Questions tagged [vermicomposting]
Using worms to produce compost
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Can you put a vermicompost bed in-ground next to a Schinus molle/areira tree?
I received some red worms that I am currently keeping in a plastic container. I would like to make a hole in the ground and keep them there, lining the hole with something breathable so the worms stay ...
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2
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How can I kill moths that have infested my vermicomoposting worm food?
Pardon this being a bit of a stretch for gardening, it's the closest StackExhange I could think of.
I keep worms for vermicomposting and in addition to food scraps and browns I supplement their diet ...
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3
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1
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What's the mineral composition of the bract leaf of a linden tree like for composting
The only leaves available to me at this time of year "July" is the little tongue shaped "bracts" of the Linden or lime tree. The function of these bracts I believe is to protect ...
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Can composting worms be used to remove live weed seeds?
In vermiculture, if you put organic matter with live weed seeds into your worm farm, do the worms eat the weed seeds? It seems like they would, as seeds tend to be nutritious, and worms are animals, ...
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Worms stay at corners of the compost bin
Everytime I turn the compost in the bin, once every ten days or so, I notice that almost all worms are in the corners really close together. Lots of them. They are not trying to escape, they just ...
- 151
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Free movement of worms vs siloed containment
Is there a benefit to free range worms over battery worms? i.e. At present my worms live inside a couple of bins (one inside the other, with small holes for aeration and drainage, whilst keeping the ...
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Tiny grey larvae(?) in worm bin leachate
I started a worm bin at the start of spring (side-by-side style, currently about 1/3 full, red wrigglers). So far, it's working out very well. The worms are happy, there are no vermin, the fruit flies ...
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How to encourage composting worms to migrate upward
I have an upwards migration worm composting bin that currently has three trays. In recent months, I had done a poor job ensuring that the moisture level in the top bin was reasonable, and it got out ...
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How to check quality of vermicompost?
I know it must be really hard without proper equipment to check the quality of vermicompost, but is there, still, another way to test the quality?
To me, this doesn't look like vermicompost at all. ...
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Small white worms in the garden compost
It's been a couple of weeks that I've started to recycle our kitchen scraps (vegetables, fruits, coffee grounds, paper towels) in our garden. I've been reading various instructions over the internet ...
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Low-maintenance vermicomposting in a tall bin?
Most vermicomposting instructions I've found use either a shallow bin, or a stack of shallow trays.
I'm looking for an effective but low-maintenance approach, and I won't need to harvest the compost ...
- 121
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How to identify epigeic worms for composting?
I have read that there are thousands of species of earthworms and the ones that are best suited for composting are epigeic worms. Ideally, I would use Eisenia fetida but it's difficult to find them ...
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Should I Switch to a Worm Composting Tube?
I'm thinking of taking my worm colony currently in a Rubbermaid and transferring it to one or two worm tubes in the ground outside. I read that red wigglers won't survive the winter but the cocoons do ...
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What are proper methods to remove ripe humus from pile
So assuming I have a ripen pile of humus, I'd now like to remove the humus but don't know if I should keep in mind any type of cautions and techniques.
Some people have a proper door in the bin that ...
- 236
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How do I know vermi-compost is done?
So a friend of mine gifted me with a bucket of worms mixed with dirt and food. It was a living colony and I maintained it so, even growing properly. I've followed quite a few proper rules, also taking ...
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Can my worms eat wood?
It has been months since I put the worms in my pot. A bug ecosystem has been established and I bet those worms are reproducing fast. The bugs mostly come for the food I give them. Only a few like a ...
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How can I encourage my indoor vermicomposting bin to produce more dirt?
I have an indoor vermicomposting bin. It has served me well for 3 years. Since the bin is indoors, and I live in a small apartment, I'm fairly cautious with feeing the worms. I don't want to overwhelm ...
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Can I fertilize my plants after putting pesticide?
I have a problem with my plants; they have mealybugs, aphids and fungi. Tonight I sprayed them with agricultural pesticide, also cutting the infected branches and even exterminated some plants.
I ...
8
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Vermicompost cockroaches
I have a nice garden which I have made using vermicompost. Plus I have used cow dung manure. I get a lot of flying cockroaches in that. How to get rid of this.
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How to properly pick worms?
I am not sure if this will fit here or on lifehacks.SE.
I have an African night crawler escaping from my vermicompost bin and it's really hard to pick them up carefully without hurting them.
Things ...
- 1,266
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Do I need to turn over the soil when vermicomposting?
In most of the websites they say that I need to maintain a good airflow in my worm bin to prevent making it anaerobic, but most websites only says that I need to have a good worm beddings and enough ...
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Composting Bin - Experiences
I am very much in favor of getting a composting bin (like the one below). Before I do that, I want to get your thoughts on the following:
Does it attract unwanted pests/rodents (bugs, mice, etc.)?
...
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What kind of dust can I use in my vermicompost?
I'm using african nightcrawler worm and I've been thinking whether all kinds of dust can be put in vermicompost. For example:
Household dust
Dust when I cleaned my laptop, computer or electric fan.
...
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11
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What are the foods that I can put in my vermicompost?
I just got yesterday my worm compost and I am so happy about that. My question is what are the foods that I should and shouldn't put in my vermicompost?
I've done my research and in general they say ...
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Is it safe to put animal manure on vermicompost?
I've searched already regarding this topic, it seeem that in this question the OP is not using worms.
In this article it states that
Don’t feed the worms pet waste or any “hot” manure. “Hot” ...
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Gathering worms for vermicomposting
In my area it is very hard to buy a worm that is a good fit for vermicomposting.
There is a vacant lot in my area and I am thinking if gathering worms there might be a good idea?
Questions:
Is it ...
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Can I put scratch paper on my vermicompost?
I have lots of scratch paper here and am wondering if I should put it in my vermicompost or just throw it away.
Would it be dangerous for worms?
Will the soil benefit from it?
As for the type of ...
- 1,266
5
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How deep to start my vermicomposter and how many worms to start?
I'm asking a few questions in getting my vermicomposter started. I'm using a 100gal Rubbermaid horse water tank.
I'd like to know how deep the bedding should be when I start it and how many worms I ...
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How many air holes for 100gal vermicomposter?
I'm fixing to start my vermicomposter. I'm using a damage 100gal Rubbermaid horse water tank.
I'd like to know how many and of what sized hole to drill in the side for air. I figured maybe use a .25&...
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3
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Measuring soil and compost for NPK
Folks,
I'm trying to measure soil and compost for use in home gardening of vegetables and herbs. My goal is to use compost primarily, and augment it as necessary. The compost is mostly vermicompost, ...
4
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How do I turn a plastic stock tank into a vermicomposter?
We have a Rubbermaid, plastic stock-tank.
It has an unfixable crack in it and we've been saving it incase we could find a future use for it. I've just started getting into composting and I plan to do ...
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What is the radius of a red wriggler earthworm for worm tubes?
I'm researching putting a worm tube in my fruit-tree orchard as per this article but before I do so I'm trying to find out what radius the red wrigglers (the worm type I plan on using) will travel ...
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Compost bins: how deep is too deep?
We have two compost bins, roughly 1m x 1m x 1m each. We fill the "primary" bin and then turn it into the "secondary" bin. We stopped catching our lawn clippings about a year ago so we're having to ...
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Is it beneficial to drop earthworms or red wrigglers into container plants?
Maybe it isn't worth much in smaller containers but at what size might this become beneficial? How many worms?
Would I need to layer the bottom with additional food for them to eat? Would what the ...
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Is it possible to have an odorless/near odorless indoor vermicompost?
Is it possible to have an odorless/near odorless indoor vermicompost system?
Somewhere in the range of 3-7 gallons.
What about purposing something like this on the scale of 65 gallons? Does size ...
- 1,993
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Can I use vermicomposting leachate to moisturize my worm bin?
I have a two container vermicomposting system with the bottom container having a tap to drain the leachate. I think I am maintaining my worm bin correctly as material feels damp but I cannot wring any ...
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Which is preferred: worm castings or worm casting tea?
I was just wondering, for fast results in plants, which would you prefer: applying worm castings on the top soil or using worm casting tea, and why?
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What's the best C:N ratio when vermicomposting?
I know that for 'regular' composting without worms you need a carbon-nitrogen ratio of something between 25:1 and 30:1. Is the same true for vermicomposting? I'm not sure if it matters, but I'm using ...
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Meshed-hole Direct Composting design - please comment, suggest changes, advise
I've been putting some worms in my raised beds and feeding them the fresher kitchen scraps. I'm starting to run out of spots to place the food, so for the next bed I build I want to put in some-type-...
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Which inks which can safely be added to vermicompost bins?
I've heard that the inks used on newsprint are generally soy-based and thus suitable for use in vermicomposting bedding. Presumably the ink used to mark corrugated cardboard boxes is also safe, since ...
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What is the risk of soil contamination via leaf mulch/compost?
Soil in the city I live in is quite often contaminated with nasty things like arsenic and lead. Levels are sometimes twice or more what's considered acceptable. For this reason, people usually ...
- 509
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Wormery failure in mass worm die-off ... any advice?
Last fall our household of two people invested in a small, 3-tiered, commercially-available wormery that came with all components (bedding, lime, worms). All seemed to be going well until we brought ...
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How do I keep red wiggler worms alive overwinter in the Northeastern USA?
I'm going to be moving into my first house soon in Westchester County, NY. I've done a lot of container and patio/balcony gardening and am looking forward to having a real backyard garden. I want to ...
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