Smokin Moose
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex Moderator
Worm Castings 101 and Vermicomposting
I have wanted to do this for some time now. I had looked through the forum for this specific topic several months ago and found little or nothing. Please feel free to set me straight if someone has already contributed this vein of info previously and I will edit accordingly... I hate useless threads! (lol!)
Over a year ago I set up my own vermicomposting regime, and now I wanted to share how absolutely wonderful it is.
First some basic facts and info on Vermi-composting:
Vermicompost (also called worm compost, vermicast, worm castings, worm humus or worm manure) is the end-product of the breakdown of organic matter by some species of earthworm. Vermicompost is a nutrient-rich, natural fertilizer and soil conditioner. The process of producing vermicompost is called vermicomposting .
The earthworm species (or composting worms) most often used are Brandling Worms (Eisenia foetida) or Red Wigglers (Lumbricus rubellus). These species are only rarely found in soil and are adapted to the special conditions in rotting vegetation, compost and manure piles. Composting worms are available from mail-order suppliers, or from angling shops where they are sold as bait. Small-scale vermicomposting is well suited to turn kitchen waste into high-quality soil, where space is limited.
Vermicomposting uses earthworms to turn organic wastes into very high quality compost. This is probably the best way of composting kitchen wastes. Adding small amounts of wet kitchen scraps to a large compost pile in the garden day by day can disrupt the decomposition process so that the compost is never really done. But it works just fine with vermicomposting.
Many gardeners use vermicomposting systems for all their garden and kitchen wastes, many more use both types of composting, and thousands of households without gardens use neat and unobtrusive worm boxes indoors to compost their kitchen scraps (as well as newspapers and cardboard boxes), reducing their garbage by up to a third and providing their own organic soil for pot plants and container gardens on balconies and roofs to grow their own healthy food.
I initially started my bins as a result of not finding a local supplier of castings. Not wanting to order this item and have it delivered,I began some research into making my own, and much to my surprise, it was far easier than I imagined!
I use the plastic bread crates that delivery men use to move the loaves about from their truck to the market... I liberated a half dozen one evening on a dare. They actually work very well, and I have lined the bottom with a piece of that brite orange plastic hurricane fencing you see at the shore to retain the sand from washing away- this makes the openings a bit smaller so the worms can migrate up through the bins without dropping too much soil down. I would post pics of my setup, by due to its obvious and exclusive nature where I live, it would be a security risk.
The instructions I am about to outline are for a smaller set up than what I use since I compost for my entire gardening project both legit and otherwise.
Now, on to the basics:
How Big?
The rule of thumb for bin size is two square feet of surface area per person, or one square foot of surface area per pound of food wastes generated each week. Vegetarians often find they need a bin with four square
feet of surface area per person.
Plastic storage bins make great worm bins! Ultraviolet light is toxic to worms, so bins should be made from an opaque material. Bins should be 8 to 14 inches deep and have a snug fitting lid to keep out rodents. Drill 1/4 inch holes in the bottom and sides, 5 to 7 inches apart, to provide ventilation and drainage. If you are using a utility knife to make holes, cut out triangles
Red wigglers will reprocess kitchen waste such as: vegetables, fruits, eggshells, teabags, paper coffee filters, shredded paper towels, and coffee grounds. They particularly like pumpkin, watermelon and cantaloupe. Citrus fruits are too acidic for them and should not be fed to them. If food scraps are cut into small pieces, the worms can digest them easier and more quickly. It is best not to include meat, fish, fat and oily foods so that pests will not be attracted to your bin. Food scraps must be completely covered with bedding in the bin so there will be no odor, fruit flies, or molds.
The worms should be fed twice a week depending upon how quickly the worms are eating. The speed with which they eat will depend upon how close to optimum conditions their bin is kept. Optimum conditions include a pH of 7, temperature of 50 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit, a moist environment and adequate food. The worm bin should be checked regularly to determine whether the food last put in the bin is gone. If it is, add more.
When burying the food waste, divide the bin into nine imaginary sections. (See Illustration No. 1) Every time food waste is buried, place it in the section adjacent to the section in which the last food was buried. By the time food has been buried in all of the nine sections, bury the next scraps in the very first section that food was buried in because the first food buried will have been composted by then.
ADDING FOOD WASTE
Earthworms eat all kinds of food and yard wastes, including coffee grounds, tea bags, vegetable and fruit waste, pulverized egg shells, grass clippings, manure, and sewage sludge. Avoid bones, dairy products, and meats that may attract pests, and garlic, onions, and spicy foods. Limited amounts of citrus can be added, but too much can make the compost too acidic. The compost should be kept at a pH of 6.5 if possible, with upper and lower limits at 7.0 and 6.0, respectively.
Overly acidic compost can be corrected by adding crushed eggshells.
Avoid adding chemicals (including insecticides), metals, plastics, glass, soaps, pet manures, and oleanders or other poisonous plants, or plants sprayed with
insecticides to the worm bin.
Food wastes should be added to the bin by pulling back the bedding material and burying it. Be sure to cover it well to avoid attracting flies and other pests. Successive loads of waste should be buried at different locations in the bin to keep the food wastes from accumulating. Grinding or blending the food waste in a food processor speeds the composting time considerably.
CONTROLLING TEMPERATURE AND MOISTURE IN THE BIN
Redworms can survive a wide range of temperatures (40-80). There are three basic ways to separate the worms from the finished compost. One way involves moving the finished compost and worms over to one side of the bin and adding new bedding material and food waste to the other side. Worms in the finished compost should move over to the new bedding with the fresh food waste. The finished compost can then be removed.
A second way to remove the worms is to build asmall harvester frame of 2 x 4s with a 3/16-inch mesh bottom. Place the worm compost on the frame and sift the worms out. Larger pieces of compost can be returned to a new batch of bedding and worms. The compost also can be placed in small piles on a
tarp in the sun (or under bright lights inside). Because worms don't like light.
Vermicompost contains not only worm castings, but also bedding materials and organic wastes at various stages of decomposition. It also contains worms at various stages of development and other microorganisms
associated with the composting processing. Earthworm castings in the home garden often contain 5 to 11 times more nitrogen, phosphorous, and
potassium as the surrounding soil. Secretions in the intestinal tracts of earthworms, along with soil passing through the earthworms, make nutrients more concentrated and available for plant uptake, including micronutrients.
Redworms in vermicompost act in a similar fashion, breaking down food wastes and other organic residues into nutrient-rich compost. Nutrients in
vermicompost are often much higher than traditional garden compost
Parameter* Garden compost1 Vermicompost2
pH 7.80 6.80
EC (mmhos/cm)** 3.60 11.70
Total Kjeldahl nitrogen(%)*** 0.80 1.94
Nitrate nitrogen (ppm)**** 156.50 902.20
Phosphorous (%) 0.35 0.47
Potassium (%) 0.48 0.70
Calcium (%) 2.27 4.40
Sodium (%) < .01 0.02
Magnesium (%) 0.57 0.46
Iron (ppm) 11690.00 7563.00
Zinc (ppm) 128.00 278.00
Manganese (ppm) 414.00 475.00
Copper (ppm) 17.00 27.00
Boron (ppm) 25.00 34.00
Aluminum (ppm) 7380.00 7012.00
1Albuquerque sample
2Tijeras sample
*Units- ppm=parts per million mmhos/cm=millimhos per centimeter
** EC = electrical conductivity is a measure (millimhos per centimeter) of the
relative salinity of soil or the amount of soluble salts it contains.
*** Kjeldahl nitrogen = is a measure of the total percentage of nitrogen in the
sample including that in the organic matter.
**** Nitrate nitrogen = that nitrogen in the sample that is immediately available
for plant uptake by the roots.
Highwayman
I have wanted to do this for some time now. I had looked through the forum for this specific topic several months ago and found little or nothing. Please feel free to set me straight if someone has already contributed this vein of info previously and I will edit accordingly... I hate useless threads! (lol!)
Over a year ago I set up my own vermicomposting regime, and now I wanted to share how absolutely wonderful it is.
First some basic facts and info on Vermi-composting:
Vermicompost (also called worm compost, vermicast, worm castings, worm humus or worm manure) is the end-product of the breakdown of organic matter by some species of earthworm. Vermicompost is a nutrient-rich, natural fertilizer and soil conditioner. The process of producing vermicompost is called vermicomposting .
The earthworm species (or composting worms) most often used are Brandling Worms (Eisenia foetida) or Red Wigglers (Lumbricus rubellus). These species are only rarely found in soil and are adapted to the special conditions in rotting vegetation, compost and manure piles. Composting worms are available from mail-order suppliers, or from angling shops where they are sold as bait. Small-scale vermicomposting is well suited to turn kitchen waste into high-quality soil, where space is limited.
Vermicomposting uses earthworms to turn organic wastes into very high quality compost. This is probably the best way of composting kitchen wastes. Adding small amounts of wet kitchen scraps to a large compost pile in the garden day by day can disrupt the decomposition process so that the compost is never really done. But it works just fine with vermicomposting.
Many gardeners use vermicomposting systems for all their garden and kitchen wastes, many more use both types of composting, and thousands of households without gardens use neat and unobtrusive worm boxes indoors to compost their kitchen scraps (as well as newspapers and cardboard boxes), reducing their garbage by up to a third and providing their own organic soil for pot plants and container gardens on balconies and roofs to grow their own healthy food.
I initially started my bins as a result of not finding a local supplier of castings. Not wanting to order this item and have it delivered,I began some research into making my own, and much to my surprise, it was far easier than I imagined!
I use the plastic bread crates that delivery men use to move the loaves about from their truck to the market... I liberated a half dozen one evening on a dare. They actually work very well, and I have lined the bottom with a piece of that brite orange plastic hurricane fencing you see at the shore to retain the sand from washing away- this makes the openings a bit smaller so the worms can migrate up through the bins without dropping too much soil down. I would post pics of my setup, by due to its obvious and exclusive nature where I live, it would be a security risk.
The instructions I am about to outline are for a smaller set up than what I use since I compost for my entire gardening project both legit and otherwise.
Now, on to the basics:
How Big?
The rule of thumb for bin size is two square feet of surface area per person, or one square foot of surface area per pound of food wastes generated each week. Vegetarians often find they need a bin with four square
feet of surface area per person.
Plastic storage bins make great worm bins! Ultraviolet light is toxic to worms, so bins should be made from an opaque material. Bins should be 8 to 14 inches deep and have a snug fitting lid to keep out rodents. Drill 1/4 inch holes in the bottom and sides, 5 to 7 inches apart, to provide ventilation and drainage. If you are using a utility knife to make holes, cut out triangles
Red wigglers will reprocess kitchen waste such as: vegetables, fruits, eggshells, teabags, paper coffee filters, shredded paper towels, and coffee grounds. They particularly like pumpkin, watermelon and cantaloupe. Citrus fruits are too acidic for them and should not be fed to them. If food scraps are cut into small pieces, the worms can digest them easier and more quickly. It is best not to include meat, fish, fat and oily foods so that pests will not be attracted to your bin. Food scraps must be completely covered with bedding in the bin so there will be no odor, fruit flies, or molds.
The worms should be fed twice a week depending upon how quickly the worms are eating. The speed with which they eat will depend upon how close to optimum conditions their bin is kept. Optimum conditions include a pH of 7, temperature of 50 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit, a moist environment and adequate food. The worm bin should be checked regularly to determine whether the food last put in the bin is gone. If it is, add more.
When burying the food waste, divide the bin into nine imaginary sections. (See Illustration No. 1) Every time food waste is buried, place it in the section adjacent to the section in which the last food was buried. By the time food has been buried in all of the nine sections, bury the next scraps in the very first section that food was buried in because the first food buried will have been composted by then.
ADDING FOOD WASTE
Earthworms eat all kinds of food and yard wastes, including coffee grounds, tea bags, vegetable and fruit waste, pulverized egg shells, grass clippings, manure, and sewage sludge. Avoid bones, dairy products, and meats that may attract pests, and garlic, onions, and spicy foods. Limited amounts of citrus can be added, but too much can make the compost too acidic. The compost should be kept at a pH of 6.5 if possible, with upper and lower limits at 7.0 and 6.0, respectively.
Overly acidic compost can be corrected by adding crushed eggshells.
Avoid adding chemicals (including insecticides), metals, plastics, glass, soaps, pet manures, and oleanders or other poisonous plants, or plants sprayed with
insecticides to the worm bin.
Food wastes should be added to the bin by pulling back the bedding material and burying it. Be sure to cover it well to avoid attracting flies and other pests. Successive loads of waste should be buried at different locations in the bin to keep the food wastes from accumulating. Grinding or blending the food waste in a food processor speeds the composting time considerably.
CONTROLLING TEMPERATURE AND MOISTURE IN THE BIN
Redworms can survive a wide range of temperatures (40-80). There are three basic ways to separate the worms from the finished compost. One way involves moving the finished compost and worms over to one side of the bin and adding new bedding material and food waste to the other side. Worms in the finished compost should move over to the new bedding with the fresh food waste. The finished compost can then be removed.
A second way to remove the worms is to build asmall harvester frame of 2 x 4s with a 3/16-inch mesh bottom. Place the worm compost on the frame and sift the worms out. Larger pieces of compost can be returned to a new batch of bedding and worms. The compost also can be placed in small piles on a
tarp in the sun (or under bright lights inside). Because worms don't like light.
Vermicompost contains not only worm castings, but also bedding materials and organic wastes at various stages of decomposition. It also contains worms at various stages of development and other microorganisms
associated with the composting processing. Earthworm castings in the home garden often contain 5 to 11 times more nitrogen, phosphorous, and
potassium as the surrounding soil. Secretions in the intestinal tracts of earthworms, along with soil passing through the earthworms, make nutrients more concentrated and available for plant uptake, including micronutrients.
Redworms in vermicompost act in a similar fashion, breaking down food wastes and other organic residues into nutrient-rich compost. Nutrients in
vermicompost are often much higher than traditional garden compost
Parameter* Garden compost1 Vermicompost2
pH 7.80 6.80
EC (mmhos/cm)** 3.60 11.70
Total Kjeldahl nitrogen(%)*** 0.80 1.94
Nitrate nitrogen (ppm)**** 156.50 902.20
Phosphorous (%) 0.35 0.47
Potassium (%) 0.48 0.70
Calcium (%) 2.27 4.40
Sodium (%) < .01 0.02
Magnesium (%) 0.57 0.46
Iron (ppm) 11690.00 7563.00
Zinc (ppm) 128.00 278.00
Manganese (ppm) 414.00 475.00
Copper (ppm) 17.00 27.00
Boron (ppm) 25.00 34.00
Aluminum (ppm) 7380.00 7012.00
1Albuquerque sample
2Tijeras sample
*Units- ppm=parts per million mmhos/cm=millimhos per centimeter
** EC = electrical conductivity is a measure (millimhos per centimeter) of the
relative salinity of soil or the amount of soluble salts it contains.
*** Kjeldahl nitrogen = is a measure of the total percentage of nitrogen in the
sample including that in the organic matter.
**** Nitrate nitrogen = that nitrogen in the sample that is immediately available
for plant uptake by the roots.
Highwayman
