Four Worm Reproduction Experiment

My new stacking worm bin – level one!

After sharing my idea for this project (back in June), it ended up on the backburner. Well, as you can probably tell, I’m in serious action mode lately so I figured I might as well take advantage of the momentum and get this experiment up and running. Again, in a nutshell, I simply want to see for myself how quickly a red worm population will grow. I originally thought I’d start with only two worms, but subsequently doubled that number to a whopping four!

There is so much hype out there regarding the extreme speed at which populations of these worms can double in size, and even the numbers from reputable sources are pretty impressive so it will be interesting!

I wanted to add young worms only (those without a clitellum) to help ensure that none of the worms were carrying sperm (worms can produce multiple cocoons after a single sperm exchange), but I ended up settling for two juveniles and two adults.

Setting Up the Bin

Starting this project provided me with a good opportunity for finally getting my new stacking worm bin up and running (although it’s certainly going to take awhile before I can really test it out!). The first thing I did was lay multiple layers of newsprint down over the mesh floor in the first tray.

Next I added a mixture of mulched (and aged) grass clippings and leaves.

I then thoroughly moistened the mixture to make sure it was ready for the worms. Keeping an eye on moisture levels will be very important with this system given the greatly increased exposure to air (as compared with a plastic tub).

Finally, I added the four worms. The picture above shows two of them moving down into the material. My wigglers seem to love the mulch so I have every confidence it will serve as an ideal bedding/food. I will also start to add some food scraps as well just to make sure there is ample nutrition available in the bin

That’s it! Easy peezy! Now we simply wait and see what happens. Of course, I will be keeping close tabs on the bin to make sure all the worms’ needs are taken care of, and I’ll also be sure to report on any interesting findings (first appearance of cocoons etc).

Technorati Tags: worm bin, worm reproduction, red worms, red wigglers, vermicomposting, worm composting

Written by Bentley on December 12th, 2007 with 17 comments.
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New Site Features

Hi everyone – just a quick heads-up about a couple of new features, in case you hadn’t noticed them.

Raising Earthworms – This a new section dedicated to the topic of…wait for it…raising earthworms! Yay!! Seriously though, this is a really important topic since the success of a worm composting system of course depends on the health and well-being of your worm population. Many people almost seem to forget the fact that they are in essence looking after a population of living, breathing animals (I know, it sounds funny to refer to them as ‘animals’, but that is what they are!). Believe me, taking good care of worms is not rocket science, especially if you are familiar with the main requirements. Hopefully this page will be helpful – especially for those just starting out. I will definitely be expanding it over time as well.

Worm Composting Videos – I’ve mentioned (a number of times now) my plans to provide access to the high-resolution versions of my video presentations. Well ,I’m happy to report that the new page is ready, and with it a link to my new winter worm composting video (along the the slightly shorter YouTube version). I’ll definitely be added a bunch more videos over the next few months as well.

Anyway, that’s all for now. Stay tuned – much more on the way!

Technorati Tags: worm composting, vermicomposting, worm bin, raising worms, red worms, red wigglers, vermicomposting videos

Written by Bentley on December 12th, 2007 with no comments.
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My New Stacking Worm Bin

Last month I wrote a post about the continuous flow worm bin that I had ordered. It ended up arriving shortly thereafter, and I’ve been meaning to write a post about it ever since. I finally decided to free up some time to start it up today, so it only makes sense that I also free up some time to write about it!

As mentioned, I bought the system from Wood Worm Farms. They offer a number of different sizes, and I decided to buy their largest system (5 trays) to help ensure that the castings in the first tray are finished by the time I fill the last tray.

I found the ordering process very easy and convenient. I buy a lot of products online (and work online), so I was more than happy to use the Paypal shopping cart system. I sent an email to them (Wood Worm Farms) just to make sure my order had been received and inquired about the estimated shipping time. I received a friendly e-mail back relatively quickly, and was happy to learn that I wouldn’t have to wait very long for my new system.

The package arrived sooner than I had expected (literally the day after I wrote the post on the blog), which was a nice perk. All in all I was happy with the way the worm bin looked once I had it unwrapped. It wasn’t quite as sharp looking as the units pictured on the website, and was a wee bit shaky (not sitting perfectly flat on the ground) – it also didn’t come with a handle on the lid as shown (on the site). That being said, it does seem to be structurally sound and of course looks much nicer than my usual worm bins – who knows, maybe my wife will even let me keep it out where people can actually see it!

I was a little worried about the fact that the trays are made from untreated pine, and actually spent some time researching various earth-friendly ways to treat wood. Edward, from Wood Worm Farms, put my mind at ease (with a comment on the blog) by assuring me that he has yet to have a system become so rotten as to be structurally unstable (even systems kept outdoors). As such, I’ve opted to leave the bin untreated for now.

Bottom-line, I’m definitely happy with the purchase and very interested to see how the bin performs! I will talk about setting it up for worm composting in my next post since it relates to another fun project I’ve started up.

Technorati Tags: worm bins, worm chalet, worm condo, wooden bins, compost bin, composting bin, vermicomposting, worm composting

Written by Bentley on December 12th, 2007 with 11 comments.
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