# DIY worm farm !       for castings



## rollingstoned77

Well folks , i have decided to go ORGANIC for my next grow and why not a worm farm . FIRST i owe alot of thanks to "allgrownup" for help with this  idea .Alot of this post is owed to him !! Thanks man ! 

This farm is simple and is that way for a reason . i had 2 large rubbermaid containers allready and decided to get started . the first container i drilled 1/2" and 5/8" holes in the bottom for water drainage and to collect tea . This tea great and can be used as a foliar spray and is sold in stores for a hefty price considering what it is .Next i drilled some 3/8" holes around the top of the container for airflow . i used a large container and put the holes up high above the soil level to keep the worms from excaping . Next i used some cheap window screen and wrapped the container with it . This will keep fly's and unwanted pests from entering the airholes and is wrapped on the bottom to keep the worms in and the soil from falling through the holes also .

*( this screen will later be removed so the worms can migrate down to the bottom bin . The idea is to get the first bin started , then when you have a sufficient amount of castings, start adding the scraps and food to the bottom bin and let the worms migrate down to it.)

 If you give them a good moist 60-80 climate with plenty of food they won't try to wander away from you. With two containers you can use one lid to place under for a tray to catch some tea. Getting about 1-2 gal bucket every 8-10 weeks on 750-1000??? worms.

The bin is then filled with your soil mix .For this you will need some good soil and you can use a number of things for thier food  including table scraps  (BUT EXCLUDING) , meat, poultry, fats, etc.

Think of worms as veagans. crushed egg shells are good for them though. and yes, they love coffee grinds. its funny to see what the worms leave behind. they're actually pretty picky eaters. they seem to leave behind the stickers and stem from banana's, skin from tomatoe, etc.

place damp shredded newspaper in container. add food scraps to an area and cover all with thin layer of dirt. the dirt helps contain the smell of food that isn't consumed as of yet. cover this mix with water and leave it set for a day or 2 , stirring to airate it occasionaly .i will wait a few days or even a week or two  to get this soil going before adding the worms . When adding worms start by adding a few dozen to see how they like thier new homes . If these survive then it is safe to put in the rest , if not we do not want to waste our whole worm crop . adjust soil accordingly . You need to add at least a 1lb of worms to start(approx 500 worms) a good sized worm farm. they multiply very fast.

when you have converted a container to castings you just repeat process in the second container followed by stacking the used container on top of the fresh one. the worms will naturally migrate to where the food is (bottom container). DO NOT ADD ANY MORE FOOD TO TOP CONTAINER. Also you need to check the holes in top container beacause they may keep getting clogged with castings by the worms migrating down through and trapping the others.

Try not to leave the bin  uncovered or you will have a fly/knat infested box very fast. make your own organic pesticide to kill them if need be.


Castings have no unpleasant odor and may be used as a soil amendment or an addition to potting soil. 
 Drippings from the worm composter can be used as liquid fertilizer or a foliar spray. *Commercial worm bins have a small faucet at the bottom of the container so you can easily draw off the liquid .





I used a mix of good store bought organic potting soil , 
native soil from my yard ,
table scraps including ( parsley , lettuce , celery , bread )
honey & molasses
sugar
coffee grounds
alfalfa hay & feed pellets
Bunny POOH
newspaper
cornmeal
crushed up few day old bread
and 1 can of beer
water with superthrive
mix is prepared and watered down to get it nice and moist .


*Not only is it a way of collecting castings but also minimizing the table scraps you throw in your garbage and using it to your benefit . The point of this and other organic growing ideas is to be totaly self sufficient . Composting is recycling !


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## droboy420

yupp i have a wormfarm  with about 300 pounds of worms.  i dont know how much worm castings but alot i use worm casting tea on my outdoor plants indoor hydroponics. its the best


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## DLtoker

Very good work!  Awesome.


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## allgrownup

Oh man....this is sick man!  :headbang2: 

I especially like how you incorporated some trendiness and mismatched your containers!  awesome....


These things are sweet for your table scraps.  If you eat like i do....your fertilizing with some expensive **** man....LOL

nice job. and thanks for the props and rep.


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## rollingstoned77

DLtoker said:
			
		

> Very good work! Awesome.


 
Thanks man ! i appreciate the kind words .  i will keep ya posted on the worms !!!!!!


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## rollingstoned77

allgrownup said:
			
		

> Oh man....this is sick man! :headbang2:
> I especially like how you incorporated some trendiness and mismatched your containers! awesome....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> allgrownup said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was going for a " post modern , nastalgic ,  contemparary , design with ALOT of " fung shui " in mind . I feel it blends well with the theme i got going in the grow room already . IT just felt natural !
Click to expand...


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## allgrownup

Here's some castings that we save for spreadin around in the outdoor veggie garden.

As it dries it changes to a much lighter brown/gray.  You can also use this to soak and make a tea.  I try to use the castings right away after harvest but.......its nice to have some stored for when you pot a plant or transplant or just feel like ferting the garden.


Here is what my compost bins lookin like as well.

grass, leaves, some soil, clippins from plants, etc.  wet down whenever i can remember to.  which is not very often.  Its completely dry now so i need to moisten it.


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## MrPuffAlot

Does it smell??

Do you keep it indoors??


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## allgrownup

You need to keep it where the temps are consistent.  if you feed them the correct quantity it should not smell.

make it.......you'll like it.


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## gangsta bud

im a lil curious , in stead of goin thru that truble can i just get a worm kill it and put it in the soil for nutreints? cuz that seems like a lot of work


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## allgrownup

your not ferting with the corpse of the worm....your ferting with the broken down "manure" (castings) the worms leave behind.  The objective is to continually increase the amount of worms by letting them reproduce and therefore give you the ability to process more "food" to produce more castings.

the casting is what you want.  the worms are the manufacturers.


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## imsoborednow

:goodposting: Rolling stone
Ive been wondering about a worm farm....
Now I can see the pics it all makes sense......


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## 85cannabliss

it sure does, may look into 1 in time for next years guerrilla grow  read that 4 page artical in SOFT SECRETS on how good worm castings are. so i bought some plagron worm humus, to try and sort the yellowing on a few of my plants. probably a good idea.
good read rollingstone, keep it comin, 85C.


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## MrPuffAlot

Any particular worms better than others??

I can get nightcrawlers, since I sell them.

Or are different type of Worms better to use??

One more question.

So as the worms live/reproduce and feed on the soil mix you make.
THey consume the soil/food then crap to make Castings.
given enough time, they will convert all the soil in the container into Castings?

IF so.. How do you know when its casting or just soil??  and start their
migrating to the new container??

thanks


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## allgrownup

dude, if it walks like a duck, and looks like a duck well, then.......

you'll know the casting when you see it.  the further into the process it gets the more obvious it gets to.  its sheet man!

As far as worms, i use the "red wigglers" cuz they consume faster and multiply very fast.  I think earthworms may produce a better casting but i'm not 100% on that.  if you get the earthworms for free use those man.

When your soil mix and scraps have been converted to all castings, you then add your box on top of another. there will be no food left in the top box so the worms will migrate to the food in the bottom container.  If you continue to keep adding scraps to the top container they will not migrate and you will not harvest your castings.

make the box man, you'll be glad you did.


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## imsoborednow

Hey dudes....I gotta question?.....

Firstly though...Respect for rolling stone for starting this thread.....figured Id give it a go..

:confused2:

Do these containers need to be light proof?


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## allgrownup

yes...you want it to be light proof

worms don't like light.  You want to utilize the entire box.  dont spread your castings out in the box.  Just uncover one area, place your scraps, lightly cover over again.  Next feeding uncover new area next to prior, etc.  the worms will consume faster and leave the castings.  If light penetrates the worms will avoid that area.  YOu don't want to keep mixing the castings around in the unprocessed areas.

you want your castings clean, not contaminated with food.


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## screwdriver

I am making my worm condo tonight.(way smaller than a farm)  What is the purpose of using newspaper? Can I put a layer of soil on the bottom then a layer of food and a top layer of more soil? After a while I would separate the worms from the mix and just use the whole thing for my soil.  I don't think I would need to separate the castings because they would immediately go into other soil anyway. Is this a good enough plan or am I going to waste my time?


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## allgrownup

the worms will consume the paper.  the soil is more or less to help the digestive process(think of a bird) and reduce the light penetrating.  it also traps any smell from decomposing food. If you put more food than the worms can consume, it will decompose on its own.  try not to overfeed the worms but more or less steadily increase the amount of food scaps as they multiply.   

I try to keep my soil to a minimum.  most soil is contaminated with small larva and what not.  I have not tried microwaving the soil. that may help. (not with the worms in it of course :doh: )


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## screwdriver

Quick update on the mini condo....

At 4 weeks I have a few egg shell fragments I can see and everything else is gone. Dug up the soil and found some worms that were fat, squirming and healthy looking(compared to what they were).
Do worms that want to die come to the surface to die?
How long does this take?
It looks like I should leave it a little longer.
I've watered lightly a couple of times and plenty of air flow. When I dug up the soil it was moist not wet. Had no odor with lid off.
I think I'll do this again.


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## allgrownup

depends on how many worms you have.  you may need to keep adding food scraps until all the contents are converted to castings.  its one of those things that you gotta eyeball.  sounds like your on the right track.  Plan on migrating the worms quarterly or so.  it takes patience and months, kinda like growin!
right on man for puttin your own worm farm together.  major props.  :headbang2:


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## screwdriver

I'm a dad. Nobody said this could happen on the first time. :hubba: 






Now I'm going to have to build a better home for them to live.


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## imsoborednow

Wow is that like WORMBABIES????????????


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## allgrownup

worms multiply very fast.  Especially the "red wigglers".

Redworms are real good breeders, laying one egg capsule as often as every 7 days. Each worm sack will hatch an average of 3 to 4 worms.  earthworms will grow into breeders in about three months. Keep the Red Wigglers happy and healthy, and they will multiply in far greater numbers and with more speed than any other earthworms

congrats on your offspring, a sign that you are doing somethin right!


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## imsoborednow

Jus wondering ........

Can you put 'Dog Poo' in the worm farm...?

Just got me a puppy an ..........


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## DLtoker

I read some where, some time, that dog poo is not good to use for fertilizer as the N-K-P values are not stable.  That's pretty much all I know off the top of my head.  Sorry.


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## Flyinghigh

Any smell from this ??


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## allgrownup

NO dog poo in the worm farm. no meats either.  If you are not over feeding your worms and you cover the scraps with a thin layer of dirt....there will be no smell.


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## miah

can topsoil be used as the soil contents for a worm compost?
i am gonna start with shredded cardboard box, shredded paper, coffee grinds, bannana peel, egg shell, dried up leaves but have no soil to use....

but i have peet moss and some cheap topsoil around, which should i use?


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## allgrownup

no soil LOL  come on man  ......just go scoop some out of a flower bed, base of a tree planter, park, etc.

i don't see why top soil would not work.  its just used for the smell containment mostly.  the worms will eat the crushed egg shells to help them digest along with some of the dirt granuels that fall through.  I see no reason it wont work unless your using potting soil with nutes of some kind in it.

make sure there are no chemicals in the soil.  you may want to micro wave the soil as well prior.

pete moss sounds to permeable to me but?????


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## Flyinghigh

No but a Ply of leafs from a maple tree will work too !!  Seen lots of warm at the bottom of leafs..


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## 420benny

Nice thread! In case some of you wondered about a worm's sex, well, they are both male and female. Worms have both sex organs. So, every worm they run across is a potential hook-up! In case you wanted to know.


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## dank.bud76

where do you get worms from?  dig em up or are they available somewhere commercially?  is there any easy trick to digging them up?


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## Hick

hXXp://www.bestbuyworms.com/id6.html
hXXp://www.planetnatural.com/site/red-wiggler-worms.html
hXXp://www.magicwiggler.com/Buy.html
hXXp://marketplaceadvisor.channeladvisor.com/storefrontprofiles/processfeed.aspx?sfid=77825&i=27549596&mpid=6444&dfid=1
hXXp://www.localharvest.org/red-wiggler-worms-eisenia-fetida-C4879?r=fr


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## 84VW

hxxp://special-tworms.com/


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## pajero

Hey man dont want 2 burst your bubble but compost worms and i hope thats what your using eat upwards in the wild they are found in the 6-15 cm beneath rotting vegetation any deeper and they are earth worms which eat soil not compost i farm worms and have been for years now you need 2 top feed just do opposite add scraps on top worms travel up for food down 2 die or get way from heat so if your putting scaps at bottom your trapping them in heat ...i usually put my scraps in a tray for a day or 2 so fermentation begins and dissapates when they are cooler i add 2 worm farm.....p.s the easiest way 2 make a worm farm is get some water proof tarp attach the tarp 2 a round metal ring like from a crab dilley which you get from bait shop for 5$ aust so now you have a metal ring with a curtain of tarp all the way around seal the join as best as you can ...i recomend sewing with fishing line then from the ring go down 2-3 foot depending on how much you want it 2 hold and tie a slip knot around the tarp so when you pull tight it closes now u should have like a big basketball ring but instead of net tarp ...attach 3 ropes on ring that join in a triangle shape so it hangs level hang from tree or anything that can hold 100 kg place bucket underneath to collect tea put flyscreen on top 2 keep out flys and if you put some coco peat in that will be perfect for bedding and they will eat it 
after about a week when they settle in add your scaps 2 top and cover them with wet paper cardboard or potatoe sack once a month throw a handfull of lime in and water well ....thats it all you do now is turn and mix the scraps and bedding once every 2 weeks your tea will be dripping into bucket and whenever you want the worm poo undo the slip knot and empty some of the rich goodness out there should be no worms in bottom if so its because of over feeding ,,,,,,worms hate light so with a bright light shine on the poo you just emptied and start puting it aside as you start picking at the poo the worms will travel lower because of light till your left with only a little poo and all your worms...p.s this can be avoided if you dont overfeed worms eat their own weighteach day so starting with 2000 is good in a few months it will have trippled also if you notice all your worms gathering at top this is normal they sense rain coming so they go topside so not 2 drown also u dont have 2 worry about them escaping they will stay where the food is  good luck




			
				rollingstoned77 said:
			
		

> Well folks , i have decided to go ORGANIC for my next grow and why not a worm farm . FIRST i owe alot of thanks to "allgrownup" for help with this  idea .Alot of this post is owed to him !! Thanks man !
> 
> This farm is simple and is that way for a reason . i had 2 large rubbermaid containers allready and decided to get started . the first container i drilled 1/2" and 5/8" holes in the bottom for water drainage and to collect tea . This tea great and can be used as a foliar spray and is sold in stores for a hefty price considering what it is .Next i drilled some 3/8" holes around the top of the container for airflow . i used a large container and put the holes up high above the soil level to keep the worms from excaping . Next i used some cheap window screen and wrapped the container with it . This will keep fly's and unwanted pests from entering the airholes and is wrapped on the bottom to keep the worms in and the soil from falling through the holes also .
> 
> *( this screen will later be removed so the worms can migrate down to the bottom bin . The idea is to get the first bin started , then when you have a sufficient amount of castings, start adding the scraps and food to the bottom bin and let the worms migrate down to it.)
> 
> If you give them a good moist 60-80 climate with plenty of food they won't try to wander away from you. With two containers you can use one lid to place under for a tray to catch some tea. Getting about 1-2 gal bucket every 8-10 weeks on 750-1000??? worms.
> 
> The bin is then filled with your soil mix .For this you will need some good soil and you can use a number of things for thier food  including table scraps  (BUT EXCLUDING) , meat, poultry, fats, etc.
> 
> Think of worms as veagans. crushed egg shells are good for them though. and yes, they love coffee grinds. its funny to see what the worms leave behind. they're actually pretty picky eaters. they seem to leave behind the stickers and stem from banana's, skin from tomatoe, etc.
> 
> place damp shredded newspaper in container. add food scraps to an area and cover all with thin layer of dirt. the dirt helps contain the smell of food that isn't consumed as of yet. cover this mix with water and leave it set for a day or 2 , stirring to airate it occasionaly .i will wait a few days or even a week or two  to get this soil going before adding the worms . When adding worms start by adding a few dozen to see how they like thier new homes . If these survive then it is safe to put in the rest , if not we do not want to waste our whole worm crop . adjust soil accordingly . You need to add at least a 1lb of worms to start(approx 500 worms) a good sized worm farm. they multiply very fast.
> 
> when you have converted a container to castings you just repeat process in the second container followed by stacking the used container on top of the fresh one. the worms will naturally migrate to where the food is (bottom container). DO NOT ADD ANY MORE FOOD TO TOP CONTAINER. Also you need to check the holes in top container beacause they may keep getting clogged with castings by the worms migrating down through and trapping the others.
> 
> Try not to leave the bin  uncovered or you will have a fly/knat infested box very fast. make your own organic pesticide to kill them if need be.
> 
> 
> Castings have no unpleasant odor and may be used as a soil amendment or an addition to potting soil.
> Drippings from the worm composter can be used as liquid fertilizer or a foliar spray. *Commercial worm bins have a small faucet at the bottom of the container so you can easily draw off the liquid .
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I used a mix of good store bought organic potting soil ,
> native soil from my yard ,
> table scraps including ( parsley , lettuce , celery , bread )
> honey & molasses
> sugar
> coffee grounds
> alfalfa hay & feed pellets
> Bunny POOH
> newspaper
> cornmeal
> crushed up few day old bread
> and 1 can of beer
> water with superthrive
> mix is prepared and watered down to get it nice and moist .
> 
> 
> *Not only is it a way of collecting castings but also minimizing the table scraps you throw in your garbage and using it to your benefit . The point of this and other organic growing ideas is to be totaly self sufficient . Composting is recycling !





			
				imsoborednow said:
			
		

> Jus wondering ........
> 
> Can you put 'Dog Poo' in the worm farm...?
> 
> 
> 
> got me a puppy an ..........


yes they love **** but make sure your puppy is not on worm tablets as they will kill your compost worms i usually do a trial with a few worms in a styrofoam   box they eat meat citrus just about anything organic any1 tells you different they are wrong i farm compost worms and sell them p.s 2 fatten them up throw some chicken ;layer pellets in the top once a month wet them first




			
				miah said:
			
		

> can topsoil be used as the soil contents for a worm compost?
> i am gonna start with shredded cardboard box, shredded paper, coffee grinds, bannana peel, egg shell, dried up leaves but have no soil to use....
> 
> but i have peet moss and some cheap topsoil around, which should i use?


coco peat no soil bad for compost worms only good for earth worm


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## houseoftreasure

Yeah!  We just started our worm farm.  We pulled them out of the front and back garden while we were doing other work anyway.  We have them in a small tote with lots of egg shells and apple slices.  We only have about 30-40 worms right now, but it's a small container, and we will be doing more gardening for sure, and will throw them in there as we find them.  

We'll keep you posted on how it goes.  

Thanks for the great ideas!

-Love


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## knowboddy

Everyone ought to have a worm farm.

There's just no good reason not to make use of your scraps.  It's a waste to throw them away and it just causes more trouble for the environment.

And you get worm castings, grow better, it's a beautiful cycle!


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## zem

so if i were to make worm castings and use in my DWC hydro grow i can only use the liquid that drains from bottom of bin and the other solid castings i just throw away? i might consider it if i can get like a gallon of hydro ferts every 2 months or so. is there an estimate of how much gallons of water would 1 bin of castings ferilize for hydro use? that is how many gallons of water with 500 ppm would 1 bin give me? and how can i make castings with high N and castings with high PK?


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## Runbyhemp

> so if i were to make worm castings and use in my DWC hydro grow i can only use the liquid that drains from bottom of bin and the other solid castings i just throw away?



Can't answer this question I'm afraid as am only growing in soil at the moment. I will be trying DWC myself shortly, have the buckets built and everything ready to go. Just waiting for clones to root now. I would imagine that you would want the liquid with as little solid matter as possible as this could cause your whole system to gunk up .... airstones etc. But am only guessing.



> is there an estimate of how much gallons of water would 1 bin of castings ferilize for hydro use? that is how many gallons of water with 500 ppm would 1 bin give me?



Pretty much impossible to say, too many variables. Would depend on size of container, number of worms, what they're eating, temps how active they are. Happy worms will get through a hell of a lot more waste.



> and how can i make castings with high N and castings with high PK?


I just make "regular" castings myself. Controlling NPK of castings would be a whole lot of trouble if not damn near impossible. Why not make PK rich compost and make tea from that ? And whether or not you could use that in hydro I just can't say. Sorry


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## Roddy

I would think you could brew a tea, but I too am growing in soil and am only speculating.


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