Vermicomposters Unite! Official Worm Farmers Thread

[Wetdog]

Yeah, worms don't care for acidic conditions, liking it more towards neutral pH, or at least close.

I use a peat based bedding similar to a base soil mix (Peat moss, perlite, lime), along with a little kelp meal and neem to jump start the microbes and make ~15 gallons at a pop.

This not only gives me a constant when adding various amendments/foods, but also something close to my soil mix for 'short term' bins that are more VC than pure castings.

Have 6 bins (totes), 3 'long term' (more than 6 months between harvest), that are both used as nurserys and for EWC and 3 'short term' (harvest at ~3 months), for top dressing VC.

The long term bins get dusted with a bit of lime after 3 months or so. Even with lime added initially the bins tend to the acidic from the constant moisture and added organic amendments breaking down, not to mention the peat breaking down as well.

Just remember, with calcium carbonate, no matter the source, it's all about mesh size. About the consistancy of flour is best, but at least as fine as corn meal. Otherwise, it just sits.

Eggshells are fine IF you can grind them fine enough, but usually pulverized/ground, dolomite, Ag lime, or oyster shell flour is easier and more convienent to use. Cheaper also if you have to replace a ruined spice grinder. LOL

I would imagine it would also work as grit for the worms, but I add play sand for this, so can't speak with certainty.

But, if you see pot worms, you need some liming agent, whatever your choice.

 

[DrCannaPath]

View attachment 4032838

@calliandra @Chunky Stool
Now how can they be white worms when all that was used to start this farm was a pound of reds.. And all theyve been fed is veggies from the juicer.. note all the wiggler cocoons, they are coming out clear, then go white then yellow then red.

Those white worms are fine in there ... probably a little acidic and wt ... they came with the worms when ya got them probably. Btw i see lots of worm cacoons in there

Check out my current Organic Fruit Garden:
https://www.rollitup.org/index.php?threads/945580/
and my previous Organic Run:
https://www.rollitup.org/index.php?threads/930415/
and my previous QuadStrain grow :
https://www.rollitup.org/index.php?threads/916619/
and my previous TriStrain grow :
https://www.rollitup.org/index.php?threads/883569/

 

[DonTesla]

Those white worms are fine in there ... probably a little acidic and wt ... they came with the worms when ya got them probably. Btw i see lots of worm cacoons in there

Check out my current Organic Fruit Garden:
https://www.rollitup.org/index.php?threads/945580/
and my previous Organic Run:
https://www.rollitup.org/index.php?threads/930415/
and my previous QuadStrain grow :
https://www.rollitup.org/index.php?threads/916619/
and my previous TriStrain grow :
https://www.rollitup.org/index.php?threads/883569/

They're actually on an alkaline diet but perhaps they are white worms, I have separated some to see what happens in time. Thanks for chiming in, mate. Anyone know the technical name for these whites?

 

[Chunky Stool]

They're actually on an alkaline diet but perhaps they are white worms, I have separated some to see what happens in time. Thanks for chiming in, mate. Anyone know the technical name for these whites?

Cracker worms?

 

[DonTesla]

Cracker worms?

aha, shit

 

[DonTesla]

Red wigglers are always red even right out of the cacoon. The white worms in your bin are pot worms. They show up when the ph gets low. Red wigglers hate low ph and pot worms love it. They are not harmful. They feed on organic material at an extremely slower rate. But you do not want them. If they are present then the red wigglers will die off. Red wigglers can't survive for very long in a low ph environment.

You need to add the same amount of carbon ( coco, cardboard, brown leaves) as greens to keep the balance. To get rid of the pot woms and raise the ph add a bunch pulverized egg shells and the pot worms will be gone in a week. You should add egg shells when you add veggie scraps.

Fyi left over sst scraps are very acidic. Adding that to your bin will make the pot worms show up the next day.

Thanks for chiming in Hy

FYI This is a worm farm that I am taking over and this is the state its in from when I showed up..
Its my understanding that they are on a very alkaline diet, 5 vegetables only.. and a bit of leaf mould dirt. So it should be very stable, ph wise, especially since they are tomato free and pineapple / fruit free, etc.

Since I took over I cut the farm with a de-compacting agent (organic buckwheat hulls as well as rice hulls).
I will add some eggshell flour once I have some more stocked up too.

But the part I beg to differ is that baby worms actually come out clear, at least in my farms, as Ive always had a tonne of cocoons and therefor was afforded the opportunity to see many hatch straight from the egg so to speak. Although diet can affect colour, a lot of people use cow manure for example, that can cause red tinges as well as purple in adults, ime.

Another thing that I have noticed is that the wigglers are preferring to lay their eggs on this very moist layer, where the thousands of small worms are concentrated, whether pot worms or not, they seem to be getting along very nicely, almost like they are babysitting them with love.

Final note, no SST scraps here, just fresh alkaline scraps from the juicer for human consumption.

To clarify matters a bit more, I will test pH tomorrow and see what that says..
Cardboard though, I dont like personally, I see that as an inferior input imo. Once I saw videos of cardboard fed farms and non cardboard, years later, the choice was clear to me that I would avoid it from then on.
Thanks again for your inputs, though, always appreciate your point of views on organics!

Don

 

[DrCannaPath]

They're actually on an alkaline diet but perhaps they are white worms, I have separated some to see what happens in time. Thanks for chiming in, mate. Anyone know the technical name for these whites?

Theure called pot worms or potworms

Check out my current Organic Fruit Garden:
https://www.rollitup.org/index.php?threads/945580/
and my previous Organic Run:
https://www.rollitup.org/index.php?threads/930415/
and my previous QuadStrain grow :
https://www.rollitup.org/index.php?threads/916619/
and my previous TriStrain grow :
https://www.rollitup.org/index.php?threads/883569/

 

[calliandra]

Anyone know the technical name for these whites?

Yes they belong to the enchytraeids (though that didn't help me on much back when I researched them ha)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enchytraeidae

Another thing that I have noticed is that the wigglers are preferring to lay their eggs on this very moist layer,

I was actually a bit surprised, I was trying to find out whether Eisenia hortensis (I think they're the european nightcrawlers) need a different kind of care than the red wigglers, and read that the wigglers can deal with up to 80-90% humidity!! (As opposed to the nightcrawlers, who prefer less heat and less moisture and prefer more woody food sources too..)

Which leads me to a question regarding literature on the different worm species we can use for composting! Anyone know of a good book or website that covers that, or is this yet another of those things we don't really know much about yet?
Cheers!

 

[Chunky Stool]

Yes they belong to the enchytraeids (though that didn't help me on much back when I researched them ha)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enchytraeidae


I was actually a bit surprised, I was trying to find out whether Eisenia hortensis (I think they're the european nightcrawlers) need a different kind of care than the red wigglers, and read that the wigglers can deal with up to 80-90% humidity!! (As opposed to the nightcrawlers, who prefer less heat and less moisture and prefer more woody food sources too..)

Which leads me to a question regarding literature on the different worm species we can use for composting! Anyone know of a good book or website that covers that, or is this yet another of those things we don't really know much about yet?
Cheers!

The last few times I harvested trays I noticed at least 100 worms hanging out in the wettest part of my worm bin -- at the bottom next to the spigot. There's usually some liquid down there but none of them had drowned.
Weird.

 

[Fastslappy]

Guys r now vermicomposting their outdoor bags
They start with thermo composted material
Add amendments to feed the worms & buy a huge bag of red wigglers , then tarp it , but keep it moist
Coot's noted that his last run was done this way

 

[Fastslappy]

Locals ,earth worms r meant to be in soil , redwigglers r the decaying masters at eating in all sorts of conditions, I threw hundreds of locals in my bins none survived, masses of wigglers ,even swimming in the run off tray did . D
Had a red mite invasion but as soon as it sweeter with coco bedding they left, did u know those red mites kill fungus flies larvels

 

[giglewigle]

Locals ,earth worms r meant to be in soil , redwigglers r the decaying masters at eating in all sorts of conditions, I threw hundreds of locals in my bins none survived, masses of wigglers ,even swimming in the run off tray did . D
Had a red mite invasion but as soon as it sweeter with coco bedding they left, did u know those red mites kill fungus flies larvels

my tumbler witch had a mix cooking got infested with knats the explosed with mites then i noteced the knats where gone then the mite population left im sure there where one or 2 but doas it soumd like tjats the case eather way i think its pretty fasanating

 

[Fastslappy]

I bought a ssp of soil mite for fungus fly, I swear they r the same , even soo much I collected both, look the same , I found if leave small flat chunks of wood laying on yer mulch they hide under it during the day , they reek havoc at night , pill bugs will hide with em too , I pick up the wood it's a carpet of red bodies moving where the wood was
They started running like hell in the light
I found this by accident the wood chunk was a non carbonized charcoal chunk , I picked it up to clear the soil of it ,boom mite villa party under da wood

 

[hillbill]

Just starting a bin, typical 5 drawer, got a couple pounds of red wigglers and there were some euros in the mix, feeding and added a drawer simply for room and ease moisture mixing in dry paper. All seems well with some casting accumulation. This will be fun! Been using castings for ten years on herb and flowers also. Hope I can keep 'em livin'!

 

[Tyleb173rd]

Suggestions please...
My stackable worm bin is doing welll but I would like another bin. This time I’d like something more efficent and cheaper. Ideally.....I’d love to have multiple bins that I rotate through with a constant supply of good compost.

 

[Chunky Stool]

Suggestions please...
My stackable worm bin is doing welll but I would like another bin. This time I’d like something more efficent and cheaper. Ideally.....I’d love to have multiple bins that I rotate through with a constant supply of good compost.

Just buy new trays for $5 each & start a new bin.
That's the dirty little secret of the 'Worm Factory 360'.
The entire thing costs $100 but the four trays only cost $20. So I paid $80 for the plastic stand & a lid.

 

[Tyleb173rd]

Just buy new trays for $5 each & start a new bin.
That's the dirty little secret of the 'Worm Factory 360'.
The entire thing costs $100 but the four trays only cost $20. So I paid $80 for the plastic stand & a lid.

I just bought another whole bin from Ebay for 1/3the original price...and I put a bid on another one. It seems like a good deal.

 

[Mohican]

I am using my compost tumbler. They love it in there. Rotten apples are always full of worms and babies.

 

[Fastslappy]

Got a 50 lb bag of laying mash

 

[DonTesla]

The last few times I harvested trays I noticed at least 100 worms hanging out in the wettest part of my worm bin -- at the bottom next to the spigot. There's usually some liquid down there but none of them had drowned.
Weird.

They seem to love it moist, it seems as once there is ample food and moisture, they go nuts and proliferate the babies and lay extra cocoons immediately. We just set up a new farm and watered and fed it, and there are new cocoons everywhere, just 24 hours later, and its wetter than I was gonna suggest!