Very similar to how I do my bin, but I don't water the paper on top. I use 4 to 5 layers of dry newspaper on top. The dry newspaper will regulate the moisture. If you find the newspaper is soggy the next day it's too moist so remove the wet newspaper layers and put dry newspaper on again. I like the bin moist but the top layer is drier than the rest. They aren't going to try to get past the dry part to escape. Mine never have anyway I dont need to use a lid on mine and they always have plenty of oxygen. The one time my bin was way too wet they were congregating on the top layer and climbing up the walls but now with this method they don't try to escape anymore. You should give that little tweak a try.
That EXPLAINS EVERYTHING! The huge piles of dead/dying 'liquifying' worms in my new bin! Okay. . . maybe I shouldn't have watered them today! I'll change that bin out tmo. Thx for that explanation.
I question the need for calcium (eggshell or oyster shell). a) worms have no bones b) worms prefer a slightly acidic environment. These calcium sources push ph toward alkaline. c) worms evolved primarily on the forest floor, not following chickens on a farm or oysters on the shore. Sand is a natural (and cheaper) alternative.
I check on my worms daily sometimes more than once a day. If you are going to take on the task of raising them please everyone do your research and treat them well.
I've been baking and cooking with eggs from the grocery store for over 15 years, NEVER ONCE have I ever had a problem with eggs. Glad to learn agitating/stirring the worms puts oxygen in bin and doesn't disturb worms. Curiosity killed the cat...
I always put the egg shells in the compost piles or fed them back to my chickens. There are always lots of worms around the compost piles. I never realized that the worms were eating the egg shells. It only makes since if you think about it.
Those are great shots of the babies. I was unsure how visible they would be and every time I saw a thread of anything on the kitchen floor I did my husband's head in trying to see if it was a shrivelled little corpse.
worms will actually continue to work castings even when no food remains and all bedding is eaten, it leads me to believe some other problem happened perhaps moisture/ph problem caused them to attempt escape. I keep a light on above my worms so they dont try to escape, I also have a paper bag I use as a "skin layer" and top that off with dry shredded paper to discourage escapes and fruit flies.
Innoculate your bins with spent mushroom blocks, the Mycelium will have consistent growth which will keep your worms fed, help decompose and add richer microbial life & produce a higher quality final product. You can get the blocks for free from a mushroom farm if you have any nearby. We use Red Alder sawdust rather then peat moss, since peat bogs are endangered as the primary bedding. Because of that we innoculate with Oystermushrooms, but if you use a softer bedding I suggest using wine caps. Which are edible and will produce in your garden when you use the castings during certain times of the year. With wet hay, then cardboard, then a heavy wood lid as the top lair. The adults will occupy the top hay more which we use to create new bins. So all you have to do is take the hay off. We haven't had any try to escape, ever, the bin self regulates with the Mycelium so they don't starve if you don't have waste for them & we get Oyster mushrooms when we crust the top with Oats & coffee grinds.
Thank you, as a worm farmer myself i enjoyed your in-depth video. On your remark regarding teabags and the fear they might be nylon: Yes, some are and leave behind a abundance of microplastics in the environment (as do coffee filters). Most teabags will contain about 10 to 20 percent plastics to avoid breakdown while brewing.Who knows how detrimental it is, but I do try to avoid it in my garden. Keep posting and kind regards...
I highly recommend that you use both the processed egg shells and the oyster shell flour together, they both provide different benefits. I actually have a "Worm Chow" recipe that I've been working on for many years, its a very diversified recipe and produces fantastic castings. If you're interested I can share it with you, let me know and I'll shoot you my email.
1 part crushed oyster shells OR ground up egg shells. Worms need grit because they have gizzards and the grit helps the worms to process their food. 1 part wheat flour. 1 part corn meal 2 parts oats. We use Quaker oats and grind them up to a flour using a baby food processor. Mix all of the above ingredients and treat your worms! If you need a good processor, we recommend a 1 part crushed oyster shells OR ground up egg shells. Worms need grit because they have gizzards and the grit helps the worms to process their food. 1 part wheat flour. 1 part corn meal 2 parts oats. We use Quaker oats and grind them up to a flour using a baby food processor. Mix all of the above ingredients and treat your worms! If you need a good processor, we recommend a baby food processor. Use the processor to turn all of the ingredients into a nice flour for your worms.. Use the processor to turn all of the ingredients into a nice flour for your worms.
Since you have a Food issue with that many worms, it’s a good idea to grow wheat grass, and then harvest wheat grass with the coconut kor and place the grass in the bin and they will have plenty of food and eat, and it will be a lot cheaper for you
I got my very first batch of 250 worms on Wed. like two thirds were dead the next day :-( I think its because I took them out the bag and immediately covered them up with the coco coir I had in their new home. I felt horrible. I feel like I should have let them spread on their own or water the peat moss they came in before covering them. Thank you for this video. I feel better prepared for when my replacement worms get here.
If you hold back their feeding for a while they will self regulate (population wise), as long as there is ample food resource (food scraps and bedding combined) they will continue to populate the bed.
On the water, it is a couple things. First off, the chlorine in city water kills bacteria that the worms feed on, which is why we never use chlorinated water on compost piles or on worm bins. Secondly, rainwater is not just water, it contains a multitude of other minerals and micronutrients as well that cause any compost pile or worm bin to thrive. Those minerals are deposited into the soil or bedding and are consumed by the worms and other organisms living there.
my tapwater has a ppm of 300. i use a bubbler for 24 hrs and vitamin c and use living soil on my plants and use worm casting tea for them and they thrive. it must get enough of the chlorine/chloramine out or some magic ihappening. i inocculated my bin with some tea soaking some cardboard in it and using living soil mixed richly with glacial rocks, alfalpha, kelp and other goodies, some food. My first watering I added some whey in it for protein and they are thriving. I am happy to see lots of cocoons. Rain water can also have a lot of contaminants, so can tap water. We all need to assess what we have to use!
@@dana102083 aerating the water off-gasses the chlorine, or you can use a chlorine filter to remove it with but make sure you replace the filter regularly because when it fills up it will allow the chlorine to pass through it.
Hello Homesteaders Discovery, Great video lots of useful information. I am thinking of starting a worm bin. I will most likely use a plastic rubbermaid tote similar to yours. I was hoping you could give me some answers/advice? -what size are your black plastic bins? -what bedding material do you suggest? -how much bedding material should I start with? -do you use compost / do you advise to use or against it? -how many worms should I start with? -can I collect the worms from my outdoor compost pile? I know I've seen Red Wigglers in the compost. -do you feed them kitchen scraps? -what do you do with the castings once bin is full? -can I store the castings or is it best to use in the garden once harvested? Sorry for all the questions. I have watched a lot of videos and your castings/worn bins look the nicest. No sloppy mess, no water runoff, no lid, so fluffy! Any answers and advice would be greatly appreciated. Cheers. Happy farming!
You need to read the instructions on your PH meter. I have one just like that. You need to take a sample of dirt, put it in a glass of water and stir, wait 2 minutes and then use your meter to read a value. If you just poke it in the dirt you get no reading or a false reading depending on how wet it is.
I am little puzzled with pH on the higher/alkaline side (8), acceptable range 5-9, should you add egg shell powder as it will make it further alkaline?
I know this is an old video but at this point with ph, I would add some peat moss..if oh to low then COIR and more egg shell. But then again I have access tot mega amounts of egg shell.
Tim and Debbie, for some reason I can’t find the yield from a 2000 worm count and how long in the size of bin you’re using. Might you or anyone here know?
We used panda plastic (white on one side and black on the other) at one time and yes, they did the same with us. Actually, we might go back to this method again now that you mentioned it.😊
I use burlap top and bottom. Never had a problem with any bin. Burlap is cool and they can crawl in and out of the holes. Also better air circulation. I check the temp of my food side every now and then. If I find it a little high I use a small fan. When it is a little warm they like to gather at the sides of the bottom burlap to keep cool. I follow The Texas Worm Ranch method. Only bedding I use is decaying wood chips and shredded leaves for more fungally active castings. Just started a new bin with about 2000 worms, none tried to leave.
That’s a lot of worms. What do you use for your growing medium besides peat moss and newspaper? Do you have to filter the air in your worm room? Looks like you’re doing great!
You need to leave a light on in your worm room, that will keep them in their bin. They won't crawl out from under the paper or plastic cover on the bin if a light is left on in the room.
How often do you water the worms without over watering? I tried raising them before and the soil was to wet. I cannot believe how fluffy the soil is with you turning it over.
We water about every 3 days, LIGHTLY. Enough to keep the top moist. We also keep soaked paper egg cartons in the bottom. They just need moisture. Try again if you haven't already.😊
I have made 4 worm -5 gallon bins and do get the worm tea from each. It appears that my larger worms have disappeared but can see many small baby like worms. Did I do something wrong or is this a natural part of the evolution. Was it something in the products I was composting? Would appreciate your insight from you and your group.
That is not normal. Your adults may have escaped or died, and the cocoons hatched. I would check pH. Also, look up protein poisoning in worms. Good luck and let us know what you find.
When using peat moss, do any of you add something to reduce acidity or do you just put your worms directly in it? If you do add something to reduce it, what is your process for reducing?
citrus is acidic and coffee grounds may be slightly acidic when used but more neutral. I make yogurt and you can innoculate your worm bin by mixing with water, just do a good goodle search and you'll find it. whey is acidic. ive also put it in my compost tea for my plants and lowered pH naturally which was nice. Tomatoes in the food may help too. I think never used too much of one thing, and use a variety of pH ups and pH downs to balance it out. i wouldnt put lime if p utting something increasing pH. you can also pH down your water when you water in. I have zero experience with moss and a new worm mommy but those are my pennies.
i was given a wormery last week. its a 3 tier thing. can i empty the 2nd tier fully then put back? can worms wiggle up at least 2 inches to get to the holes? will they eat at the top THEN move down to poop? reason i ask if that today i wanted to take out the physiucal worm castings from the 2nd tier and leave it all in a bucket to mix with other stuff later. It was full of babies and other worms so i rescued what i could , however even the babies leak into the bottom when i pur water over the top and collect on the base tap. is this normal? are babies supposed to reside in the 2nd tier full of castings?
Worms Will follow the food and red wigglers will migrate to where the food is, and that is UP. They feed near the surface. Water washing the babies is a challenge. We deal with this type of issue all the time.
Just out of curiosity, I’m a fish enthusiast and we have to use Prime to dechlorinate our water for our fish. Can I use primed water in the worm bin instead of well water or rain water ?
I can't say for sure. My knowledge of what Prime does to water tells me yes, but I would be remiss to say it wouldn't cause any problems since I'm not sure. If it were me, I would try it on a small population (200 to 500) first. While water does have some mineral benefits, it primarily provides the moisture worms need to survive. Their nutrients come from the food you provide. Since primed water is good for fish, I would think worms would do well, too. This is an interesting question and I would love to know if it works. It might actually be something I try one day. Keep in mind you can always just let water sit out for a few days before adding it to your worm bed. Also, you can use activated carbon to filter water before use. Thanks!
Can red wigglers eat tomatoes or potatoes? I thought I read they couldn't but that's most of my kitchen scraps - that and onions and I know I can't feed them onions!
@@occamsrazor5376 You can actually feed all of these things to them, just in small amounts. They actually love orange pulp, but I only give them a little at a time mixed in with everything else in a blender.
Hear try this take B12, potassium,eggshells that has been boiled, Oats, weat, buckwheat, Garden lime, brewer's yeast, vitamin K, and brown sugar, and corn meal
DOES RED WIGGLER WORMS MAKES A TRIANGULAR SHAPED CASTING THAT IS BROWN/RED AND HAS WORMS UNDER THEM DEVOURING PAINT OFF OF YOUR WALLS INSIDE OF YOUR HOUSE?
Trying to start a worm buissness. I got nightcrawlers instead so I'm probably going to sell to fisherman first, but is there something you guys advise feeding nightcrawlers compares to red wiglers. I've kept them alive for about a week but if someone knows more than I do I feel like it would help me to have someone that know more than I do.
The research that I have done has found that the food and bedding material is no different. The only thing I found different was the fact that Canadian Nightcrawlers go deeper and fed on the surface, and breed far less that red wiggles. Now if you are talking about African nightcrawlers, the only difference from red wiggles is the require higher temperatures than red wiggles. I haven't found any differences between the European Nightcrawlers and Red Wigglers. This is only research because I only have Red Wigglers at the moment. I may get into ENC's later, but right now I'm learning everything I can from RW's. My advice is research, research, and more research. Watch lots of UA-cam videos from multiple people, and use what works for you.
Peat moss is very acidic and it’s not very environmentally friendly as it’s fast depleting the natural peat beds across the world 😢 I’d definitely choose paper raised compost over peat raised compost for my garden 💕👍🏽
We have about one pound in each of our 4 gallon square shaped pails at about 2/3 full of bedding, food and castings… the pails are white in colour, so the worms stick to the inside and we found the depth is something they seem to prefer…. We don’t really do much to em, except introduce food here and there, like a half of head of lettuce on it’s way out, etc, crushed egg shells that were air dried, banana peels frozen and thawed to room temp again, carrot peelings, pet hair, and shredded news print along with dried out grass, and a bit of mostly aged compost… fluff things up, check the over all moisture the next day, and adjust if required, and walk away for a week or so… every few weeks or so, we will open the bins and let em dive down a bit, and grab up some of the castings and a few worms and eggs even, and toss into our outdoor compost pile…. Introduce some new food and bedding, to the pails, fluff things up, check moisture, and walk away for another week or so… We find the two pails handles most of our worm friendly scraps, and about a 1/3 of our news print delivered, and as we toss much of the extra population to the compost bin, it just works for our needs. :D Our garden beds are screened and tilled each year, and are comprised of equal parts of top soil, compost, substrate soil, and aged manure… The resulting growing medium is a nice rich brown in colour, and has proven to have within, most everything a plant could ask for, retains moisture nicely, drains nicely, and the end products always taste fantastic… and our little worm composers are a part of the whole process, indoors and out :) Cheers:D
Is that all you feed them? What is in that mix? No greens? I pre wet my paper. I use cardboard torn is tiny pieces because newspaper it not available. what is in your worm chow?
@@HomesteadersDiscovery I use dried leaves as part of my worm feedstock, but I put them in the oven on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil and bake them at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes before I use them. That serves to kill off any cocoon or "beasties" that might be in the leaves. (Of course, I let the leaves cool before using them.)
Try using an electric spice/coffee/smoothie grinder. I show one in this video at this link. It isn't a great video, but you can see the grinder we use. ua-cam.com/video/T0mCa6t_poU/v-deo.html
I will tell you what kind NOT to get. We tried the Cover 3 in 1 Meter and it was a waste. We never upgraded to a better one. If you find a good one, please let us know.
only some will, especially if its whole eggs.. more if ground but I doubt that's what people are doing. Certainly encourage using water and not wasting it!
We haven't had much success checking pH. The meter is supposed to do the job and as one of our viewers mentioned to us a while ago, we need to read the manual. Still learning...
@@HomesteadersDiscovery I've wondered in the past if a ph tape, the kind used in a chemistry class, if plunged deep into the most moist part of a bin, could be used. They are inexpensive and accurate. But I've never tried it.
@@texaspatty4697 Meh it's all the same. It just grows when I trust it and give it some attention. Can grow a cactus in water if you want to. Just create a balance of things. Nature if you will. It can take care of itself. With a little help.
@@texaspatty4697 you can make a slurry with matter in the bin and water.. its not 100% accurate but you can do this with soil and water. I would test the pH with a water pH meter and if super alkaline, use pH down or add something acid like citrus. you can add lemon juice right to the water and retest. My water is 8.2 a lot lately and i use 6.5 - 7 . 1 range for my plants so I add that to my worm bin. I havent added lime to make it more alkaline, and add orange peels, egg shells, living soil, and makde a compost tea for my plants using whey from making yogurt, and that lowers pH as well. The worms look good so that's the best test and it smells good in there. The tea had the product Fish Sh1t in it, and stunk before it went in lol..
I have been a worm farmer for over 30 years and I still am not sure....oh well, time to get out the microscope again. Thanks for such a quick reply.. this video will be added to my list of suggested videos when I sell worms...i am glad to see that there are good videos...not in my wheelhouse and not going to be. Keep up the good work.
That’s not enough food for all of those worms. Add more kitchen scraps. That fine powder food is gonna go quick. Put in some whole or long term food to keep them in the bin.
I am sorry about your worms dying, that’s a drag.… I just like to share what I think and I believe you would appreciate what it takes to keep people interested if you were doing videos. If you’re not gonna do it anymore don’t matter, enough of my rambling, second comment made
I have one more question. My friend collected kitchen scrapes nd put them in a bottle( cut the bottom in a way she can close it to)with out adding any soil she left it out so it looses the water. After 5 to 7 days then she adds it to soil , after making sure it is not hot she releases the worms. She has been doing it well. I can try that procedure right? And she caught the worms using aged cowdung, jaggery water(not so processed molasses in india). She diluted that jaggery in water , poured it on the ground nd covered with news paper nd placed that aged cow dung. Covered with wet jute cloth . She keeps that cloth wet every day for 30 days. She found so many worms underneath it. She collected in that way.
@@ediehunter2699 you have it backwards. Egg shells are more basic, which is raising pH. Acids lower pH to less than 7. However unused coffee grounds are acidic and would lower pH.. but used grounds are fairly neutral, however would be slightly acidic if having to pick a side of neutral.
Your cardboard with the holes in the side is it reasons why you're having more worms they like to go into the purgation Halo parts of it and lay their babies the reason for the other Critters is the cardboard is also breaking down into complex sugars which attract things like springtails excetera excetera excetera
I am in my worm beds at least weekly...before red wigglers I raised other worms...for koi food. I couldn't keep up with other worms to feed so I got red wigglers to hopefully add or to replace the others..european etc. I have only seen worms that size in other beds. I ordered some more worms a couple of years ago and while looking them over there were 2 types of wigglers..never have I seen a redwiggler that long. Yes they can get rather large especially if in really well fed , watered and perfect condition...but not that big. From what I remember from bio lab in college I think there is a way to tell if dissecting...but that's going back...YEARS ago..( I only remember basics ...ie heart " chambers" etc.
Went into my memory bank..if there is a darker head area, if it is darker at the head area, if the bristles along the body are more pronounced( needed for deep tunneling) known as setae( had to get out old biology book for that term) at every junction then are most likely not red wigglers. Also red wigglers tend to be more cylindrical and deep dwelling worms in cross section behind the cotillium are usually slightly concave unless food was easily accessible.
I’m sure they need to be fed more than egg shells, oyster shells, coffee grounds, powdered worm food whatever that is, and paper, and I swear I saw a corn cob lol but Ugh Way too many ums, long pauses between words, redundant information, and rambling type of talking for what is actually covered in these bins. Basically this needs an outline.
I appreciate your video but to be honest there’s too much like it’s just way too slow you could make it in half the time and present the same equivalent information, way too long of a video not enough information or plenty of information but way too much time. Sorry but that’s how I feel
It's very nice that you took the time to show us your routine. I'm very new to this, so thank you.🇨🇦. Love the paper bin. Sorry about your worms😟
I enjoyed this thoroughly! Thank you!
Having more worms is a GREAT "problem" and yes, you will need to stay on top of it more, as they are DEVOURING what you give them!
Thanks man. There's a learning curve for everything. Good info.
Very similar to how I do my bin, but I don't water the paper on top. I use 4 to 5 layers of dry newspaper on top. The dry newspaper will regulate the moisture. If you find the newspaper is soggy the next day it's too moist so remove the wet newspaper layers and put dry newspaper on again. I like the bin moist but the top layer is drier than the rest. They aren't going to try to get past the dry part to escape. Mine never have anyway I dont need to use a lid on mine and they always have plenty of oxygen. The one time my bin was way too wet they were congregating on the top layer and climbing up the walls but now with this method they don't try to escape anymore. You should give that little
tweak a try.
That EXPLAINS EVERYTHING! The huge piles of dead/dying 'liquifying' worms in my new bin! Okay. . . maybe I shouldn't have watered them today! I'll change that bin out tmo. Thx for that explanation.
Glad you watched! Good luck with your new bin.
Thank you for the in-depth video! It's one of the few out there that really goes into this kind of detail. :-)
than you for sharing your experience
I question the need for calcium (eggshell or oyster shell).
a) worms have no bones b) worms prefer a slightly acidic environment. These calcium sources push ph toward alkaline. c) worms evolved primarily on the forest floor, not following chickens on a farm or oysters on the shore.
Sand is a natural (and cheaper) alternative.
I check on my worms daily sometimes more than once a day. If you are going to take on the task of raising them please everyone do your research and treat them well.
Excellent tips, and technique, thanks , and Respect.
I've been baking and cooking with eggs from the grocery store for over 15 years, NEVER ONCE have I ever had a problem with eggs. Glad to learn agitating/stirring the worms puts oxygen in bin and doesn't disturb worms. Curiosity killed the cat...
I always put the egg shells in the compost piles or fed them back to my chickens. There are always lots of worms around the compost piles. I never realized that the worms were eating the egg shells. It only makes since if you think about it.
@OBAMFSpike haha good one
I feed food scraps and leave them in the dark never escaped..I use a furnace filter for a cover they love it.
I love when they spaz out.
Thanks for sharing.
Fluffing the soil has helped to keep my bin healthy 👍🏻worms
Looking good boyz. Nice and healthy
Those are great shots of the babies. I was unsure how visible they would be and every time I saw a thread of anything on the kitchen floor I did my husband's head in trying to see if it was a shrivelled little corpse.
Nice. Keeping doing you!
worms will actually continue to work castings even when no food remains and all bedding is eaten, it leads me to believe some other problem happened perhaps moisture/ph problem caused them to attempt escape. I keep a light on above my worms so they dont try to escape, I also have a paper bag I use as a "skin layer" and top that off with dry shredded paper to discourage escapes and fruit flies.
Ian Lowies they can only live in their worm castings for so long. Then it becomes toxic for the worms
Innoculate your bins with spent mushroom blocks, the Mycelium will have consistent growth which will keep your worms fed, help decompose and add richer microbial life & produce a higher quality final product.
You can get the blocks for free from a mushroom farm if you have any nearby.
We use Red Alder sawdust rather then peat moss, since peat bogs are endangered as the primary bedding.
Because of that we innoculate with Oystermushrooms, but if you use a softer bedding I suggest using wine caps. Which are edible and will produce in your garden when you use the castings during certain times of the year.
With wet hay, then cardboard, then a heavy wood lid as the top lair. The adults will occupy the top hay more which we use to create new bins. So all you have to do is take the hay off. We haven't had any try to escape, ever, the bin self regulates with the Mycelium so they don't starve if you don't have waste for them & we get Oyster mushrooms when we crust the top with Oats & coffee grinds.
Thank you, as a worm farmer myself i enjoyed your in-depth video. On your remark regarding teabags and the fear they might be nylon: Yes, some are and leave behind a abundance
of microplastics in the environment (as do coffee filters). Most teabags will contain about 10 to 20 percent plastics to avoid breakdown while brewing.Who knows how detrimental it is, but I do try to avoid it in my garden. Keep posting and kind regards...
Thank you! 😃
One thing about escaping worms is you can use that to harvest if you put a bin with holes on the bottom and food, they will migrate to the top bin.
I highly recommend that you use both the processed egg shells and the oyster shell flour together, they both provide different benefits. I actually have a "Worm Chow" recipe that I've been working on for many years, its a very diversified recipe and produces fantastic castings. If you're interested I can share it with you, let me know and I'll shoot you my email.
I'd be interested in your worm chow recipe!
I would be as well!
I'd love to have your recipe as well please. And thank you.
1 part crushed oyster shells OR ground up egg shells. Worms need grit because they have gizzards and the grit helps the worms to process their food.
1 part wheat flour.
1 part corn meal
2 parts oats. We use Quaker oats and grind them up to a flour using a baby food processor.
Mix all of the above ingredients and treat your worms! If you need a good processor, we recommend a 1 part crushed oyster shells OR ground up egg shells. Worms need grit because they have gizzards and the grit helps the worms to process their food.
1 part wheat flour.
1 part corn meal
2 parts oats. We use Quaker oats and grind them up to a flour using a baby food processor.
Mix all of the above ingredients and treat your worms! If you need a good processor, we recommend a baby food processor. Use the processor to turn all of the ingredients into a nice flour for your worms.. Use the processor to turn all of the ingredients into a nice flour for your worms.
@@HomesteadersDiscovery thanks so very much!
Since you have a Food issue with that many worms, it’s a good idea to grow wheat grass, and then harvest wheat grass with the coconut kor and place the grass in the bin and they will have plenty of food and eat, and it will be a lot cheaper for you
I got my very first batch of 250 worms on Wed. like two thirds were dead the next day :-( I think its because I took them out the bag and immediately covered them up with the coco coir I had in their new home. I felt horrible. I feel like I should have let them spread on their own or water the peat moss they came in before covering them. Thank you for this video. I feel better prepared for when my replacement worms get here.
If you hold back their feeding for a while they will self regulate (population wise), as long as there is ample food resource (food scraps and bedding combined) they will continue to populate the bed.
On the water, it is a couple things. First off, the chlorine in city water kills bacteria that the worms feed on, which is why we never use chlorinated water on compost piles or on worm bins. Secondly, rainwater is not just water, it contains a multitude of other minerals and micronutrients as well that cause any compost pile or worm bin to thrive. Those minerals are deposited into the soil or bedding and are consumed by the worms and other organisms living there.
what about water that has been softened is it too salty?
FYI. Salt in water softening process is only there to flush the system. Salt does not go into the softened water.
@@StevesSpot oh sweet thanks so much, im really glad to hear that
my tapwater has a ppm of 300. i use a bubbler for 24 hrs and vitamin c and use living soil on my plants and use worm casting tea for them and they thrive. it must get enough of the chlorine/chloramine out or some magic ihappening. i inocculated my bin with some tea soaking some cardboard in it and using living soil mixed richly with glacial rocks, alfalpha, kelp and other goodies, some food. My first watering I added some whey in it for protein and they are thriving. I am happy to see lots of cocoons. Rain water can also have a lot of contaminants, so can tap water. We all need to assess what we have to use!
@@dana102083 aerating the water off-gasses the chlorine, or you can use a chlorine filter to remove it with but make sure you replace the filter regularly because when it fills up it will allow the chlorine to pass through it.
good info thanks
Hello Homesteaders Discovery,
Great video lots of useful information.
I am thinking of starting a worm bin.
I will most likely use a plastic rubbermaid tote similar to yours.
I was hoping you could give me some answers/advice?
-what size are your black plastic bins?
-what bedding material do you suggest?
-how much bedding material should I start with?
-do you use compost / do you advise to use or against it?
-how many worms should I start with?
-can I collect the worms from my outdoor compost pile? I know I've seen Red Wigglers in the compost.
-do you feed them kitchen scraps?
-what do you do with the castings once bin is full?
-can I store the castings or is it best to use in the garden once harvested?
Sorry for all the questions. I have watched a lot of videos and your castings/worn bins look the nicest. No sloppy mess, no water runoff, no lid, so fluffy!
Any answers and advice would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers.
Happy farming!
have you started yet? i can answer some of your questions if you havent yet..
Thanks for your great explanations. How many times do you think one can keep taking the same breeders and getting them to keep laying eggs?
I use paper for bedding mostly. My worms love it.
Actually, one of the best bins we had was paper bedding.
You need to read the instructions on your PH meter. I have one just like that. You need to take a sample of dirt, put it in a glass of water and stir, wait 2 minutes and then use your meter to read a value. If you just poke it in the dirt you get no reading or a false reading depending on how wet it is.
I’ve been looking for a good PH meter. Do you have any suggestions?
Can you raise worms in states that freezes?
I am little puzzled with pH on the higher/alkaline side (8), acceptable range 5-9, should you add egg shell powder as it will make it further alkaline?
I know this is an old video but at this point with ph, I would add some peat moss..if oh to low then COIR and more egg shell. But then again I have access tot mega amounts of egg shell.
Tim and Debbie, for some reason I can’t find the yield from a 2000 worm count and how long in the size of bin you’re using. Might you or anyone here know?
I keep mine covered with black plastic. It keeps the moisture in very well and the worms like to crawl on the surface (under) of the plastic.
We used panda plastic (white on one side and black on the other) at one time and yes, they did the same with us. Actually, we might go back to this method again now that you mentioned it.😊
I use burlap top and bottom. Never had a problem with any bin. Burlap is cool and they can crawl in and out of the holes. Also better air circulation. I check the temp of my food side every now and then. If I find it a little high I use a small fan. When it is a little warm they like to gather at the sides of the bottom burlap to keep cool. I follow The Texas Worm Ranch method. Only bedding I use is decaying wood chips and shredded leaves for more fungally active castings. Just started a new bin with about 2000 worms, none tried to leave.
That’s a lot of worms. What do you use for your growing medium besides peat moss and newspaper? Do you have to filter the air in your worm room? Looks like you’re doing great!
We don't filter the air. It really doesn't smell. When we first started we thought it would.
You need to leave a light on in your worm room, that will keep them in their bin. They won't crawl out from under the paper or plastic cover on the bin if a light is left on in the room.
How often do you water the worms without over watering? I tried raising them before and the soil was to wet. I cannot believe how fluffy the soil is with you turning it over.
We water about every 3 days, LIGHTLY. Enough to keep the top moist. We also keep soaked paper egg cartons in the bottom. They just need moisture. Try again if you haven't already.😊
RESPEKT 👋🥳👍Hab dich abonniert!
I have made 4 worm -5 gallon bins and do get the worm tea from each. It appears that my larger worms have disappeared but can see many small baby like worms. Did I do something wrong or is this a natural part of the evolution. Was it something in the products I was composting? Would appreciate your insight from you and your group.
That is not normal. Your adults may have escaped or died, and the cocoons hatched. I would check pH. Also, look up protein poisoning in worms. Good luck and let us know what you find.
Do they lay eggs all year long or just in the Summer months??
city water doesn't dechlorinate in a day or two. it contains chloramines. that takes approx 2 weeks to disapate.
How long do worms keep breeding after they mature? I can't find the answer anywhere
Ok. So all I need is.
Red worms
Petmoss
Food
And l am good to go. ?
What temperature can these worms handle ?? Cold or hot. Thank You
If anyone knows.
Plastic on top of Damp Newspaper layer works very well.
When using peat moss, do any of you add something to reduce acidity or do you just put your worms directly in it? If you do add something to reduce it, what is your process for reducing?
citrus is acidic and coffee grounds may be slightly acidic when used but more neutral. I make yogurt and you can innoculate your worm bin by mixing with water, just do a good goodle search and you'll find it. whey is acidic. ive also put it in my compost tea for my plants and lowered pH naturally which was nice. Tomatoes in the food may help too. I think never used too much of one thing, and use a variety of pH ups and pH downs to balance it out. i wouldnt put lime if p utting something increasing pH. you can also pH down your water when you water in. I have zero experience with moss and a new worm mommy but those are my pennies.
do you know bulb mites ?
i was given a wormery last week. its a 3 tier thing. can i empty the 2nd tier fully then put back? can worms wiggle up at least 2 inches to get to the holes? will they eat at the top THEN move down to poop? reason i ask if that today i wanted to take out the physiucal worm castings from the 2nd tier and leave it all in a bucket to mix with other stuff later. It was full of babies and other worms so i rescued what i could , however even the babies leak into the bottom when i pur water over the top and collect on the base tap. is this normal? are babies supposed to reside in the 2nd tier full of castings?
Worms Will follow the food and red wigglers will migrate to where the food is, and that is UP. They feed near the surface. Water washing the babies is a challenge. We deal with this type of issue all the time.
Just out of curiosity, I’m a fish enthusiast and we have to use Prime to dechlorinate our water for our fish. Can I use primed water in the worm bin instead of well water or rain water ?
I can't say for sure. My knowledge of what Prime does to water tells me yes, but I would be remiss to say it wouldn't cause any problems since I'm not sure. If it were me, I would try it on a small population (200 to 500) first. While water does have some mineral benefits, it primarily provides the moisture worms need to survive. Their nutrients come from the food you provide. Since primed water is good for fish, I would think worms would do well, too. This is an interesting question and I would love to know if it works. It might actually be something I try one day. Keep in mind you can always just let water sit out for a few days before adding it to your worm bed. Also, you can use activated carbon to filter water before use. Thanks!
you don't do the whole food scrap thing?? Lovely castings tho I'm just getting started with my first bin
Yes. We use food scraps, too. Good luck with your worms!!
And grind up the leaves ok
Eggshells are not a substitution for oyster or crab shells. They are providing two different things to the worms, and you need both together.
Can red wigglers eat tomatoes or potatoes? I thought I read they couldn't but that's most of my kitchen scraps - that and onions and I know I can't feed them onions!
@@occamsrazor5376 You can actually feed all of these things to them, just in small amounts. They actually love orange pulp, but I only give them a little at a time mixed in with everything else in a blender.
@@WH6FQE Thank you!
@@occamsrazor5376 Just remember, everything in moderation.
@@WH6FQE Okay. By the way, I don't have access to crabs or oysters. Where do I get the shells or can I purchase them already ground?
when you make your worm chow will you do a video on the ingredients you use if you don't mind, much appreciate it ,purchasing chow is expensive
Mary eh721 we do plan to make a video on the worm Chow ingredients and how we make it. Seems to be working out just fine.
Hear try this take B12, potassium,eggshells that has been boiled, Oats, weat, buckwheat, Garden lime, brewer's yeast, vitamin K, and brown sugar, and corn meal
@@davidgates1887 what kind of vitamin k you use and how you use B12 ? Thx !
DOES RED WIGGLER WORMS MAKES A TRIANGULAR SHAPED CASTING THAT IS BROWN/RED AND HAS WORMS UNDER THEM DEVOURING PAINT OFF OF YOUR WALLS INSIDE OF YOUR HOUSE?
Eggshell will raise the ph if the soil is 6.7 or less.(acidic) Otherwise, it has no effect on soil ph.
che cosa e' quella polvere bianca che spargi prima del caffe'?
Trying to start a worm buissness. I got nightcrawlers instead so I'm probably going to sell to fisherman first, but is there something you guys advise feeding nightcrawlers compares to red wiglers. I've kept them alive for about a week but if someone knows more than I do I feel like it would help me to have someone that know more than I do.
The research that I have done has found that the food and bedding material is no different. The only thing I found different was the fact that Canadian Nightcrawlers go deeper and fed on the surface, and breed far less that red wiggles. Now if you are talking about African nightcrawlers, the only difference from red wiggles is the require higher temperatures than red wiggles. I haven't found any differences between the European Nightcrawlers and Red Wigglers. This is only research because I only have Red Wigglers at the moment. I may get into ENC's later, but right now I'm learning everything I can from RW's. My advice is research, research, and more research. Watch lots of UA-cam videos from multiple people, and use what works for you.
Peat moss is very acidic and it’s not very environmentally friendly as it’s fast depleting the natural peat beds across the world 😢
I’d definitely choose paper raised compost over peat raised compost for my garden 💕👍🏽
I'm new to worm farming and going to try to start my own. Per pound of red wigglers how much room do they need.
We have about one pound in each of our 4 gallon square shaped pails at about 2/3 full of bedding, food and castings… the pails are white in colour, so the worms stick to the inside and we found the depth is something they seem to prefer…. We don’t really do much to em, except introduce food here and there, like a half of head of lettuce on it’s way out, etc, crushed egg shells that were air dried, banana peels frozen and thawed to room temp again, carrot peelings, pet hair, and shredded news print along with dried out grass, and a bit of mostly aged compost… fluff things up, check the over all moisture the next day, and adjust if required, and walk away for a week or so… every few weeks or so, we will open the bins and let em dive down a bit, and grab up some of the castings and a few worms and eggs even, and toss into our outdoor compost pile…. Introduce some new food and bedding, to the pails, fluff things up, check moisture, and walk away for another week or so… We find the two pails handles most of our worm friendly scraps, and about a 1/3 of our news print delivered, and as we toss much of the extra population to the compost bin, it just works for our needs. :D Our garden beds are screened and tilled each year, and are comprised of equal parts of top soil, compost, substrate soil, and aged manure… The resulting growing medium is a nice rich brown in colour, and has proven to have within, most everything a plant could ask for, retains moisture nicely, drains nicely, and the end products always taste fantastic… and our little worm composers are a part of the whole process, indoors and out :) Cheers:D
The castings won't have all the nutrients to use as a garden fertilizer if you only feed paper.
The more variety of food the better the castings.
How do you grind the egg shells so fine??
We use an electric blender/grinder. It almost turns it into a powder. Of course the shells need to be completely dry.
Is that all you feed them? What is in that mix? No greens? I pre wet my paper. I use cardboard torn is tiny pieces because newspaper it not available. what is in your worm chow?
We feed veggies as well. The powder is worm chow we made and use it as a supplement.
Try mixing dry leaves with your paper next time and per mose over it
Thanks for the tip. We have lots of leaves on the homestead and will gather some up, grind them, and give a try. 😁
@@HomesteadersDiscovery I use dried leaves as part of my worm feedstock, but I put them in the oven on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil and bake them at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes before I use them. That serves to kill off any cocoon or "beasties" that might be in the leaves. (Of course, I let the leaves cool before using them.)
@@chewee2k Thank you for this info. I’m going to try it. It’s three years since you posted this and autumn. Lots of leaves in my yard!
How do you get your eggshells ground so fine? My food processor is not getting them as fine as yours.
Try using an electric spice/coffee/smoothie grinder. I show one in this video at this link. It isn't a great video, but you can see the grinder we use. ua-cam.com/video/T0mCa6t_poU/v-deo.html
I use a Ninja blender.
@@maryvalchar6530 Chop Sowwy.
How much waters
Dod you have to put into the worm
Not a lot. Just enough to keep the bedding moist, not flooded.
Hi All, Would someone tell me the model, name of the machine to measure the ph in the castings? Thanks!
I will tell you what kind NOT to get. We tried the Cover 3 in 1 Meter and it was a waste. We never upgraded to a better one. If you find a good one, please let us know.
how do you powder the egg shells?
We grind them up in a blender. They must be clean and completely dry.
Try keeping the water from boiled eggs, letting it cool, then add it. That’s where the calcium goes when you boil them. All into the water.
that doesnt sound right..
only some will, especially if its whole eggs.. more if ground but I doubt that's what people are doing. Certainly encourage using water and not wasting it!
crushing the eggshells and boiling water for coffee with it..extra calcium in ur coffee
how to you grind your egg shells and oyster shells to a powder?
Vita mix. Cheaper at costco
Coffee grinder thrift store,craigslist or offer up.
So what happens in a pot with a plant that gets overpopulated?
Some of the worms will probably just move out .
Our water is alkaline. Would using a meter like that accurately read the pH of the bin itself?
We haven't had much success checking pH. The meter is supposed to do the job and as one of our viewers mentioned to us a while ago, we need to read the manual. Still learning...
@@HomesteadersDiscovery I've wondered in the past if a ph tape, the kind used in a chemistry class, if plunged deep into the most moist part of a bin, could be used. They are inexpensive and accurate.
But I've never tried it.
@@texaspatty4697 Meh it's all the same. It just grows when I trust it and give it some attention. Can grow a cactus in water if you want to. Just create a balance of things. Nature if you will. It can take care of itself. With a little help.
@@texaspatty4697 you can make a slurry with matter in the bin and water.. its not 100% accurate but you can do this with soil and water. I would test the pH with a water pH meter and if super alkaline, use pH down or add something acid like citrus. you can add lemon juice right to the water and retest. My water is 8.2 a lot lately and i use 6.5 - 7 . 1 range for my plants so I add that to my worm bin. I havent added lime to make it more alkaline, and add orange peels, egg shells, living soil, and makde a compost tea for my plants using whey from making yogurt, and that lowers pH as well. The worms look good so that's the best test and it smells good in there. The tea had the product Fish Sh1t in it, and stunk before it went in lol..
So the coffee ground is good for the worms???
Yes, worms love spent coffee grounds!!
But not too much!
🤘🏻
Cover the migrating bed with bubble wrap..
Can compost worms subsist off bsf frass, shredded paper and cardboard?
Yes
@@HomesteadersDiscovery Will I be hounded by various Federal Agencies due to my nurturance to the soil?
Spearheading all organic waste matter with native species assimilance.
the dead wigglers make me sad, your bin will bounce back. try keeping a light on they hate light.
Hi, good afternoon sir,
Did u make holes in the bottom?
No holes. We just make sure we don't over water.
Ok, thank you.
How do you make eggshell powder???
Grind up the egshells in a blender or spice grinder.
Or a brick on the concrete it won't dull your blender and works great
I don’t see you putting vegetable scraps in there?
We do use veggie scraps. The worm chow is just a supplement.
How can you tell if it's the remnants of a cocoon?
It will look like a small seed casing.
I have been a worm farmer for over 30 years and I still am not sure....oh well, time to get out the microscope again. Thanks for such a quick reply.. this video will be added to my list of suggested videos when I sell worms...i am glad to see that there are good videos...not in my wheelhouse and not going to be. Keep up the good work.
The big worm you show is Not a red wiggler it is a Alabama Jumper, that is why it moves like a snake.
That's interesting. Thank you.
That’s not enough food for all of those worms. Add more kitchen scraps. That fine powder food is gonna go quick. Put in some whole or long term food to keep them in the bin.
I am sorry about your worms dying, that’s a drag.… I just like to share what I think and I believe you would appreciate what it takes to keep people interested if you were doing videos. If you’re not gonna do it anymore don’t matter, enough of my rambling, second comment made
Can I use cococoir?
Yes you can.
Thank you very much
I have one more question. My friend collected kitchen scrapes nd put them in a bottle( cut the bottom in a way she can close it to)with out adding any soil she left it out so it looses the water. After 5 to 7 days then she adds it to soil , after making sure it is not hot she releases the worms. She has been doing it well.
I can try that procedure right? And she caught the worms using aged cowdung, jaggery water(not so processed molasses in india). She diluted that jaggery in water , poured it on the ground nd covered with news paper nd placed that aged cow dung. Covered with wet jute cloth .
She keeps that cloth wet every day for 30 days. She found so many worms underneath it. She collected in that way.
Recipe for worm chow and where do u get items ?
Okay. Been thinking of doing a better video about our worm chow. Thanks!
egg shells are for raise or low the ph
eggshells are a "sweetener" they turn the ph more basic, or >7. Acidifiers like pine needles will lower ph to be
Lower the PH. Coffee grounds raise the PH
@@ediehunter2699 you have it backwards. Egg shells are more basic, which is raising pH. Acids lower pH to less than 7. However unused coffee grounds are acidic and would lower pH.. but used grounds are fairly neutral, however would be slightly acidic if having to pick a side of neutral.
So that's the diet - egg shells and oyster shells?
No. Egg and oyster shells are supplemental. We still feed fruits and veggies, paper, cardboard, etc.
Try feeding the worms their weight everyday...1lb of worms eat 1lb of food p/day.
Your cardboard with the holes in the side is it reasons why you're having more worms they like to go into the purgation Halo parts of it and lay their babies the reason for the other Critters is the cardboard is also breaking down into complex sugars which attract things like springtails excetera excetera excetera
your problem is you need to harvest casting, and give them new peat and sand and dirt and food to live in they dont want to live in there own shit...
Bin looks too dry
Been raising red wigglers for 30 some years...thats not a red wiggler.
Please share what you observed that makes you believe this is not a red wiggler. Thank you!
I am in my worm beds at least weekly...before red wigglers I raised other worms...for koi food. I couldn't keep up with other worms to feed so I got red wigglers to hopefully add or to replace the others..european etc. I have only seen worms that size in other beds. I ordered some more worms a couple of years ago and while looking them over there were 2 types of wigglers..never have I seen a redwiggler that long. Yes they can get rather large especially if in really well fed , watered and perfect condition...but not that big. From what I remember from bio lab in college I think there is a way to tell if dissecting...but that's going back...YEARS ago..( I only remember basics ...ie heart " chambers" etc.
Went into my memory bank..if there is a darker head area, if it is darker at the head area, if the bristles along the body are more pronounced( needed for deep tunneling) known as setae( had to get out old biology book for that term) at every junction then are most likely not red wigglers. Also red wigglers tend to be more cylindrical and deep dwelling worms in cross section behind the cotillium are usually slightly concave unless food was easily accessible.
This is all wrong
I’m sure they need to be fed more than egg shells, oyster shells, coffee grounds, powdered worm food whatever that is, and paper, and I swear I saw a corn cob lol but Ugh Way too many ums, long pauses between words, redundant information, and rambling type of talking for what is actually covered in these bins. Basically this needs an outline.
The worms need all those things you mentioned and more. No animal no dairy no citrus. Everything else you eat and the leftovers
Hey, thanks, @Edie Hunter! :)
UHfan808 I do not add onions to my worm bin.
@Fierceart1: I see! Why no onions? 🤔
good for running more ads :)
Great content but on and on and on and on Get to the Point!
I appreciate your video but to be honest there’s too much like it’s just way too slow you could make it in half the time and present the same equivalent information, way too long of a video not enough information or plenty of information but way too much time. Sorry but that’s how I feel
Whiner. 😅😅😅