Why your composting strategy needs worms

If you took a step to put on a pile of compost for your garden, it’s time to take one more step and consider vermiikomfosting or composting with worms.

Composting with worms

In contrast to the traditional stack of compost, vermiikomfosting is a great and effective way to get rid of kitchen waste and transform it into high -quality ecological compost. It may turn out that the addition of wet kitchen waste to the garden compost slows down the schedule. However, this is the perfect food for hungry worms, which quickly make daily leftovers. In fact, vermicoms can help reduce kitchen waste, newspapers and cardboard garbage to one third.

Composting with worms

Vermicompost, a rich final result of the work of the worm, consists of castings of worms (feces) and some broken organic matter. When the worms are the happiest and the conditions are fine, they can eat their own weight in organic matter every day. They feed on microorganisms that eat organic matter, and their cast contain about eight times more microorganisms than what they consume. The great news for gardeners is that the cast does not contain any pathogenic bacteria, because all this kills a worm in the intestines.

Compared to ordinary garden soil, worms’ castings contain five times more nitrogen, seven times more phosphorus and 11 times more potassium. Castings are excellent soil conditioners because they contain a large amount of humid acids. These acids have almost an ideal pH balance and actually contain the same properties as those found in seaweed.

What worms are used in vermicikompostation?

Perhaps you know the large, large thick earthworms that bury the road around garden soil. However, the worms used in vermicomfronting are not actually these worms, but rather worms known as angular worms, manure worms, red grooves, river worms or brandlings. In fact, they live mainly near the soil surface, where there are high concentrations of organic matter. They are commonly found in piles of compost, the form of leaves or pastures.

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Two different breeds of composting worms in most garden centers – Eisenia Foetida or Lumbricus Rubellas. To start composting with such worms, you will need at least 1 pounds or 1000 worms, which can easily increase to a million worms per year. Starting from 1000 worms, during the year you will have an estimated surplus of about 35 pounds of worms – this includes eggs lost after collecting compost. You can let the worms die when they reproduce or you can sell them, use somewhere else in the garden or run new compost boxes.

What boxes are used when composting with worms?

Because composting with worms is becoming more and more popular, many commercial worms of worms are available. However, many of them are made of plastic, which does not breathe well. People who have been practicing vermicom for a long time suggest that gardeners are building their own wood worm box because the wood is porous and allows better ventilation. In the long run, making your own will save you money.

Field size: Although you can find recommendations for making larger boxes, too much box is very difficult to manage. The best thing is to do so many boxes that deal with 4 pounds of waste of food during the week, as much as you need. These boxes measure 2 on 2 feet and 8 inches depth.

Composting with worms.

Materials and box structure: Use an outer 1/2-inch plywood and make sure that it is not chemically treated. Instead, use a non -toxic preservative of wood or process the box with vegetable oil. Use galvanized nails to connect the box and drill about twelve 1/2 inches of holes at the bottom for ventilation. After folding the box, make sure that two pages are deeper by about 1/2 inches so that the bottom of the box is slightly raised from the ground. It’s best to put a box in a tray because it leaks a little. Also remember to make a lid for your box.

Linen

Add about 6 pounds of dry material to each worm box. Worms will eat bedding, as well as food remains. Every non -toxic fluffy material that keeps moisture works well. Be careful not to use anything that breaks down too quickly, like alfalfa hay or green manure. The easiest and best bedding consists of two -thirds of corrugated cardboard and one -third of peat moss. You can also use cardboard and newspaper.

Remember to cut a cardboard box for 1-inch stripes with a length of about 3 inches and the newspaper tears in 1-inch stripes. Other things that make great bedding an aging horse, rabbit or manure cow, coconut moss, peat moss and autumn leaves.

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In addition to litter, add two handfuls of sand or soil so that the worms will help to fit food in their brother. Also add a little ground limestone or wooden ash to bedding. Mix the bedding and moisten it thoroughly. Add worms and let them settle in your new home for about 3 days before adding any scraps.

Kitchen scraps

When composting worms, do not feed the metal worms, plastic or foil. Only use the remains of vegetables and fruits, tea bags, crushed egg shells, coffee with filter, constant bread and small pieces of stay. Make sure that all scraps are cut into pieces and add citruses, onions and garlic sparingly. If adding dairy, meat and fish, do it sparingly at the beginning and spread them well into bedding. Small or broken chicken bones are also fine, but the larger ones will not crash.

A good method is to collect kitchen scraps in a bucket with a lid and adding to compost every two days. Aging scraps in the litter in the corner of the box and move to a new place, close to the first, next time. A small box can accommodate about nine Bury sites.

About 3 to 6 months you will have to empty the box.

Collection for use

First method

Throw the material in a box on a large piece of plastic under light light or in the sun. Make eight small mounds and wait a few minutes until the worms bury the mounds – they do it because they are sensitive to light. Use a manual brush and rubbish to lightly smear the upper part of each mound until you see the worms – wait a bit until they bury a little more. Do it over and over again. After finishing you will have a pile of worms ready for new bedding. When the worms are in the new post, what is left is a rich compost. Store compost for several weeks before using in the garden.

Second method

Place a piece of nylon window testing, which is slightly larger than the size of the box – put it flat on the surface of the vermicompost. Add fresh bedding on the screen and continue feeding kitchen remains. Hungry worms will penetrate the screen to the new bedding to find food.

When the upper layer is ready for harvest, lift the screen from the field and put it aside. Empty the box filled with high quality vermicompost. Drop the material that was on the screen back to the box and place the screen on top with fresh litter. Make sure the screen does not go. List if necessary.

Method Third

This is a very easy method of harvesting, although you will not receive many additional worms. For about four months he fed kitchen remains and start a new bed with fresh bedding. To make sure that the new box has enough worms, add a few every time you serve the first box. When you start feeding the second box, stop feeding the first box. Before the second box is full, the first box will contain very high quality castings, but very few worms.

Tips and tips:

• When composting worms, there should be no flies or fouls. However, if this happens, you feed worms more than they can consume. Stop feeding worms and add more dry bedding and lime. Mix the container with a manual video. Repeat the process, as long as the smell persists.
• Fruit flies can enter the box and do not cause any damage; However, too many of them mean too much feeding. Release nutrition and cover the waste with a damp newspaper.
• Your box can also become home to many worms of soldiers or vinegar larvae. Although these worms help in the compost process, you can add more bedding and lime, and even put a piece of bread soaked in milk on the surface. When the larvae migrate to bread, remove it and feed him with chicken – they will love you.
• Keep your worm in a shady area outside, and if you have cold temperatures in winter, you should consider moving the worms to a warmer place, such as a garage or shed. You can also insulate the box by adding a layer of straw upstairs. Surrounding the container of worms with a heavy plastic sheet or pieces of old carpet will also keep the warm worms.

Using a worm compost

Mix organic compost in soil soil around plants. You don’t need much because it is very rich. Use vermicompost to start cuttings, mixing about 25 percent in potted soil to get the best results. You can also make compost tea by mixing two tablespoons of vermicompost with a liter of water. Let him sit for one day, shaking from time to time and sprinkle under plants. Remember not to dry the vermicompost before using it. Keep a fresh package all the time to provide your plants in health and happy.

What vermicompost tips will you add? Leave your comments in the section below: