Chronikool
Well-Known Member
Not really at all...nice earthy smells....unless you consider that an odor...?
Vermicomposters Unite! Official Worm Farmers Thread
- Thread starter Rising Moon
- Start date
NaturalWorksOrganics
Member
Love how my worm bin smells. I supplement the food with a special blend of alfalfa meal, greensand, kelp meal, crushed eggshell, and rock phosphate. I also throw in a handful each of perlite and coco coir every now and then.
turnip brain
Active Member
Old whirly coffee grinder for the eggshells here. takes 5 seconds!
Thedillestpickle
Well-Known Member
How do you guys feed your worms? I mixed up my half rotten foods scraps up with some shredded paper, just mixing and churning and squeezing everything together with my hands. Used enough shredded paper to achieve roughly a damp soil level of moisture, then simply dumped that into the bin on top of the rest.
That's it, simply mix food with bedding(shredded paper in this case)until not too wet, not too dry and then dump it in.
I've seen people use completely different methods, for example using the "bedding" only as a covering, and not mixing it in. I like the idea of mixing the bedding with the food to balance the moisture level and to increase airflow so it does not become anaerobic.
Is there a generally accepted best way to feed the worms?
How do you feed your worms?
I'm just starting my colony so looking for the best methods to learn
That's it, simply mix food with bedding(shredded paper in this case)until not too wet, not too dry and then dump it in.
I've seen people use completely different methods, for example using the "bedding" only as a covering, and not mixing it in. I like the idea of mixing the bedding with the food to balance the moisture level and to increase airflow so it does not become anaerobic.
Is there a generally accepted best way to feed the worms?
How do you feed your worms?
I'm just starting my colony so looking for the best methods to learn
NickNasty
Well-Known Member
I compost everything first then feed them the compost. I also amend my compost with alfalfa, kelp, comfrey, rock dusts, and some sort of calcium like oyster shell or crab meal. I have my compost tumbler in the basement and shred all my stalks leaves and use all kitchen/garden scraps and yard waste like dandelions, grass, leaves etc. My worms love it they give me about 30-40 gal of castings a month. I could get more but I don't need it right now and because its winter I don't have much yard waste.
DANKSWAG
Well-Known Member
Dill,
Food should be rotting, before placing onto of soil. Food should stay on top of soil to maximize bacterial breakdown with beneficial bacteria. It would help to accelerate decomposing by using homemade Lactic Acid Bacillus to ensure friend bacteria dominate. Burying food into soil could lead to build up of bacteria that would stink up the bins. Where LAB will neutralize those stinky awful bacteria.
Worm poop is toxic to other worms, thus most folks divide their bins in half and when worms finishing composting food on one side for a few months, the remaining food move to the other side. Compost and castings are collected under where food was and new bedding and soil for home away from food pile.
If you looked at any of my update, on this thread I took worm casting that were building up on one side where food scraps where laying on top of soil and worms had eaten and pooped. I move top layer of exiting food scraps over to other side and built a new bedding and soil where I have removed the castings and composted food scraps.
It is really that easy!
DankSwag
Chronikool
Well-Known Member
I dont agree...it will naturally decompose...
maybe you are talking of accelerating the process...but i dont want rotting food scraps hanging out in my kitchen..
How does leaving food on top of the bin maximize bacterial breakdown? I bury my scraps (in both my worm bin and compost) so it doesnt stink... and worms have better access to the food.
In my experience...this is not true at all...i have left a bin for about 7 months...and the population has increased...i have also built soil and added worms as part of my aeration, regulation nutrient regime...cooked for 2 months....they are very much alive when i go and use this soil.
DANKSWAG
Well-Known Member
Chronikool,
Everything I referenced is WSU certified.
http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/Redwormsedit.htm
DankSwag
Chronikool
Well-Known Member
Fair enough..you are entitled to your reference...
i've referenced real world experiences.
tikitoker
Active Member
hey folks, I have been following this thread for a little while now and I have a couple ?'s if you all don't mind. I have around 40 gallons of a 50/50 coco pith/rice hull mix. I added 1lb ea. of blood meal and bone meal(not from cows). 2 cups of kmag and 3 cups of azomite.
This is just the tip of the iceberg as to what will go in. I have a feed store in town and can source all amendments in bulk. The mix is in a 50 gallon trash can with hundreds of holes drilled in it.
Can I put the worms into the "HOT" soil or will this hurt them? The soil is not hot to the touch but I would image I will heat up to some degree, and if not, would the nitrate level (protein) be too high?
Do I HAVE to add "food scrap's" or will meals, rock dusts, protein powders, composted manures and carbohydrates (sugars)be enough to promote happy worms?
Basically I want to make a modified SS, but let the worms do the work. I really don't want it to get hot, that will kill of everything. That's why I drilled all the holes in the trash can,wuld prefer the soil web be formed along side the worms. Plus now I don't have to dump to mix or add any castings. Maintain moisture levels with AACT instead of adding produce, which has moisture content and from what I read, will add hydration to the bin and at times add paper to help even out the moisture. Any advise on this would be greatly appreciated.
This is just the tip of the iceberg as to what will go in. I have a feed store in town and can source all amendments in bulk. The mix is in a 50 gallon trash can with hundreds of holes drilled in it.
Can I put the worms into the "HOT" soil or will this hurt them? The soil is not hot to the touch but I would image I will heat up to some degree, and if not, would the nitrate level (protein) be too high?
Do I HAVE to add "food scrap's" or will meals, rock dusts, protein powders, composted manures and carbohydrates (sugars)be enough to promote happy worms?
Basically I want to make a modified SS, but let the worms do the work. I really don't want it to get hot, that will kill of everything. That's why I drilled all the holes in the trash can,wuld prefer the soil web be formed along side the worms. Plus now I don't have to dump to mix or add any castings. Maintain moisture levels with AACT instead of adding produce, which has moisture content and from what I read, will add hydration to the bin and at times add paper to help even out the moisture. Any advise on this would be greatly appreciated.
NickNasty
Well-Known Member
1.Can I put the worms into the "HOT" soil
They will migrate to cooler zones if the mix is too hot till things have started cooling off.
2.Do I HAVE to add "food scrap's"
No most commercial worm farmers have very bland food for there worms they will be getting plenty of nutrition from your amendments.
3.I have around 40 gallons of a 50/50 coco pith/rice hull mix. Basically I want to make a modified SS, but let the worms do the work.
The only problem I see arising is your worms will eat the coco/rice hull mix too and you may end up with 40 gal of worms castings and not a mix. I know I have worms in my soil bins and I have to add rice hulls to it before I transplant into it otherwise it is too muddy from the worms making it into castings.
They will migrate to cooler zones if the mix is too hot till things have started cooling off.
2.Do I HAVE to add "food scrap's"
No most commercial worm farmers have very bland food for there worms they will be getting plenty of nutrition from your amendments.
3.I have around 40 gallons of a 50/50 coco pith/rice hull mix. Basically I want to make a modified SS, but let the worms do the work.
The only problem I see arising is your worms will eat the coco/rice hull mix too and you may end up with 40 gal of worms castings and not a mix. I know I have worms in my soil bins and I have to add rice hulls to it before I transplant into it otherwise it is too muddy from the worms making it into castings.
tikitoker
Active Member
Thanks for getting back to me quickly. Good info! I Appreciate it Nick
Thedillestpickle
Well-Known Member
Interesting...Point # 3 I've been wondering about that for a while.
Thank you for that post
DANKSWAG
Well-Known Member
Hey a quick update on BIN 1 of my TWO BIN Worm System.
Worm castings are ready...
Check out the cut aways....
Making a new bed, shredded paper and cardboard soaked in alfalfa, kelp and neem.
Next a layer sphagnum peat moss with sprinkles of rock dust, basalt, oyster shell flour and gypsum.
Next a layer of Oly fish compost with slight sprinkles again of mineral amendments.
Note next pic shows my solution a take from flow through design which normally cuts out part of bottom of bin,
uses pvc as rail structure to lay across paper bags to build compost pile on, then as composting happens it settles paper
bags break down in compost and reach under and free compost with castings.
Well I've take the idea of the PVC as a support system and made it dual purpose by drilling holes in PVC to allow mass air flow through bottom bin.
The three pipes stretch across and hold weight of BIN2 that is its own composting BIN and I do not want it following through to BIN1, so bottom remains in tact.
This allows great airflow into the underneath bin that would normally not get enough air and potentially could go bad.
DankSwag
Worm castings are ready...
Check out the cut aways....
Making a new bed, shredded paper and cardboard soaked in alfalfa, kelp and neem.
Next a layer sphagnum peat moss with sprinkles of rock dust, basalt, oyster shell flour and gypsum.
Next a layer of Oly fish compost with slight sprinkles again of mineral amendments.
Note next pic shows my solution a take from flow through design which normally cuts out part of bottom of bin,
uses pvc as rail structure to lay across paper bags to build compost pile on, then as composting happens it settles paper
bags break down in compost and reach under and free compost with castings.
Well I've take the idea of the PVC as a support system and made it dual purpose by drilling holes in PVC to allow mass air flow through bottom bin.
The three pipes stretch across and hold weight of BIN2 that is its own composting BIN and I do not want it following through to BIN1, so bottom remains in tact.
This allows great airflow into the underneath bin that would normally not get enough air and potentially could go bad.
DankSwag
snowboarder396
Well-Known Member
Dankswag, everything I have found and read from numermous books says to bury your scraps. I guess there's no problem just putting it on top. You don't want your food sludge like and rotting just starting to decompose when you put it in. Hell you can put fresh food in as well but they won't move to it until it starts decomposing.
Now lets talk mites I know I have predatory mites in mine. The faster moving reddish brown and brown mites. Along with the very very slow white mites. I know when you first start up a bin you don't wanna feed to much as it can put thesystem out of balance and help explode the mite populations. Mine aren't to bad. It's a new bin just started last week. I've only fed one handful worth of stuff earlier this week. As of yesterday they were still breaking it down. Mixture veggies and some strawberries.. my question is those that keep your wormbin in the house and that have mites have you had them migrate out of the work bin at all? Mine is in the laundry worm adjacent the kitchen lol and the only thing I would hate is to find mites throughout the kitchen. I doubt they would leave the bin but was wondering everyone else's experience with them.
Now lets talk mites
I know I have predatory mites in mine. The faster moving reddish brown and brown mites. Along with the very very slow white mites. I know when you first start up a bin you don't wanna feed to much as it can put thesystem out of balance and help explode the mite populations. Mine aren't to bad. It's a new bin just started last week. I've only fed one handful worth of stuff earlier this week. As of yesterday they were still breaking it down. Mixture veggies and some strawberries.. my question is those that keep your wormbin in the house and that have mites have you had them migrate out of the work bin at all? Mine is in the laundry worm adjacent the kitchen lol and the only thing I would hate is to find mites throughout the kitchen. I doubt they would leave the bin but was wondering everyone else's experience with them.