Vermicomposters Unite! Official Worm Farmers Thread

calliandra

calliandra

Well-Known Member
Mohican said:
I am using my compost tumbler. They love it in there. Rotten apples are always full of worms and babies.
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ha! I got a little surprise when harvesting my pumpkins yesterday - one of them had grown laying on its side and with the cold weather and the wilting of the plant, it had fallen over onto its stem.

I can only say, don't leave pumpkins lying on the ground stem-down, the critters will go for them immediately. ;)

But aside from that lesson, I got a good laugh too: there were compost worms (a lovely slender, unicolor dark red variety) getting all into the pumpkin too!!

So adding those nibbled parts of the pumpkin to the bin is going to unleash a wild orgy in there I think! :blsmoke:

Oh. And just to embellish the thread with some worm pix:
happy worms - I was actually trying to get a pic of the little black beetle-like bugs there - there are 2 - but ohwell!:bigjoint:
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MustangStudFarm

MustangStudFarm

Well-Known Member
So, I finally started getting my soil tested. I use composted rabbit/chicken manure and they are usually high in Potassium and Phosphorous to begin with, right. I was also using coco coir based worm castings and I had a BUNCH of it, so I would give a generous top-dressing when I did my final transplant into the flowering container. I ended up with a bad case of Potassium toxicity and I was dealing with it for about 2yrs now... Anyways, I thought that I would share my struggles with others! I seem to learn by fucking everything up...
 
Fastslappy

Fastslappy

Well-Known Member
MustangStudFarm said:
So, I finally started getting my soil tested. I use composted rabbit/chicken manure and they are usually high in Potassium and Phosphorous to begin with, right. I was also using coco coir based worm castings and I had a BUNCH of it, so I would give a generous top-dressing when I did my final transplant into the flowering container. I ended up with a bad case of Potassium toxicity and I was dealing with it for about 2yrs now... Anyways, I thought that I would share my struggles with others! I seem to learn by fucking everything up...
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So how do fix that soil ? Let the rain get to it ?
 
MustangStudFarm

MustangStudFarm

Well-Known Member
Fastslappy said:
So how do fix that soil ? Let the rain get to it ?
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Man, I found out that K is one of those that does NOT leach from the soil. It likes to stick around. I cut my compost with ProMix and extra aeration now. 1:1:1 with 50% aeration total because my CEC was high... I was also low on trace minerals, so I added kelp...
DSC00832.JPG
This is the soil test before I added the worm castings, I couldn't find the pic that I took of that test...
 
Tyleb173rd

Tyleb173rd

Well-Known Member
MustangStudFarm said:
Man, I found out that K is one of those that does NOT leach from the soil. It likes to stick around. I cut my compost with ProMix and extra aeration now. 1:1:1 with 50% aeration total because my CEC was high... I was also low on trace minerals, so I added kelp...
View attachment 4037717
This is the soil test before I added the worm castings, I couldn't find the pic that I took of that test...
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What did that soil test cost? And that sulphur.....
 
calliandra

calliandra

Well-Known Member
MustangStudFarm said:
Man, I found out that K is one of those that does NOT leach from the soil. It likes to stick around. I cut my compost with ProMix and extra aeration now. 1:1:1 with 50% aeration total because my CEC was high... I was also low on trace minerals, so I added kelp...
View attachment 4037717
This is the soil test before I added the worm castings, I couldn't find the pic that I took of that test...
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heyhey Mustang, long time no see :D
Wasn't that the test you had posted in that thread you'd started about it a while back?

Yeah that was definitely a great example of too much of a good thing! Good to hear you've managed to get it under control by dilution :mrgreen:
How are you managing this soil now? I imagine you'll be topdressing sparingly?!
Cheers! :bigjoint:
 
MustangStudFarm

MustangStudFarm

Well-Known Member
Tyleb173rd said:
What did that soil test cost? And that sulphur.....
Click to expand...
The test that is pictured is from Logan Labs and they charge around $50. https://www.spectrumanalytic.com/ is $25 but there is not graph and it really helps to understand the ratios. I finally had to do my own homework and just learn the stuff. I still have a lot to learn, but it is easier to look at the test numbers that are off and start from there. By the way, don't pay for the recommendations unless you are working an actual field. They will treat it like you are farming acreage and give you some BS chemical ferts to work with.
 
Mazer

Mazer

Well-Known Member
Stiring things up a bit.
Any worm enthusiast with vermicompost cinder block bed experience?
WhereMyGentleFellowsAt?
M
 
Mazer

Mazer

Well-Known Member
Thai_Lights said:
How long did it take you guys to harvest your first bin? I'm coming up on 4 months was thinking of harvesting at 5.
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Dear Thai_Lights,
What type of bin do you have? 4 months is a decent time provided you stop feeding one months prior to harvest the herds in order to ensure everything has been broken down.
How do you harvest?
I started to use this method and I find it very time efficient.

Wigglingly yours,
M
 
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