Anaerobic Bacteria - Good or Bad? Plus Pre-compost Refresher
Вставка
- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- Hello Castings Crew!
We all know anaerobic conditions are bad. But why are they bad? And how bad is bad??
While we talk about this, I give a refresher on how to make table top pre-compost.
Here the playlist for that series:
Indoor Table Top Pre-Composting Bin
• Indoor Table Top Pre-C...
If you’re not a Castings Crew member, join in by hitting that subscribe button! Likes and shares are always appreciated as well ❤️.
Yours in the dirt,
Jayne
##vermicompost #worms #composting #redwigglers #
I am glad you did this pre-compost refresher. I don't have worms yet but was thinking of trying to do composting starting with your pre-compost.
Hi Michelle! It would be a good place to start! Either to be ready when you decide to get worms or for gardening use. As long as the compost remain lightly moist and has air (the biota need both to survive) the pre-compost lasts a very long time.
I hope you give it a try and let us know how you do 👍😊🪱
Hi Jayne, I watched completely and enjoyed thoroughly ❤🪱❤
i’d like to see how you make the slurry and store it. 😅 i like how you don’t waste anything.
Hi Lisa! Ok! I’ll put it on the list of topics to cover in an upcoming video 👍❤️.
It’s become a fun personal challenge to see how little we throw away.
As a true story aside, my husband’s work had a team day were people made short presentations on fun topics. Hubby did his on making the indoor tabletop compost. A co-worker actually gave it a try. Came back a few weeks later and was exclaiming how his garbage reduced dramatically by simply recycling all his cardboard and food waste into pre-compost for his garden. Made us feel quite happy! 👍🪱❤️
At 13 years old, and I still remember it to this day 60 years later, our horticulture teacher would SHOUT at us if we used the word 'dirt'. "DIRT is what you get under your fingernails. Soil is what plants grow in."
Never argue with a smart teacher 😍😎🪱
Hence I with you. You have taught me so much. Love your videos. ❤.
After 3-4 months I can tell the switch to pre-composted bedding has been a true game changer! (I used to use dry shredded cardboard directly into the bin before.) The casting production and quality cannot be compared, and the number of remaining shreds not fully broken down are dramatically reduced to very few. My "herd" of worker worms and I thank you
Malin
Hi Mal! I’m so glad it’s working out for you! It really is amazing the way the pre-composted bedding effects the whole system in such a positive dramatic manner ❤️🪱.
The main ‘issue’ I have with the pre-compost is how quickly I have I make new batches and sift out finished castings!! 🙄😎👍❤️🪱
Thank you for the refresher and was nice that you mentioned me.
Hi Rickjay! My pleasure ❤️. I know I didn’t talk about the actual making of the pre-compost very much though. I don’t think I’ve changed my method very much from how I showed it in the how to playlist. If you’ve spotted major changes that I’m failing to see, please point them out so I can address those changes 👍.
The shiney bags from Starbucks are repurposed. Those are the bags their coffee comes in from supplier.
Thanks! That does seem to be the consensus answer. That makes me feel better 😍. Often I just get the double plastic bag they line the garbage cans with. That works too! Thanks for adding your knowledge 👍🪱🪱
I am also interested in the veg slurry. I have been watching the pre composting and I am excited to do it this way. Now I have to start over because my first try isn't right. Thank you so much for sharing your information. I am going to try to get my grandchildren interested in this project. I am 76 so I think they will love this project.
Erika lockwood
Hi Erika! Oooh kids will love mixing the pre-compost ingredients. It’s like playing in the mud but better for the earth 😎.
What went wrong with your first batch try?? 🪱🪱
It's interesting to talk about anaerobic composting, because some of the quickest, and best compost we made was done that way. With our stallions being at home, we'd muck out straight into old plastic feed bags, and each Saturday they'd be taken away to allotments. However, when a mare was home for foaling it meant extra bags that didn't fit in the trailer. The bags were always covered so as to prevent smell for the neighbours, and these extras could sometimes end up sitting for a few months before being taken away. It was enough time to be able to break down, and worms find their way into it. The worms really don't care how it's made, so long as it's the right environment for them at the end.
Hello! Yes exactly! The worms will eat at the edges and eventually make tunnels, effectively turning areas of anaerobic piles into aerobic piles 👍❤️🪱.
Thanks for sharing your experience with this! It’s very helpful to get multiple confirmations 😎.
I also add bokashi to the second cycle to bring it around to the aerobic side before feeding to the worms.
Hmmm. Another bokashi user 👍😎. I’m going to have to look into it more when I get the chance! 🪱🪱❤️
Re: whether or not the worms care if the bacteria is aerobic or anaerobic. One thing I might bring to the Castings Crew table is that protein poisoning (aka string of pearls) might be caused by an anaerobic environment. What essentially happens is this environment creates gases (like methane or ammonia) which the worms will ingest as they are digesting the surrounding food/bedding. The worms lack a mechanism to pass this gas (like belching), and... I can't think of a less visceral way of putting this, but segments of them will explode, creating that "string of pearls" appearance. So it probably doesn't matter as much in the composting process, but it might be something to look out for once it makes its way over to the worms. The worms won't care, per-se... But they also might die. 💀 I don't know from experience (knock on wood), but that's what I've seen through research, so please put me in line if I am way off-base!
I wish I had paid more attention to your "recipe", cuz I can't seem to get my tumbler to heat up quite to the degree you have been able to manage. I'm like 80-something percent full on my 43 gallon tumbler with like 52 pounds of food scraps in there (mostly coffee grounds!), and I'm hovering in low-low 100's. It's not going as quick as I would like. I'm impatient!🥲
Long-winded, sorry. But total side-note... Is that like a parrot or something screaming in the background? Like a total comedy of errors going on between the exploding vegetable matter and the random thing screaming in the background! 😂
Hi Evelyn! Let me address the great topics you bring up one at a time in a few separate posts. For ease and clarity as best I can 🤣.
Firstly, my research shows that anaerobic conditions DO NOT cause protein poisoning aka string of pearls. ONE ROOT cause of that fatal condition ALSO causes anaerobic conditions. The other root cause does not cause anaerobic conditions. So already there is a broken link between anaerobic conditions solely causing protein poisoning. So anaerobic conditions are a symptom not a cause. We have to back up a step and look at what is causing the anaerobic condition - and that, in this case, is the overfeeding that results in rotten food that breaks down into compounds the worms eat. These compounds cause the gas the worms can’t handle/expel.
The lack of calcium in a worm’s diet also contributes to them not being able to digest foods (specifically high protein foods) that contain these compounds. Worms have a gland in their crop that excretes a calcium based substance that coats particles that would otherwise give them digestive issues (aka protein poisoning). Feeding worms eggshells and/or azomite does double duty - they provide both grit (helpful) and the calcium worms need to buffer ‘dangerous particles’ (necessary).
Secondly, the worms aren’t eating the gas form of these compounds. They’re eating the physical forms of these compounds. Think of ammonia. It’s a gas but it’s also dissolved (or whatever the correct scientific term is) into a liquid that can be consumed. It’s why you can buy a bottle of ammonia. The worms consume the physical component and that can cause fermentation in their crop which turns the chemical into a gas and…. Protein poisoning. The presence of the calcium substance coasts those particles, rendering them safe for the worm to process.
The whole thing of protein poisoning isn’t complicated per se, but it is circular which makes it harder to understand 😊.
Maybe I need to do a video on this 😆. UA-cam is after all a more visual/auditory medium vs reading pages of words 😎.
I hope this brief overview helps set a better understanding of what causes protein poisoning. ❤️🪱🪱
For you pre-composting adventure, mesophilic bacteria is active in the range of temperatures we humans call room temperature to hot temperatures. If you’re in the low low 100Fs then you have mesophilic bacterial growth happening. It’s just not being fast and furious 🤣. Which you want. I get that! Look at moisture. Is it very moist but not wet? Is the fuller composter able to breathe? Do you have a good balance (50/50 is fine) of carbon and nitrogen? Of you’re too heavy on one it can slow the process down. It sounds like that may be what’s happening…? Or part of the issue…? You may have to unload part of the mixture to give it more room as well as balance out the carbon-nitrogen. If you do take stuff out yet to store it in a tote so you can add it back in for a second heat cycle! No sense in wasting it ❤️👍😎.
After you assess the situation and take steps, please come back and share what you think the issue was and how you dealt with it so others can use the info to make better pre-compost themselves 👍. Castings crew people share the good the bad and the ugly 🤣.
Huh. Screaming in the background. Totally have no idea what that’s about. I thought I cleaned out the torture chamber before shooting the video. I have to rewatch it to figure that out! Interesting! I’ll report back 😊
The screaming in the background is just regular Florida birds in the pasture. Nothing special going on. It’s just them talking to each other as they bug hunt. I guess I’m so used to their racket I don’t even hear it. One night the male frogs or toads were calling for love. All night long. That was impossible to sleep thru 🤣. Ah, country living!
@@RockinWorms "FBI OPEN UP!" 🤣 Deadass, I just went back to the video with my headphones full blast to make sure I wasn't going nuts. Definitely hearing *something* back there. Edit: Gosh, glad I wasn't going nuts twice! Those birds would drive me up a wall if I had to hear them all day! 🤣
You have a good read on this matter? You sound like you've done some digging on this one! So just to rephrase/clarify... You're saying that you don't think it's excess nitrogen/anaerobic conditions (which creates gases) that causes protein poisoning, but rather the fermentation of the food in its gut? I did find some scientific studies that would back the calcium thing at least on bin conditions. The addition of calcium diminishes ammonia volitilization (which makes it a gas, and I think that's what it typically is?) in anaerobic conditions. I guess it's sort of looking like a "chicken or the egg" thing for me. But the process of fermentation is anaerobic, so if the food is fermenting in its gut, it is going through an anaerobic process and creating those gases.
I guess I am also wondering about the distinction between overfeeding vs anaerobic. Overfeeding = excess nitrogen = ammonia smells. Anaerobic = excess moisture leading to lack of oxygen = more methane/rotting egg smells... Is my understanding. So overfeeding ties into both of those conditions, and both create gases.
So I guess I am getting stumped on "chicken or egg" here! Love to hear your thoughts on tying it all together, but I can wait for the video if you're doing one. 😊
Urban Worm Company did a cool livestream about this topic last year called "Preventing Protein Poisoning", which I just looked over again. Think that Troy doing the presentation over there has some relevant degree in this field (Soil Biology?) Fun to watch if you haven't, but you might already have this subject down!
Hi Jayne❤ I am hard at work decluttering my entire flat to cut down on as much dust as is humanly possible, which is alot of clutter!😅 I'll admit to being a bit of a hoarder but that won't work with a microscope so it all has to go! I'm nearly starting to enjoy it! Nearly.....
Hi Eleanor! When you’re done, can you hop over to my place and declutter my disaster area , uh, I mean home? I live on a dirt road off a dirt road off a dirt road. Dust is just the way it is 🙄🤣. It’s nice for the few minutes a year the house is actually clean! Glad you’re getting there yourself 🤗.
When you made the coffee shredded paper shredded cardboard and vegetable juice how long do you let it sit before you add your worms to it
Hello! This is the making of the pre-compost. Timing will vary on what the ratio of carbon to nitrogen ends up being for each batch, as well as the raw mass of the batch, but generally speaking you should see the initial heat rise due to the composition action within 24-48 hours. It can take a few days to peak and then it’ll slowly cool back down. How long that takes is again determined by the specific batch. That said it’ll probably cool back to the low 100F range within a week. At that point you can decide to let it continue to cool down to the low 90s or upper 80s and use in your worm bins. Alternatively you can choose to do a 2 cycle composting for even more breakdown, biota building and ultimately faster castings generation. This pre-compost also needs to cool down after its second heat boost into the low 90s or upper 80s for temperature before adding to worm bins.
A general statement is this: do not add any pre-compost to a worm bin if the compost’s temperature is above your worm’s survival temperature range. For red wigglers that’s 95F. Ok? 🪱🪱
Hey I have some great advice I went to a store and got a big auger bit that I can put on my drill and I use it to mix inside of my huge totes when I'm making three compost for the worm beddings hope this helps
Hi Crosby! Welcome! Yes that’s a great tip! I did a shirt on using one in my pre-compost trough a while back 👍. Lots of my subscribers don’t watch shorts so it’s awesome that you’re bringing the idea up here 🤩. Thank you! 👍🪱
@@RockinWorms Yea I didn't know you had shorts i'll try to find it
@@crosby3108 I don’t make a lot of them and I’ve slowed down quite a bit from being just too busy. Here’s the link for you:
Paint Paddle to Mix Pre-Compost for Red Wiggler Worms #redwigglers #vermicompost #worms #composting
ua-cam.com/users/shortsnqEVZ3b7gCU?feature=share
One other caution is that if people have lids on their bins with only small air holes, the offgassing from food can displace the oxygen in the bin. If you run an open tote, that shouldn't be a problem.
~ Sandra
Hi Sandra! That’s a very good point. Thanks for sharing your knowledge on that ❤️🪱👍
That’s handy as I get both ingredients from my work now I no how to do it right ❤
Hi! Excellent!! Lucky you! Please report your experiences when you try the pre-composting process ❤️👍😎🪱
We put every thing we could find in some soil mix from store.. I think you might could call it maybe compost for garden lol.. then I started buying peat moss..and a few more things I had heard about. Then the idea of using worms in my garden which I haven't started yet. But then I just bought a couple of so fishing red wigglers. Then found some things that were for free like blue berry bushes etc. but they are growing but not good for worms. I started getting my garden things year ago. I truly believe we all need a garden maybe few chickens maybe a few rabbits.. fruit trees. But it's mostly me right now. I Don't text 2wëll
It sounds like you are making good progress Sue 👍😎. It doesn’t happen in a one day or one season. And adding worms is good for everything!
You can sometimes get red wigglers or euros at a fishing store or even Walmart. Try to stay away from unnamed nightcrawlers that are often sold for fishing. They don’t make good composting worms and they don’t like captivity.
I look forward to hearing about your adventure! 😍🪱
@RockinWorms hi, please can I ask maybe a stupid question - can I use tea leaves instead of coffee grains? I have a worm tower, I have one active tray and at the moment two inoculant trays. That's how I worked out to have a bio active tray ready for when my active tray is ready for harvest. Take care 💕
Hi! Not a stupid question at all! Both tea leaves and coffee grounds are high in nitrogen and will work very well in the composting process. Having worked both into bins I find the coffee grounds are easier to incorporate though 🪱❤️.
Thanks for asking!
@@RockinWorms hi, thanks for advice. I check my guys yesterday, I gave thrm some strawberry, blueberry and banana pulp last week. When I stirred up the bedding I noticed where I had put the fruit it was warm to the touch first time I have noticed that! All the fruit was gone sooo what was causing the heat? I haven't as yet put any greens in as I know that will heat up and temps outside are quite warm enough for them. I have given the worms similar fruit pulp concoctions before without heat generation. The worms! They all seemed happy in the warm spot. By the way I have some adult worms now, when my farm arrived on the 27th June this year they appeared to be juveniles. Oh, and they seem to be getting fat 😂. Take care 💕
@@tayag9223 Hi Taya! First off, congratulations on your happy healthy worm bin! Fat happy adults are going to be giving you lots of cocoons very soon!! So far, so good! 👍❤️🪱
You could be feeling heat in the mild food zone for a couple of reasons. There may be more food particles left than you can see or tell with your eyes. Those particles can be decomposing in and of itself - which will give off heat. Next the biota that was working on the food is still concentrated on that area and they are doing their thing (eating, breathing, multiplying) even though most of the food is gone. Those activities generate heat.
That section of the bin is in a sunbeam at least sometimes and is storing that heat and giving it off later. While this is unlikely it does happen 🤗. Since the food was gone in a week it’s probably not the first reason. You’re not overfeeding. It’s probably simply that the biota is still in the zone and doing their job on the micro particles. As your bin settles in - you’re now a third if the way toward what most consider to be the time it takes for a bin to balance/mature, you may not have had enough biota present yet to give you this residual heat effect. Now you do! It’s a good thing!
Thanks for asking a great question! Others may have similar situations and now have a better idea of what’s happening too. ❤️🪱🪱.
@@RockinWorms 💕
Hi, just wondering how long do you keep the vegetable soup you make using ground up veggies and a liquid before using? Does it have to be in any special environment (sun, shade, inside etc.). How do you know that the fermentation process has happen? Do you need to add anything else to ensure the fermentation takes place?? Thanks, for your great videos and explanations!! Albert from Miami.
Hi Albert! My neighbor slightly down south ❤️.
I store it until I use it. No time frame needed or tracked. If it ferments it’s ok. If it doesn’t, that’s ok too. The one jug was fermented because it exploded a bit when I opened it up - like a champagne bottle! It got my face and mouth and my hair and shirt and…. Cameraman decided not to show what a mess I was 🤣🤣🤣. I generally store it in the garage fridge but when I start using a jug to make the pre-compost I leave the work of jug on the patio table next to the totes. It may be there for many days or longer. It’s all good and helps the compost biota move in and then grow and do their jobs 🪱❤️🪱.
Thanks for the quick reply!!@@RockinWorms
I do the same with saw dust, coffee grounds and duckweed/seaweed.
Hello Arthur! Sounds like a great combo to hit the carbon-nitrogen-bacteria inoculates trifecta ❤️. Thanks for sharing another recipe for people to try if they’ve got access to those ingredients 🪱🪱🪱
Inkcap mushrooms often grow on the first cycle. I have fried and eaten but the timing must be right with inkcaps.
Hi again 👋! I just made a video on fungi in the compost tote ❤️. Uploading it Tuesday. Please come back and let’s talk more then! 🪱🪱🪱
Jane, I have a couple cans of pumpkin. Can I use this in making bedding? It has 5% sodium for the whole can. Also, how long can one store this finished betting before using?
Hi Lou! Yes you absolutely can! I’d thin it out quite a bit with water or other thin juices to make it easier to work with, easier to coat all the materials.
A bit of salt in a compost tote isn’t a problem. You don’t want lots of it as it’ll retard biota growth, but a little bit spread over a large amount of cardboard and coffee grounds or other composting materials won’t cause an issue.
Finished bedding - which means it’s broken down to the level you want and has cooled to a safe temperature for use in a worm bin - can be stored pretty much indefinitely. As long as there’s some moisture in there the biota will continue to live and feed on the materials. I’ve personally found that 6 month old pre-compost was beautiful stuff and went super fast in the worm bin. Does that answer your questions? Thanks for watching Lou! ❤️🪱🪱
Can I use used chicken coop bedding (pine shavings and poop) in my worm bin?
Hi cam my! Welcome to the Castings Crew!
Yes you can IF the manure is VERY well aged. Chicken manure is very high in nitrogen. That nitrogen needs to be mitigated before it’s safe to use in a worm bin. You’re better off I think composting the chicken bedding in a traditional manner and only then adding it to a worm bin.
IF you want to add really old manure and pine shavings directly then only add it as a top layer on one section of the bin. This will give the worms plenty of space to slowly move into the chicken bedding as they see fit.
Do you have chickens yourself or are you getting the mixed bedding from someone else?
Great question! 👍🪱❤️
Everything was going fine till the wife got a faint smell of rotten eggs. Didn't bother me, so outside I went. Tote being kind of deep I decided to put all the shredded stuff in my tumbler. I then added more vegetable slop. Ever so often I turned the tumbler Being cold the vapor from the heat was very noticeable. My product looks just like yours. As soon as I need more bedding for more worms I will give it a try, wish me luck. As for coffee from Starbucks they have some grounds from cold brewing. A bag of it sitting in the area they set aside for the coffee The young lady could not tell me why no one is taking it, anyone have an idea why?
Oh Louis! You hit a pocket of anaerobic bacteria and that can be temporarily smelly. You’re lucky she didn’t have you bunk with the worms for a few days 🤣.
You’re doing great with the composting! It’s awesome stuff for sure.
As for the coffee grounds being unclaimed - shhhh! You’ve got first dibs right now. Many people don’t know about it is what I think. But word does get out. I hit up 2 Starbucks mostly and at the one I can get skunked regularly with someone getting there before me. The other one is a more consistent provider. I’m so glad this is all working out so well for you 🤗❤️🪱
Great video!
Watched it a few times to get it right!
Just wondering what kind of a time frame are we talking as far as it being ready for the worms? Weeks/Months? I would imagine it depends on the surrounding environments. Gets exceptionally cold in our region.
Do you sell the castings or strictly for garden use?
Note to self....Open cover slowly. That will be my approach. LOL
Thank you for sharing your experiences with us! greatly appreciated!
Hello! Welcome aboard!
The pre-compost can be used starting anytime after the first cool down is well underway. Temperature dropping into the low low 100F range.
The pre-compost improves significantly if you do a 2nd heat cycle. Once that starts to cool down at least some - and that can be several days to weeks after the high temp is reached depending on many factors such as depth of tote, ambient temperature, ratio of carbon-nitrogen, etc.
If I need the compost ASAP then I speed cool it after the high is Rachel by taking what I need out of the big tote and spreading it out. This rapidly cools it down and it can then be used in a worm bin. Otherwise it remains in its tote until needed , with then it’s continuously working and making the compost better and better. I do check on moisture once every week or so to make sure not too wet or too dry. If wet, I turn it. If dry I turn it but add in more veggie slurry if I have it or pasta water or potato water or plain water if that’s what I’ve got on hand.
Yes the ambient temperature does have an effect on how fast the tote will compost. You can always bring it inside 🙄😊👍.
Thanks for watching and commenting ❤️🪱🪱
I currently use for myself. However I am starting talks with someone to see if a sell opportunity exists. We’ll see!
🙄😆Yep! I should have taken the cap off MUCH slower and carefully. Ah well.
@@RockinWorms Thank you for your responses! Greatly appreciate your experience.
I have made a small amount of castings and it is simply amazing what it does for the plants. The castings are amazing on young seedlings.
I make my own fish and kelp fertilizer as well as dandelion fertilizer. We have quite an extensive garden. 120 by 120, growing blueberries, haskaps, blackberries and strawberries along with all our veggies. Will need lots of castings.
I unfortunately discovered Asian jumping worms in the leaf bins and greenhouse recently. Making the compost from your formula makes me feel a lot more at ease about composting. I used leaf compost in my first small batch. Leaf compost is amazing, but the thought of adding it to the garden now with any chance of spreading the jumping worms around is quite disheartening. I have to try and keep them at bay as best I can.
Thank you so much for your time!
@@TheOldkid888 Hello again! I agree - the castings are amazing on veggie plants 👍❤️. We used castings for the first time this last spring season and the results were shockingly good! Great fruiting, less pests, longer plant life. I was blown away. We can even scale back on a few things since this past harvest was so good.
Ugh! The jumping worms! The invasive species are getting out of hand. Not an insect, but we now have a vine and it grows so rapid, covers and snuffs out bushes, spreads by tendrils and seeds, etc. I HATE that thing. Never had it before last year and now it’s everywhere.
I have one tiny bin of trial leaf mold. It’s great for fungal growth to use in trees. My biggest problem is I don’t have good leaves here in SE Florida. Grr.
I’m so glad the pre-compost is working out for you! That’s why I experimented and started it - to keep it as bug free as possible. And it works!! Keep us posted on your progress 👍❤️🪱
Is molasses water a substitute for vegetable slurry?
Hi Tony! That’s a really good question I haven’t thought about before 👍. Generally I’d say no it’s not a direct substitute. In my case it clearly isn’t as I use rotting overripe fruits and veggies in my slurry so it my slurry acts as moisture, food for biota AND as a way to add biota itself to my pre-compost mix. Molasses water can do the first 2 things but not the third.
So…. If you already biota in your mix then go ahead and add molasses water to it if you wish. Or if you don’t use overripe yucky veggies and fruits to your bin then adding molasses water is serving the same purpose so go ahead.
If you need however to add the starter colony of biota, molasses water won’t do that. You need to add something with biota in it. Ok? 🪱🪱❤️
is there any place to get free paper shred or shredded cardboard that you know of??
Hi! No, I don’t know where to get already shredded paper or cardboard, free or not. I do get my cardboard sheets free from warehouse stores (they’re mainly used in between stacked layers of products like water) or as canned goods boxes from many different grocery stores. I then have to shred the cardboard myself. Paper comes from junk mail, monthly bills, sale circulars, etc.
Does anyone have ideas on where bags/volumes of already shredded carbon can be had? 🪱🪱
What is the name of your micro shredder?
I have 2. Frost is an Aurora brand 12 sheet micro shredder I bought used off of Facebook marketplace for around $30. Don’t remember exactly- it’s been awhile. The other os called Members Mark I bought brand new from Sam’s Club - it’s their private label brand. I don’t know who actually manufactured it. It was on sale for $99. Both work really well!
The key thing to know is each brand is slightly different as to what thickness their X number of pages is. So one 12 sheet brand might take your thicker cardboard and the other 12 sheet brand won’t. So test it out before you buy if you can’t return it.
Thanks for stopping by! 🪱🪱🪱
i've had smaller shredders that worked for a while but then crapped out Go for the highest micro shedder you can get For a crosscut shredder, I have a 24 page my micro is 16 page
@@RockinWorms
Hi! What is the brand of shredder you use? Thanks.
Hi David! My cross cut shredder is the Staples store brand and the micro cut is the Aurora brand. Both are 12 pages. Both I bought used off of Facebook marketplace.
The Amazon Basics micro cut shredder is very good I hear and a better price than the Aurora one if you’re looking at new 👍.
If you buy either new or used be sure to test it out first with whatever your standard cardboard thickness is. The designation of 12 pages is NOT standardized and varies significantly. I found that out myself! 🪱🪱
@@RockinWorms Super good info. thank you!!
Starbucks IS being environmentally minded by packaging the grounds in the bag you show. They are reusing the mylar bags that they get coffee beans in. The store I usually go to gives me grounds in a trash bags too.
Hi Linda! I’m so glad they are reusing the bags. I just assumed the beans would come in much larger bags!
Are you sure they’re mylar?? Could I use them for long term food storage? I’m just starting to do some long term storage.
our Starbucks uses compostable bags . Free coffee grounds , woo hoo
Nice! I wish mine used compostable bags but at least they’re reusing the bags the beans come in. Nothing better than free materials! 🪱🪱❤️
Mold is fungi, not bacteria.
Hello! You are absolutely right! Thank you for correcting me. I was wrong to refer to mold as a source of bacteria in a compost bin. I’ll make the change going forward! 👍❤️
There will be bacteria and even viruses on the surface of fruits and veggies and that will help a compost bin get started so at least I got that right 😆.
Thanks for watching and taking the time to set me straight. ❤️🪱🪱
Have you cha.ged to mortor traus. Thats what i use.
Hi Larry! My worms bins are all the clear plastic Sterilite brand bins. No change there. I do use the mortar tray for mixing up the pre-compost ingredients. It’s easier for me to work in due to the low sides. It’s light enough that I can carry it to big boy tote and dump in the tray. I haven’t counted but I think big boy takes 8-9 mortar trays to fill him up.
Lots of worm wranglers use mortar trays as worn bins. They work great! How many do you have? ❤️🪱.
They are reusing the original shiny bags that their coffee beans come in.
Hi Debbie! Oh! Thanks for that 👍. It makes me feel better that it’s another little step to recycle-reuse something at least one more time 🪱❤️
Debbie you beat me to it! Lol
@@leobaltz2057 You’ve got to be quicker Leo! Castings Crew people are on the ball! I really am glad Starbucks is reusing the bags - they look in great shape. I’m going to have to think of a way I can reuse them at least once too! Any ideas Leo?? 😎❤️🪱
@@RockinWorms 🤔you could store extra casting in them if you leave the top open for air but you probably go through them too fast. Lol
@@leobaltz2057 If you mean that the bags are in the small size to store as much castings as my bins generate then yep, I’d go thru too many bags. And I rarely get the bags anyway. Most often it’s the plastic garbage bag liner things. Maybe wastebasket liner? 🤷♂️
Wow!!! I have an espresso machine, have had many, am a coffee connoisseur (I like to think) and all I have to say… those are some black as ever coffee grounds. Proof a Starbucks burns their beans lol!!!
Anyways, I used about the equivalent of 10 espresso pucks (10 shots) in an 18x18 and now it smells like coffee and I am afraid it is too acidic. (Anaerobic also like acidic environments, right? Or no?) seeing the amount of coffee grounds makes me think my boys/ girls will be okay.
Also, I have read over and over that the anaerobic bacteria causes proteins poisoning and not actual protein… I’m sooooooooo confused!!!
However, I thought, sometimes the outdoors can be pretty 🤮 with rotting this rotting that (like cow poop!) and they seem to be fine in nature so why is everyone so gun ho about anaerobic killing the worms… ??
I tend to ask as I go, so you may answer and for that I apologize!
Now I am super confused… it seems that you were stating the worms don’t care if there is anaerobic bacteria in their bin 7:40. As my question above but now you say that it will kill them…. 14:00.
So worms eat anaerobic bacteria.. okay fine but so we determine whether or not the food decomp is via anaerobic bacteria vs or there is a situation where there is no oxygen???
Que confusion!!!
Okay okay last question, my 360 worm bin seems to go stinky when I feed actual food. I understand that the smell of decomp is off due to offgasing by both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria… so, I feel like every time I put food in, since it takes a few days for the wormies to eat it… it stinks. I’m not sure if it is anaerobic or just a stank situation.
Hi! I’m sorry to have added to the confusion. It IS confusing though. I’ll try to unconfuse (😆) this as best I can. Just remember I’m not a biologist or a chemist and I probably will not have all the smaller details correct.
Worms will basically eat anything they can get into their mouths. Food particles, castings, aerobic bacteria, anaerobic bacteria, fungi bits, yeast bits, mite eggs, etc. the list goes on. Once the food enters the worm it goes to the worm’s crop for further processing. The worm has a special gland that collects and secretes calcium. The calcium acts to neutralize acidic compounds the worm either consumes directly or develops during the breakdown of food. If the worm does not have enough calcium in its system to effectively neutralize an overwhelming amount of acidic compounds in its crop it gets sick. Think tummy ache. Think indigestion. But if it’s bad enough the worm gets really really sick from all this non neutralized acid. This sickness is called protein poisoning. Why is it called that? Because the breaking down of proteins in foods creates more acidic compounds/chemicals than does the breaking down of carbohydrates or fats.
So don’t feed worms proteins right? Avoid the whole mess right? Well no, because they need protein to be healthy as much as any other animal. So feed protein in balance with carbs and fats. Also be sure that plenty of calcium is available for the worms to also ingest so that special glad can do its job too.
Now for anaerobic stuff. There’s anaerobic conditions/environments and anaerobic bacteria. Anaerobic bacteria live in anaerobic conditions/environments. Anaerobic bacteria is not harmful for worms to eat. In fact anaerobic bacteria is pH 6.8-7.2 so pH neutral-ish aka not acidic! How about that!
Now let’s look at anaerobic conditions/environment. Anaerobic means ‘without air’. Worms breathe air. Trying to live in an environment without air isn’t going to end well for the worms. Also in an anaerobic environment other chemical actions are happening to the food and water and materials that are in the environment. It’s not just anaerobic bacteria happening. There’s a whole lot going on. And one of those things as mentioned is the breakdown of food. Yeast comes into play its part and starts a process called fermentation. Fermentation breaks down the sugars and this process creates acids. The acids then lower the pH of the liquid. The yeasts love this and work even faster. This makes more acidity. Also the yeast is taking in air and giving out non air. Methane usually but other gases as well. They’re breathing up all the air and now the worms don’t have air to breathe. Not good!
Now while this is happening the worms are still just eating what they can. The particles they eat are more and more acidic. And there’s less and less air for them to breathe. Oh no! Double bad whammy. The worms are in big trouble. They will die. Anaerobic bacteria and even the yeast are there and the worms are eating them but the situation is bigger than what those 2 things alone are doing. It’s the whole situation that’s bad and worse than any one or 2 components.
Ok so far?
How do we as worm wranglers keep an eye on our bins to make sure that this doesn’t happen? We feed in moderation so the cycle doesn’t start. We make sure to provide plenty of calcium sources to the worms. We use our noses to smell for rotting/fermenting foods. We use our eyes to look for signs of dropping pH aka a more acidic bin. Signs like lots and lots of mites which also love more acidic conditions. We see if the food we put in is looking slimy and not being eaten and in danger of fermenting (aka turning into acidic compounds and keeping on doing it). And of course there’s pH paper for instant pH level testing.
Ok. Let me stop here 😳😆.
Have I made it better or worse for understanding what going on? 🪱🪱🪱
Hi Jayne! I’m a new Sub. I want to start a little worm farm. I just happened upon shredded paper at…Publix Pharmacy. So far I’ve gotten two large bags in a week! Yay Me!! Please check your own local pharmacy. 😊ps I’m in Central Florida Gulf Coast. Weeki Wachee.
I’m like the liquid you add to the pre-compost! Soaking up your knowledge! Thank you so much!
Hi Pamela! Welcome to the Castings Crew! And another Florida worm wrangler to boot 🤩
That’s a great score for paper! 😍. Tell me more about the public pharmacy paper - did you ask at the pharmacy or was it set out for garbage? Animal ‘good paper’ or is there plastic in the bags as well? Inquiring minds want to know ❤️🪱❤️
@@Flippin_Crazy There’s lots to learn that can be fast and easy and make the whole process so much smoother and enjoyable 👍. I look forward to you starting a worm farm and sharing your experiences. The more the merrier 🪱❤️🪱
🌹🪱👍❤🥀
I hope this isn't considered vermi-heresy but have you ever dabbled in the dark arts of Bokashi? I have got a little wormery, and a little bokashi bin (I know it's acidic to start with - so starting a soil factory - just another fancy name for a compost heap really😂). Wondered if you'd ever dabbled?
Hi Chris! The dark art - you crack me up 🤣
I haven’t. I’ve heard of it of course but haven’t had the time to delve into it. There’s so many many things I’d like the time to learn. The counter top machines for bokashi have mixed revues so I just kept moving along 😎. There’s lots of ways to get to the end point of having great bedding for the worms. Whichever way fits best into a person’s life is the best way to do it! The worms will reward the effort put in by making fantastic castings and loads of cocoons. 🪱❤️🪱
I have used Bokashi, and it has worked really well. I make sure it is well aged, it will smell like pickles or sauerkraut, and then precompost Bokashi in leaves or whatever carbon source i can find. It heats up a bit, so I let it sit and do its thing until the temp. comes down to 80 -90degrees before adding the worms. I really like the results!!
Have you ever had mushrooms growing in your pre-compost? If you have Facebook or email, I can send you a pic of what I saw in my bin today
Hi Corwin! You are spying on me! I just made a video last night about this 🤣. Can you wait until Tuesday’s upload and we can chat about it?? ❤️🪱🪱