Comment

Contributing Gardener Comment by Kay Zone9a/TX on April 28, 2012 at 8:38am

I think I need another tote.... the worms have multiplied and then some! 

Contributing Gardener Comment by Kay Zone9a/TX on April 5, 2012 at 7:33pm

Matthew, thanks for the information.  I noticed this morning when I checked, that there were not many on the far side from where I put the food.  When I checked the food side I was surprised to see that they  were (seemingly) all on that side.  I buried a banana on the food side almost a week ago now, and they are LOVING it! :) 

Comment by Vicky Myers on April 5, 2012 at 4:37pm

Fish not to mention oil slicks. :) I know what my worms are munching on to some extent since I don't have any grass to put in my compost and refuse to compost any of the neighbor's diseased tree leaves. They are pretty much munching on the same stuff as I am and what I grow in the garden. Now what I buy like the Happy Frog soil conditioner I got this yr. well I just have to trust them. The label says fish & other sea stuff, kelp, worm, bat poo & forest fines. Will see if things grow any better or worse this yr.

Comment by Bob (Z9B Florida) on April 5, 2012 at 4:28pm

Vicky ...

fish: mercury or fert runoff concerns

pesticides and any bios:  potentially nasty for sure

worm poo:  who knows what the products the worms are chowing down on has on its resume

kelp:  I seen kelp growing in some pretty nasty water/circumstances

vegetation compost:  we really have no ideas or way of testing short of a tissue sample before composting or a thorough lab soil test post composting to know how much of what ... especially any element (percentage of NPK and minor or major elements) are really present.   And don't forget the pH of the veggie compost...too much either way can decrease the ability of a plant to access nutrients that are actually there, but just not available for absorption.

No answers...just feeding the paranoia plant.  :)

 

Comment by Vicky Myers on April 5, 2012 at 4:10pm

I still don't understand why anyone would use cow poop with all the nasty diseases (mad cow from feeding them dead animals, e coli, etc.) pesticides, & antibiotics in them now a days. I'll stick to worm poo, bat, fish, kelp and all around vegetation compost.

Comment by Matthew Wilson on April 5, 2012 at 3:57pm

Hey everyone.

Worms love manures, but the problem is that sometimes the manure can contain lots of salt. If the manure you have contains a lot of salt the worms will try and get away from it. If this is happening the salt can be leached out with water and allow the manure to drain. Also it could be diluted by adding lots of bedding material to the manure.

For collecting castings, the worms will always move towards fresh foods. If you feed the worms only on on side for a few weeks, then you should be able to remove castings from the other side without removing too many worms. They will always be a loss of a few worms, but this should not be too big of an issue as long as the majority of worms are left.

One problem many people run into is overfeeding the worms at first. It takes a while for the worms to get established and they will not eat as much until the are established well. Most of the food should be eaten within about 2 weeks of placing it in the bin. If this is done it help prevent too many critters from becoming interested in the worm bin.

There is so many different ways to compost with worms. Not really any "right or wrong" way of doing things so always feel free to try something new.

Comment by Bob (Z9B Florida) on April 2, 2012 at 12:27pm

Sharon, how do you dry your harvested castings?

Contributing Gardener Comment by Sharon Howell z7NC on April 2, 2012 at 11:49am

I enjoyed watching the video Kay, one I had not seen.

Bob, thanks for letting us know we all start out wanting to get it right.

I am at the point of like you said sometimes you just can't make them do what you want them to do.

Just like our plants, feed and water(not the worms) and let them grow.

Thanks for "setting us free" lol

Comment by Bob (Z9B Florida) on April 2, 2012 at 11:29am

After a few years of "worming" now, I've come to a couple of conclusions:  First, I was worrying too much about getting things "right," second, they eat whatever they want and not what we want or always expect them to eat, and lastly, they wander all over the place and at the rate they reproduce, it's no big deal.  I've got four stacked trays going now and they go from tray to tray for no apparent reason at times.

As for harvesting the poop, I just grab a couple of handsfull from a tray and lay it out on newspaper,  the worms gravitate to the bottom of the pile and I just grab the top few inches when making tea or saving as compost.

As the old song goes, "....just set yourself free!"

Cheers!

Contributing Gardener Comment by Kay Zone9a/TX on April 2, 2012 at 11:19am

oh my bad... I miss read your statement.  Still enjoy the video, it is fun to watch :D 

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