new worm bin! :)

[Droopy Dog]

No, you really don't want leachate, just means the bedding is too wet. The moisture in the veggie scraps and such usually provide more than enough moisture.

Many do their bins just like Duck, sorta like a compost pile. The layering aspect is by far the best way to feed your worms IMO. Tried several, like burying in a different corner each time. Kept forgetting which was the last corner, stuff got too hot (buried some alfalfa ... once).:holysheep: The lasagna method just always worked best for me.

Some guys I know just take finished or nearly finished compost, put it in a large smarty and add worms. Just adding water to keep it moist and very little to no food. A guy did this by accident last winter, moving his compost inside and adding heating cables (un-heated room in the Colo mtns). There were 'some' worms in the compost from outside. Come Spring, he found his compost to be nearly pure castings and mounds of worms. Funny thing is, it totally blew away his output from a large flow through reactor he had built the previous summer. He had never checked it other than to moisten periodically. Netted 100 gallons of very rich VC.

Wet

 

[pcduck]

No, you really don't want leachate, just means the bedding is too wet. The moisture in the veggie scraps and such usually provide more than enough moisture.

:goodposting:

 

[next]

Worms are chowing down on the zucchini

I use red heat lamps for my snakes, and I read that worms don't mind red light, so I can peek at them with the red light on and they don't run from me like i'm the plague. I didn't even have to snoop around, I could see worms on top of the bedding where I placed the zucchini, I dug down a bit just to make sure and yeap, they are munching, I added some mj leaves perhaps they got the munchies :evil:

The awesome thing about the mix this guy sells, is that it is packed full of adults, babies, and eggs. The population is exploding, there were baby worms appearing within a few days and it seems like there has been a steady increase ever since.

This worm thing is kinda fun, and so far so good, seems fairly easy to manage.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

I always like using coco as it is a renewable resource unlike peat moss. I am a big believer in using renewable resources if they are available rather than ones that aren't.

 

[Droopy Dog]

I always like using coco as it is a renewable resource unlike peat moss. I am a big believer in using renewable resources if they are available rather than ones that aren't.

THG, you really need to do some research here. That whole renewable vs non renewable thing was/is a big PR ploy by the coco producers to sorta gloss over the clear cutting of forests for coco plantations and nevermind the slavery issues in the harvesting.

Canada's peat industry is very tightly regulated and what is allowed to be harvested is no where near depleting anything.

Coco is a very well orchestrated scam. It all falls apart when you start checking the facts.

Just saying.

Wet

 

[next]

Interesting Droopy..

As always there is more than one side to the story.. I can tell you living up here in Canada, there is no shortage of peatmoss. It would be a shame if it were to be gone tho, I have taken many good naps, laying down on a bed of moss 3 feet thick.

 

[next]

Droopy, whats your worm mix consist of?

 

[Droopy Dog]

Wow, this is gonna be kinda rough, since most of it was eyeballed.

7 1/2 gal of expanded peat moss. I have a screen I 'grate' it on and usually only do 5 gal. But over did it a bit and went on to a whole cf. Did make it easier for the amendments.

Mostly full party cup ................Dolomite lime
" " "" ..............."Play sand" (grit)
" " " " .............. Rock Dust
Healthy half+ party cup............ Kelp Meal
" " " " ............ Neem Cake
Less than half " " ............... Azomite
" " " " " .............. Tomato Tone (mainly for the bacteria)

Perlite ...... Eyeballed, but guessing 1 1/2 gallons or so. Less than what goes in a mix, but not a whole lot less.

Yield was ~13 gallons. Put in 5 gal buckets, moistened well, and set outside to "cook" for a month or so.

I'll use this when I harvest the bins later in Sept. I'll bring them inside then, but the rain, sun, and temp swings outside really "mellows" it.

This should last me till next spring, but it's easy to do another batch in case I harvest again before winter. Depends on this harvest.

BTW, the worms really don't like you digging in the bedding. Look, but disturb them as little as possible.

Wet

 

[next]

Thanks Droopy, I hope more people than just me are taking notes.

You think these worms will be fine to go with weekly check-ups? Headed to work, but I will be home 1 day a week.

 

[pcduck]

I feed mine once a week. That is the only time I take the cover off. No digging or probing. They will let you know something is wrong by trying to crawl out.

 

[Droopy Dog]

I feed mine once a week. That is the only time I take the cover off. No digging or probing. They will let you know something is wrong by trying to crawl out.

:yeahthat:

Wet

 

[Rosebud]

I love my worms. Some moved down to the lower level... I am going to put a third layer on so they can go up too. I feed mine once a week. Happy worms.

 

[Droopy Dog]

ROSE

I also hate neem oil and just don't use it.

BUT .... I now love neem meal (cake), so much I will be spending $101 to get a 44# bag delivered. Existing solely on SS, that is saying something and will take ~ 4 months to save the $$$ (1 more month to go).

Last year I started using it due to cucumber beetles wiping me out and reading about the pest control properties of neem cake. It didn't do much with an established infestation and it needing time to break down, so, I wasn't overly disapointed.

This year I added neem to all the mixes, both new and the reamends and allowed a month+ to cycle. I wanted to see if neem could be my entire pest management program. 1cup/cf was added. Regular, light top dressings were done throughout the season. There has been pretty much zero bugs or damage and I was amazed. I did have to do a couple applications of BT for some caterpillars (and they were few), but other than that, no pest control, none.

I didn't want to say anything till at least near the end of the season and speak too soon. This is mostly outdoor veggies, both in containers and in the ground. The indoor MJ did just as well.

I rate neem cake as high as kelp meal as to what it brings to the table. A 50lb bag of kelp meal was my previous 'save up' purchase.

You really ought to give some a try. BTW, the worms love a bit sprinkled on top of the bedding every week or 2.

Wet

 

[Sweetmansticky]

Droopy what's Bt.? For caterpillars?

 

[Rosebud]

BT is bacillus thuringiensis that makes insects stomach explode. That is what they use to genetic modify corn.

That is great DD, I hope it works for you. Do you use EM!?

 

[Droopy Dog]

Oh, it works Rose. Or, at least it has for the last 6 months. I wouldn't have mentioned anything from a short term trial.

I use Bokashi bran I made sometime back.

Wet

 

[Droopy Dog]

Droopy what's Bt.? For caterpillars?

Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies kurstaki

It only affects caterpillars and harmless to everything else. I know I've ingested a bunch over the last 40 years from eating tomatoes off the vine. I mainly use it for tomato hornworms and budworms on the mj.

Wet

 

[Sweetmansticky]

Sweet I'm gonna have to get me some , garden shop or grow shop more likely to have it?
I've been plagued outdoor with them .

 

[Sweetmansticky]

Thanks RB and DD

 

[Rosebud]

Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies kurstaki

It only affects caterpillars and harmless to everything else. I know I've ingested a bunch over the last 40 years from eating tomatoes off the vine. I mainly use it for tomato hornworms and budworms on the mj.

Wet

I don't agree that it is harmless to everything else. We were taught to use it at WSU for a bit...then more research came. I am glad you like it DD.

You need some parasitic wasps DD... I just like saying parasitic wasps:vap-Bong_smoker: