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Worm composters?
- Thread starter Alphaeon
- Start date
One of the many sites that I like... read most of what he wrote. Africans are settling in their new home. So should know soon what all the rage is about myself.
Video that was found on his site...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PN_1b_bxXSs
Movies link for you in above post
I don't have enough table scraps to feed them if they eat that much.
I seem to barely have enough for the Red Wigglers I bought from Bentley.
They do get lots of coffee grounds and egg shells though.
I seem to barely have enough for the Red Wigglers I bought from Bentley.
They do get lots of coffee grounds and egg shells though.
I had to go out and buy some castings today after reading this post. Man they were more expensive than I thought, 16 dollars a bag. I have an extra tote so I will be making my own worm farm at that price. I have some plants in pro mix now would it be a bad idea to put a little on top and water as normal.
FarmerJake
Banned
bought this off craigslist last week for 35 bucks!!!!!!!!!!!
im on my way to composting stuff into wormcastings. + breeding worms lol.
i have big night crawlers in my back yard. i was peeking those africans online. i think the mainstream is hooked on red wigglers. but i feel perhaps big night crawlers would be just fine. i catch them right near the surface of the ground. they dont dig to deep. they are huge so they must eat lots lots too. if i put a variety of worms in, would they eat each other over time? idk. but honestly i bought the farm for castings, and to feed my turtles worms. red wigglers are just to small.
im sure the african compost is just as good as other worm castings haha. but honestly idk. its all about those beneficial bacteria from the organics. castings rule!!!!!
-jake
im on my way to composting stuff into wormcastings. + breeding worms lol.
i have big night crawlers in my back yard. i was peeking those africans online. i think the mainstream is hooked on red wigglers. but i feel perhaps big night crawlers would be just fine. i catch them right near the surface of the ground. they dont dig to deep. they are huge so they must eat lots lots too. if i put a variety of worms in, would they eat each other over time? idk. but honestly i bought the farm for castings, and to feed my turtles worms. red wigglers are just to small.
im sure the african compost is just as good as other worm castings haha. but honestly idk. its all about those beneficial bacteria from the organics. castings rule!!!!!
-jake
FarmerJake
Banned
good 1 lol
FarmerJake, normal nightcrawler worms aren`t for bin composting! http://en.wikipedia....icus_terrestris
You want one of these...
Red Wigglers( Eisenia fetida)
European Nightcrawlers(Eisenia Hortensis)
African Nightcrawlers
The last 2 also make good fishing worms with the African being the more heat tolerate.
There are others like the Alabama Jumper- more suited to garden composting- and India Blue.
Garbage is for the wiggler in this house! You may already know to be careful with the coffee grounds!
If not freeze them and then let them thaw and sit out for awile so they don`t overheat the bin or simply use sparingly.
Going to feed the Africans Purina Worm Chow( Yes, they do make such a thing ) along with the peat and newsprint bedding.
In the process of finding a good connection for very cleanand well composted horse manure right now to become a major portion of their diet.
You want one of these...
Red Wigglers( Eisenia fetida)
European Nightcrawlers(Eisenia Hortensis)
African Nightcrawlers
The last 2 also make good fishing worms with the African being the more heat tolerate.
There are others like the Alabama Jumper- more suited to garden composting- and India Blue.
Garbage is for the wiggler in this house! You may already know to be careful with the coffee grounds!
If not freeze them and then let them thaw and sit out for awile so they don`t overheat the bin or simply use sparingly.
Going to feed the Africans Purina Worm Chow( Yes, they do make such a thing
) along with the peat and newsprint bedding.In the process of finding a good connection for very cleanand well composted horse manure right now to become a major portion of their diet.
FarmerJake
Banned
thanks for the update. BUMMED i gotta buy the worms lol
its cool tho haha. ill shoot for
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]European Nightcrawlers(Eisenia Hortensis)[/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]African Nightcrawlers[/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]that way i can get some size to the worms lol[/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]-jake[/background]
its cool tho haha. ill shoot for
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]European Nightcrawlers(Eisenia Hortensis)[/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]African Nightcrawlers[/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]that way i can get some size to the worms lol[/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]-jake[/background]
Sorry I missed this earlier! Top dress, or simply dig a trench around the plant and add the castings... or make a tea as a soil drench or foliar spray or both!
I PMed you a link. If your not squeamish and you know someone with a horse farm... go turn over some piles of dung and find your worms!
FarmerJake
Banned
look what i got!!
time to get it started
-jake
time to get it started
-jake
How can you tell if they are ready to breed?
I used to store all my compost in wheely bins with a hole drilled at the bottom to let the water out. I threw everything in there that could be composted down, including toilet paper (only used for urine), toilet roll tubes, egg cartons, carcasses etc. I eventually bought some worms and threw them in as well. Whenever I was working in the garden and I came across a red worm I'd throw it in too. I'd love to start a wormery again.
Look for the small raised ring at the head end. This is called a clitellum. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clitellum
What's the heat range of the Africans?
What I have read is at 60* they slow way down and below 50* start dropping dead. Can`t say if this is completely true and not willing to experiment with mine. This guy says not... http://www.thewormdude.com/tag/african-nightcrawlers/
Keeping them at 80-82* and they are tearing through the bedding/food (1/3 drop in level after 9 days) so I figure a 5 gallon bucket of peat and newspaper should take 1 month to turn over wirth 250 worms.
I have been raising red wigglers for about 7 years. There castings are one of my main ferts for my peppers. But you have gotten me very interested in african crawlers. I'm just wandering if there's a difference in the value of their castings to the plants, since they consume there food at different rates.
The quality and quantity of the castings will depend on the quality and quantity of the food ect... whereas wigglers go through garbage/bedding at a good rate the Africans are tearing through the bedding and worm chow.
I add Glacial rock dust-bonemeal-eggshell-kelp meal by the TBSP to the bedding to improve the castings my worms make. Trying to find horse manure and a good source of screened topsoil to improve it even more.
Africans are TRUELY voracious! I have had wigglers for 2 years and they turn out castings, but no where near the rate that I am seeing right now with these guys after so little time. Should have done a pictorial of before and after, maybe with the next go round.