Is the Lomi a Real Composter?
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- Опубликовано: 8 июл 2024
- Video Summary: I go over the Lomi, how it processes food waste, whether or not it produces real compost and whether you can use it to prepare food for your worm bin
Products Mentioned:
Lomi
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Urban Worm Bag
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Read:
Ultimate Guide to Vermicomposting
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Download the Ultimate Guide in PDF form
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Video Timeline:
0:00 Start of Video
0:21 What is the Lomi Composter?
0:45 How does the Lomi work?
1:20 Is Lomi's end product a compost?
2:58 Lomi "Dirt" vs accepted definitions of compost
3:45 Reviews on the Lomi from Redditors
4:54 Can I use Lomi Earth in my worm farm?
6:04 Download the Ultimate Guide to Vermicomposting
About the Urban Worm Company
Website: urbanwormcompany.com
Shop: shop.urbanwormcompany.com
Instagram: / urbanwormcompany
Facebook: / urbanwormcompany
Production Equipment I Use:
Canon DSLR Camera
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GlideGear Teleprompter
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Neweer Lighting
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Хобби
One more thing is that the output can actually start a thermophilic reaction and may reach high temperature. Always keep an eye in the temperature
I've stepped foot into vermicompost after getting a Lomi for Christmas. I did manage to kill off my first bin due to lack of moisture (multi faceted issue but the bottom line was I should have been watching it more closely). For round 2 my plan is to get the bin established with regular food scraps before adding in the Lomi dirt.
Yeah, I'd get a nice microbe population going first and then start adding Lomi Dirt.
Thank you for doing this video Steve. You nailed this perfectly! It's much lije taking a banana peel,
drying it out after it turns brown, and grinding it up. You can absolutely feed it to the worms as you said, "it's still green". thanks again for this video.
Thanks Pauly!
Awesome video, Steve! Congrats! Its so important to people be aware of these "composting machines". I definitely agree with you that using that machines are way better than sending organics to landfills! Vermicomposting the the shredded and dehydrated material is a great choice also!
Perfectly said! I WILL BE SHARING THIS!!!!
I've been feeding Lomi dirt to my worms for about 6 months and they seem to LOVE it. They get through the waste faster. I think the combo of Lomi + vermicomposting is an efficient way to get castings.
I add meat and bones and Lomi grinds it right up. I also like that it has a function for biodegradable plastics ... the worms seems to eat that stuff too.
Great to hear!
Hello Steve. I ran into an issue that is likely a rare one, but thought to post it here in case anyone else runs into it. A neighbor grew a tobacco plant, then decided he didn't want it and offered it to me for my compost pile. Sure, why not? Then I recalled that tobacco leaves can be used to make fungicide and insecticide. Uh-oh! Reading further, I ran across many references to the microbial killing effect of nicotine, and may also kill WORMS. So instead of being another composting ingredient, it likely has the power to stop or slow the composting process. I fished out the leaves I could find and all is well. Glad I did not add tobacco to my worm bins. So, put THAT in your pipe and smoke it!
Ha! I hadn't thought of using tobacco leaves but yeah....if I have something else I can put in my bin, I'd choose that for sure
My parents used to give tobacco to our dogs to kill tapeworms. Many parts of the world still do this. So, they definitely kill worms.
Don't be dissin' on my Lomi. ;) I agree that the Lomi pre-compost is in suspended animation, and it's not true compost. However, the Lomi Pods add beneficial microbes into the "dirt" that, when rehydrated, are activated and useful in whatever you use the "dirt" in. The "Eco Express" mode heats up too much and will kill the microbes in the food and pods, but the "Lomi Approved" and "Grow" cycles won't kill the microbes. They tell you to mix Lomi "earth" at a 1:10 ratio with soil to avoid the mold issue, and it works. I use it as fertilizer, mulch, compost, bedding and food for vermicomposting, sprinkle it on my lawn, and mix it as part of a DIY seed starting medium. I mixed Lomi into a potted plant that was almost dead, and it is now thriving!
Lomi doesn't smell if you use the activated charcoal that comes with it. The end result smells like bran. If it does stink, there's an issue with your machine, most likely the fan.
I have a Lomi, a Terraganix Bokashi, an Urban Worm Bag, an outside tumbler, and a 3-bin composter. The Lomi, Bokashi, and Worm Bag work synergistically - what can't go in my Lomi, can go in my Bokashi, and vice versa. My Lomi feeds my worm bin. They all feed my garden.
For me, the biggest benefit to having a Lomi is the convenience. I can't walk much right now, so every step counts. If something is going bad in the fridge, it goes in the Lomi before it makes a mess I have to clean up. I'm getting so much more done now, I can use the pre-compost at my leisure. I don't have to walk outside to the tumbler or composting bins, which really don't work that well in the PNW. Previously, I had my tumbler outside of my kitchen on the deck. Not only did it bring flies into the house every time we opened the door, but it ate through the wood on my deck when it rained and leaked. I don't have that problem with the Lomi, Bokashi, or the Worm Bag.
One last thing: Most people add half shredded paper and half green material to their Lomi cycles. So it's not just dehydrated food with beneficial microbes. It is carbon-rich, too.
A good healthy side eye, but better than straight throwing food scraps away & you can use the non compost to make vermicompost, great explanation of the Lomi's uses Steve!!🪱🪱🪱
My gardening class has been experimenting for almost a month using both a Lomi and a Foodcycler composters, for the food scraps collected from our school's culinary program, and then adding the dehydrated food waste into our vermicomposting bin. So far our bin has been fine. But I'm so afraid that something will go wrong, like the pH moving beyond the range that is comfortable for our worms. The posts below make me feel better that other's haven't had any problems, and I'm hoping our experiment works. We certainly wouldn't be able to add the same volume of food into our worm bin if it wasn't broken down in the tabletop composters first. Our class in the meantime grows microgreens, micro herbs and lettuce for the culinary program....so it's a nice food cycle to get their waste to feed our worms...which will make fertilizer for future plants the culinary program uses.
Thanks for the input Heather!
Steve, I definitely think there's an opportunity for these units to be used by places that do mass quantities of food preparation and/or stores selling produce. Imagine if they dehydrated waste instead of throwing it out back in a dumpster?? It's not the operating cost that stops me from going for this, it's the initial retail purchase price. I'm willing to wait for my food scraps to break down in a worm bin or my compost piles the old-fashioned way!
~ Sandra
How do the microbes repopulate in the dried Lomi Earth if it has been sterilized with the heat?
The sugars in the food would still be there, which means the microbes would have to start from scratch, I believe.
~ Sandra
@@dorkygreenguy 1. microbes are everywhere. For example, you can easily make a wild yeast sourdough starter at home. 2. the lomi earth is just dehydrated so maybe some trace nutrient loss via heat. That still a ton of sugars and cellulose which can be digested by these microbes. 3. just add water. These microbes will feast and reproduce and as long as there is food, they will not stop. These microorganisms do need water, not too much or they'll drown and not to little or they'll dry out.
If you really want to go wild, find out how many microbes YOU have on your skin. Your covered in it. Your GI has tons of them. That's what microbiome is referring to.. your GI friendly bugs. It's a very good thing. In fact, if you have a newborn delivered via c-section, now, they swab the baby with vaginal bacteria because it's protective.
A lot of these organisms have formed a symbiotic relationship with you. They protect you from the bad bacteria and you provide them food in the form of sweat, skin secretions such as sebum for example.
Thank you for sharing this very useful information.
You are very welcome!
Great video!!!
Thank you Jamie!!
Sorry i didn't realize you already answered my question
Thanks so much for this video Steve, I have the Vitamix Foodcycler, basically the same thing. I have more waste in the winter than my urban worm bag needs or my keyhole garden. In our soggy, humid, grey Northwest Coastal area I find normal composting difficult. My compost tumbler has had semi-composted material for 2 years and I'm still waiting for some decent compost. I have been lightly sprinkling this bi-product from the Foodcycler around the garden, I'm excited to try feeding it to the worms because I wasn't aware that was an option.
You got it Kathy!
Great information video as always 🇳🇿❤
Thanks DNA!
Great video! The only reason I would consider something like this is the ability to add meat, dairy products, pastas and flour products to my worm bin instead of sending it to a landfill.
Thank you for this awesome review; I believe I will continue to use my blender/ food processor...it's cheaper all the way around and doesn't lose any microbes like what happens when you dehydrate.
You got it Susan!
That is the answer I was looking for loss of microbes I will stay with my patio worm bins. Thanks. I also place food scraps for remote composting by local ordinances
I can see how something like this takes advantage of people not having enough knowledge to understand what they're actually working with. As soon as you said the word 'dehydrated' I knew it can't be compost. I dehydrate produce, so that's not compost, it's preserved. However, if you have the money to spend, & you don't have the space for a traditional compost pile, then I guess it's a good product to have.
Yeah that's kind of how I look at it too.
So basically, the food you put in, just becomes smaller dry food?
Pretty much, yes!
My wife bought one before talking to me and ive never been so disappointed. First of all, to make the actual best finished product, using the device as intended, takes forever. They have “quick” settings but the one that actually makes “lomi earth” or whatever is like a 12 hour cycle or something and it STINKS. The smell gave me the worst headache. I love the concept but i just dont see any real benefit overall tbh. Using electricity to grind and dehydrate seems very wasteful long term for a process that would happen naturally and probably quicker without the item. Also did i mention the smell?!?
Thanks for this! And I'm sorry for your experience with it. I've heard about the smell from a few folks as well.
I have a similar appliance, but a cheaper one, the Vitamix brand. I actually keep it outside under a covered patio because of the smell inside and it works fine for me. However I have never added dairy or meat.
If your Lomi stinks, there's a problem with your unit, or you need to put activated charcoal in the TWO containers. Some people aren't aware of the 2nd activated charcoal container on the unit. Most of the time, I can't smell it at all. If I can, it smells like baking bread, bran, or yogurt. It doesn't stink at all. If charcoal isn't your issue, then you might need to call their customer service department because your fan might not work. Their customer service department is phenomenal, but a little backed up right now. Also, if she bought it within the last 30 days, you can return it for full price. I hope that helps.
$500!!!!!
I think I’ll just stick to old fashioned vermicomposting
Big thanks! Very good us always!🪱
Thank you! Cheers!