Getting started on a worm farm is not that complicated, all you need is a bit of passion for recycling and some trivia about worms.
Here is a hodge podge of some worm trivia that could help motivate and inspire you more with your worm farm venture.
How much do worms eat? Well, mature worms which can eat up as much as their own body weight every day.
For those that are just starting out in worm farming and would like to know how to make worms eat more to be more productive.
The answer is simple- shred, mash or blend food scraps since these will make it more digestible and easily consumed by the worms.
Also maintain worm bed temperature at around 23-25 degrees celsius, since it is at these temperatures that worms feed better.
Lastly, avoid acidic foods, since it messes up the worms’ digestive system.
Here are some things you may also want to avoid feeding your worms, manure, onions, citrus fruits or peelings, garlic, garden waste sprayed with insecticides, dairy products like milk and cheese or meat.
Here are some more frequently asked questions that can help would be worm farmers get on their way to succeeding in this hobby.
Is it ok to water the worm bed regularly? Watering the farm will enhance the production of liquid fertilizer, but make sure not to pour too much water into it or it could drown the worms.
Take note that food wastes are about 80% water, which is released as the worms break them down.
If water is poured over the system every couple of weeks, be sure to just add water only as much as getting the worm bed damp and cool, you will have a constant supply of liquid fertilizer.
Will I be able to harvest more worms? The answer is no, worms regulate themselves with any given or available space and the amount of food administered to them.
Is it normal for these worms to gather on the lid of the farm when it is raining? Yes, since it a normal response for these worms to react this way during the rainy season to avoid getting drowned. Simply move the worm farm boxes over to an area where it does not get exposed to too much rain and replace the worms back to the farm bedding.
Why are worms not moving to the top level of the tray? This may be so because you may have added new food before the worms have consumed the previous feeding batch.
Worms have the instinct to stay with leftover food and will not search for a new food source until it consumes what was left previously.
Before you add new trays, stop feeding the worms for at least five days to ensure all existing food has been consumed.
Also make sure that the level of castings in the working tray needs to be high enough for the worms to pass easily up to the next tray.
Can worms endure high temperatures? Worms can tolerate a temperature range between 10-30 degrees Celsius.
If temperatures get hotter than its tolerable levels, move the farm into a shady, cool area where it could regulate the moisture and humidity of the worm boxes.
In cold temperatures, make sure to cover the box with old garments or carpets, blankets and wool shavings to sustain the warm temperature.
It is also best advised to feed the worms at least a quarter more than it should, since more food digested by the worms allow for more heat being generated in their bodies.
So take heed of these ideas and you can be on your way to getting started on a worm farm with confidence.
Worm farming is gaining popularity. If you want to get into the business, you have to learn how to take care of red worms which happen to be the best producers of fertilizer for the soil.
To do that, you have to build your own worm bin. This consists of several boxes, shredded newspaper, and a strip of insect screen as well as the red worms. You can probably find the first two in your garage, the third from the hardware store and the last in a nursery.
When you have all the materials, put a few holes on the top and bottom of the bin and then throw in the shredded newspaper inside the container to serve as the bedding. You can also potting mix or use both at the same time. Once the red worms are inside, cover the top with a lid because these creatures don’t like sunlight.
Unlike the cat, dog or fish you bought from the pet store, you don’t have to feed red worms right away. You can wait about 3 to 4 days before giving them food and since you don’t know yet how much they can consume, put in a small amount first and then gauge how much more should be added to their diet.
If there are big and small red worms, put some food on the outside edges since the adult red worms prefer to hang out there while the younger ones prefer to get food from the center.
The food that is given to red worms is much different that what you will normally find in the pet store. This is because they only eat things that will naturally compost. A few examples of these include coffee grounds, grass clippings, manure, rabbit pellets, vacuum dust and vegetable matter. Never give your red worms dairy products, meats and certain vegetables like onion.
Just like other household pets, red worms also need some water so water them from time to time but make sure that it is not too soggy. Although they like water, too much could drown your little pets.
Red worms are sold by the pound and one pound is about 1,000 red worms. That population will double in 2 to 3 months and while some say that they have a way of regulating their population, it wouldn’t hurt to transfer some to another container.
If there is no space anymore to relocate your red worms, you can try out what other people have done and that is to sell red worms. After all, the waste or vermicast they produce are great for the soil so you can help others save money by trying out this home made fertilizer instead of buying this from the store.
The other option to control the red worm population is to use them as fish bait. Although some people will argue that another variety of worm known as the European Night Crawler is better to catch fish, you will surely be able to catch a few with your homemade variety.
Raising red worms takes a lot of hard work so watch them regularly. Make sure that there is sufficient food available and their bedding is just right because this is the only way to have a successful worm farm.
This website uses cookies that are necessary to its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the privacy policy. By accepting this OR scrolling this page OR continuing to browse, you agree to our Privacy Policy