Comments on: SSUBWHT – Update #1

By: Texgal

Texgal — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 13:56:45 +0000

I’m using a small frame with hardware cloth on the bottom. It’s only 6-8 inches high. After preparing my new box, I sit the frame in the new box directly on top of the new bedding, attach a reflective shop light (60 W) to the box. During the day as I walk by it, I “stir” it to get the moist compost up to the top; depending on how moist the Vermicompost is I’ve been able to move the worms in 24-48 hours. Not exactly passive but quick and almost 100% effective.

In your other post you mentioned adding handles to your tube; are you sifting with the tube? What are these tubes used for? Just wondering what dept I should look for them.

By: sharon

sharon — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 23:41:38 +0000

I bought a cheap bag of frozen corn on the cob. Left it sit out on carport to thaw and soften for about a week. I found that they were having a hard time getting at the corn so I took my box cutter and scored each row down the middle of corn. They really attacked it then. A couples days later I picked up one of the corn cobs and I could not believe how many worms were inside the rows and a ton of them just hanging. I made a trench for each of 4 corn cobs put them in each trench and covered them very well.
I did that in 2 bins and must have got a pound of worms. The worms were very clean. The babies like to crawl in side the kernels and the big ones crawl in between the rows. Very fast and clean way to sort worms.

By: Wayne

Wayne — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 03:26:00 +0000

Why let the cantalope sit? My worms can smell cantalope why I open their box and begin jumping for it. I can take a strip of canatople just cut, lay it on top of other food and there will be worms eating on it within five minutes. There crawl over other older food to get to the canatlope

By: Bentley

Bentley — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:11:04 +0000

John – thanks for sharing that! Sounds like an interesting idea. I think honey or molasses could work well too. I suspect that it might be the rapid bloom of microbes (feeding on the easily assimilated carbon source) that might attract the worms, but regardless that’s something I’ve never tried – will definitely give it whirl.

Brynn – when it comes down to it, no organism wants to live it its own waste products, nor is it healthy to do so. As such, the more worm castings (and other worm wastes) there are in a system the poorer quality it’s going to be, but it would take quite awhile before it is toxic – especially if you are continuing to add bedding.

If you harvest the castings now, allow excess moisture to evaporate/drain away, and store in a cool dry place your castings will remain in good shape for quite some time (should definitely still be fine by spring)

By: brynn

brynn — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:53:14 +0000

nice work! i can’t wait to hear how you do this. i have a 32-gal worm bin in my basement that i am procrastinating on harvesting: i just can’t find it in me to dump that huge thing over and pick through it with my hands, worm by worm.

i read on a website (i can’t remember which one) that the castings are toxic to the worms – but since i’ve only seen this written in one place, i question its accuracy – could you comment on that?

i was hoping to put off harvesting til spring, when i can put it directly into some rooftop tomato beds that i’m preparing to install for this year – i have a very small urban space to work with. if i do end up harvesting sooner than spring, any idea how long the castings can be stored before use while actually retaining their nutrients?

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:18:54 +0000

Hmm…

Maybe I should sprinkle brown sugar on my bedding when I set up a new bin for my stacking system. I’ll try it and see what happens.

At this site, even the comments are packed of great information!

By: John

John — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 23:29:18 +0000

Try a little brown sugar on the moistened paper. I understand that they can sense it and that it is really attractive to the little dears. I haven’t tried it but it is a technique that the Urban Farmer (Wayne?) uses when moving worms between his vermicompost bins.