How to Maximize Worm Population Growth
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- Опубликовано: 8 июл 2024
- How to increase worm population is one of the main concerns among beginner worm farmers. In this video, I share with you information about the worm developmental and reproductive cycle, and I share with you specific things you can do to maximize worm population growth. I share tips on how to optimize the conditions within your worm to increase population growth. When you approach your vermiculture system as a complete ecosystem, you start to think beyond worm castings and begin to understand how much you can do to improve worm health and enrich the lives of the worms in your composting system.
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Worm Farm Playlist:
ttps:// • Worm Farm and Bokashi ...
0:30 What to expect from your worms. Think optimization vs. multiplication.
1:17 Worm's life cycle
2:39 A thriving eco-system in your worm bin
2: 47 This is why it will become easier to create new bins from your first bin
4:59 What is the way to maximize worm population? Here are 6 elements you can optimize:
5:12 #1 Humidity Level
6:04 #2 Temperature
6:47 What to do if your bin overheat? Here is a quick trick that works!
7:38 #3 Create more habitats with a two-bin system.
8:43 #4 Bedding
9:20 #5 Ph or Acidity Level
10:27 #6 Carbon/Nitrogen ratio
What a cool clip at the very end! Like and Subscribe.
I share your videos with all my worm purchasing customers. Your videos are very informative and extremely professional! I agree with all of your practices. I do not sell online, only local as I sell the worms in their own bins' vermicompost so that when they dump the container into their new sterile bedding it will be inoculated from the container's contents. Keep the videos coming. We are on many of the same FB groups. I just wanted to say thanks!
Shar, thank you so much for sharing this!! I appreciate your feedback! I love this! Thank you!!! Please let me know if I can support your endeavors in any way.
Worm Bin Advanced Level: Optimize your DIY Worm Bin ruclips.net/p/PLJQ7A3Z50v5G9xnx4FaZ9-MvbgHgFLwF3
@@GardensofNewEngland Thanks Mr Cabas! I will now share your playlist. Happy wormin"~from Shar in Ontario Canada.
Thank you Shar!!
I saw that together its a bit too much but i found that making a medium size slow compster with really wet stuff makes great fly compster and they devuor a water melon in 12 hours i put in the morning and its full of larvae in the evening
Do you ship worms?
1. Humidity (80 %)
2. Temperature (50-70 degrees Fahrenheit )
3. Create diverse habitats (wood chips)
4. Bedding (leaves)
5. Acidity level (5-9) neutralize with egg shells
6. 50:1 carbon to nitrogen ratio
Wrote this down for anyone who doesn't want to watch all those wiggling worms in the video😂
Thank you Hazel! :)
Awesome Hazel. Thank You😁🙋
Unfair Hazel he is doing a good job explaining the elements and process.
Thank you so much for this explaination in transcript form. :) That explains a lot how my bin is very productive. Mainly humidity (lidded with limited air exchange) biodiversity and bedding of cardboard. Interesting that they need MUCH more of it though.
Yeah your fcking with the mans money Hazel. RUclips pays off of retention to the video.
Thanks for the ice pack tip. I have a bunch lying around, but never thought to use them for my worms during hot weather!
You are welcome! It is a great tip that saved my worms in many heat waves in Southern California!
All reasonable recommendations.
1. The single most important principle that applies in all situations is to give worms choice. Never trap the worms in one condition, always try to make one part of the bin more of something and another part of the bin less of something and that applies to every point that follows.
2. Moisture.
3. Temperature, although since worms are cold blooded creatures, I try to keep my bins as warm as possible without them feeling discomfort. Note that especially in mature bins that have more castings and moisture, and less free air in the bedding that the bin temperature will be very different than the ambient temperature which means that it's reasonable to maintain bins outside easily in temperatures over 100 degrees F for an hour or two if the nights are well below 90 degrees F (which is when worms will die).
I would add to the above
4. Food.
5. bedding material as long as it exists. I consider bedding material temporary and once it's consumed and is replaced with castings to leave that part of the bin untouched
6. Air. This applies primarily to how food is given to the worms, keep in mind that aerobic bacteria attacking frash food will steal oxygen from that environment and if it's too much can suffocate worms. Worms need air, too.'
I don't share the same view on the amount of carbon given the worms. The worms get plenty of carbon in the initial bedding, and after that believe the worm castings that replace the bedding is sufficient. Would worms be happier or breed better with more bedding than in worm castings? I haven't run that experiment. I've just found that my worms have been happy enough just consuming "greens" material.
Tony, thank your for the thorough explanation and contribution to the conversation!
Really useful facts without loads of unnecessary fillers to pad out the video. Thank you very much
Evelyn! Thank you so much!!! I really appreciate the feedback. This was the first video where I invested a lot of time in the editing process and it paid off. I am learning a lot! Thank you!
First time I’ve landed on your channel, and I subscribed. I’ve been watching lots of different channels to make the decision of how I want to set up my worm farm. I literally live in a forest, so your suggestion of feeding the worms leaves was most welcome! I’ve not heard that on any other channel, and it makes total sense, plus it’s so much more affordable than having to buy substrates. Thank you for a great content! I’ll be watching your other videos on worm farming. God bless!
Thank you Cathy!! What a nice message! Thank you!!
If you live in the forest, please do not introduce earthworms. They are invasive and destructive to the forest's duff layer and will greatly harm biodiversity. There is no way to just keep them confined to your garden, they WILL escape.
Great video. Especially the 6 things to keep in mind. Just started my 1st dedicated worm bin this weekend with red wiggler worms from my tumbling composter system. I had thrown about 15-20 of them into it from unused fishing bait early fall, and they have multiplied like crazy there. It's likely they wouldn't survive the hot south TX summers in the black bin in the sun.
Thank you Terri! They are very adaptable!
Thank you so much I've been neglecting my worm bin. You've motivated me again.
If you set up your worm bin correctly, it can be amazing how long your worms will survive and even thrive despite neglect.
My worms are growing and breeding like crazy! I feed them Mazuri worm chow and the love John Denver music.
That is awesome! Thank you for sharing
Very informative and presented in a professional way. Logical. I appreciate that the information is deeper than most videos have taught me so far.
Thank you Melody!!!! I appreciate your feedback!! I put a lot of work into these videos and your appreciation is very encouraging!! Thank you!
Very complete, excellent contribution...
Thanks for Sharing! Very informative. Loved the detailed description.
Thank you Marisol!!
Excellent video and content! Thanks for sharing all your knowledge!
Thank you!!
I love how you explain this subject, you opened my mind. So fascinating thanks
Awww!! Thank you for sharing!
Lots of info quick. Killed it!!
Thank you Ed!
Nice closeup shots of the worms! they are incredible creatures! I raise about 2 million worms for fertilizer for my garden and to teach others how to care for them. When breeding worms, Temperature and moisture is even more critical ;)
Hi Captain Matt, thank you for the message. They are incredible organisms. I love composting worms! Vermicomposting is such an amazing fertilizer.
Great info mostly for beginning wormers, not so much for long time wormers who most likely have advanced to larger systems and have all their worm systems down. Simply because we have gone thru all the mistakes as beginners.
Thank you!
Thanks ! noobie here. I started akit about 3 weeks ago, thanks for the great information
You are most welcome! Ask anything you need.
Thank you.
Love your RUclips channel,just found you so I have a lot to learn.Thanks😊
Awww! Thank You!!!! Ask anything you do not see on the videos! Happy to help on your worm farming endeavors!
@@GardensofNewEngland Thank you so much 😁
Thank you. Lots of great info
Glad it was helpful!
I'm in CA, and I really like the ice pack idea. I have also heard of people burying frozen water bottles. Thanks!
Awesome!! Yes, frozen water bottles work too. Although, I think the icepacks are supposed to melt a bit slower. Both work well, specially if you get some of those long and thin water bottles. The plastic bag will keep worms out, because they LOVE to go right onto the icepack/water bottle.
Use terracotta pots to maintain moisture
A very through tutorial for worm farmers..well done. I bought my first red wiggles when uncle Jim had his first add in the Organic Farmer ( it was a tiny ad ,,about 2 lines plus address) ..so I have been raising , sharing , trading and selling worms and castings for over 40 years. Only thing I didn't catch was function of grit...ps...60 years ago I dissected first worm in biology class but now I understand how they live,
Well done!! Thank you for sharing Marjorie!! What do you think has made the biggest difference for you? What was one big moment that made you a better farmer? Just curious.
@Gardens of New England probably when I did away with holes in bottom of top bin...in other words just using 1 bin and letting the moisture from fruits and vegetables soak into the dry carbon source. At first I did everything according to " uncle jim" ...there was leachate to deal with...what a mess and the worm bed tended to get sour. No more moistened newspaper etc. I control moisture by moving plastic sheet on or off and a burlap sheet on top of everything. And I don't add much peat..unless finishing off to use on low pH loving plants..potatoes or blueberries.
@@marjoriejohnson6535 Very cool! Thanks for sharing!!
Marjorie! Thank you very much for sharing 🎉
Thanks for the informative video. Nice job 👍🏻
Hey! I know you! Yer famous!
Excellent video. We started our first worm farm a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately our circumstances don't allow us to have it inside. We learning as we go and this really helps. Subbed and will check out your other videos
Cheers from Victoria BC Canada
Awesome! Thank you! I am working on the next one!
you could think about aquarium heaters to push down inside if you live in a cooler place.. that's what I do
@Day Trader we actually just went through double digits negative Temps, I buried it in a wood chip pile. Just checked it a couple of days ago, lots of worms, but ya totally agree with the benefits of your system.
Thanks for the suggestion :)
I had a wonderful bin, then grandkids...next day, I couldn’t Find them!!! Called the company I bought them from, they said that stressed them! So, I put them in a closet. I’m worried they will not recover. I had a great horizontal feeding system going too!
Thanks for the video!!
Robin,
Worms are pretty resilient! add bedding and leave them alone for a couple of weeks. Hopefully they will bounce back soon.
the ice pack idea is genius!
Yeah!!! Thank you!!
Add black soldier fly larvae to your worm bin and you can compost meat scraps and everything will be broken down even more. The worms and fly larvae get along and complement each other. My bin had the soldier flies just show up. Some are dormant, waiting for spring. So they'll be back on their own. The flies by themselves make good compost but with worms I think it's the very best.
Very interesting! Will look that up!
@@GardensofNewEngland you'll find lots of videos about keeping BSF, that's the abbreviation you'll see. They're very good composters. And the adults don't have mouths, they don't care about your kitchen, unlike house flies. BSF larvae will keep house fly larvae away.
@@comfortablynumb9342 Very nice! Thank you!!!
Can you keep bsf larvae if your worm bin is in a cave?
@@barnabyvonrudal1 I don't know but there are lots of videos about them. I've had them hatch in my house from compost. So if they breed and lay eggs you can keep them going. The larvae will eat and grow as long as they're warm, moist and fed.
Great Vid. Would like to see more how you harvest the castings and any design ideas to make it easier (ie. stacking totes, or your mesh divider in the video)
Thank you Moses!! Yes, I use the mesh divider to separate the castings. I have an earlier video where I explain my system in depth.
ruclips.net/video/omuxBonQUnk/видео.html
Thinking about making an update, so thank you for your comment.
This video was very helpfull ! Thank you !
You are most welcome!!
Thanks for very helpful information. Excellent job, Very informative.
Thank you GG!!
In California about to deal with a heatwave and that was a great tip about the ice.
Oh yeah! I used to live in South Pasadena and that's how I used to get through summers. Change twice a day and avoid feeding food that overheats, so focus on brown material and keeping things cool. I have another video where I focus on temperature beyond the ice packs. Here is the link:
ruclips.net/video/6E-BJOnU1XM/видео.html
Your canal is the best .
Thank you Iwona!!!
Spot on video. Only thing I'd add is that they absolutely love manure and bunnys are really easy to take care of.
Yeah!!! I love bunnies! I used to raise them. Best manure ever!
Be careful with manure. I used to get horse manure from a nearby stable and realized that since horses are given deworming medicine, these chemicals stay in the manure and will negatively affect your bin.
@@MariaLuciaGomezGreenberg Yes, I have stayed away from manure all together for this same reason. Unless you know what is going into the animals producing the manure, it is simply not worth it.
@@MariaLuciaGomezGreenberg yes 100% with you on that. But if you get a couple of bunnys they make so much poop it's crazy. And you know exactly what in their poop cuz you fed them.
Great tips, thanks from Australia 👍
Thank you!!!!
Great video. Thankyou from New Zealand 🇳🇿
Thank you!!!
Great tips, thanks for sharing
you are most welcome! Thanks for helping the channel!
Hi from England! Have watched several of your videos and found them very good! So I subbed! My worms will benefit!👍😁
Thank you Nick!! I appreciate the support!!!
Wow really great information. Thanks God bless
Thank you!!
😊 great job! Very informative and helpful for a total newbie 👍
You are welcome!! Ask any questions you might have!
thank you so much, great video. Greetings from Switzerland🇨🇭
You are most welcome Karl!!! I am glad you enjoyed it!!! Hello from New York!
When it gets hot, here in South Australia, over 32c, I make sure I have a bag of crushed ice in my freezer. At that temperature, I dump about two.litres (2 quarts) of ice on the top layer. The ice melts slowly, and the cold water runs down through my three layer worm farm, where the worms quickly shelter under the drips. Eventually, the water flows out into my worm wee bucket. I add motored ice as needed, and I've saved my worms in 46c on numerous occasions like that now.
Wow! That's pretty amazing!! Have you had issues with the water in the bin warming up? I know that is a common concern with the bin is wet and the temperature rises. Has that been an issue for you at all?
best worm video ever!!! new subscriber!😊
Thank you Melanie!!
honest and true!
Thank you!
Very helpful thank you
You are most welcome!!
Like brewing kombucha that why it good to buy local you get the casting + worm
I have found that worms love duckweed in the bin so if, like myself, you have a pond then its a ready food source except in winter time when it stops growing.
Interesting! I was thinking about duckweed this week! I know it sometimes shows up in ponds and I want to get some. I know folks feed it chickens. It is a great feed for animals based on what I have heard. Thank you for sharing! I will start looking at some local ponds to see if I can get some.
Excellent Video... thanks. 50:1 brown vs green i didnt know this. Thank you.
Thank you! Glad you found it helpful!!
Huh. I have a 80 gallon composting drum (on its side, rotating). I dump in whatever vegetable/fruit scraps that come out of the kitchen except citrus, spin it every once in a while, and otherwise ignore it. I don't add any brown material, and I don't use any additives. The worms love it. After five years I don't even bother sifting the worms from the casting as I have too many to worry about. In the summer time it gets up to 90 degrees for months on end as well. The worms don't like that but they manage. I also have lots of other life in there. I seem to be breaking a lot of rules with my laissez faire approach, but so far, so good.
wow good information, don't call worms don't like acid but just clearly stay between what pH value the worms can live. Also between which temperatures (10 - 21grC), now I know why I had to empty my worm hotel (it was very hot in the Netherlands). I'm going to start up a worm hotel again in the fall, thanks for your information.
Yeah. worms like to keep it cool! A good way to do it is to stop feeding them fresh food scraps when the weather gets hot and just add carbon material. Also, if you are going through a heat wave, you can cool off the bin with ice packs. When you are hot, your worms are likely hot because they have very similar temperature tolerance than humans.
I use two 5 gallon barrels one on top of the other The bottom one I put a water spout to drain liquids.
Thank you Elizabeth!! Do you use the liquid in your garden? There is much debate about it in the community.
I just started with a worm tower donated to me. First tray I used partially broken down compost and shredded paper. I have two trays under.
One compost/paper, one just paper. Hoping they start breeding soon .
Welcome to vermicomposting!!!! That sounds right, always more bedding than food. Reach out if you have any questions.
How is your tower working? I bought one and will add worms tomorrow.
@@joelkibbie7818 mine has been doing well. Listened to most on here. Started with three tiers. Only fed top tier. Fed small amount, maybe cup worth twice a week, first month or two. Made sure most was gone before I fed again.
Three months in, and starting to feed second tier, stoping on top so I can have my first harvest soon. Any other questions just ask.
@@joelkibbie7818 I use tote bins, not the tower systems. I love the bins, they are scalable and can hold a lot of volume.
This is a great video. 😎
Thank you AJ!! Coming from you that's a big compliment! I appreciate it.
I really enjoyed your video! Thank you! One comment I have ... I heard that in a very hot climate you can make a vermicomposting environment underground. All you need to do is get a 5 gallon bucket, drill a lot of holes in it, and bury it into the ground. Drill some more holes in the lid as well. Place worms with appropriate bedding and kitchen scraps and then put the lid on and then the worms will go to work! The temperature underground is much cooler that the outside air. This was a tip I heard from a vermacomposter in Arizona. I have not tried it yet but I want to. I'm thinking of placing it within reach of some plant and tree roots. I can harvest the casings but will donate the lychee to the adjacent plants and tree. What do you think?
Howard, I have been thinking about the same thing for my orchard. In-ground systems give your trees fertility, gives your worms a way out, and the temperature is always better below heat and freeze line. So, I am all for trying. I am hoping to do something this Spring. My challenge is cold climate where I have my orchard. I hear you can top the bin with hay and manure to keep it warmer during the cold winter.
@@GardensofNewEngland I don't know a lot about cold winters since I live on the California coast. You can give it a try. I'm thinking the temperature below ground level must be a little higher than the temperature above ground in winter. Providing extra insulation would help I think.
@@howardhibbs124 I used to live in Humboldt County. Where are you?
@@GardensofNewEngland I live in San Mateo, CA (Northern Bay area). I have five active worm bins. I have a lot of kitchen refuse and have found over the years not to feed them too much or the bin will go anaerobic. This especially happens when the outside temperatures start to warm up and and there is not enough worms in the bin to consume the existing uneaten refuse. I have been adding a lot more dried leaves and other carbon material lately. That seems to help. It is quite a job to harvest the casings but the garden results are well worth it.
@@howardhibbs124 neat! I work for a company that is based in San Mateo so I have been there several times for trainings. Yeah, leaves help a lot!! I use the migration system to move worms from one side of the bin to the other and that makes harvesting seamless. I have another video where I cover my system in depth, and I explain how with a simple divider you can make harvesting so much easier. I also sometimes dilute worm castings into water and put whatever solids remain back in the bin--I do this mostly for watering of my indoor plants. Great chatting with you!
Excellent contribution we have learned! Worms create one of the best fertilizers in the world.
Thank you Rosario!
Thank you so much for sharing this! I've recently just started to use worm bins to decompose my fermented bokashi as I've ran out of available soil bed! Great info on the temperature and Brown:Green ratio!
I have one question: Is it advisable to add soil in the worm bin? I'm currently doing 1 layer soil, 1 layer bokashi, 1 layer browns.
Thank you Sydney!!
A handful of soil is never a bad idea as it gives your worms a bit of grit to aid their digestion but the best bedding I have used (and still do although I haven't watched this video yet) is shredded cardboard and horse manure.
Great video very helpful and informative. Do you have issues with the worm’s escaping from the tub if so how do you stop them ?
Hi there, thank you for watching the video! A couple of things, if worms have a good environment, meaning humidity, acidity and temperature are pretty good, they are much less likely to try to escape. So, I would focus on those three variables. I made another video on all three.
The other issue is the type of worms you have. I hear blues like to wander, but even so, if your bin has optimal humidity and the outside environment is drier; they will be deterred. Some people like to put lights on top of their bin to keep them from escaping. But, I do not like that because if the bin is too acidic or hot, then you are forcing them to stay in an environment where they will not thrive. Another consideration is that if all the conditions in your bin are right, worms LOVE to graze on the walls of the bin. This might look like they are trying to escape, but they are not actually getting out of the bin; just staying on the walls inside. That often trips people because they think their worms are trying to escape. A good way to know is to leave the lid on top of them bin without closing it tight. You will see how worms never really get outside but they are all over the walls inside.
The best thing to do is to give worms options to go to areas where there is not fresh food. Acidity and temperature go off, usually, when there is an abundance of fresh food and not enough bedding or carbon. If you create buffer zones within the bin itself and with a catching system with wood chips in the bottom, worms are more likely to stay within your system even if the area with fresh food goes too hot or acidic. I hope that helps!
😀thank you 😀
I found that feeding dried, cutup grass, leaves into worm bin (my black compost tumbler I use) and then wetting it down (worms need a moisture of about 80%) If you are using food scraps, toss them into a blender to break them down and bury this slurry into the soil. the worms will quickly eat this. In the summer keep them cool, winter time, keep them warm..
I also have vermifarm
Malted barley!!! Bought from a brew your own beer shop. Those cracked seeds are loaded with enzymes. I smash them up in a blender and feed it to the worms between kitchen scrap feedings. Overall vigor and reproduction are off the charts.
Awesome!!!! THanks for sharing.
Hi thanks for an interesting video!
I have have a pretty newly started worm bin and I also have some bokashi spray full with em bacteria, do you think it would help kickstart the bin if I sprayed it?
Bokashi thrives in anaerobic conditions which is the opposite of what you want to foster in your bin. For your worms, you want airflow; for bokashi composting you want no oxygen at all. What I would do is to have a separate system for the bokashi to pre-compost your food scraps. Also, check the instructions on how to use the spray. I have not worked with liquid bokashi so I cannot speak to that.
Great video, tell me about egg shells. some say that it may cut the worm on the inside as it passes through.
Ian, I grind the shells in a old food processor I bought at the salvation army for 4.00 dollars, 8 years ago--the smallest of the Cuisinart line. It works! I am not sure worms will swallow something that would cut them inside. I would trust their instinct to do the right thing. But, grinding the eggshells make them readily available because you bring them closer to bite size. I have also added crushed eggshells, which result in pretty big pieces and no issues there either. I hope that helps.
the things you said sounds logical to me after 2 and half years of growing worms. its true - in the start everything is very slow till its start to really show results.. just like growing fruit trees.
Just two notes - 1. Worms makes cumps also around tasty juicy food.
2. They can survive summers with 105 or 40 celcius. Written frm israel
Thank you Moshe!! How do you keep them cool in Israel? I have very dear friends who are from there btw. Great to get your feedback!
@@GardensofNewEngland
You keep them in total shade, and you drop the feeding to a minimum and mostly carbon, because just a bit of nitrogen food suffocate them in summer. They are much less active but survive. Worms are tough.
Anyway you raised pretty good points in the video
@@lionsorchardnice123 brilliant!! Thank you Moshe!!
You're pointing out a fallacy I see and hear all the time when people say worms can't survive extreme heat or extreme cold.
People are usually talking about ambient temperature which isn't necessarily the same as the temperature in a worm bin.
Worm bins typically have a high amount of moisture in them which means that if there is enough mass (standing water, castings) then the bin will retain coolness from overnight temperatures during a hot day with spikes well above 90 degrees F or cold weather momentary spikes well below freezing.
just curious if pine tree brown pine needles can be used as leaves?i have much more of those in the yard then dried leaves
I have heard some folks used them but they take a long time to break down. You could start a regular compost bin with the needles and some green material to start the break down process. I personally have not used them as my main source of brown material. They do break down to a neutral ph. I would experiment adding some to a section and keep an eye out when folks rake their leaves in the fall. I get a few bags and keep them in a dry place.
It would help if you should day more specific what kind of compostworms you use. Lifecycle, temperature, moisture...it's different between the Eisenia's
Red Wrigglers!
How about these 2 for bedding? Mowed grass that has turned brown. (Natural grass with no harmful products applied to grass) and good straw.
Both work well so long as they are totally dried and brown. Anything green will heat up and work more like nitrogen/food scraps than carbon. With Straw, grass clippings or hay you want to be mindful of seeds because they will eventually make it to your garden beds and germinate. One of the reasons why I like leaves is because there are no seeds. However, if you do not have leaves, hay, straw or even dry grass clippings will do the job! I hope that helps.
Thanks for the detailed video! I live in tropic, my worms are getting lesser these days, they are more tiny snails, can tiny snails n worms co exist ? I think the tiny snails are hatched from the eggs on discarded vegetables. In yr opinion, What should I do to encourage worm production?
Doris,
I have not had snails in my bins but have tons in my garden. I do not think there might be an issue with both species coexisting but if the snails go after your seedlings, you do not want to start propagating them via your worm castings. What I would do to be honest, is maybe add more carbon material and bury the food scraps under a thick layer of worm casting when you add them. I think snails would have less appear if they have to dig for food. I would add food scraps less frequently until you have a healthy worm population. Also, winter can slow down reproduction. So, give them time and lots of carbon material. If you want to re-set to eliminate snails, I would hand-pick the worms and start a new bin. I hope that helps!
Nice. I have neighbor who raises organically fed cattle and allows me to take all the manure, no charge. I also have an unlimited supply of leaves all year long. Had my worm farm going for about 2 months now. Thinking about expanding into a commercial operation. Would appreciate any suggestions.
How exciting Ralph! Suggestions: (1) do some market research to figure out what makes sense commercially. Depending on where you live, you might need to heat the place where you are going to have your worms. (2) Check out the work of Rhonda Sherman. I believe she has a book with Norman Ericon on Vermiculture at a commercial scale. I have not read the book but I have watched some of her webinars (3) keep having fun, there are many ways to create worm habitat. Explore, try different things, and once you have made some cool discoveries, share them with others.
Great advice . I am about to start one but can I not make holes on the bottom of the box but above and sides of it only? I dislike seeing composting liquid dripping on my floor. I am placing the box in my house. Your thought, pls.
Jenap, I would do a catching system which is a second bin (of the same size) filled with wood chips. It works incredibly well, keeps the whole system odor free, and adds a buffer for the worms to go into if things get too hot or acidic inside your top bin. Picture two bins of the same size encased into each other. You fill the lower bin with wood chips--roughly half or 2/3rds, and put the top bin with holes on the bottom into it. It keeps your house clean, your worms happy, and your system odorless--because wood chips are carbon material that will absorb any odors. I have other videos where I go in depth on how I do it. But, it is very simple Top bin with holes on the bottom into a lower bin filled with wood chips acting as a catching system for excess fluids. I hope that helps!
I think 70 degrees is the optimal temperature… I have a 70 degree bin with just two adults in it and they made a cocoon in just 35 days. Another bin kept at 50 degrees has not made a cocoon yet after 88 days.
Yeah, I agree! 70 degrees is a pretty sweet spot for reproductive activity and health. I notice I get more cocoons in the spring than in winter.
The earth worms make the cacoon? What does that look like?
Started two a few months apart Bio-Reactors(trash cans) placed them right on the ground with holes in the bottom to entice worms, since they are outside is it too late in the season to add to that system. I live in Reno NV where it freezes pretty much every night starting in late November.
Jeff, thanks for the comment! As long as the system does not freeze solid, worms will do ok. You could also put a bucket inside your bin with some fresh horse manure in it. It will heat up the whole system--so much so that you would not want to mix in with your worms.
have considered coolers
I have been watching YT videos & l just saw your channel for the 1st time. Also l have never come across your natural methods, very refreshing!💯
Can l use freshly chipped wood & is there anything l need to add to the chips?🌳🌳. I live in southern AZ & Olander & Palo Verde are 2 trees that can't be burnned , as the smoke is pretty harmfull to humans. Might you know if it can be part of the woodchips for worms?
Emily, welcome to the channel! I have not worked with these types of trees. Some trees like eucalyptus and black walnut can be toxic to other plants and folks stay away from them when working with worms. One thing is that what is often harmful is the oils in them. So, while using them "fresh" can be irritating and potentially harmful to your worms, if you age the wood chips for one or two years--do some google search here on how long it takes for natural oils to break down-- you can probably safely add to the bottom bin in a two bin system. Always in moderation. If you are concerned about burning these trees it is likely because of the resins in them, so I would pre-compost for over a year at least before bringing that into an enclosed bin system. So, if you have ample supply of these wood chips, what I would do is to keep them in a pile. After a year, you can also start to inoculate them with mushroom mycelium like King Stropharia to see if the mushroom takes on. If it does, they are likely ok to add in a lower bin not as a main source of bedding until you see worms are not bothered by them. I hope that helps!
nice
Thanks!
I noticed the corner where trench composting methode is implied new compost is quicker disolved bc worm numbers build up.
Yeah!!! The more base vermicompost you have, the faster it will absorb new material. It is not just the worms but the whole ecosystem working!
I’ve been thinking about adding Indian Blue Worms when the temperature gets hotter. Would they be better adapted to the temperatures? Right now, morning lows are about 60 and afternoon highs are about 80, but in the summer the daily temperature range is usually more like 70-95. My bin is in a community garden so it would be a 30 minute trip to add ice every day.
Blues will do well in that temperature range. They don't do well with temps below 50s--as I understand. Are you having issues with red wrigglers? These temps are ideal for them.
I love your videos. They're not only full of wonderful information, but they are also based much more on natural components for worm bins. I wish I had access to enough leaves to use them as you do. I always share as many of your videos as are appropriate to the topic, but in general with people starting out, I also advise that they will not find better video's than on your site. I really like that you do not encourage the use of DE powder. I recently read a post encouraging the use of DE for grit! Yet if I understand correctly the powder - it turns hard when wet. Can you please give your opinion on whether this would even work? Like you I use powdered eggshell. To me DE should only ever be used as a 'last resort' in the bin. I certainly do not believe worms could use it as a grit. But I would very much like your opinion please. I have watched and seen your video on grit, but this is a more specific question.
Thanks so much for giving us all your wonderful knowledge ☺️ Sue.
Thank you, Sue!! I do not use DE at all. For grit, I like eggshells, biochar, bone meal, and even a tinny bit of sand once a year. I avoid DE because it is too fine and can form clumps. It is also something you have to buy, and not something worms naturally find in the wild.
Great video, I just started my worm farm 2 weeks ago. I am watching so many videos and I find yours one of the best. Not many people mention about using leaves as brown material instead they suggest using cardboards. I would think that leaves would be part of worms’ natural habitat. Do you think using leaves would introduce unwanted pest to your worm farm?
Arkinfire, thank you so much for your feedback! I appreciate that very much! I LOVE leaves! They are my favorite bedding material by far. It is free, it is natural, it is the actual bedding worms would seek in the woods, and they break down into trace minerals that feed your plants. You just cant beat those benefits. A couple of things: Do not collect leave litter that is already decomposing on the ground. That is how you can introduce other bugs--which I have done and it is not an issue. But, when you are starting, make sure you are getting brown dried leaves. The best time to save a few bags is when people put them in brown bags outside their doors in fall. I collect my leaves there and they dry over time and create the most amazing bedding. Be careful if you collect leaves around parks where there are folks injecting drugs. You do not want to stick yourself with a dirty needle.
The main two factors as new worm farmer are: Air Flow and Carbon to Nitrogen ratio. If you get these two right your system can be more resilient.
I hope that helps!
@@GardensofNewEngland Thanks a lot for the tips.
@@arkinfire anytime!!
@@GardensofNewEngland I also subscribed as a newly worm composter. I appreciate this question and answer! I was thinking of added the wet leaves found under the dry leaves but I will definitely just add the dry leaves hanging out in nooks.
@@dmac1106 Yeah, better that way! Keep an eye for leaves in fall!
Great video!!
Thank you Tara!
One lady I know makes a vege smoothie then freezes it into ice trays and on hot days she places a couple ( however many according to size of bin ) into the bins and the worms love it as food and for cooling down apparently . Good idea ?
Sherry, that is a good way to feed your worms but it is not a long term solution to lowering temperature because once the frozen food cools off, the nitrogen content in it will start to heat up the bin even more and humidity will also go up--which transmit heat rather efficiently. So, if the primary objective is to cool off the bin, I would do icepacks and focus on feeding the bin more carbon than anything else while the heat endures. You can take the ice packs in and out without adding nitrogen or increasing humidity. If you want to freeze their meal that is a great idea for fruit flies and to give them a cool treat, but it is not sustainable if you are going through a heat wave similar to the ones we had here in the US this summer.
What is the best and easiest way to seperate or take out worms from a worm bin? Specifcally trying to avoid counting by hand or even the light method. When i have a lot of worms I usually spend hours separating out worm from the mix and its difficult . There has to be an easier way? Thanks! Great vid!!
Yes! I use the migration method. It allows the worms to travel at their own pace. It is not 100% effective at getting every single worm out, but if you time it right, you can get 90% of them to move. Timing is about stopping feed for a couple of weeks, then adding a substantial meal on one side of the bin. They will move there in mass.
Here is a video where I explain how I do it. It is non-intrusive and you don't hurt the worms via sifting and all kinds of manipulations. It is practically no work on your part.
ruclips.net/video/wVfrEK_qY24/видео.htmlsi=dFcC70vtrSPgw94p
I would add, start with minimum number of worms and develop it from scratch and they will lead You in right direction showing it if they multiply
Yeah, I agree!! I do not believe in starting with more than just a pound. That is plenty! It is all about learning to read the bin. Thank you for sharing!
Do you use shredded cardboard in your bins for bedding? If so, what kind and where do I get one?
I use only brown basic cardboard without inks or glossy pictures. I do not shred, I add big pieces on top and as they become damped and soft, I tear into smaller pieces and mix into the bin. Cardboard is not my main source of bedding. I use leaves. But, you could make it your main source of bedding and to make it easier you could shred.
some grerat information here but each of us will find a perfered way to raise our worms in the climate we live in........I see so many people who use bins with no drain holes in the bottom, and the ones who drain the liquid do not use it as a liquid fertilizer (diluted at least 10 to 1 with clean water..
John, I agree with you. We all have different approaches. I love how worms allow for that type of exploration and creativity. I try to share my findings through these videos to hopefully inspire folks to keep exploring and finding ways to improve the quality of the lives of their worms! Thanks for checking out the the videos!
Is there a too high nitrate level if i live in a cool location and want to use nitrate to warm up my compost?
I do not have experience trying to warm a bed with nitrate. Are you referring to nitrogen concentration? Too much nitrogen in the form of fresh food will cause acidity to go high and that will hurt the worms. You could try to surround the bin with something like horse manure to generate heat, but that can get too hot or not hot enough if it is very cold. So you would have to monitor closely. If you live in a climate where water freezes solid in winter, the best thing is to bring the worms indoors.
My question from Australia which I don't know if you can answer is whether eucalyptus leaves and callistemon ( bottlebrush ) leaves are toxic or bad in any way to the worms . Eucalypts contain chemicals which prevent growth of most other plants , and which are toxic to some animals, and which also make soil water repellent from the oils in them ... I am imagining that they might be pretty bad for worms. We have many more eucalypts than deciduous European trees and so I think we should be careful about what leaves we use ? ALso I can't find info about the calllistemon leaves but they also retard plant growth nearby . Thanks for the good vids
Sherry, yes, I would be careful with eucalypts leaves and would also do a pre-compost to get some of the oils out and exposed to microbiology. I would not do a bin with only eucalyptus or any other tree with similar properties. However, I think if you make leave mold with the leaves you can test how your worms react to it. They are pretty good at staying away from things that do them harm.
Did you try using pre-decomposed eucalypt and bottle brush leaves?
good video friend, ty
Thank YOU!!
Good video. Glad you didn't hit your head on a nail...had me worried.
lol!!! you have no idea how close I have come!
When you collect the fallen leaves how do you prevent other insectshpests or their eggs from getting into your worm bin and possibly gaining a foothold inside?
I collect the leaves that people put in brown bags outside in the fall. Make sure they are fully dried before using them in your bin if you are worried about bugs. Also, any insect that lives in the tree canopy is very unlikely to survive inside a worm bin. It is just a completely different habitat. What you don't want to do by accident is collect leave litter that might already have worms in it. Leave litter are leaves that are already half decomposed under ground and are being colonized by soil microorganisms. Something that also works really well, is collecting enough leaves to have extra for the next season. That way you are storing your leaves for almost a year before you get to use them. If you do this, put your leaves in a plastic bag so they do not get wet. But, truly, so long as the leaves you find are fully dried, you probably do not have to worry about bugs.
@@GardensofNewEngland Thank you! That is really very useful information, I appreciate it very much, thanks for sharing!
I struggle with knowing how moist to keep my bin. As you noted, my worms are mostly balled up underneath or around the food scraps. I tried starting a new bin as an experiment with sifted steer manure, dried leaves, watermelon rind, and moistened it quite a bit. I dropped a dozen worms and they almost immediately went towards the walls of the bin, climbing up. I took them out and put them back in their home. What happened??? No I'm kind of nervous to start a new bin. HOW do you measure the moisture content??
This is a tough time to start a new bin due to the heat. Where are you located? I would suggest keeping it in a cool environment or potentially using ice packs to cool the bin. The best way to moist the bin is to control how much moisture leaves your bin. Food scraps will naturally generate humidity and sometimes you have to make sure there is drainage to let excess fluids out. That said, at the very beginning, you do have to moist the bedding. I would focus on damping the bedding before you add it. You want it moist or damp, not dripping wet. Then add it. I usually put cardboard on top of my bin to keep the humidity in the bin. But, make sure you allow for air flow. So putting a piece of cardboard that covers the surface but does not totally seal the bin might help.
Escaping worms could be heat, acidity or they are eager to explore. Blue worms tend to wander a lot more than red worms. I hope that helps!
There is nothing wrong about worm balls around food scraps. They're attracted by the food which is far different than running away from something toxic. When they've finished happily ridding the food scraps, they should then disperse and find something else to do. It's also expected to see worms trying to escape a new bin until they get used to the environment by created their first castings. Probably best is to increase the wetness until the bottom is close to sopping wet (IMO) and give them enough food to eat to keep them busy. They should probably settle down a week after the bin is started.
I haven't seen worms in our garden for years.
Try adding more mulch. That should hopefully help.
New to worm composting. Starting of with lowes 5 gallons barrels. I live in Alaska. What tools do I need to check for healthy environment. Thanks
Elizabeth, if you are starting, I would go heavier on the brown material until your system's biology gets going. Think 50:1 ratio. Once you have a lot of activity, you can do more food scraps. The way to measure health is really by paying attention to your worms. Are they active? Are they staying in one area? Are they trying to scape? Are they laying eggs? These are questions to keep in mind. You could have sections to your bien where you do not add food scraps. That gives worms buffer zones where acidity is more neutral. Also, roll come cardboard and place it vertically from top to bottom, that contributes a lot of air flow.
Main problem is what I just posted to another comment also about his 5 gallon bucket of worms...
Be careful how you feed your worms or the bucket will go anaerobic and kill your worms.
Never throw food scraps into your bucket.
When you feed your worms, dig a hole down one side and place the food in the hole(and optionally cover to keep the flies away)
That will enable your worms to have adequate ventilation on the surface to live.
How do it get rid of mites that are all threw my worm bin.
Billy, the quickest way is to uncover the bins and let the surface dry. Mites need very high humidity to be able to breath. However, ongoing mite population explosion is usually a sigh of high acidity in your bin and not enough carbon to off set both acidity and humidity. I would try to get to a carbon to nitrogen ratio of 70% carbon / 30% nitrogen or food scraps.
Here is a video I completed on mites:
ruclips.net/video/52LmMzGSE4A/видео.html
I’m doing a community Garden with some friends who do not wanna use any cardboard or paper because they think it’s not organic can you help me explain to them that it’s okay to use these things and it would still be organic?
Kathryn,
This is a controversial issue for many people because we do not know exactly what is in the materials that people use in cardboard so it comes down to level of comfort. I personally struggled with this idea for awhile. But, now I feel comfortable using cardboard that does not have any ink on it because at the end of the day it is mostly plant cellulose and glue. Usually those materials do not have toxic chemicals, specially heavy metals added to them, simply because there is no need for it. When it comes to color inks and glossy surfaces, that usually has chemicals like cadmium and I would not use them in my garden, not even as mulch. I try not to use paper because of the inks also. What might help you is to dive a little bit deeper into ingredients in cardboard and the glue they use to bind it together. Then, you can present that to your fellow gardeners. What you have to be concerned are forever-chemicals because they do not break down. Remember, your worm system will break down everything, including most chemical compounds into their basic ingredients. What you do not want to use are things that contain chemicals that are toxic or substances that will not break down. If you focus on identifying those, you'll quickly realize that cardboard does not have them. Also, I make leaves my main source of bedding and only use cardboard as a supplement and to avoid sending it back into the waste system.
Hallo...
Salam, worm farm in indonesia😁
Hello!!
On temperature: Temp within the bin, or ambient air temp?
Inside the bin. The bin is often likely to be warmer than outside temp. Best time for reproduction is when weather is cold, but not freezing around the bins.
Can I add wood pellets to my bin? You know the kind that people put in a pellet stove.
People do. I haven’t because I like the airflow leaves create. Just make sure they are only wood no other chemicals.
I don’t have a problem with acidity. My bins tend to be more alkaline (7.5-8). Is there a way to bring my bins down to optimum 6-6.5?
Lucinda, what makes you think your bin is alkaline? Why would you want to neutralize the ph? What problems is your current system having that you think you want to increase the acidity level? Food scraps decomposition runs acidic. If you want more acidic, I would consider trying bokashi fermentation. However, your worm bin is not your soil. In your soil, you want the ph to be neutral to make nutrients available to as many plants as possible. However, most organic matter tends to decompose to a neutral ph. So, by the time your Vermicompost is done, it is probably closer to a neutral ph than when decomposition is at its peak. In a sense, think about your worm system as the stomach of your garden. It is helping you break things down to make nutrients available. The ph in our stomach is probably VERY different than in the rest of our bodies. What I would be watchful over is making sure the ph in my bin stays within worm-health range. But, the ph in your bin will likely fluctuate due to all the activity that is going on there--which is good! This is why having areas without food scraps is good, so if the ph goes out of range, worms can have safe places to go. What would make your bin alkaline would be things like excessive wood ash or something of that sort. Also, adding lost of carbon material can help you stabilize ph. I hope that helps!
If you're not feeding your worms alkaline stuff, the worms will naturally bring the pH back to normal. It's one reason why vermicompost is so great... You never have to worry about burning plants because the pH is wrong so you can mix concentrations of very little vermicompost to growing plants in pure vermicompost. Those are things you never can do with chemical fertilizers.
Great content. I've been playing with worms for quite a few years and I use finished Compost as my bedding. What's your take in using only finished Compost as your habitat for worms. Thank you.
First, if it is working, I would keep on doing it and experimenting with adding carbon rich materials at the same time. My top choice is leaves! It also depends on what is your goal for the worm system. If you want to generate more compost, I would play with making leaf compost and using that as bedding. I guess, when I think vermicompost, I think getting compost at the end is the main goal, so using already made compost as bedding doesn't seem necessary. But, like I said, if it works, it works. There is no one-way to do worms. You also want to keep in mind that you want your bedding to be carbon rich materials to create food for microbes--which feed your worms. I hope that gives you some ideas! Thank you for your comment!