| 9/27/2012 1:04:29 AM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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cheridth
Monahans, TX
40, joined Feb. 2012
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ive started a small vermicompost system. Its a 15g rubbermaid tub. I put in 12 earthworms. I have ft n half layer of dirt. The food isnt disappearing fast as i thought it would. Should i put in more wprms? Do i need to water it everyday? I put a liter of water everyother day. The soil looks dry though. I dont wana drown em. Is any one vermicomposting n can give me some tips? Much appreciated.
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| 9/27/2012 7:34:04 AM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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shawnee_b
Edmonton, KY
62, joined Apr. 2010
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Think it needs drainage and you can use the worm juice as fertilizer.
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| 9/29/2012 3:30:21 PM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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stanley72553
Ringgold, GA
63, joined Apr. 2008
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 what are you feeding them im curious about that
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| 10/2/2012 2:12:05 AM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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cheridth
Monahans, TX
40, joined Feb. 2012
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I have drainage holes but no juice so maybe i need water more. I feed em grass cuttings, crushed egg shell potato peelings tea bags coffe grounds veggy peelings leaves. I checked em yesterday n dug round where i burried the food n found small traces of black soil so maybe tbeir doing ok.
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| 10/2/2012 12:01:43 PM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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shawnee_b
Edmonton, KY
62, joined Apr. 2010
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It may take time too.
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| 10/5/2012 6:20:49 AM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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rm_sanchez
Grand Rapids, MI
48, joined Oct. 2012
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Conventional wisdom on vermicomposting involves high carbon bedding like shredded paper or cardboard, at least 1 pound/1000 red wriggler/compost worms/eisenia fetida and no soil. It goes something like this:
Worms go in with shredded bedding and then food is added. This is a decent article:
http://organicgardening.about.com/od/compost/ss/setupawormbin.htm
You sound like you're taking an alternate approach. Some things to consider:
-earthworms live in dirt/red wrigglers survive in decaying plant matter (don't do well in dirt). If you used red wrigglers, they'll live above the dirt in the decaying food. You don't need the dirt for them. If you used earthworms they burrow in the dirt. Some worms (like nightcrawlers) burrow down many feet, so the 18 inches of soil you used might make them less than happy.
-earthworms breed at a prodigious rate, but starting with 12, and assuming it takes 2 months to double their population it would take about a year to reach around 1000 worms. Red wrigglers eat up to their body weight in food/day. Earthworms probably eat less per day (one reason for the red wriggler popularity), but weigh more. Red wrigglers are about 1000/pound. So it will take a year to get to 1 pound/food per day. It sounds like you've much more than a pound already
-The 12 worms will take a long time to deal with even a small amount of food, so you might find the bin starts smelling depending on how well it is aerated.
-Red wrigglers are quite happy to pack in together when conditions are right. I don't know whether earthworms share the same propensity. You might have to have a bin many times larger to get the same food processing power out of earthworms and not have them feel like they've got to move out west. However, they do say that everything is bigger in Texas...
-Depending on the earthworm breed, castings are deposited throughout the soil. You might be able to find casting piles on the soil surface, but they would be hidden by the food
-given your Texas climate, if you have access to the ground, you could make a compost heap and worms would naturally come to feed. The composti wouldn't be as good for gardening as the conventional vermicompost, but would still be very good.
-earthworms breathe through their skin and need moist conditions for respiration. There isn't enough oxygen in straight water, so that is why you'll see them come out of their burrows after a hard rain. If you see them coming out of their burrows, you're probably watering too much.
At the end of it all, if you're designing an alternate method of vermicomposting, I suggest a very tall glass terrarium kept in the dark. You can then monitor the worms and look at their burrows along the glass. You'd want to weigh out food, track moisture, pH levels and level of soil. You might find some new and wonderful things as people are generally not focussing on this approach.
Alternately, you could give your 12 pioneers a home in the ground and start over with the conventional approach which is well documented in the link above.
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| 10/7/2012 10:32:42 AM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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cupocheer
Assumption, IL
68, joined May. 2010
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| 10/8/2012 10:49:36 AM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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stanley72553
Ringgold, GA
63, joined Apr. 2008
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I think mabey put a spoonfull of flour or cornmeal in for food every so often might feed the worms also and it could't hurt
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| 10/13/2012 11:29:15 AM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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cupocheer
Assumption, IL
68, joined May. 2010
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| 10/13/2012 2:56:38 PM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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cheridth
Monahans, TX
40, joined Feb. 2012
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thank u rm, i will read the link. My 12 pioneers! They r having babies! I saw a very small one when i checked the food stash. The earthworms come from canada n r suppose to b for bait. They were very big, maybe two to three inches long and twice the roundness of my finger. I thought bout moving em to a plexi glass box bigger n more aerated but i have no dark place for them as i dont want em in the house. N it wud boil my worms. Ive been finding castings on the top too! I havent smelled anything to b worried over yet but i will keep an eye out. I have noticed that they r taking a while to eat. I put cornbread in a another corner for them in case they didnt like the other stuff. When the morning light hits the tub, i can c outlines of them stretched out close to the bottom. Lol the soil i used was from the back yard n i have grass sprouting in the tub hhhmm which gives me an idea for micro greenhousing hhhmm i wonder... Ive tried the compost heap with earthworm a few yrs ago. The birds
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| 10/13/2012 3:13:44 PM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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cheridth
Monahans, TX
40, joined Feb. 2012
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ate my worms n neighbors complaind n the city made me get rid of my heap, apparently everything is regulated n heaps r suppose to b in compost bins but thats ok now im not working 16hr shifts i can build on! Lol they didnt say i couldnt use a trashcan lol its wrks great! I have three inches round the tub with 3/4 inch holes drilled half inch apart n the lid is covered with holes and i leave the lid off for bout a half to hr everyother day to get a good fresh air exchange. I havent watered all week due to the storms n the box was well watered but not flooded probanly due to the holes in the bottom for the drainage. Ive already collected "tea" a few times n pour it at base of my trees. I also tried "free ranging" earthworms i put four boxes of 12 in front lawn. It worked for awhile then the birds came and after awhile i stopped seeing the worms. I plan on "free ranging" some more straight into the garden beds next spring n c if that helps. Thanks cupocheer, im a survivor KEEP UPTHE FIGHT
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| 10/14/2012 4:34:44 PM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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mrgatorman
Miami, FL
42, joined Sep. 2012
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| 12/9/2012 12:42:10 AM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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cheridth
Monahans, TX
40, joined Feb. 2012
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update: the cold came in and i lost two worms so far. Most of nov they were eatng like champs have lots of black dirt! But temps r dropping im seeing less movement they must b hybernating now. But doing good for the most part thinking of moving into shed cuz its warmer in there as we r expected to get snow soon.
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| 12/13/2012 8:03:42 PM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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uriahrose
FPO, AP
98, joined Sep. 2012
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I used the Rubbermaid 10 gallon bins which are find and stack easy, just bring them in when it gets real cold. It'll start smelling nasty if you try to add too much material too quick. I mostly used mine for kitchen waste (NOT meat) and it worked fine, but I had a couple bins to spread it around in instead of trying to load one down. I was using much bigger ones to start with but they were too heavy for the ex to move when I wasnt there.
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| 12/15/2012 11:06:27 AM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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sierratoo
Grande Prairie, AB
62, joined Dec. 2008
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do not use so much dirt to start out with!
I started mine with peat moss. Enough basically to pile up in one corner of container. Which covered the worms and the food they were being fed. Eventually I cut up newspaper to add to it also along with cardboard egg cartons ripped apart. Watch it closely with the paper in there cause u could get mushrooms. Yes I speak from experience!
my container is the shortest Rubbermaid Roughneck totes.... we work on litres up here so it's different measurements. Stands about a foot high.
My second container happened by accident as I thought I had cleared all the worms into the first one with the fresh peat moss. I just did not get around to adding the soil to my house plants or dump it in the garden.
It lay open and dry most of the summer on the living room floor. one day I dumped some of my water into the container and saw something move. These worms - they must have been babies when I cleared the box out - were surviving on dry soil (mostly worm poop as the guy who gave me the bin did nothing for 2 years) and nothing else to eat.
right now one container is on the bathroom counter with the lid off and the bathroom light on. It's rather moist in the container - ok soaking wet and thus the mushrooms - and the light keeps them in the bedding material.
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| 1/1/2013 4:25:57 PM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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cheridth
Monahans, TX
40, joined Feb. 2012
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lol mushrooms lol mine keeps growing grass lol lol lol i feel terrible i was diggng round to c if they ate their food down n cut one in half poor lil guy! Lolol i think the pigeons kno whats in the box i find them pecking at the lid!! this has been alot of fun! Lol i wonder if it counts for 4h lol that would b interstng but lol ive never heard of a best show in worms lol lol bet the director would laugh at me! Lol so maybe i will call him cuz he probably needs a good laugh!! I ll keep the paper in mind and idk u could use smaller containers. One been is enough for us. We r doing good so far, thank you all.
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| 1/1/2013 9:15:11 PM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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cupocheer
Assumption, IL
68, joined May. 2010
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I ain't comin' to none of y'alls house for dinner on spaghetti night!  ....  
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| 1/12/2013 6:46:56 PM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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cheridth
Monahans, TX
40, joined Feb. 2012
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| 1/31/2013 5:21:26 PM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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tardsmasher2
Douglasville, GA
54, joined Jun. 2010
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Put the worms in your mouth to get them warm first before you add them to your bins.
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| 2/7/2013 12:47:57 AM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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cheridth
Monahans, TX
40, joined Feb. 2012
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lol i thought u had to put em in ur mouth to keep em warm before ice fishng lol lol anyone kno that joke? Lol lol
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| 2/19/2013 3:46:05 AM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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cheridth
Monahans, TX
40, joined Feb. 2012
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updating. I have lots of really good black soil. Cant wait to use it!
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| 3/15/2013 11:41:14 AM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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sierratoo
Grande Prairie, AB
62, joined Dec. 2008
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remember to screen out the small worms and egg sacks!
make compost tea then dig the leftover into your soil.
want your worms to multiply then feed them a good slab of watermelon. They love watermelon. When conditions are right, they will multiply quickly.
sounds like u leave your bin outside....
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| 3/21/2013 5:11:30 PM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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cheridth
Monahans, TX
40, joined Feb. 2012
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yes its outside. Wheathered winter pretty good. Lol had to put a brick on the lid as wind got to it. Next month i clean it out n see how many there is. N start over again this time im moving into the shed cuz we had a mild winter this yr but next yr may not b so mild. Have lots of good black soil. Still gona go bait shop n get some to free range. I ll keep ya ll updated. This has been a fun experiement! Im glad they survived!
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| 4/6/2013 9:16:38 PM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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bluecougareyes
Chelan, WA
73, joined Nov. 2008
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I think mabey put a spoonfull of flour or cornmeal in for food every so often might feed the worms also and it could't hurt
'
Corn meal good idea. also make sure your corn meal and veggie scraps are put in the center of the barrel where the worms are actually hanging out. Dig a hole deep down to where your worms are hanging out ( where its moist and warm, put your worm feed / food scraps there as well as some horse manures is good too. Then cover over with the compost/dirt.
Adding some regular soil ( dirt ) is good to have in there too. Remember they will freeze to death in cold weather, so best in the fall, to build a 2 ft. high but 3 or 4 ft square wood box with a wood cover to shed away the rain or snow and set it on the raw soft ground ( loosen the soil with a turning fork if need be) and put the worms in there with the mulch/ dirt and lots of leaves on top for insulation from the cold for the winter, so if it's to cold they can go down deeper in the ground and protect themselves for the cold and possible freezing to death.
Good luck....
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| 4/6/2013 9:20:09 PM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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bluecougareyes
Chelan, WA
73, joined Nov. 2008
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lol i thought u had to put em in ur mouth to keep em warm before ice fishng lol lol anyone kno that joke? Lol lol
NO ! But I make a few small little cuts on the worms sides before putting on the hook, so there juices will go out into the water to attract the fish, fish have good cent smelling abilities. Try it You will like IT so will the fish !
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| 4/15/2013 5:56:57 AM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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cheridth2
Kermit, TX
40, joined Apr. 2013
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lol thanks Bluecourgareyes.
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| 4/26/2013 3:10:39 AM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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tardsmasher2
Douglasville, GA
54, joined Jun. 2010
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I just finish doing some planting in my first garden and I made my own compost the soil looks real good but noticed brown tips on some tomato plans thinking maybe Lime? Got some to help sweeten soil but weve had some chilly nights that could be it to.My piles were loaded with worm every shovel full had several...around here it is the red wigglers or redworms they are the workhorses and also quite a few Alabama Jumpers the digging champions my raised beds should do well if not this year next year.I think my first box should do good keeping fingers crossed.
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| 4/30/2013 4:45:36 AM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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cheridth2
Kermit, TX
40, joined Apr. 2013
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whenever i get brown tips its cuz water was on the leaves n got burned by the sun. I water very early in morng like between 5-6 depending on my sunrise time and very late in the eveng like hr before dark. Most diseases ive studied are under the leaves or on top of em, not jst in tips. Soil defeintcies usely wilt n shrivel my plants. Jst my experiences. Worms in the beds sounds awesome! i got a grub trouble going on!! Gons sprinkle in some dried n crushed eggshells! My lil worms doing good gona dump the box in june n start all over!
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| 5/5/2013 7:04:11 PM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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mem37814
Morristown, TN
77, joined Apr. 2013
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Turn your worm bedding,compost and make sure the bottom is dry or wet. I have raised worms and did not water as often as u are. thanks. I am enjoying everyone's post.
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| 5/26/2013 12:57:51 AM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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robb2k
Mocksville, NC
43, joined Oct. 2011
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ive started a small vermicompost system. Its a 15g rubbermaid tub. I put in 12 earthworms. I have ft n half layer of dirt. The food isnt disappearing fast as i thought it would. Should i put in more wprms? Do i need to water it everyday? I put a liter of water everyother day. The soil looks dry though. I dont wana drown em. Is any one vermicomposting n can give me some tips? Much appreciated.
12 worms doesn't seem like nearly enough. Are they red wrigglers? Those are the ones to use.
I have been researching this, I like the idea of the juice for fertilizer, I think like 5 thousand worms are used in most bigger tubs. Here's a decent video I ran across.
[Edited 5/26/2013 12:58:07 AM ]
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| 5/30/2013 2:32:38 AM |
Any tips for vermicomposting? |
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cheridth2
Kermit, TX
40, joined Apr. 2013
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Turn your worm bedding,compost and make sure the bottom is dry or wet. I have raised worms and did not water as often as u are. thanks. I am enjoying everyone's post.
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