Comments on: Why Do Red Worms Love Brown Cardboard?

By: Mark Ferguson

Mark Ferguson — Sun, 01 Mar 2015 20:17:33 +0000

I have used cardboard as the only food souce for feeding my worms in the past. The challenge I had was breaking the cardboard down into small size to feed them with. I found that if I could reduce the size small enough they would eat it very fast. I developed a shredder / grinder that would reduce cardboard to 1/4″ down to dust. This got the worms eating quite prolifically. I would get a 2500 lb bale of cardboard from a manufacturing plant in my town, grind it down in about 4 to 5 hours. This would last about a month for my worms in the end. My worm ben was a straw bale building with a floor space of 100 sq ft. I started with only 5000 red wigglers which turned into around 1 million in the end. I had to move so I sold my property and the worm operation to the new tenant’s.

I am now raising rabbits and will soon add worms. I found that my cardboard grinder makes great nesting material for the rabbits. So I will see how worms do with rabbit manure and ground cardboard in a continuous worm bed.

See my grinder at https://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=B9JHbRpwbwQ
See my rabbit page at http://kferg9804.wix.com/aharabbits

Thanks
Mark Ferguson

By: Mat

Mat — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 15:35:10 +0000

I have given my worms the biggest variety of food and bedding material possible over the years and from my observations cardboard is their preferred food. They eat a few types, but these days I use the type of cardboard that eggs come in – grey, fibrous and typically molded. They go mad for it. Not sure if it contains glues – doubt it. Makes me wonder if the glue hypothesis answers the question. It is quite likely that variety of foods is the key for good health and everything does eventually get eaten that is added to the bin, but I do notice a real preference for gray cardboard.

By: ClaudeA

ClaudeA — Mon, 16 Sep 2013 21:59:59 +0000

For a number of years when I lived near Hershey, PA, I worked at an now defunct Agway farm coop distribution center. They discarded over a ton of corrugated cardboard away each week.

On the little country place we lived on I thought to start a worm farm, and hauled many tons of that cardboard to the back of the property. The worms of every kind loved it, and made awesome garden soil for the rest of the years we lived there.

When we moved I took a galvanized bushel bucket of a gray-colored worm variety along. I put Fall leaves and partly decomposed wood chips in the bucket, thinking that would hold them over. In the nine days’ move to Oregon they worms consumed the entire bushel of material and died out!

Since they were so voracious eaters I have tried to find what species they are to set up a colony for vermiculture soil production. If anyone reading this has a clue – PLEASE share it!

I have checked the “Notify Me” box to follow this thread.
Description of the worms – Light gray and extremely lively. I tried some on a fish hook, but their skin is VERY tough. They were about 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 inches long, max. I did not see them mating, nor did I see their cocoon, so I don’t know the color or size.

One thing I learned back then in the early 70’s was that corrugated cardboard is glued with food animal packing plant wastes, such as hides, gut and hoof. These are excellent soil amendments, and earth worm feed stock. I presently produce organic soils with garden, kitchen and other organic materials, and quite a bit of corrugated cardboard. I have noticed that I do not need to supply any nitrogen for the high heat necessary for a good composting and the only thing I can figure is the glue in the cardboard. The pile is constantly above 140 degrees F, so the Nitrogen is adequate. About 1/3rd of the source material is corrugated cardboard.

By: Allan

Allan — Fri, 21 Jun 2013 11:26:51 +0000

Just picked up a little worm farm, I am a nubie to . Very interesting reading . Tks guys and girls

By: Adam

Adam — Thu, 24 May 2012 02:37:11 +0000

Thanks Mike. I’ll probably just continue playing it safe by cutting all of that glue off. Tedious task, but got to take care of all my little guys.

By: Mike aka BW

Mike aka BW — Wed, 23 May 2012 22:50:52 +0000

Adam I can’t tell you if it’s non-toxic but some of it will not breakdown. I used to wonder what the odd shaped pieces of plastic were that showed up in my vermicompost. It took me a while to figure out it was the glue that was left after the cardboard box had biodegraded.

By: Adam

Adam — Wed, 23 May 2012 22:37:53 +0000

I read through most of the comments on this page, but have an additional question: is the glue used to seal cereal boxes and other boxes like Mac and cheese (pretty much all food packaging) non-toxic? When I’m shredding these cartons for the worms, I usually cut off all of the glue before shredding it. Would love it of I no longer had to do this.

By: Larry D.

Larry D. — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 00:11:42 +0000

Marc,don’t worry too much about it.At least you know enough to have more than one batch of worms! Some folks can baby them and kill them all.Sometimes what you think is abuse to worms,turns out to be a new way to multiply them,make them bigger,etc.Just write more than one chapter on vermiculture next time.It takes a big book to cover what Bentley calls “Crazy worm antics!”And a lot of this stuff hasn’t ever been tried.I got some odd experiments coming up that may re write the book on them.Then i’ll have to do it over,because i’ll find out i was wrong! If it was easy,you wouldn’t find worms on free cycle! But it is fun re writing books anyway! Just use”In my opinion!” Or “It worked for me anyway!”It works for me.LOL!

By: Marc Remillard

Marc Remillard — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 16:03:08 +0000

Whoops! I just lost all the worms in 3 bins. Those little plastic tray type. The hardware cloth on the bottom was not letting the liquid through–and the whole bins went anaerobic. I will not use the cloth anymore. I have never been wild about using the worm leachate that drips out of the bottom anyway because its usually anaerobicesque. I still have other bins with worms in them.
In response to the previous comment, my bins were too wet [like mud]–and I think I put too much ‘experimental’ stuff in there–like coffee grounds, orange peels etc. This is really embarrasing because I wrote a book with a big chapter on vermiculture. I guess I am not such an expert after all!

By: Dave Pawson

Dave Pawson — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 06:58:41 +0000

@Si, IMHO it is very important to cover the top of the worm bin, mainly
to stop evaporation. I use an old carpet (not foam backed) which works
well.
We’re told not to let the worms dry out, hence it is important to ‘water’
regularly if it hasn’t rained.

Dave