Worm Bin Experiment Cardboard Only Results
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- *Sorry about the music at the start ... I have no idea where that came from lol ...
Started with 30 worms the same as the Tea Bag only worm bin, but over the same period of time and in the same place and same conditions, this bin has thrived by comparison to the tea bag only worm bin with at least a 10 fold increase in population in 23 weeks. I had to stop counting at 500 after making several passes through the cardboard because I ran out of time. My best guess is there is at least another 100 worms in there - tiny ones in between the folds of the cardboard. There is also noticeably more cocoons in the cardboard compared to the tea bag bin. All in all I would say in a single medium bin, the worms would do much better in cardboard only rather than in tea bags or coffee only.
As far as I've been able to find out, corrugated cardboard is made of layers of kraft paper stuck together with a glue that is usually made of corn starch. If you've ever tried to put cornmeal or cornstarch in a worm bin, you'll notice that worms are very fast to gather around corn products. I think, as with melon, the ready source of simple sugar causes an instant population boom in the organisms that worms love to feast on.
If this is correct, it would explain why worms love corrugated cardboard and can live with no other food - and why the thin, shiny cardboard doesn't appeal to worms - no cornstarch, no sugars.
Cornmeal (US) might be sold under the name "Maize meal" in the UK. FYI.
Hiya Anne - that makes perfect sense considering how the worms react :) Interestingly I've been feeding the worms cornmeal recently as I've acquired a small quantity of cornmeal flour from the local shop that came from a split bag they couldn't sell - and yes indeed, they devour it at a phenomenal rate :)
As far as counting the worms, I would mix up the cardboard, weigh it, separate out 5%, thoroughly count the worms in that 5%, and then multiply the result by 20. That would be a good enough estimate of the total population.
Is the compost any good anymore? That's what I'm wondering
This compost turned out to be fantastic. Not sure if you saw the follow up video where we grew lettuce beetroot and radish in it and they produce thrived. Cheers Dawn. Hope all is well.
i can not get over the difference between the bins. i'm glad you showed this.👍
Hiya P.C. I wish I could capture the ''vibe'' of the bin. These worms were do much chunkier, happier, more lively than in the other bin. There's a real difference that you can just sense when you're beside the bin. I've left the cardboard bin as it is .. I'll check on it in a few weeks and see how it's going and may add some fruit scraps and run it as a normal bin because if even half of the number of cocoons that are in it hatch it's going to be a beauty. Thank you so much for watching and for your support - I really appreciate it my friend :)
I tried sheet mulching in the garden with the shiny cardboard it isn't good there either. Great information. Best wishes Bob.
Thanks Bob - nope, Ive not yet found anywhere the shiny stuff is useful .. the only thing I've found is in large boxes with thick cardboard if I soak it the laminated outer cover comes off easily enough so the rest of the cardboard underneath can be used.
hahaha, I enjoyed the music at the beginning too, and the experiment, of course
Tea bags in the usa have polyester or something that makes them unconsubable for worrms. I have some that i got from someone that has been 4 years in worm bed and has never been consumed. Read or watch Dr. Elaine Ingham on you tube as to what worm castings provide for the soil. It doesnt do what you think.
I've found the "ghosts" of the tea bags up to 4 years later in the compost also. I'm currently testing PG Tips claims to be fully home compostable. Biodegradable is a bit of a misleading term because they wouldn't be lying even if it were to take 1000 years to break down. 😁 I've watched everything Elaine Ingham has online. I like her stuff 😊
Good day, me and my group are conducting a comparative study between earthworms grown in the standard bedding versus those grown in a bedding of something else, and cardboard bin has long been in our minds. Can you tell me why the bin got centipedes in them please? It'd be great help. Thanks!
Stark difference!! I'm amazed I could see it!! Thanks so much for sharing. I still get freaked out when I have to check-in on my bin but maybe in time I'll get comfortable.
In time you'll come to love the little blighters lol ... I used to think meh - worms - now I worry about them nearly as much as my kids and dogs lol ...
Its simply amazing, thanks for your effort.
Cheers RN :)
Thank you for doing the results of both the tea bag and cardboard bins. I am almost ready to try starting a bin out here in the desert. I miss my worms, but have been leery of how they would do in the heat. Any thoughts? I am thinking that keeping them in the root cellar (When it is finished) will be the best option for regulating their temperature.
Hiya DH - Sheesh ... if you only knew how much I envy you're heat issue with the 3 degree C night we have here right now lol ... yep it sounds like the root cellar is the way to go - the temperature won't fluctuate much. I don't know what worms you're thinking of but African night crawlers might be ideal with your heat - they thrive in the high 20s degree C they're prolific reproducers and they have a voracious appetite :-)
I was definitely thinking Night Crawlers. When I lived in the Northern part of the California Valley, the Canadian variety were wild. They "invaded" my compost, and decided it was their Winter home. I didn't even know they were there until I pulled out one the length of my forearm. Of course here the Canadian ones would die, so I will have to go with the African variety. Thank you for your input. I will let you know how they do. :)
I was adding shredded cereal boxes to my worm bin. I guess I will not do that anymore. I will add it to my outside compost piles. I will see how long it will take to breakdown. Great videos. Keep up the good work.
+Joker AJ'S Stuff Cheers AJ. Yep I add the cereal boxes etc to the general compost pile as they'll break down easily enough there with the moisture and temperature but the worms just don't like the stuff and will stay away from it.
Do you keep the worm bin in the shade? How much water do you add and how often to keep it moist? Do you keep a lid on it?
I'm thinking about composting cardboard for a worm farm. But I'm not sure how to start one.
Hiya Douglas these type of open top bins were kept in a shed or leanto so they got some shade and the worst of the elements were kept out. There's no lid just s piece of cardboard to keep the light out or a covering of leaves. Some of the bins when they were stacked on top of each other using strips of wood had no lid or covering at all. Just the shade from the bin on top.
I had a big pit once - 7foot byn11 foot and 2 foot deep. I filled it with 3 bales of cardboard - soaked and very roughly torn up, and put a foot of leaves over that and just covered the whole thing with a tarp. The worms thrived and I dug out some of the best compost I ever had after a year.
Very interesting, Tfs.
Cheers Linda - not back long so I've a lot of videos to catch up on - catch you over on your channel soon :)
It's amazing how worms 🐛 know good cardboard from a toxic one :))
Hiya Sasha, this is why I find them so intriguing I think - for such a simple creature that technically doesn't really even have a brain they're smart and very complex. And they never complain or moan they just get on with the work :-)
:) That's why it makes me wonder about the brain size of humans when I watch what most of the Americans eat :))
+Old School Home & Garden with Sasha LOL 😂😂😂 So true my friend, so true and sadly not just Americans - we have an obesity epidemic in the making here and health organisations are warning of all the attendant illnesses such as diabetes that are coming down the line. And yet I heard on the radio only this week that the profits of fast food delivery companies are at record highs. Seems we just don't want to be bothered to take the time to grow produce when we can or at least buy, prepare and eat healthy foods. I don't watch TV so it always amazes me when people say they haven't the time to cook a good meal that might take 30 minutes bit they'll easily spend 30 minutes glued to the tv watching some daft soap drama lol. Oh well ... we just have to keep plugging away and leading by example lol
:) If they were only spending 30 minutes in front of the TV, we'll be in good shape :) They spend hours. It is beyond me that all the politicians, the elite, the academia, the media, Hollywood are yapping about the collapsing healthcare system but no one addresses the real problem - WHY ARE PEOPLE SO SICK? good health is all about what you eat, what you think and what you drink :) I can fix America's healthcare very fast but no one listens to me :) I haven't set foot in the doctor's office in 17 years :))))
they sure are HAPPY..... we are going to add some more WORMS to our Bin the First of April, & do an experiment to & enjoy Family Time.
Hiya KeittKat Ranch - that sounds really interesting. I've so many videos to catch up on so looking forward to catching up on yours :)
thanks, we have been praying for you (wondering if you are okay & all) Glad you are back 😊& thanks for your video (s)
really interesting! doing the same! did not know about centipede
Cheers my friend. Let us know how you get on :) Hope you're keeping safe and well.
Overall good results
Thanks YL
Hello.. I just posted a video on my worm bin. I am enjoying yours!
Yay - just going to check it out now :-)
My worms don't eat the price tags stamped on fruit and veggies.
Yep - mine are the same - fussy lot - lol - this is why I'm not overly bothered about removing every little but of tape or sticker - the worms will come to no harm and they just won't eat what they don't want - and it's easy to sift from the finished product. I think it's very easy and tempting to worry too much - we need to remind ourselves they've managed just fine without us for 600 million years lol. :) Hope all is well with you my friend :)
Very interesting 🐍 👍
Cheers my friend - cardboard for the win as the hipster young 'uns might say ... then again, maybe not lol :)
Hope you were not late picking up your Daughter, I would like to see you explain that you were counting Worms as your excuse. LOL Very useful information good experiment Thanks.
I made it my the skin of my teeth lol - I literally parked up when I got a text saying she was just waiting at baggage and would be in the hall soon - I dashed to the Hall and got there 30 seconds before she came through!!! When she asked if I'd been waiting long I said not really :-)
I would so not want to have to explain that the reason she was left standing around in arrivals was because Dad was counting worms LOLOLOL :-)
Smooth reply, hope she does not read your posts. LOL :-) :-) :-)
Hello London. Please take a look at my latest video and let me know what you think. Have a great day.
That is the weirdest centipede I have ever seen. You guys have weird bugs:-) our centipedes have long legs and look really creepy. I kill them outside all the time. They like decaying wood.
There's different species - the house centipede has loooong legs and skuttles very fast .. is that the type you're referring to .. these guys are mostly soil dwellers and feed on living organisms - they're good in the general compost pile as they'll keep the population of mites, bugs, springtails etc down but not so good in the worm bin as they'll eat the cocoons and small worms! Grrrr!!!
Yes I'm talking about your house centipedes. Those are the only ones we have here. Glad I don't have any of the ones u have in my bin because the would be smushed quick. Lol lol
centipedes look very creepy to me
They are!!! And they move very fast which doesn't help lol