100% pure earthworm castings.. alpaca gold.. ?? roots organic BIG WORM.. ?

TATTOODETROIT

Well-Known Member
what brand of earthworm castings are you guys getting around southeastern Michigan.. i want to use alpaca gold worm castings but they are sold out.. ! so instead i was thinkin bout just giving ROOTS ORGANICS Big worm a try..
 

TATTOODETROIT

Well-Known Member
WOW... !! so far wiggle worm's kickin roots organics BIG WORM'S ass.. lol.. damyum.. well i guess i'm gonna experiment with some different products and diff soil recipes to find what works for me.. only way to find out is if i just do it.. i had Jason up at hydrovision in belleville order me up some the pther day.. some good fella's up there.. i'm done with havin to order any equipment in the mail... i've found that prices are same the same or just alil more.. anyways..
 

gladstoned

Well-Known Member
Not me. I am buying ballasts $100-150 cheaper and buying hortilux bulbs for half the price. Grow Green Michigan in Brighton has Lumateks cheap and Raptors, so I have bought my last three of each there, but their bulbs are still $140 vs. $80.

http://stores.ebay.com/tinyspondworld
I buy a lot of shit through tinyspondworld. Any questions send Chris a message, tell him gladstoned refered you and tell him that he should send me a bunch of shit for telling everyone to shop with him. Oh fuck. Vortex fans too. I bought a 10" vortex for $190 lmao. The grow store wanted double!! 10 year fucking warranty. I bought a 4" for my tents I may show everyone tomorrow.
 

cleverpiggy

Well-Known Member
Most of the commercial worm castings are below average products (Wiggle Worm especially). The bigger producers feed the worms a steady diet of shredded paper and card board. Worm castings are only as good as the feedstock they were provided. Your best action is to start your own worm bin. This is as easy as buying some 20 gallon Rubbermaid containers and some red wigglers. A steady diet of fine organic waste products and great compost will give the most nutrient rich castings you have ever worked with. There is an extensive thread about this subject over at Grass City http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/334921-vermicomposting-make-your-own-worm-castings.html. This thread will blow your mind and make you rethink the way you garden organically. If you don't have the patience to read a long thread and think good enough is fine there are two brands that are recommended among some of the elite organic farmers, Vital Earth and Coast Of Maine. Also there is a company in Michigan called Morgan Composting that looks like they have a solid product as well http://www.dairydoo.com/Morgan_Composting/Home.html. I cant say enough about the quality of a fine home made worm bin casting.
 

gladstoned

Well-Known Member
Most of the commercial worm castings are below average products (Wiggle Worm especially). The bigger producers feed the worms a steady diet of shredded paper and card board. Worm castings are only as good as the feedstock they were provided. Your best action is to start your own worm bin. This is as easy as buying some 20 gallon Rubbermaid containers and some red wigglers. A steady diet of fine organic waste products and great compost will give the most nutrient rich castings you have ever worked with. There is an extensive thread about this subject over at Grass City http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/334921-vermicomposting-make-your-own-worm-castings.html. This thread will blow your mind and make you rethink the way you garden organically. If you don't have the patience to read a long thread and think good enough is fine there are two brands that are recommended among some of the elite organic farmers, Vital Earth and Coast Of Maine. Also there is a company in Michigan called Morgan Composting that looks like they have a solid product as well http://www.dairydoo.com/Morgan_Composting/Home.html. I cant say enough about the quality of a fine home made worm bin casting.
As soon as I heard start a worm bin I said outloud, Fuck that. lmao. After finishing it I am going to look into this. Thank You for the info.
 

cleverpiggy

Well-Known Member
As soon as I heard start a worm bin I said outloud, Fuck that. lmao. After finishing it I am going to look into this. Thank You for the info.
Dude that's so funny because I thought the same thing after it was suggested to me. I was like, man that is way too much work for something I can buy at the store. But after reading that whole 50 page thread on GC I was so geeked I built one pronto. Not only did I build a bin but I changed my whole attitude toward organic growing.
 

st0wandgrow

Well-Known Member
Most of the commercial worm castings are below average products (Wiggle Worm especially). The bigger producers feed the worms a steady diet of shredded paper and card board. Worm castings are only as good as the feedstock they were provided. Your best action is to start your own worm bin. This is as easy as buying some 20 gallon Rubbermaid containers and some red wigglers. A steady diet of fine organic waste products and great compost will give the most nutrient rich castings you have ever worked with. There is an extensive thread about this subject over at Grass City http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/334921-vermicomposting-make-your-own-worm-castings.html. This thread will blow your mind and make you rethink the way you garden organically. If you don't have the patience to read a long thread and think good enough is fine there are two brands that are recommended among some of the elite organic farmers, Vital Earth and Coast Of Maine. Also there is a company in Michigan called Morgan Composting that looks like they have a solid product as well http://www.dairydoo.com/Morgan_Composting/Home.html. I cant say enough about the quality of a fine home made worm bin casting.

Great info cleverpiggy! I have been sitting on the fence with this whole organic thing. I definitely want to try it, and in doing so I want to look in to some worm farming myself!

Are you are familiar with worm bins yourself? If so, how long does it take to collect enough castings to amend a good amount of soil with? I haven't read the link you provided yet, so if the answer is already there I apologize in advance ..... but I'd still appreciate your feedback.

Thanks!
 

cleverpiggy

Well-Known Member
Great info cleverpiggy! I have been sitting on the fence with this whole organic thing. I definitely want to try it, and in doing so I want to look in to some worm farming myself!

Are you are familiar with worm bins yourself? If so, how long does it take to collect enough castings to amend a good amount of soil with? I haven't read the link you provided yet, so if the answer is already there I apologize in advance ..... but I'd still appreciate your feedback.

Thanks!
I only have experience with the plastic storage type bins myself. It is basically a 18 gallon Sterlite brand bin with 1/8 inch holes drilled in the bottom and all around the top perimeter about 2 inches down. This bin is then inserted into the an identical bin with four inch blocks to act as risers. The four inch gap allows for the leachate ( liquid runoff ) to drip into the lower bin. I wish I would have exercised a little more patience before I hastily assembled my plastic bins because some of the wooden bin designs are great. My bin is only four and a half months old so my production isn't up to full speed although the vermicompost they have made to date is stellar looking. I'm thinking in four more months I should have a very descent amount, 8 gallons or so. St0 I am pretty much a beginner to the vermicomposting game. But from what I have read the time it takes to develop good castings depends on many variables like worm population, food quality and overall bin environment. I have started a Bokashi Bran compost bucket this is a method to create fermented compost. I have read the the worms will process Bokashi compost at rate of three to four times faster than typical composts and other raw materials. The Bokashi is a entire project on its own that has been a fascinating learning experience. I highly recommend you to read that link at GC on vermicomposting it is well worth the time investment. Just a side note pay close attention to a to a poster named LumperDawgz he is a Guru and one of the most knowledgeable contributors I have ever read on these sites. Hope this helps!
 

gladstoned

Well-Known Member
I am in some crazy pain today. I overdid it the last few days. again. lol. I am grabbing a notebook and checking it out for awhile. You definitely got my attention in two posts. Thank You for the LumperDawgz tip also that makes all the difference in the world. lol. +rep.
 

gladstoned

Well-Known Member
So I posted a few days ago that I didn't like my juicer because of all the pulp and rind of fruits and veggies that get thrown out. As I get my into that thread I see how this is coming together. Now I wonder if I will quickly have a worm bin, some rabbits and chickens? Will I constantly be playing with plants and shit from here out? Is it worth all the trouble? I think I will be finding out.
 

cleverpiggy

Well-Known Member
So I posted a few days ago that I didn't like my juicer because of all the pulp and rind of fruits and veggies that get thrown out. As I get my into that thread I see how this is coming together. Now I wonder if I will quickly have a worm bin, some rabbits and chickens? Will I constantly be playing with plants and shit from here out? Is it worth all the trouble? I think I will be finding out.
My wife stopped me at making a bin in the basement and starting a compost pile in the backyard. This is a good thing though because once I get going on a new project I get tunnel vision, the next thing you know I'd have a whole farm in my back yard. I gotta get sneaky this week when I bring home composted horse manure from a local farm. I already know when I use her brand new SUV to transport it I'm risking my life (LOL). Good luck on your worm venture GladStoned!
 

gladstoned

Well-Known Member
It's 61 pages. I have made it about 8, maybe 10. I already see this is going to happen. I suppose I need to make it in the garage. I'll run up to Tractor Supply in a few weeks and grab some chickens. I will have to find out first hand for myself.
 

st0wandgrow

Well-Known Member
I only have experience with the plastic storage type bins myself. It is basically a 18 gallon Sterlite brand bin with 1/8 inch holes drilled in the bottom and all around the top perimeter about 2 inches down. This bin is then inserted into the an identical bin with four inch blocks to act as risers. The four inch gap allows for the leachate ( liquid runoff ) to drip into the lower bin. I wish I would have exercised a little more patience before I hastily assembled my plastic bins because some of the wooden bin designs are great. My bin is only four and a half months old so my production isn't up to full speed although the vermicompost they have made to date is stellar looking. I'm thinking in four more months I should have a very descent amount, 8 gallons or so. St0 I am pretty much a beginner to the vermicomposting game. But from what I have read the time it takes to develop good castings depends on many variables like worm population, food quality and overall bin environment. I have started a Bokashi Bran compost bucket this is a method to create fermented compost. I have read the the worms will process Bokashi compost at rate of three to four times faster than typical composts and other raw materials. The Bokashi is a entire project on its own that has been a fascinating learning experience. I highly recommend you to read that link at GC on vermicomposting it is well worth the time investment. Just a side note pay close attention to a to a poster named LumperDawgz he is a Guru and one of the most knowledgeable contributors I have ever read on these sites. Hope this helps!

Awesome! I've been reading through that thread. Fascinating stuff!

Do you notice any odor from your bins? The biggest limiting factor looks like temperature here in Michigan, so I would imagine doing this in the basement would be best (plus it limits the possibility of bringing in unwanted pests). Is it stinky at all? Would the basement be OK for this?
 

cleverpiggy

Well-Known Member
Awesome! I've been reading through that thread. Fascinating stuff!

Do you notice any odor from your bins? The biggest limiting factor looks like temperature here in Michigan, so I would imagine doing this in the basement would be best (plus it limits the possibility of bringing in unwanted pests). Is it stinky at all? Would the basement be OK for this?

Yeah I was glued to that thread for an entire weekend must have read it three times. No surprisingly there isn't much of an order at all. It mostly depends on what you put in there. For instance I added some halved onions and these did cause a funk smell when you opened the lid and a small fruit fly issue. I removed the onions and the problem cleared up in about 5 to 7 days. I like to add fresh coffee grounds I collect all the waste grounds from work so I can average about a gallon per week. The grounds seem to really keep the bin very earthy smelling. But I will solidly say that there is no rank or foul odor from the bins like I said earthy is a better description. Mine is in my basement and it is doing just fine.
 

gladstoned

Well-Known Member
I only made it to page ten. I saw a nice cedar bin, I would like to go larger than that. I guess an obvious solution would be to double it, but I would like something pretty fucking cool. Any ideas? Where there a lot of set-ups in the next 55 pages? lmao. I have some help for the next few weeks and I could use a hand. Does anyone have any good prints or pictures of a some chicken coops and rabbit cages. I am thinking 4 hens and a rooster probably and 3/4 rabbits unless them fuckers are really really tasty then we may just have to adjust.
 

abe supercro

Well-Known Member
I need a worm factory minus an array of livestock or farm animals. definitely have the coffee grounds covered. maybe some of my rural neighbors can provide me with chicken shit. been settlin' for that wiggle worm, poop ina bag.
 
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