Today’s Topics
– Maintaining a worm bin during the winter
– How do you know your vermicomposting trench is getting too much water?
– What is the best foodstock for easy screening?
– Can pine shavings be used for vermicomposting?
– Is it possible to over-tend composting worms?
– Growth and cocoon production for Red Worms vs Euros
– Ideal percentage of vermicompost for potted crop plants?
– Any harvesting methods faster than “Turbo Light Harvesting”?
– What density of worms equals “over-crowding”?
– Which worms are best suited for vermicomposting?
– Salt accumulation over time with various feedstocks.
Show Notes
During the podcast I had some difficulty remembering the key differences between George Mingin’s worm production figures and those presented in the literature (Edwards and Dominguez in “Vermiculture Technology”).
Here is the full comparative run-down
Vermiculture Technology (Dominguez & Edwards)
Red Worms
Cocoon Production – 2.45-3.5 per worm per week
Incubation time (time to hatching) – 18-26 days
Juveniles per viable cocoon – 2.5-3.8
Time to maturity – 28-30 days
Euros
Cocoon Production – 1.96 per worm per week
Incubation time (time to hatching) – 42.1 days
Juveniles per viable cocoon – 1.10
Time to maturity – 65 days
George Mingin
Red Worms
Cocoon Production – 3 per worm per week
Incubation time (time to hatching) – 14-21 days
Juveniles per viable cocoon – ~3
Time to maturity – 42 days
Euros
Cocoon Production – 2 per worm per week
Incubation time (time to hatching) – 21-28 days
Juveniles per viable cocoon – ~1
Time to maturity – 56 days
RELATED LINKS
Harvesting (Hot Topics Page)
Interview with George Mingin
Will a Red Worm Population Double in 3 Months?
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I’ve had a successful bin for 4 years but all of a sudden worms are producing very pale worm tea that smells bad. Any suggestions?
super, danke!
it’s always interesting to hear different questions (and answers)
For english speakers, I’m recommending your site and this podcast.
Kleine Wiener Wurm Farm
(Small Worm Farm Vienna – something like that 🙂 )
@carol Snyder How old is your current bin?