keeping of worms for composting

8/9/2019 Keeping of Worms for Composting

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1 WelcomeHome,Worms!

3 WhichWormsAretheRightWorms?

4 Bedding:MakingYourWormsComy

5 WhattoFeedYourWorms

6 HarvestingYourGold:a.k.a.WormPoop

8 WormWorries:Troubleshooting

9 Worm-CareLog

The Care&KeepingoWormsS H E D D A Q U A R I U M S H O W - T O G U I D E F O R T H E N O V I C E V E R M I C U L T U R I S T


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Whycompost?Andwhywithworms?

Composting ood scraps and what we call yard waste helps our localenvironment in two ways: First, composting helps stop the loss o valuable

nutrients that would otherwise wind up as garbage in a landll or incinerator.

Second, the rich humus that results rom composting can be used in your yard

or garden to help restore the health and vitality o your soil without the use o

expensive, polluting chemical ertilizers. By returning those nutrients to your soil,

along with the good microbes they pick up in the

composting process, youre eeding your plants,completing the cycle o soil building and preventing air

and water pollution rom conventional waste disposal.

As or the worms, they are natures best little composters.

This guide shows you how to build a simple, inexpensive

worm compost bin. I you think o the bin as a compactecosystem, youll begin to understand the balanced

relationship o the worms, their neighbors, the ood you

add and the rich compost produced.


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1

The BinYou can build or buy just about anything that will provide

darkness, warmth and shelter or your worms, but the

best option is a wood or plastic container. Wood is more

absorbent and a better insulator or the worms. Wood

is also heavier and can be expensive. Plastic bins are

aordable and can be reused. People successully create

bins rom old drawers, trunks and wooden barrels, so use

your imagination! At Shedd Aquarium, we use plastic

containers, but we have to make sure the compost doesnt

get soggy (more ino under Worm Worries). Experimentand nd out what works best or you and your worms.

How Big?In Worms Eat My Garbage, Mary Appelho suggests

weighing your household ood waste or one week. Based

on that total amount, provide one square oot o bin per

pound o ood.

The container should be about 10 inches deep. Short, wide

containers create better environments than tall, narrow

bins. Instead o using one large heavy box, consider using

several smaller containers or easier liting and moving.

Appelhos book illustrates a variety o containers.

The bin needs a cover to conserve moisture and provide

darkness or the worms. I the bin is kept indoors, a sheet

o dark plastic or burlap abric placed loosely on top o the

bedding is sucient cover.

Drill ventilation holes in the sides and top o your bin.

Like people, worms need air to live so be sure to have

your bin suciently ventilated. Some people also preer

to drill about 10 holes (1/4- to 1/2-inch each) in the

bottom or aeration and drainage. A plastic bin may need

more drainage i contents get too wet, drill more holes.I you do have holes in the bottom, raise the bin on bricks

or wooden blocks and place a tray underneath to capture

excess liquid, which can be used to ertilize your house or

garden plants. The bins at Shedd do not have holes in the

bottom and work just ne.

With all these holes you may worry that the worms

will crawl out. Worms preer a dark, moist environment

and will only leave in times o extreme stress. Keeping

a balanced bin is easier than you think!

WelcomeHome,Worms!


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Red WigglersEisenia etida

Earthworms live in many dierent environments. Some

live underground, like nightcrawlers. Others, like red

wigglers, live above the soil where there are piles o

leaves, animal manure, or dead plants. Red wigglers will

process large amounts o organic material and are the

best option in your worm bin. Dont take worms rom your

garden soil they wont survive in a composting bin.

What Worms NeedYou need air, water, ood and warmth to live. Red wigglers

need the same things!

Air

Air enters your lungs where a moist layer o tissue

absorbs oxygen. Worms have lungs, too their skin!

The entire surace o a worms body absorbs oxygen

and releases carbon dioxide.

Moisture

Worms move by squeezing muscles around their water-

lled bodies. They also need water to keep their skin moist

or breathing.

Food

When eeding your worms, bury the ood at least 3 inches

deep in the bedding. Dont worry; the worms will nd

it. Change eeding spots each time you add ood or the

worms. Ater the rst month or so, its good to add more

bedding on a weekly basis. At Shedd, we wait or the

worms to process the ood partially and then add more.

Temperature Think Tropical

Worms are most comortable and will eat the most ood

waste when the bedding is 70F to 80F. The bin slows

down around 45F, and worms can reeze at 30F.

Who Else Lives in the Worm Bin?

Your worms need other critters or a healthy home.

GOOD NEIGHBORS INCLUDE:

bacteria

ungi

protozoa

microarthropods

springtails

mites

WhichWormsAretheRightWorms?


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3

You might also see small numbers o ruit fies and sowbugs in your bin. They might be annoying, but theyre

harmless, and theyll come and go depending on the

conditions in your bin. When conditions are good,

the worms and their neighbors will be hard at work

decomposing what you add. In our northern temperate

climate, unriendly neighbors are rare. Keeping a small

worm bin in your home is sae and sanitary. I you suspect

the worms are crowded, check out the troubleshooting

tips included later. Balance will make your bin a success!

Tips Check or and remove excess moisture that may collect

in the bottom o your bin. Excess moisture is especially

common in plastic bins. Standing liquid may promote

the growth o anaerobes (organisms that do not need

oxygen). Their by-products can smell and are not good

or plants.

Wooden bins breathe and will experience more

drying than plastic bins, especially in drier climates, and

may require occasional rewetting.

Stink is a sign that not enough oxygen is reaching

part or all o the worm bin system. Very wet or

compacted ood waste and/or bedding will create bad

odors. To solve stink, stir the bin contents, add more

dry bedding, and reduce the amount and requency

o eedings.

BalancingAct:MoistureandAir


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4

Red wigglers may not sleep in beds, but we set up their binwith lots o bedding or them to live in and snack on, too!

What Kind of Bedding?

GOOD BEDDING INCLUDES:

white paper

newspaper (no glossy or colored ink pages)

cardboard (without adhesives)

toilet paper tubes

brown leaves

straw

coconut husk ber (coir)

Shred all paper and cardboard into small pieces beore

using. Mixing types o bedding is great. Dampen the

bedding and add it to the bin. The bedding should have

the dampness o a wrung-out sponge.

How Much Bedding?

Formulas exist to calculate the amount o bedding needed

based on how many worms you have and the size o your

bin. Generally, the more bedding the better.

Fill your container one-hal to two-thirds ull o bedding

when you rst begin your bin.

Add a handul o dirt or sand as well as some crushed

eggshells. Worms dont have teeth to grind their

ood, so they need to eat this grit to help their gizzard

grind. The eggshells also help keep the bedding rom

becoming too acidic. Add new crushed eggshells

each week.

Add your red wigglers and watch them get comortable

in their new home. They will burrow into the bedding

in search o the dark, moist places.

Dont eed your worms right away! Let them settle

in or a ew days. Add small amounts o bland ood

scraps the rst ew weeks. Lettuce, apples, eggshells

and banana peels are good choices. Wait a ew weeks

to add stronger-smelling ood like broccoli and onions.

Youll know theyre eating when the scraps begin to

disappear and you see the rst signs o worm poop! In

the beginning, the poop, or castings, will resemble light

brown coee grounds. In a ew months, the castings

will turn darker shades o brown.

Bedding:MakingYourWormsComy


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A Balanced Diet

Collect ood scraps in a reusable pail or other container;

worms like tea bags, coee grounds and lters, vegetable

and ruit scraps, and bread. Discard meat scraps, bones,

dairy products and garlic or potato peelings, as these will

attract insects and may cause stink.

When the pail is ull, chop the ood waste and bury it in

the bin. Pull aside the bedding and bury the ood waste

deeply, covering it with bedding again. Start at one end o

the bin and add ood waste systematically to a new sectioneach time, until you work back to the original site.

I there is still a lot o uneaten ood in the rst location,

the worms need time to catch up. Wait a ew days to add

more scraps.

Your red wigglers will be a cinch to look ater; they

dont need to be ed on a regular schedule, theyre quiet,

and you dont need to look or a worm-sitter i you go

on vacation!

WhattoFeedYourWorms

Worms Like:

coee grounds and tea bags

ruit

vegetable peelings cereals (oats, barley and corn)

annual weeds (not seed heads)

bread

green leaves

cow/horse manure

Worms Dont Like:

meat and sh

cheese

baked beans rice or pasta

cooked potatoes

grass in any quantity

weed seeds

diseased plant material

cat or dog poop


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6

There is no wrong way to harvest your bin; many methods

and techniques exist. The technique to use is best chosen

by what you want ater harvesting the bin. Do you want

the worms or shing? Is your goal to have as much

compost or your plants as possible?

Iyouwanttobeveryhands-onwithyourbinand

keepyourwormsorcomposting,theDump and Sort

Methodisagoodoption.

Iyoudontmindwaitingoryourrewards,theSplitHarvesting Methodmightberightoryou.

It is important to remember that removing castings (poop)

rom the box will be necessary or the health o your

ecosystem. Excess castings can create a toxic environment

or the worms. Worms preer bedding to poop.

Dump and Sort Method

MATERIALS NEEDED:

Onesmallplasticsheet

Lightsource(sunlightorbrightoverheadfuorescent)

1. Prepare resh bedding or your worms.

2. Empty the contents o your container onto the

plastic sheet in one large pile or a series o smaller

cone-shaped piles.

3. Add resh bedding to the container. This is a great time

to wash out your bin, but stay away rom harsh

chemicals. Vinegar and warm water work very well.

4. Position the light source over the casting pile.

The worms will move down into the castings.

5. Careully pick the castings rom the pile(s) in layers,

working toward the bottom center o the each pile.

Place castings in a separate container. Keep on the

lookout or cocoons (worm eggs) and very young,

small worms. Make sure to add these back to the

reshly bedded bin.

6. Continue sorting until there is only a small pile o

castings with worms beneath it.

7. Add this pile and worms to the resh bedding

in the bin.

8. Use the harvested castings or a horticulture project.

HarvestingYourGold

* Believe it or not, all native worm species were removed romour local soil (in the Great Lakes region) during the last glacial

period. None o the earthworms you might be amiliar with

are native to our local ecosystems, which have evolved or over

11,000 years without the presence o worms. Do not release

your worms into any orested or other natural area, as they may

disrupt or damage the ecosystem.

* Worms are okay in your garden, unless you live next to a orest

or river. Worms dont move very quickly on their own, but

humans have helped them spread to areas where they are

rapidly altering and creating imbalances in orest ecosystems.


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Split Harvesting MethodOPTION 1:

Iyoudontwanttobehands-onwithharvesting

1. Simply split your bin by adding two-thirds o the

castings (worms and all) directly to your garden.

2. Add the remaining one-third to your resh bedding.

This will inoculate the bedding with the microscopic

neighbors rom your existing bin and provide some

worms to get you going again, but it depletes your

worm population or awhile.

OPTION 2:

Iyoudontwanttorisklosinganyoyour

redwigglers

1. Dont eed the worms or a ew days.

2. Move all the castings and worms to one side o the bin.

3. Add resh bedding to the empty area, moisten the

bedding, add eggshells and then bury ood in the new

bedding. The worms will start to move to the new

bedding to eed.4. In about a month, you can remove the worm castings

rom the older bedding and use them in your garden.

When you remove them, you may need to add some

more bedding.

a.k.a.WormPoop

A wise person once saidThe best way to ertilize

is do it weakly weekly.

Using Your Castings in a Horticulture Project: Worm Poop to Feed Your Plants

OPTION 1

Sprinkle resh castings directly on the soil or add pinches o poop when potting plants.

A small amount near your newly planted seeds will help them grow.

OPTION 2

Add 1 tablespoon o resh castings to 2 cups o warm unchlorinated water.

Shake or stir mixture or one minute. Pour directly on soil to eed your plants.


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When you have: What may be happening: What you can do:

ODOR exposed ood cover ood scraps with bedding

too much moisture add dry bedding; reduce the amount o ood

placed in the bin; avoid adding ood with a high

percentage o water (such as melons)

not enough oxygen add dry bedding; mix bin contents daily; be sure

bin is adequately ventilated with holes

ood in bin is naturally

odorous; onion, broccoli

avoid oods that smell unpleasant when they

decompose; dont add meat, bones, dairy, or oil

products to the bin because these become rancid

when decomposing

DISAPPEARINGWORMS bin is too wet;

worms are drowning

dont panic; add dry bedding; avoid adding oods

with high water content

dead worms decompose rather

quickly; i you dont monitor these

bin is too dry;

worms are drying out

lightly moisten bedding; add moist oods

conditions, you can have a bin with

no worms beore you realize it not enough air;

worms are suocating

mix bin contents to aerate; be sure bin is

adequately ventilated with holes

not enough ood add ood

bin is too hot or too cold keep bin in a location where it will be between

50F and 80F

an overabundance o mites remove any ood that has a congregation

o mites

FRUITFLIES exposed ood bury ood under bedding material; cover the

contents with a dry sheet o newspaper

i ruit fies become a problem,

you can try using fypaper traps

or make your own ruit fy trap*;

too much moisture avoid overeeding; add dry bedding

housefies should not be attracted

to your worm bin i you cover the

ood scraps with bedding material

ruit fy eggs in ood scraps wash all ruits and peels even those you

remove beore eating, such as bananas and

citrus to remove any ruit fy eggs

WormWorries:Troubleshooting

* Make your own ruit fy trap by leaving out a cup o wine or beer. This will attract and drown these unwanted houseguests.

Flypaper can also be used on or near your bin.


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Date Food Added to Bin Action Taken Observations

01/01 1 banana peel cover ood scraps with bedding lots o babies and eggpods

Worm-CareLog


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Resources

Where to Get WormsFind a friend with extra worms.

Order Locally (if you can)

Soil Exchange Inc.

2307 Colby Dr.

McHenry, IL 60050

Dean Allen 815-483-6046

$15 a pound or red wigglers, plus shipping

Order On Line

www.composters.com

They order rom the grower closest to you.

About WormsRecommended Book

Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Appelho

www.wormwoman.com

Posters and Other Materials

The Illinois Sustainable Education Project (ISTEP)

Shedd Contact

[email protected]

John G. Shedd Aquarium

Conservation Department

1200 South Lake Shore Drive

Chicago, Illinois 60605

keeping of worms for composting

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