Sad but true, Rich
They out to lunch when it comes to us
Nearly none sell myco
Same with Fresh worms
..Worm farms
No Soil consultants in sight
Light builders are a forum rarity vs a brick and motar commonplace

It's fucked
But each request holds a bit of weight and soon enough better stores will emerge
The future will have better stores cause guys like us will start them or we'll educate good listeners

For ex.
They should sell small amounts of castings with a bit of molasses perfectly ratio'd to you know-who's research, enough for a 2 gallon tea do yourself..
And maybe even water and pail and bubbler for beginners but still, brew yourself,for 36-42
Anaerobic is such a rookie mistake
Lots of stupid shit is gonna happen as the world unlearns its own bad habits
Some models are progressing massively while others lag behind

 

[Kind Sir]

1. So like I said my worm bin doesnt have holes on the bottom. Im going to drill some today& and put it in another tote with a brick or something on the bottom. Anything else I should know/add??

2. Also, I want to start a second bin with worms from my current bin. The bin smells very earthy, but has some "beneficial" bugs that Im slowly getting comfortable with. I want to do my best to keep bugs out of my 2nd bin if possible. Can I rinse the worms off or something, or is that just nonsense?

I can handle the truth! Give me a lashing if need be, no sugarcoating if Im incorrect.

 

[DonBrennon]

Agreed and thanks. I neex that bug sticky, I couldnt imagine sticking my hand in my worm bin anmymore. I used to enjoy smelling it, now aill end up sniffing a mite up and cloning them in my lungs.

hahaha, you wouldn't go near my plants then either, this is whats going on in and under my mulch

 

[DonBrennon]

1. So like I said my worm bin doesnt have holes on the bottom. Im going to drill some today& and put it in another tote with a brick or something on the bottom. Anything else I should know/add??

2. Also, I want to start a second bin with worms from my current bin. The bin smells very earthy, but has some "beneficial" bugs that Im slowly getting comfortable with. I want to do my best to keep bugs out of my 2nd bin if possible. Can I rinse the worms off or something, or is that just nonsense?

I can handle the truth! Give me a lashing if need be, no sugarcoating if Im incorrect.

here's a good link I found that may ease your stance on bugs in your bin
http://www.wormfarmingrevealed.com/wormfarmingpests.html
keep your eye out for those red mite though, you defo don't want them fookers in there

 

[Kind Sir]

here's a good link I found that may ease your stance on bugs in your bin
http://www.wormfarmingrevealed.com/wormfarmingpests.html
keep your eye out for those red mite though, you defo don't want them fookers in there

Ive seen so many different answers I dont know what to believe/do! You guys are all knowledgeable in this field, with conflicting answers so Id like to inv a few of my organic fanatics friends for their opinions. Thundercats Hoooooo!

@greasemonkeymann @Grandpa GreenJeans @DonTesla @Rrog


Sorry to bug you guys, I know I already spoke to monkey/grandpa regarding worm bin pests (particularly red mites) most said theyre either beneficial, or not to bother unless theyre in mass groups but still saw some decent info saying they ARE bad. Not sure what to think now, Im drilling the holes tonight so that'll help.

 

[greasemonkeymann]

Ive seen so many different answers I dont know what to believe/do! You guys are all knowledgeable in this field, with conflicting answers so Id like to inv a few of my organic fanatics friends for their opinions. Thundercats Hoooooo!

@greasemonkeymann @Grandpa GreenJeans @DonTesla @Rrog


Sorry to bug you guys, I know I already spoke to monkey/grandpa regarding worm bin pests (particularly red mites) most said theyre either beneficial, or not to bother unless theyre in mass groups but still saw some decent info saying they ARE bad. Not sure what to think now, Im drilling the holes tonight so that'll help.

my bin is crawling with probably like 100 different types of bugs, and those are just the observable ones.
There may be some sort of harmful bug that comes in compost, but I've never heard of it, nor have I heard of anybody that does.
If they are eating decomposing organic material, they won't be interested in live plant material.
In my opinion.

 

[Grandpa GreenJeans]

my bin is crawling with probably like 100 different types of bugs, and those are just the observable ones.
There may be some sort of harmful bug that comes in compost, but I've never heard of it, nor have I heard of anybody that does.
If they are eating decomposing organic material, they won't be interested in live plant material.
In my opinion.

Second that!!!

 

[greasemonkeymann]

Ive seen so many different answers I dont know what to believe/do! You guys are all knowledgeable in this field, with conflicting answers so Id like to inv a few of my organic fanatics friends for their opinions. Thundercats Hoooooo!

@greasemonkeymann @Grandpa GreenJeans @DonTesla @Rrog


Sorry to bug you guys, I know I already spoke to monkey/grandpa regarding worm bin pests (particularly red mites) most said theyre either beneficial, or not to bother unless theyre in mass groups but still saw some decent info saying they ARE bad. Not sure what to think now, Im drilling the holes tonight so that'll help.

are you burying your food?
that can help, I see more bugs on the surface than underneath, that's probably help.
I also have a layer of leaves that I cover the whole bin with too

 

[Rrog]

Never met a bug in a worm bin that I didn't like. They're all beneficial. I think something has to be outta line to get problems. Too wet, going anaerobic, etc will maybe invite true pests. Otherwise the system is stacked so only the good guys can play

 

[Joe Blows Trees]

I'm glad I got some worms. They're gonna make my job much easier and help all my plants reach there true potential! Uncle Jim recommended corn meal when you first get the worms so I'm going to try adding egg shells with the corn meal next feeding since I hear the worms will enjoy it.

 

[greasemonkeymann]

I'm glad I got some worms. They're gonna make my job much easier and help all my plants reach there true potential! Uncle Jim recommended corn meal when you first get the worms so I'm going to try adding egg shells with the corn meal next feeding since I hear the worms will enjoy it.

whole wheat flour works too.
But frozen, thawed, and mashed fruit is their favorite...
Dig a hole, and plop it in, then cover it up.

 

[Joe Blows Trees]

I actually put a frozen banana and frozen strawberries in the bin this morning. I figured I'd check it again this weekend and see how much is left. Thanks for the tip @greasemonkeymann didn't know about the flour.

 

[greasemonkeymann]

I actually put a frozen banana and frozen strawberries in the bin this morning. I figured I'd check it again this weekend and see how much is left. Thanks for the tip @greasemonkeymann didn't know about the flour.

yup, frozen, thawed, and mashed... then spread out in a thinner layer to allow more surface area, then cover.
It cuts the "digestion" process to about half the time

 

[DonTesla]

yup, frozen, thawed, and mashed... then spread out in a thinner layer to allow more surface area, then cover.
It cuts the "digestion" process to about half the time

Absolutely. Imo, Will disappear at least twice as fast if happy temp wise etc

Don't have a cat but sure feels like it, haha

 

[DonTesla]

Ive seen so many different answers I dont know what to believe/do! You guys are all knowledgeable in this field, with conflicting answers so Id like to inv a few of my organic fanatics friends for their opinions. Thundercats Hoooooo!

@greasemonkeymann @Grandpa GreenJeans @DonTesla @Rrog


Sorry to bug you guys, I know I already spoke to monkey/grandpa regarding worm bin pests (particularly red mites) most said theyre either beneficial, or not to bother unless theyre in mass groups but still saw some decent info saying they ARE bad. Not sure what to think now, Im drilling the holes tonight so that'll help.

Usually red mites break out on colossal sized acidic meals (rotting fruit etc) that are under-rotten and under-mashed/composted so different cultures and bacteria and mould can develop, which attract them I guess

Burying em and keeping chunks under the size of a dime should help, as well as balanced moisture levels and some good aeration

Smell for pleasant smells when you sense foulness get rid of the source and try something a little better!!

 

[Kind Sir]

What is in there?

 

[DonTesla]

What is in there?

Just whatever i ate that week, hombre..

Apples
Pears
Bananas
Watermelon
Bit of greens
Some veggies
Dead leaves (I eat dead leaves? na jk)

Well rotted (frozen>thawed) and then mushed on top of take out bags from A&W.

I slap the paper in there upside down and it disappears in 72 hours, holes all thru the paper. .after acting as a subcutaneous-friendly mulch layer where worms can go ham under neath

 

[Joe Blows Trees]

Is it easier for the worms to consume the fruits mashed up after thawing out? If so, I'm gonna incorporate that technique next feeding. I just put the bananas, broken into smaller pieces after thawing, and strawberries right under the soil without smashing it up.

 

[Wetdog]

Is it easier for the worms to consume the fruits mashed up after thawing out? If so, I'm gonna incorporate that technique next feeding. I just put the bananas, broken into smaller pieces after thawing, and strawberries right under the soil without smashing it up.

What you need to understand and it will help in the feeding is, worms don't eat anything (no teeth), but rather slurp up the bacterial slime from decomposing 'food'. The faster it rots, the faster they can 'eat' it. So, the freezing, mashing, cutting up, is just to speed up the decomposition of the food source and get it to rot.

Hope this makes sense.

Wet