Vermicomposters Unite! Official Worm Farmers Thread

[DrCannaPath]

Hey hey hey quick update on IPM spray day:
As ya can tell from the pics, the girls are gaining color. Also, I could smell them outside the groom now and thats why I hooked up the carbon scrubber to the extraction fan.
I also lowered the light a bit because theyre done stretching
Btw I defoliated the yellow leaves ya see in the shots below.
A group shot then singles from top left clockwise 1SourD 2BlueKush 3SweetCoffeeRyder and 4PineappleExpressMystery
Till next update happy growin yall


Check out my current Organic Fruit Garden:
https://www.rollitup.org/index.php?threads/945580/
and my previous Organic Run:
https://www.rollitup.org/index.php?threads/930415/
and my previous QuadStrain grow :
https://www.rollitup.org/index.php?threads/916619/
and my previous TriStrain grow :
https://www.rollitup.org/index.php?threads/883569/

 

[DrCannaPath]

Sorry for posting the update in the wrong thread .... my apologies lads

Check out my current Organic Fruit Garden:
https://www.rollitup.org/index.php?threads/945580/
and my previous Organic Run:
https://www.rollitup.org/index.php?threads/930415/
and my previous QuadStrain grow :
https://www.rollitup.org/index.php?threads/916619/
and my previous TriStrain grow :
https://www.rollitup.org/index.php?threads/883569/

 

[hyroot]

It's a worms life.

 

[DonTesla]

@calliandra @Chunky Stool
Now how can they be white worms when all that was used to start this farm was a pound of reds.. And all theyve been fed is veggies from the juicer.. note all the wiggler cocoons, they are coming out clear, then go white then yellow then red.

 

[giglewigle]

im struglin with my bin atm im gunna get some laying mash and see if that helps em produce more coccoons to get the numbers up i try not to fuck with it tho i had some potato peelings in there that i i dident blend and freeze and thaw lol there was a lot of em tring to sprout so castings must be goot for propagation lol theres all this white fluff idk if its myceliem or mold or whatever but after looking at knf stuff im not really wurried kinda paranoind 2 harvest the castings iv got one of thos ones thats got trays shoould i be harvesting the bottem one and only be putting food in the top considering buying more my numbers a defenetly down from the 1000 i satarted with tho the place i found tjat seems 2 be reputable sells a mix of reds tigers and afican ones and im not really 100 percent what thay all where off the top of my head im should i stick with one species ? Wish id bought i phisycal copy of that worms eat my garbege insted of peordering it on kindle lol owell comes out soon

 

[Chunky Stool]

View attachment 4032838

@calliandra @Chunky Stool
Now how can they be white worms when all that was used to start this farm was a pound of reds.. And all theyve been fed is veggies from the juicer.. note all the wiggler cocoons, they are coming out clear, then go white then yellow then red.

That looks really wet!
I've never seen worms like that in my bin.
I add bedding with fresh scraps, which helps keep it from going anaerobic. I still get some liquid out of the bottom but it smells like dirt -- no stink.
If your bin has gone anaerobic, the worm juice will smell rotten to the max.

 

[giglewigle]

is it safe 2 say tho if the bin only has smels tnat smell good the its safe

 

[Chunky Stool]

is it safe 2 say tho if the bin only has smels tnat smell good the its safe

Only the fresh stuff on top should stink -- and that's preventable.

 

[giglewigle]

Only the fresh stuff on top should stink -- and that's preventable.

okay nothing has stunk in mine not even tje potato peels that have been in there for months actually when i got tje white fuzzy stuff there was a bit of that wet damp smell but every one saed that was fine the fuzzy shit not the smell i dont think its there any more tho i should probly go nd check that

 

[DonTesla]

That looks really wet!
I've never seen worms like that in my bin.
I add bedding with fresh scraps, which helps keep it from going anaerobic. I still get some liquid out of the bottom but it smells like dirt -- no stink.
If your bin has gone anaerobic, the worm juice will smell rotten to the max.

Babies love it wet apparently, this is the wettest layer, the one right below the food, with 100x the worms and cocoons, interestingly enough, no fruit has been introduced to this farm

 

[giglewigle]

just cheked my bin no white stuff any more and no bad smell lol theres all these potato peelings sprouting tho im going to put some of them in the potato bag iv got

 

[calliandra]

View attachment 4032838

@calliandra @Chunky Stool
Now how can they be white worms when all that was used to start this farm was a pound of reds.. And all theyve been fed is veggies from the juicer.. note all the wiggler cocoons, they are coming out clear, then go white then yellow then red.

The white worms, along with white mites, are populations that show up all on their own, and they come and go with the foods being added.
In my bin (which has been vegetarian this past year), the mites turn up pretty much always when feed is added (I've also read the mites appear when we've overfed, which could be, as I am always in a hurry for more VC lol), the white worms only on occasion. I remember reading that they like acidic conditions - mites and whiteworms alike. I have the impression the white worms show up under more specific conditions than the mites, but haven't paid close enough attention to be able to confirm that with specifics. (Ah the world is soo full of fascination and mystery! )

What I can confirm, is that these guys are beneficial
The only difference being, that their digestive tract is composed differently and so they are more like pre-shredders. The compost worms should then have the opportunity to rework what they've been at to kill off any pathogens and add whatever enzymy goodness they do to cultivate a beneficial mix of microbes.

And yes, you're about to get an explosion of reds too, haha!
How many babies per egg again? I think it was something like 4 on average that hatch per coccoon..

Your bin may or may not be too wet, pictures are often deceptive especially regarding that

I add bedding with fresh scraps, which helps keep it from going anaerobic.

I do that too and can only recommend it!
A bin doesn't have to have any runoff at all.
But please let's not call it worm juice, makes it sound so much nicer than it usually can be expected to be!
Cheers!

 

[hyroot]

View attachment 4032838

@calliandra @Chunky Stool
Now how can they be white worms when all that was used to start this farm was a pound of reds.. And all theyve been fed is veggies from the juicer.. note all the wiggler cocoons, they are coming out clear, then go white then yellow then red.

The white worms, along with white mites, are populations that show up all on their own, and they come and go with the foods being added.
In my bin (which has been vegetarian this past year), the mites turn up pretty much always when feed is added (I've also read the mites appear when we've overfed, which could be, as I am always in a hurry for more VC lol), the white worms only on occasion. I remember reading that they like acidic conditions - mites and whiteworms alike. I have the impression the white worms show up under more specific conditions than the mites, but haven't paid close enough attention to be able to confirm that with specifics. (Ah the world is soo full of fascination and mystery! )

What I can confirm, is that these guys are beneficial
The only difference being, that their digestive tract is composed differently and so they are more like pre-shredders. The compost worms should then have the opportunity to rework what they've been at to kill off any pathogens and add whatever enzymy goodness they do to cultivate a beneficial mix of microbes.

And yes, you're about to get an explosion of reds too, haha!
How many babies per egg again? I think it was something like 4 on average that hatch per coccoon..

Your bin may or may not be too wet, pictures are often deceptive especially regarding that


Cheers!

Red wigglers are always red even right out of the cacoon. The white worms in your bin are pot worms. They show up when the ph gets low. Red wigglers hate low ph and pot worms love it. They are not harmful. They feed on organic material at an extremely slower rate. But you do not want them. If they are present then the red wigglers will die off. Red wigglers can't survive for very long in a low ph environment.

You need to add the same amount of carbon ( coco, cardboard, brown leaves) as greens to keep the balance. To get rid of the pot woms and raise the ph add a bunch pulverized egg shells and the pot worms will be gone in a week. You should add egg shells when you add veggie scraps.

Fyi left over sst scraps are very acidic. Adding that to your bin will make the pot worms show up the next day.

 

[Fastslappy]

Fyi left over sst scraps are very acidic. Adding that to your bin will make the pot worms show up the next day.

When I do corn sst I Don't strain at all , all solids left after the long bender action is poured out on to top dressing, u don't let the corn tap roots get long at all as the longer it is the lower the enzyme levels r in the seed , I learned this after studying how they make malted grains for brewing beer, the Brewers r after the highest enzyme. Level possible , as those
enzymes r what changes starches to sugars ,ie helps speed the break down of yer soil additives ,old roots , mulch
When I first see root nubs on all the corn stock .I blend

 

[Tyleb173rd]

I want to do another bin but I don’t want any food trim in it. I’d like to do it the way casting companies do their worms but on a very small scale and with minimal bugs. Can anyone point me in the right direction? The goal is to have castings that are “bug” free that go into my rooms and then my current bin would be for teas and outdoors.

 

[Fastslappy]

I want to do another bin but I don’t want any food trim in it. I’d like to do it the way casting companies do their worms but on a very small scale and with minimal bugs. Can anyone point me in the right direction? The goal is to have castings that are “bug” free that go into my rooms and then my current bin would be for teas and outdoors.

Ya do know that when a worm bin Is done there aren't any "bugs" left alive
The casting companies all have low quality inputs soo yer wanting to make a low quality product ?

 

[Tyleb173rd]

Ya do know that when a worm bin Is done there aren't any "bugs" left alive
The casting companies all have low quality inputs soo yer wanting to make a low quality product ?

I have a stackable worm bin. Every few days I refeed the worms with once frozen food trim purée. The bugs are always there as long as there’s some organic material.

I want to do stackable bins and harvest castings as fast as possible.

 

[Chunky Stool]

Red wigglers are always red even right out of the cacoon. The white worms in your bin are pot worms. They show up when the ph gets low. Red wigglers hate low ph and pot worms love it. They are not harmful. They feed on organic material at an extremely slower rate. But you do not want them. If they are present then the red wigglers will die off. Red wigglers can't survive for very long in a low ph environment.

You need to add the same amount of carbon ( coco, cardboard, brown leaves) as greens to keep the balance. To get rid of the pot woms and raise the ph add a bunch pulverized egg shells and the pot worms will be gone in a week. You should add egg shells when you add veggie scraps.

Fyi left over sst scraps are very acidic. Adding that to your bin will make the pot worms show up the next day.

This is very possible since I add a little oyster shell & neem every time I mix a batch of worm salad.

 

[Chunky Stool]

I have a stackable worm bin. Every few days I refeed the worms with once frozen food trim purée. The bugs are always there as long as there’s some organic material.

I want to do stackable bins and harvest castings as fast as possible.

I've got 8 trays in my stack and have found that it's best not to harvest them too quickly. I do one tray about every three weeks, then age the castings a few more weeks before using them. This gives bugs time to finish their business and leave.
I recently noticed that my geraniums were starting to sag & get brown leaves. I fed em some diluted poop juice from my worm bin and they perked up, big time! It's unusual for them to still be blooming for Halloween!
Already got kale ready to replace the geraniums but they'll have to wait a little longer...

 

[Tyleb173rd]

I've got 8 trays in my stack and have found that it's best not to harvest them too quickly. I do one tray about every three weeks, then age the castings a few more weeks before using them. This gives bugs time to finish their business and leave.
I recently noticed that my geraniums were starting to sag & get brown leaves. I fed em some diluted poop juice from my worm bin and they perked up, big time! It's unusual for them to still be blooming for Halloween!
Already got kale ready to replace the geraniums but they'll have to wait a little longer...
View attachment 4033126

Ah ha.....so it’s a good thing to age the castings once removed from the trays? Superb!!