Transcript WORM COMPOSTING OR VERICOMPOSTING

WORM COMPOSTING OR
VERICOMPOSTING
03/19/2011
CONVERT YOUR OLD RECYCLE BIN
COLLECT LIQUID PRODUCT
WORM BIN OR BOX
• A worm bin can be made from your old Riverside
recycle bin.
• Large flower pots (Avoid containers that have been
used for chemicals).
• Wood or plywood (Don’t use treated wood)
• Plastic tub bins may get wetter than wooden bins. So
allow for drainage into another container. Holes can be
drilled in the bottom of the tub if needed. Worms
should not try to escape if well maintained.
• Set the bin on blocks or attach legs to increase
circulation. Red worms produce carbon dioxide and
they need oxygen to live. Air circulation is a must.
MATERIALS
• Newspaper or shredded office paper for bedding (Use only
smaller amounts of color pages)
• Corrugated cardboard is excellent for bedding.
• Old decaying leaves are a good source for bedding. Maple
is better than Oak because they will breakdown quicker.
• Small amount of water if starting with dry materials
• A cup of soil or previous worm castings. Do not use soil
containing chemicals or potting
• Vented worm bin cover for good air flow (such as a bath
towel)
• Red worms (Eisenia fetida): aka “red wigglers,” “red
hybrid,” “dung worms,” or “stripped worms”. Do not use
earth worms or night crawlers.
BEDDING
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Moist bedding provides the medium that worms need to survive. Shredded
newspaper is the best bedding material because it is readily available, provides
excellent moisture retention.
Shred the newspaper by fully opening sheet, tearing it lengthwise down the
centerfold, gathering the two halves, tearing them lengthwise again, and repeating
the process until you have strips ranging from 1/4 to 1 inch wide. Put the shredded
strips in bin.
To get started mix the water, soil, and the shredded paper. The bedding should be
damp but not sopping wet (about as wet as a wrung out sponge). Bedding should
not be packed too tightly.
Add worms to the top of the bedding, leave top off of the container for an hour or
so. Add 1 pound of redworms or "Red Wigglers" (Eisenia fetida) to the 2-foot-by-2foot bin; and 2 pounds to the 2-foot-by-3-foot bin. Make sure you have good air
circulation.
pH balance (balance of acid vs lime) around 7.0 pH is desired. Worms can tolerate
4.2 pH (acid) to 8.0 pH (alkaline) or higher. Pulverized egg shells or limestone (not
hydrated lime) can be used to raise pH level. Coffee grounds and tea (acids) tend
to lower pH level.
TEMPERATURE
• Worms do best at temperatures between 55-77
degrees Fahrenheit. Above 84 degrees F is
harmful and can be fatal to the worms.
• Measure the temperature inside the bin because
it is usually lower than the surrounding air.
• Temperatures below 50 degrees slow down worm
activity. Worms are much more active at room
temperature than they are at 40 degrees.
FEEDING
• Worms are really good eaters. They like most organic waste but will not
eat anything inorganic, like metals or plastic. They can only eat hard food
after natural degradation softens it. You don't need to exclude these
foods, but be aware that it will take longer for them to disappear. You
could break up or puree hard foods in a processor before feeding them.
• Red worms do not have teeth. Instead, they digest food material in their
gizzard. The gizzard needs a small amount of grit to grind food. That is why
you added the soil to your bin.
• Many variables will affect how much your worms will eat. For example,
they are more active at room temperature than at 40 degrees. A general
rule is that worms will consume up to half their weight in food waste per
day under ideal conditions. If you start with 1/2 lb. of worms, you can
expect them to eat up to 1/4 lb. of food per day. Start with small bits of
food until the worm population increases. Do not overload the system.
Overfeeding can lead to odor problems.
DO NOT FEED
• Heavily salted foods: Salted peanuts, potato
chips, etc . . .
• Manure from dogs, cats, humans, pigs or
horses. Horse manure may contain wormers
or antibiotics that will kill your worms. Worms
love manures but only if outside the home.
• Animal feeds: They may also contain
antibiotics.
• Oily foods, Cheeses
HARVESTING
• Dump and Sort Method
Materials Needed:
• 1 small plastic sheet
• Light source (either a lamp or bright overhead fluorescent)
• Prepare fresh bedding as described earlier.
• Empty the contents of your container onto the plastic sheet
• Add fresh bedding to the container.
• Position the light source over the casting pile. The worms will move down
into the castings.
• Carefully pick the castings from the pile in layers, working toward the
bottom center of the pile. Place castings in a separate container.
• Continue this procedure until there is only a small pile of castings with
worms beneath it.
• Add this pile and worms to the fresh bedding in your worm container.
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