Vermicomposters Unite! Official Worm Farmers Thread

[Rasta Roy]

Harvesting my first batch of homemade worm castings! The straw still is there sort of but everything else is broken down. I'm just gonna screen it out.

Quick question though! So those bugs that show up when you've got too much food for your worms. I had some of those, but there numbers went down now that my bin has balanced out. However I still see some. Should I mix some diatomaceous earth with the castings before I use them? Or we'll those bugs not mess with my plants?

 

[DonBrennon]

IMO those bugs are either detritivores (eg, eat decaying organic matter) or predators, both beneficial to a living soil food web when you think about it.

 

[Rasta Roy]

IMO those bugs are either detritivores (eg, eat decaying organic matter) or predators, both beneficial to a living soil food web when you think about it.

That's what I was thinking but I just needed to hear some opinions thanks bro

 

[DonTesla]

And DE would be most effective as a 2 inch layer brotha..
unmixed with any organic matter since its the organic matter (soil) that supports evil pupae and larvae..

Cut the soil off you cut their life off!!

Congrats on your first harvest off your own farm G!

Best castings are live fresh ones from home!

 

[GreenSanta]

Guys dont use DE in the grow room are u crazy

 

[getogrow]

dont use de in or on worm bin. the bugs in most castings are a good biological part of your ecosystem. i like DE but its not good for the worms ....you can sprinkle it on your plants or on floor but imo its not great for the soil .





soil

 

[Joe Blows Trees]

Guys dont use DE in the grow room are u crazy

No explanation as to why?

 

[getogrow]

drys out the precious soil food web




soil

 

[GreenSanta]

Google it, if u care enough about ur patients lungs
...

 

[getogrow]

Yes , breathing it in is very bad for lungs but so is asbestos.
DE is heavy enough to not really "fly around" an breathe it in. And of course you don't want to put it on flowers.
Also it's not going to make it to your patients lungs. smoking it , is not the same as inhaling the actual dust. (of course i would never recommend putting it on flowers in the first place to be smoked.)

Also DE is good for you, so if its going into an edible , it's fine.




soil

 

[Rasta Roy]

Thanks for the advice boys!

If it were December instead of June you could probably see it in a photo but goddamn is my compost bin steaming! It's not remotely in the sun, all the heat is coming from decomp and boy is it hot!

 

[DonBrennon]

Thanks for the advice boys!

If it were December instead of June you could probably see it in a photo but goddamn is my compost bin steaming! It's not remotely in the sun, all the heat is coming from decomp and boy is it hot!

View attachment 3711958

Cooking nicely, my compost pile's gone cold cos my backs gone, I need to add some nitrogen and turn it, but I can't push the bloody lawnmower, never mind face turning 1m3 of compost

 

[Joe Blows Trees]

Cooking nicely, my compost pile's gone cold cos my backs gone, I need to add some nitrogen and turn it, but I can't push the bloody lawnmower, never mind face turning 1m3 of compost

Hope you recuperate soon.

 

[Rasta Roy]

Cooking nicely, my compost pile's gone cold cos my backs gone, I need to add some nitrogen and turn it, but I can't push the bloody lawnmower, never mind face turning 1m3 of compost

That sucks bro! I got these turning bins because I wasn't sure my back could take turning a pile all the time.

 

[GreenSanta]

Yes , breathing it in is very bad for lungs but so is asbestos.
DE is heavy enough to not really "fly around" an breathe it in. And of course you don't want to put it on flowers.
Also it's not going to make it to your patients lungs. smoking it , is not the same as inhaling the actual dust. (of course i would never recommend putting it on flowers in the first place to be smoked.)

Also DE is good for you, so if its going into an edible , it's fine.




soil

Yes I see u have no fucking clue what you are talking about. I am just trying to help the community...if u have ever worked with DE you would know it s fucking volatile.

 

[RuRu.The.Half.Elf]

Cooking nicely, my compost pile's gone cold cos my backs gone, I need to add some nitrogen and turn it, but I can't push the bloody lawnmower, never mind face turning 1m3 of compost

I see a https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00FREQBXE/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1466425831&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=leaf+mulcher+vacuum&dpPl=1&dpID=41gAhOcAJDL&ref=plSrch on your immediate Christmas list.
Edit: And a john deer rider too

 

[bmgnoot]

question for you guys. bit of a mishap..had my worm bin outside with a cover on it, and a tarp over it..rain still got in and flooded the bin overnight. just went out to put some food garbage in this morning to find it in a deluge of water. it has only been maybe a day and a half since the rain started but it still smells god awful. the drainage holes in the bottom arent really working so i just scooped as much excess water as i could into a bucket. hoping to let it air dry, add more bedding to absorb some moisture and bounce back.. but the question is can i use the drained water as a beneficial "tea" in any way? maybe dilute and put in my tea brewer to aerate for 24+ hours? trying to turn shit lemons into shitmonade

 

[Chronikool]

question for you guys. bit of a mishap..had my worm bin outside with a cover on it, and a tarp over it..rain still got in and flooded the bin overnight. just went out to put some food garbage in this morning to find it in a deluge of water. it has only been maybe a day and a half since the rain started but it still smells god awful. the drainage holes in the bottom arent really working so i just scooped as much excess water as i could into a bucket. hoping to let it air dry, add more bedding to absorb some moisture and bounce back.. but the question is can i use the drained water as a beneficial "tea" in any way? maybe dilute and put in my tea brewer to aerate for 24+ hours? trying to turn shit lemons into shitmonade

No need to dilute....you could aerate it...(maybe with some molasses) id just use it straight on my plants though...

 

[RuRu.The.Half.Elf]

My bin had a large die-off this week. 102*F peak with 98*f for the length of the days. I forgot to dampen and give them full cover.



I've added another 8L brick of coir to the bin, along with some whole frozen chunks of foods, zucchini, tomato, apple. I think this might be over doing it, but I also added, stoned minded, a pre-mix of..
2c Gaia Glacial Rock Dust
1c Fish Bone, Fish, Crabshell,Kelp, Alfalfa, Ahimsa Neem (meals) Oystershell Flour, Gypsum
1/2c (unknown) Bat Guano, Azomite
I bought it a few months ago and lately decided a different amendment approach. Figured spread it in the yard.. or worms. So I put it in the bin.



The bin wasn't working so I bought a baby pool. Mixing was much easier.



I noticed maybe 20% of the 1lb of worms I bought a while back. Found more fried worms too. But luck have it, some small sized ones (juveniles?) alive and some adults too. The lechate bin had lechate in it, but turned to a crumbly film.

Hope I didn't mess up on throwing the amendment mix in there.

---Other
Because I was in a mixing mood, I also mixed 2lbs each of Micromite, Azomite, Glacial Rock Dust and 1lb of Green Sand. It turned a few bag in boxes into one simple bucket with lid. Can't hurt, right?

I also played with some plastics, powerdrill, pipecutters and pvc. That's some P's. Best part is most of it for me was free.

Proto'ing Tumble Composter



7.5gal pool tablet bucket I thoroughly cleaned and let age for weeks with water till it turned green and washed again. I bought the 2in - 3/4 adapter, 2in 4way, 2in insert screen and the rest is misc 3/4 pvc I had laying around (different style caps/plugs, elbows)

Proto'ing 1gal Silo Brewer



All I had to buy was a 3/4in hose fitting.. 4-in pvc holds .65gal water a ft, and my length is 2.33ft (2ft 4in). Easily covers my desired 1 gallon. That goes to a coupler, 4in - 1.5 in adapter, 1.5 - 3/4in adapter. Thinking I might want to make a bucket device on top for possible foam overs. Maybe no middle man (the riser t and air pump connect) and move the air pump piece to the hose bib itself since it matches threads..

Also.. Return of the Slime Mold..




Where it was to where it now is.

 

[GreenSanta]

just harvested around 50-100 lbs of straight worms in a friend horse manure pile, just saying...