Which worms are best for composting

Originally from Montana, she now lives with her family on the West Coast. Read Article. Why compost with worms? Setting up your worm composting bin A worm composter is, at its simplest, a bin with holes for ventilation and moisture. What type of bedding is best? The next step is bedding for your worms. Where should you put your worm bin?

Buying your worms: getting what you pay for The type of worm most commonly used for vermicomposting is the red wiggler. What should you feed your worms? Troubleshooting worm composting issues Being a stickler about how much food you add to your bin will help prevent a lot of problems. Prevention is key. Your composter stinks : If your compost starts to smell, dig through the bedding and remove any food waste that appears to be rotting.

The worms should really be eating anything before it can get moldy, but they may let something sit to soften up. Cutting up larger pieces will help them process food faster.

A bad smell can also signal a moisture problem. Too much rotting waste can create a lot of humidity, which will soak the bin and make it a little too damp for the worms. Add some dry cardboard and paper bedding to help balance things out and get the bedding back to a spongy moisture level. This will include moisture, temperature, and possibly even infestations.

If the bin is too dry, add some water. Check for insect larvae or other issues under the top layer of bedding. If you notice insects, eggs, or even furry creatures, take the bin outside and harvest the castings. This is a good time to clean out the bin and remove any rotting food or old bedding. Start off fresh and put the worms back in their home.

If you had a rodent invader, hold the lid down with bungee cords or rocks. Helping your worm compost thrive: amendments If troubleshooting fails to correct your problem, consider adjusting your worm bedding with one of the following amendments: Material Purpose Coconut coir Balances out nitrogen-rich materials like kitchen scraps and grass clippings, controls moisture, and improves quality of worm castings. Harvesting your finished compost: lure vs. This is a good time to clean out any unwanted bits and add new, fresh bedding.

Where can I use worm compost? Red Wigglers are sometimes advertised falsely as soil worms. Because their skin is relatively thin, and their strength marginal, these worms perform poorly at aerating soil.

European Nightcrawlers have similar characteristics as Red Wigglers, and as such, do not perform well in the dirt. African Nightcrawlers are better suited for compost bins then dirt.

Their preference for warmer temps, and their relatively thin skin makes these worms best suited for a sheltered composting environment. Their thick skin allows them to live in soil ranging from sandy to heavy clay. With a preference for leaf litter or compost, these worms are easily propagated in the garden. Because fisherman are convinced that bigger is better.

Canadians are BIG…about per pound. Picked at night from Farms in the Northern United States and Canada, these worms are deep diggers, living in holes down to six feet. Because of their preference for cool climates, Canadian Nightcrawlers are best kept under refrigeration.

Red Wigglers are commonly used for panfish bait. European Nightcrawlers are the larger cousins of the Red Wiggler. African Nightcrawlers are longer than European Nightcrawlers, but thinner. Unlike Canadian Nightcrawlers that like cool temps, these worms perform best at 70 degrees or more, making them the perfect fishing worm for warm waters. Alabama Jumpers are the strongest of all of the commercial worms.

They also have the thickest skin of all the commercial worms, allowing them to stay on the hook for long periods of time. Now you understand why all worms are not created equal. There are only qualities in worms that we harness for our benefit. Still got questions? Email Jerry! Hi Paul. For specific worm questions, why not talk to the expert? Jerry will ship you the right worms to Placerville and he is very helpful with advice. We have vermicomposting bins that we have kept both outside and in the garage and they work great!

Does that help? Will worms eat citrus compost? If so, which kind? Any other suggestions. Mist the cloth until it is wet but without water puddling. We have cut worm infestation into our two worm compost bins and would appreciate recommendations on how to: 1 get rid of the cut worms, and 2 restore the red wriggler worms which seem to have been depleted? Thank you.

I just looked in my worm farm and my 3 levels are empty, few worms and almost no castings, where could they have gone? I have placed in my worm bin about worms. I have had the bin for approximately 3 months.

I have no casting and it appears the worms are decreasing. They are not crawling out. I have no worm tea at bottom I have use coconut coir as bedding with some shredded egg cartons. I have fed them consistently but it appears the food is not being eaten consistently. I have seen some of the worms have passed away they appear to be broken into pieces.

Wondering if the bin is too dry or ph wrong. Not sure If anyone has some advice I would appreciate. I would like to develop a organic home garden. I am new at this but eager to learn. I have been using composting worms for 2 years now with a layered hotel and have between layers going at a time.

Is this wrong? Will they, therefore, die if i introduce them to soil? My worms procreate vigoursly and there is no way that I could keep them all. Am I doing it all wrong? Put them back again making sure i covered drainage holes with brown paper. So far so good. Is there any way of limiting the number of worms? I thought the small box and limited feeding would cause them to limit reproduction.

Thoughts on how to disrupt wormy canoodling? I have been getting red wrigglers from the local bait shop. What happens if you populate the worm farm with different types of worms?

New raised bed garden area question. They require an aerobic environment. I just putted a worm in my toy watering can but the watering can was too small and I thought they would die. We do not recommend that you add worms to the tumbler type composters, as they work on heat and rotation. Both of which worms do not like very much. If you do not rotate it and leave it in the shade, then you can certainly use that. You may even rotate it periodically to allow oxygen in and to mix the compost.

Gently turning it occasionally will not harm the worms. Last year I recently thinned out a section of sugar cane growing in my backyard.

Rather than throw away all the rooted cane plants I dug up, I transferred them to 3 gal. To my surprise, within about 6 months there were significant populations of earthworms embedded into the root ball and soil of virtually every sugarcane transplants I had in the pots. Shaking out each pot revealed a small number of medium-sized earthworms, a few larger ones here and there. I had irrigation to keep pots moist, and apparently the worms crawled up through the ground into the small drainage holes at bottom of each pot.

I am guess that soil conditions that favor sugarcane are also the same kind of soil that earthworms will prefer. Internet is a good place to rip off people. I like to ask a question for the Top cover of the worm after I put a news paper? I have been using a coconut shell made blanket as a top cover inside the bin but under the plastic outer Top lid. I want to find out if a thick Cotton towel be used as a Top cover inside the bin?

I am so glad I found you. The worms are multiplying and I am thrilled. Thank you so much. Your email address will not be published. Mistake 1: Overfeeding Enthusiastic worm bin owners toss every available scrap into the bin. Mistake 2: Wrong Foods Worms need a healthy diet in small pieces. Mistake 4: Forget to Harvest Worm Castings Avid gardeners eagerly look forward to removing finished compost from their worm bin.

Recent Posts. What Are the Different Kinds of Composting? August 7, at AM. August 7, at PM. August 9, at PM. January 14, at PM. February 14, at PM. February 24, at AM. March 14, at AM. May 3, at AM. May 19, at PM. June 14, at PM. Often, this matter has been decomposing for a while, usually breaking down into smaller nutrients.

Still, earthworms have their place, adding nutrients to the soil and therefore—plants through their castings and burrows in the soil. On the other hand, compost worms stay on the surface, eating fresher organic matter. This makes them not as helpful in gardens.

If you have a small compost bin, start with lbs of worms. If you have larger compost bins or piles, consider getting lbs.

Since most composting worms, such as red wigglers, can double in population every 60 days, you can start with a few pounds and soon get your desired amount. Because worms can be difficult to identify, it is a good idea to buy them from a reputable source. I got my red wigglers from PetSmart they use them as fish food.

To get the most out of your compost pile, you first need the right species of worm. Red wigglers and redworms are best, but African nightcrawlers and brandling worms will work too. A compost bin can be a great help to your garden and is a good way to get rid of food waste as well, so putting in a little effort to set the compost pile up and maintain it is well worth it. I spend about 5 minutes every weeks tending to my worm bin.