Popular How To’s
Photo by SomprasongWittayanupakorn / Shutterstock
Need a honest supply of nutrient - rich compost to amend the grime in your garden beds and container plantings ? It ’s easy to make your own if you let worms do most of the work for you .
For millions of geezerhood , worm have been nature ’s most prodigious recyclers , break down constitutional material and returning the nutrients to the territory . By setting up a simple worm bin , or vermicomposter , you’re able to reduplicate the conditions dirt ball want to miraculously convert food for thought scraps into usable compost your plant will love .
WHY COMPOST WITH WORMS?
Raising insect in an enclosed bank identification number produces castings ( or waste ) that are an amazing author of nutrient - rich organic subject . Worm compost not only outperforms celluloid fertiliser in improving root emergence and yield healthier plant , it also assist stamp down plant diseases , according to researchers atCornell University Waste Management Institute .
Another magnanimous summation : Composting with worm castings is an environmentally well-disposed manner to recycle kitchen scraps that would unremarkably terminate up in the garbage . In fact , many municipalities promote the use of vermicomposting as a way of keeping food waste out of local landfill .
HOW DO WORM CASTINGS DIFFER FROM COMPOST?
Bothcompostand worm cast are rich in nutrients , minerals , and microbic action that help flora thrive . Both also help with soil aeration , soil porosity , and pee holding . However , the constitutional matter that has been processed through the specialized digestive tracts of worms contains a higher density and concentration of nutrients as well as good bacteria and enzymes that convert waste into a strain more easily engulf by plants .
Just how nutrient - rich are dirt ball castings ? According to theUniversity of Nebraska Extension , they contain 5 times more nitrogen , 7 times more phosphorus , and 11 times more potassium than average garden soil . Worm casting also be given to be a more coherent and honest source of flora nutrition . When the castings are obtained from the controlled environment of a vermicomposting bank identification number , they are free of weed seeds and other contaminant that can be present in traditional compost . Vermicomposting is also a undecomposed way to produce compost indoors during the wintertime months when your outside compost slew is sleeping .
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO START A WORM BIN?
A vermicomposting bin does n’t have to be elaborate or expensive to keep its residents well - fed and generative . All you need is a worm bin , bedding stuff , worms , food , and a drain tray .
WORM BIN:
A profound - responsibility charge card tote or memory container , with several little kettle of fish drill into it for drainage and airflow , works great . ( Seethis easygoing DIY worm binfrom Washington State University ) . But you’re able to also find a wide variety ofcommercial louse bin , including pile system that allow for easier harvesting . Because compost worms are surface dwellers and survive in the top few column inch of soil , the bins do n’t need to be deep . Generally , a container 8 to 12 inches in astuteness is sufficient .
Your bin should also have a loose - fitting chapeau , such as a piece of composition board or sheet of black plastic , with a few slits cut into it . reddened worms favour a moody environment , but they should n’t be deprived of strain .
BEDDING:
The bedding is one of the most authoritative components of a worm bin because it provides a hospitable surroundings for the worm to mould and corrode their food . worm also eat the bedding as well as the table scraps you render , so it must be biodegradable .
Many materials make good worm bedding , including strips of newsprint ( pitch-dark ink only ) , cardboard , bollock cartons , grocery bags , coconut tree coir , or a combination of these materials . Just make certain that the bedding is non - toxic and ripped up into pretty small pieces . Shredded leave also make a good bedding material , but might harbour insect pests that you do n’t need reproducing inside your home .
Because composting worms need moisture , the bedding material should be moistened before adding it to the bin . If you ’re using composition board or paper , sop it in water and then squeeze out as much moisture as potential until the bedding is about as damp as a wrung - out quick study . broadly fill up the bin about half full with the dampen bedding and then foul up it to permit good air flow . Keep in intellect that the bedding material needs to remain moist , so check it often . If it looks like drying out , obnubilate it with H2O from a atomizer nursing bottle .
steer : Along with the bedding , add a small amount of grit to your binful , such as a handful of garden soil or sand . Composting worms need some guts to aid break down food particle and aid in digestion .
COMPOSTING WORMS:
Only use cerise wiggler worms ( Eisenia fetida ) in your binful , which you canorder onlineor buy from a local dirt ball farm . Unlike the nightcrawlers you rule in your garden , crimson worms do n’t necessitate to burrow deeply into the soil to eat and survive .
Photo by Mary Elise Photography / Shutterstock.com
FOOD:
Finding enough intellectual nourishment scraps to feed your worms is seldom a problem , since they will eagerly consume almost anything . But there are some foods you should obviate because they are knockout for dirt ball to digest or can cause noisome odors .
DRAINAGE TRAY:
Since food scraps and moistened bedding contain water , rate a waterproofed container ( such as a kitty-cat bedding material box or top side down shaping tote lid ) underneath the bin to collect any drainage .
HOW (& HOW MUCH) TO FEED COMPOSTING WORMS
When add together food to your bank identification number , sink it beneath the top 2 to 3 inches of bedding to help dissemble odors and queer pesky flies . To aid in the decomposition reaction process , chop large pieces of fruits and vegetables into humble pieces or run them through a food processor .
How much food to give your worm calculate on the size of the population . Red wiggler worms can consume half their eubstance weight every day , so if you ’re starting out with a pound of dirt ball , you should provide them with at least three pounds of food for thought scraps per week . ( you’re able to gradually increase the amount as the worms multiply . ) Also put the food in a unlike area of the bin at each eat to keep the worms from congregating in one spot .
Tip : Although compost worm are loosely not finical eaters , there are sure food for thought that may not please their palate . Check your bin to see what nutrient is gone after a few days and what remains , so you may get an approximation of their diet preferences . You may need to keep a journal noting how quickly your worms consume certain intellectual nourishment so you could adjust the menu to their liking .
Stackable worm bin . photograph courtesy of Steuwe & Sons
HOW TO HARVEST VERMICOMPOST
After a few months — when your ABA transit number is filled with rich , drab compost — it ’s time for harvesting . remove the insect castings also give you the opportunity to refresh the bedding and keep your bin going .
The easiest way to collect the finished compost is to labor the bedding and worm to one end of the ABA transit number and take the other end with raw bedding and sassy nutrient trash . After a twosome of weeks , the worms will migrate over to the reinvigorated food and you’re able to scoop out the compost from the other side of the bin . If you ’re using atray - vogue stackable worm bin , this job is a cinch because it ’s designed to separate the composted material into layers .
Another method is to ditch the subject of the bin onto a plastic tarp placed under a brilliant light . Because worms are light - sensitive , they will tunnel down to the bottom of the mess and you could then scoop off the compost from the top . you may then move the worm back into their home after line it with Modern bedding .
HOW TO USE VERMICOMPOST
Once glean , you may utilise your vermicompost immediately or salt away it in a plastic tub . add up it to your garden bed as a stain amendment , blend it into potting mix , or use as a top binding for your indoor and outdoor industrial plant . Even though vermicompost is chock - full of good bacterium and nutrients , it also is very modest so you do n’t have to worry about harming your plant by overfertilizing .
Tip : Try get a louse compost afternoon tea that you may water into the territory or spray directly onto a plant ’s leaves . Simply place one or two scoopfuls of louse compost into a permeable bag made from burlap or an old case and then engross it in a bucket of uncontaminating water for 24 hour , or until the tea is tripping chocolate-brown in colouring . Because the afternoon tea is full of beneficial living microbes , it should be utilise to your works within a match of day after making .
Photo by Kulchan S / Shutterstock.com
WORM COMPOSTING DOS AND DON’TS
ruddy squirmer are highly effective composters as long as you give them a dark , comfortable family with plenitude of food , wet , and atomic number 8 . To provide the optimum conditions , pay heed to these significant dos and don’ts .
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How long does it take worms to make compost?
Red wigglers are voracious eaters and can plow kitchen scrap into nutrient - rich compost in about two to three months . But keep in mind that it can take a duet of weeks for your worms to get well-off in their novel digs , so give them some fourth dimension to work up an appetency .
What are the ideal temperatures for composting worms?
carmine composting worm thrive in temperatures ranging from 55 ° to 80 ° degree Fahrenheit , but can tolerate cold or warm temperatures as long as they are n’t utmost ( above 80 ° or below 32 ° atomic number 9 ) . Keep in intellect , these temps are inside the worm bin , not air temperature . If you move your louse bin outside during the summer , be sure to direct it in a shaded locating protect from rain and wind . When the weather condition turns colder , insulate the bank identification number from freezing temperature or move it indoors to a cellar , heated garage , or a corner of your kitchen . In cool temperature ( 32 ° to 54 ° F ) , worms will work more slowly and you may necessitate to decrease the amount of intellectual nourishment scraps you give them .
Does worm compost have a strong odor?
Properly made vermicompost has a thin but unoffending odor , do a dirt ball bin well - suited for indoor exercise . If you commence to observe an objectionable smell , it ’s most likely due to rotting solid food and not the compost itself . If this occur , cut back on the amount of food you feed your dirt ball and check that to lay to rest the scraps under a layer of bedding .
What are the cons of worm composting?
In general , setting up and superintend a worm bin expect very little effort . But the volume of vermicompost you’re able to produce will be significantly less than what you’re able to make using traditional composting methods . You also take to cater to the specialized motivation of your dirt ball , such as giving them the right amount of moisture and a well - balanced diet , to keep them productive and goodly . monitor the process can be time - consuming , and tone can brook if you do n’t bring off your worm bin correctly .
How many worms should you start with for composting?
That typically look on the size of your bin . Generally , you should set off out with about a 1/2 pound of worms per square foot . Keep in mind that red composting worms engender quickly , double their universe within a few months . you could always total more worm later once you are surefooted that your bin is worm - friendly .
How long do composting worms live?
Under ideal conditions , blood-red worms can populate a class or longer in a vermicomposting bank identification number , but once a worm dies you probably wo n’t point out . It will merely become part of the compost , to be put back by a young propagation of dirt ball .
Can you use both compost and worm castings?
Yes , using the two together is a great alternative and gives your flora the best of both macrocosm . Because worm casting are hard to make in enceinte quantities , weigh mixing traditional compost throughout your garden beds and then using worm cast as a top dressing during the growing time of year .
