I Started with All Cocoons - Why Are the Worms Different Ages? Cocoon Bin Dynamics.
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- Опубликовано: 1 дек 2024
- Hi! You finally have a cocoon bin! Congratulations 🎉! But now it’s a few months later and you’re wondering why they’re not all adults. You notice lots of adults but also lots of younger worms, and maybe even some cocoons that haven’t hatched. What’s going on?
This video gives some insight into the how and why of cocoon bin dynamics 😊.
Have you seen different ages of worms in your bins even though they all started out at the same time? Did they REALLY start at the same time? Maybe not! Learn why this is actually the case.
Thanks for watching and please like and subscribe ❤️
Yours in the dirt,
Jayne
#redwigglers #vermicompost #cocoons #worms #composting
Very good explanation on what is going on in your nursery bins 👍👍
I can share a tip about having the worms all the same size. That is to use less bedding for hatching in. For me to have them all the same size after coming out of the nursery, I mix the cocoons in with 1gallon of bedding total, including the undigested and overly wet material per breeder bin. That way after 10-weeks the worms are all the same size. The thing is if less cocoons go in less worms come out, but the worms are longer and have more girth. If more cocoons go in, more worms come out, and they are smaller worms. The biomass of the worms is the same.
Another tip is not to have babysitters because the babysitters can produce fresh cocoons themselves. When I use 5 gal. buckets to hatch worms in, I mix in 1/2-gallon fresh bedding per breeder bin. Then again with the method of breeding I use, when I sift the breeders, I end up with precisely 2-3 cups of undigested/overly wet material littered with cocoons per breeder bin.
Then again none of it really matters if it is for fun and learning.
For me it is down to an exact science that is repeatable.
I really liked this video 👍👍
Enjoy worms and have a great Day!
Hi Worm for Life! So much good info on how you run your breeder/cocoon bins 👍. Thanks for sharing!!
That’s really interesting about a denser count of cocoons in less bedding helps regulate and standardize young worm size. That’s new to me. I’ll have to try that at some point 😊.
I used to put adults in as babysitters but had the result you described. I moved to using very young worms that are unlikely to mature during the nursery bin timeframe. I’ve also been know to pull the bigger worms out along the way as I check in on the nursery bin 😆.
I’m personally more interested in having fatter/larger girth worms so they throw off larger cocoons vs the worms being more uniform in size. At least at this point in my worm journey.
Please keep sharing!! And thanks for the positive feedback ❤️
Hi Jayne. I just wanted to tell you how much I have learned from watching your videos. I started my worm journey 4 months ago when I went to buy some worms castings and ended up buying a bin of worms instead. I have so much to learn. I have since bought red wigglers and European Nightcrawlers from Meme and they are doing good. I have started tabletop compost...and it actually heated up! Plan to add more into it. Hopefully next summer I will make veggie powder. But just wanted to thank you for all this great content.
@@SusanMendez-o9u Hi Susan! I love that you decided to get worms vs buying only castings 😍. Now you’ll have an ongoing supply instead of an ongoing expense 👍. Starting out right away making the pre-compost is a wonderful idea! It provides bedding g and food at a very young age low, if not free- cost and the worms love it 🥰. You’re off to a great beginning 😎.
I’m very happy that I’ve helped you get off to such a good start. I hope you’ll share your worming ups and downs as you continue on your journey 🤩🪱
Excellent video, Jayne, well done 👍
I need to let my bins dry out more so I can harvest Castings more easily. Good tips 👍
❤Peggy❤
More excellent information
Beautiful worms! Those big fellas look like they could be producing some new cocoons by now, Jayne. You could also use some of your lovely aged horse manure as both food and bedding in the migration zone. Bits of that leftover that get sifted would not matter one iota.
~ Sandra
Hi Sandra! Thanks! I think the worms look pretty good too 👍
I think you’re right - there’s breeder aged worms in that bin ❤️. I’m starting a new breeder bin - my 4th - and making a video on my process for this weekend! Stay tuned!
I’ve just started using the indoor table too pre-compost mixed with some cow manure (I don’t have horses😊) - aka my bedding mix - instead of the raw cardboard shred. I can certainly use plain cow manure as well but it’s so dry and powdery on its own that it’s a bit harder to work with. I wonder if plain coffee grounds would also be a good substitute for fresh cardboard shred…? I haven’t tested the moisture retention quality of coffee grounds. That’s really the main thing I want - for whatever I use to sop up the veg juice - and then secondly to be easy for the worm to gobble up.
Great one Jayne
Great information. I’ve just collect some cocoons to try to start a ‘nursery’ and was wondering what to do. Great timing Jane 👍👍❤️
Hi Linda! Ooh exciting! Keep us posted on how it goes! Seriously, keep us posted ❤️
Great vid. Them tagged notes help so much
Hello! I’m using more notes per bin than ever 😆. When you have more than a few bins it’s hard to remember what each bin is doing. A V, who is another content maker, uses a spreadsheet to track his bins! I’m not quite there yet 🤣.
Thanks for watching!!
Hi just started raising red wigglers
My question is you said worms eating the paper is because they are hungry. Mine are also eating the paper should I feed them more food?
Hello! If they’re eating the paper they are by definition hungry 😆. That doesn’t mean starving. They have their food preference just like you and me. Newspaper isn’t as nutritious as other food choices and offering something ‘better’, if you can, is a good choice. HOWEVER there’s plenty of evidence that worms can subsist just fine on carbon (newspaper, cardboard) as a sole food source. They like to eat paper but varied foods are always a good idea when possible.
I should have phrased what I said differently or more clearly on what I was thinking about the paper being decimated. I’m glad you asked about it and I hope I’ve cleared up the confusion I inadvertently caused. Thank you ❤️
I give them a worm chow I make every day and they eat it all. I will up my feeding thaks!
@@AlabamaPrepper788 That’s a good idea! Just up it a bit and see how fast they eat it. This is especially easy if you normally top feed as it’s easy to see how quickly they gobble it up. If you normally bury the food then try a trench feeding on a napkin or piece of paper so you can unbury the food/chow after a few days and see how much they’ve eaten.
This way you can adjust the amount as needed and get a feel for how much food they eat. ❤️
Thanks love your videos!!
It also might mean they need more carbon. That’s one thing I’ve found when they eat the top paper, usually there isn’t enough other easy to eat carbon. Newspaper is super easy to break down vs some other carbon material like leaves and other dry plant matter. Anytime I see a center hole in the paper I’ll add a pocket of just shredded newspaper and a few days later I’ll find a whole bunch of them in that spot. It’s fun to see. It’s odd since sometimes there’s plenty of other nitrogen rich food and other carbon materials.
I got a comment on one of my videos. The comments said that she thinks you and I are the worm queens of the Internet.🤩🥰🥹
Hi Vee! Really?! Wow! I’m flattered to be considered anywhere near your level🤩. Thanks for sharing that ❤️🪱❤️