Everything you need to know about worm composting

To worm or to not worm? In the case of composting, that’s the query many savvy gardeners are pondering lately, and for good motive: Worm castings — a.okay.a. poop — are the nutrient-rich natural soil modification each plant lover covets.

Besides castings are tremendous costly to purchase, so in case you’re composting anyway, why not develop your personal?

The pandemic lockdowns made many people gardeners, in yards or containers, boosting curiosity and demand in Eisenia fetida — purple wiggler composting worms. And this 12 months, we grew to become much more conscious of composting because of new state guidelines that went into impact Jan. 1 mandating that native jurisdictions separate meals and yard waste from landfill rubbish and use it as a substitute to create compost, mulch or biofuels. This implies you and I must be dividing our kitchen scraps into separate bins to both give to our waste collectors or hold for ourselves to make compost in our kitchens or yards.

Each compost piles and worm composting are environment friendly methods to maintain methane-producing natural waste out of landfills whereas making a nutrient-rich modification on your backyard soil.

However the compost created in a bin or pile is type of like a minivan — a sturdy, dependable method to get your crops the place they should go. Worm composting, alternatively, is just like the Ferrari of fertilizers — a chocolate-brown, turbocharged modification that not solely performs higher than artificial fertilizers in rising wholesome, high-yielding crops, based on researchers from Ohio State College, but additionally protects seedlings from predators and illnesses, based on research at Cornell College.

So worm composting, a.okay.a. vermicomposting, is a win-win-win so far as saving the surroundings, constructing higher soil and rising wholesome crops.

All you must do is get a worm bin, fill it with moist bedding (sometimes shredded cardboard or paper), a tablespoon of compost or common soil from the backyard (to introduce helpful microbes to the combination), a cup or two of kitchen scraps and a pound of purple wigglers. Add extra meals just a few occasions per week, then — presto change-o — reap the rewards of your “black gold” castings just a few months later.

If all goes because it ought to — which, after all, isn’t all the time the case. To make sure your worms are surviving, thriving and able to feast:

• Maintain the bedding moist so the worms, who breathe via their pores and skin and wish a humid surroundings to maneuver round, don’t dry up and die. The bedding must be moist like a humid sponge however not dripping, stated Chris Jung, who’s been rising and promoting worms and castings from his yard in Glendale for some 20 years.

• Maintain your worm bin out of the solar, in a shady spot and even inside your kitchen the place you’ll be able to simply feed them scraps. Temperatures within the 90s or 100s can dry out a bin and prepare dinner your worms, particularly in case your bin is comprised of plastic.

• Don’t overfeed your worms — the largest downside of all. Because the uneaten meals piles up, it begins decomposing, making a stink, heating up the bin and chopping off the oxygen — one other important that worms must survive.

How have you learnt you might have an issue? For those who open your worm bin and it smells unhealthy and all of the worms are pushing in opposition to the lid in a writhing ball, that’s a superb indication that your bin is getting too sizzling from extreme decomposing supplies, cooking your worms alive, stated John Craig, proprietor of Hart’s Worm Farm in Irvine.

In different phrases, these worms reside creatures they usually require extra tending than simply throwing kitchen scraps in a bin, stated Shelley Grossman, a Carlsbad-based grasp composter and co-author of “Recycle With Earthworms: The Purple Wiggler Connection.” However she nonetheless thinks elevating worms is less complicated than different types of composting.

“You may drive your self loopy with composting. It’s labor-intensive, you actually work your again (turning the contents), you must take note of layering otherwise you get a stinking mess. … If you wish to do it appropriately, it takes much more effort than worms are ever going to take,” Grossman stated.

With worms, “That’s their job, to show every little thing over within the bin. I’ve had youngsters concerned, individuals with disabilities. I haven’t run throughout anybody who couldn’t do it if they’ve the need. It’s not going to carve up your life. It’s very labor unintensive.”

That being stated, Grossman, Jung and Craig all have recommendations for making a profitable begin.

1. Get educated about worms

Craig stated he received’t promote individuals worms till they’ll inform him they’ve arrange their bins and know the way to proceed. He strongly recommends one other e book, “Worms Eat My Rubbish: Learn how to Set Up and Preserve a Worm Composting System,” a slim easy-to-read information self-published in 1982 by biologist Mary Appelhof, which continues to be going robust 40 years later.

Just a few staple items to know: Eisenia fetida or purple wiggler worms are surface-dwelling worms — they don’t burrow deep within the soil like nightcrawlers. You’re extra prone to discover them in nature beneath a rock or in decomposing leaves on the forest flooring. They want a darkish, moist medium to reside in, Grossman stated. “There must be sufficient moisture within the bin for them to slip via. If it’s not moist, they’ll’t transfer.”

Worms don’t have enamel, in order that they don’t “chomp” something. As an alternative, worms depend on a village of micro organism, molds, fungi, capsule bugs and different helpful microbes to interrupt down the meals in order that they can eat it with their microscopic mouths.

It’s best to all the time add a tablespoon or so of plain backyard soil or compost to your bin to introduce helpful microbes to the combination, in addition to a spoonful of sand or powdered eggshells so as to add grit, which helps the worms course of the meals via their crops and gizzards.

You’ll get worm castings (and plain previous compost) sooner in case you make your meals scraps smaller. The brother-sister workforce of Will’s Worms in Studio Metropolis — Will and Alyssa Hatanaka (and their “guide” dad, Kevin) have a video on their YouTube channel displaying how they put together a finely floor meal for his or her worms with elements like eggshells, pulverized dolomite limestone and unmedicated chick starter.

However breaking down the meals isn’t obligatory, stated Grossman. She believes it’s extra vital to weigh the meals you’re including to ensure you don’t overfeed your worms — not more than a half-pound of meals a day for a pound of worms, most likely solely two or three days per week.

Attempt burying the meals in several components of the bin every time you feed the worms. For those who set up a sample, you’ll be able to extra simply hold observe of how nicely the meals is being eaten.

“You don’t wish to overfeed them, as a result of the surplus meals will simply begin decomposing and warmth up,” stated Grossman, “and your worms received’t have anywhere to go to flee in order that they’ll die.”

2. Purchase, or make, a worm bin

The alternatives listed here are limitless, together with in-ground techniques designed to let worms slide out and in of the bin to flee excessive temperatures; funnel-shaped steady flow-through baggage or gadgets that permit you to harvest castings from the underside whereas the worms feed close to the floor; and stacking tray bins just like the spherical Can-O-Worms (about $115 at Residence Depot), designed years in the past by Appelhof. These use a migration system, getting the worms to maneuver to a better tray seeking meals as soon as the decrease tray is stuffed with castings.

Or you’ll be able to simply buy a lidded heavy-duty plastic storage bin from the ironmongery shop that has extra floor space than depth. It doesn’t need to be greater than a foot deep, Grossman stated, as a result of purple wiggler worms are high feeders.

For those who’re utilizing a plastic bin, be certain it’s not clear, as a result of the worms want a darkish surroundings.

Worm farmers don’t all the time agree on the perfect bins. Jung, as an example, likes the Can-O-Worms for residence worm farms as a result of it’s compact, with good floor space, and straightforward to make use of.

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Craig thinks in-ground techniques are “the least-likely-to-fail bins” as a result of they make it simpler for worms to flee if the situations of their bins get too sizzling or chilly. However Grossman has doubts that purple wiggler worms can reside within the soil exterior the bin except it’s persistently moist and there may be loads of leaf litter or mulch within the surrounding backyard to offer them shelter.

All agree that the worst factor individuals can do is purchase a pound of purple wiggler worms and throw them in your backyard mattress. Not like nightcrawlers, who burrow deep within the floor and discover meals, the purple wigglers received’t survive except they’ve meals and repeatedly moist situations close to the floor.

And all three suppose DIY worm bins are an incredible possibility, particularly in case you’re recycling one thing from residence. Craig, as an example, has been experimenting with drilling holes in Quik-Tube constructing types from {hardware} shops, chopping them in half and burying them within the backyard with just some inches above the bottom so as to add bedding, worms and meals.

A ultimate be aware: Be sure to hold your bin lined to maintain out mild and critters who wish to eat the worm meals and the worms. For those who use a plastic storage bin, drill a dozen or so holes into the lid to make sure oxygen stream. Even a bit of cardboard held down by a rock will work, however Craig loves utilizing discarded trays of wheat grass that he will get from native juicers. The grass roots maintain the “lid” collectively whereas serving to to maintain the floor moist.

3. The appropriate worm bedding is vital

One factor to comprehend is that your worms will eat their bedding, similar to their meals, so it’s vital to make use of water-absorbing supplies they’ll safely ingest. Some individuals use coconut coir, which might be costly by itself, or peat moss, which isn’t sustainable, based on worm specialists.

As an alternative, they suggest a mixture of well-moistened coconut fiber with well-soaked paper (together with newspaper and even shiny paper) and corrugated cardboard. Purple wigglers LOVE cardboard — most likely due to all of the cellulose, stated Grossman.

Some individuals spend money on industrial shredders to cut up their cardboard and paper earlier than they offer it a soak, however you’ll be able to obtain the same consequence by soaking items of cardboard and paper for one or two days after which ripping these papers into small items. Be sure you let the soaking water sit for twenty-four hours or so earlier than including the paper to permit chlorine and different chemical substances within the water to dissipate.

Necessary be aware: Some coconut coir might be salty, so it’s a good suggestion to soak it for twenty-four hours to leach out any salt, which is lethal to worms. Throw out that soak water and add clear water to make sure the coir is appropriate to be used.

The objective with the bedding is to maintain it fluffy and moist so the worms can simply slide via and get loads of oxygen. Some individuals add dry leaves or grass clippings to their bedding, however the specialists recommend conserving these additions to a minimal.

Grass clippings and leaves can simply mat and compact, decreasing oxygen within the bin and suffocating the worms. And grass clippings particularly are excessive in nitrogen, to allow them to encourage the bin elements to warmth up, creating extra issues for the worms. Finest to depart garden clippings on the grass, the place they supply wonderful pure fertilizer.

Grossman recommends filling your bin virtually to the highest with bedding so you’ll be able to simply bury the meals scraps. Bear in mind, the worms received’t go deeper than about 12 inches, so hold the meals buried however near the floor. Because the worms eat their bedding and meals, they’ll fill the bin with their castings.

One different tip: Maintain no less than one 10-gallon bucket of cardboard and paper soaking in water on a regular basis so you’ll be able to add a little bit further bedding each time you feed your worms, Grossman stated. The worms received’t be blissful if there’s only some inches of bedding of their bins.

4. How (and what) to feed your worms

As soon as your bin is about up, add a pound of worms and wait just a few days or perhaps a week to let the worms settle in. They want time to get adjusted to their new environment, Craig stated, and in the event that they get hungry they’ll snack on their bedding.

Simply be certain to maintain the bedding moist. A twig bottle with distilled water (or faucet water that’s been sitting for twenty-four hours to dissipate any added chemical substances) is helpful.

When you’re prepared so as to add meals, keep in mind to take it sluggish. For those who don’t have a scale, Grossman recommends including only a cup or a cup and a half per pound of worms. If the worms and their composting “assistants” eat every little thing you give them rapidly, you’ll be able to enhance the quantity.

The next kitchen scraps are wonderful for the principally vegan worms:

• bread
• espresso grounds
• eggshells
• cooked greens
• fruit peels

Some individuals suggest staying away from:

• citrus
• meals within the onion household

However Jung and Craig say they’re positive carefully. If unsure, give the worms a little bit little bit of the meals to see in the event that they’ll eat it, Grossman stated. She’s even buried rooster carcasses within the bedding and had them picked clear, however most individuals don’t suggest including meat merchandise to worm bins as a result of the bin is extra prone to get smelly and entice pests.

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The underside line: Simply make certain you don’t add an excessive amount of meals. If the bin begins to odor or will get too moist from drippy meals, take away it instantly, Grossman stated, and add contemporary bedding to absorb the surplus moisture.

If all goes nicely, in two to 3 months your worms could have eaten the scraps and most of their bedding, changing it with their poop, and you’ll then separate your worms from the compost and stroll away along with your first little container of castings.

5. Learn how to harvest worm castings

The way you harvest your castings will rely on the bin you utilize. If in case you have a steady flow-through gadget, you simply scrape the completed castings from the underside of the funnel whereas the worms feed peacefully on the high.

In a tray system, you add a second tray stuffed with meals and cease placing meals within the first tray. The worms will migrate to the highest tray, leaving the castings behind.

Different techniques, reminiscent of a plastic tote, require you to separate the worms from the castings. Some techniques are massive sufficient that you could put the meals in just one facet of the bin, then harvest the castings from the opposite facet as soon as the worms transfer to the meals.

One other system entails pulling the entire bedding out of the bin, with the worms, and dividing the bedding into small piles (what Craig calls “atolls”) on a flat floor. The concept right here is that the worms will dive for canopy to get away from the sunshine, so after 10 or quarter-hour you can begin scraping the highest off the piles till you attain extra worms. Wait one other 10 or quarter-hour for them to dive and hold doing this till all you might have left is a squirming pile of worms, anxious to get again into the darkish!

After all, earlier than you begin this you must have new bedding ready to allow them to rapidly be returned to the moist, darkish surroundings they crave.

Observe that your worm inhabitants will develop provided that it has sufficient room. Worms self-regulate their inhabitants development based on the area round them, Jung stated, so a pound of worms in a 1-foot-square bin received’t do a lot breeding. But when they’ve extra space, they’ll procreate.

6. Learn how to make worm tea

One wonderful thing about making your personal castings is you’ll be able to simply make worm compost tea.

NOTE: This isn’t the leachate that collects on the backside of bins from decaying meals and condensed moisture; that’s finest collected and poured into your common compost bin, Craig stated.

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Most store-bought bins have spigots to make it simple to take away extra liquid. DIY composters can both add spigots to their do-it-yourself bins or simply drill a gap within the backside of their bin and put it inside one other bin to seize the runoff juice.

In her e book “Worms Eat My Rubbish,” Appelhof additionally recommends including contemporary dry bedding to the highest of your bin to assist acquire extra moisture or utilizing a turkey baster to attract liquid out of the underside.

Worm compost tea is made by including the castings to water to encourage the expansion of helpful microbes. Grossman simply places a few handfuls of castings in an previous pillowcase and lets it soak in a 5-gallon bucket in a single day, utilizing the tea the following day.

However Jung says you can also make a stronger brew by including a gallon of castings and a few tablespoons of molasses to 10 gallons of water and aerating it for a day or two with an aquarium bubbler. The extra oxygen and sugar stimulate the microbes to develop sooner, Jung stated.

“While you spray the tea on the leaves, it acts like a bug repellant,” he stated, “and when it washes off the plant, it turns into fertilizer.” However the tea must be used rapidly as a result of the microbes die inside a few days, and if left too lengthy, the answer turns into lifeless.

Your worms will hold producing castings so long as they’re blissful and consuming. And as your worm inhabitants grows, you’ll have increasingly on your backyard, your neighbors’ houseplants and so forth. Craig stated he likes to place his extra castings into Mason jars and tie them with a bow for items.

Add a pleasant backyard trowel or a pair of gloves, and I’d say vacation giving is a cinch for an extended, very long time.