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Pilsbury
Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 5645
Location: East london/Essex
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Londonworms
Joined: 07 Sep 2012
Posts: 36
Location: London/Essex borders
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Went
Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 6968
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Londonworms
Joined: 07 Sep 2012
Posts: 36
Location: London/Essex borders
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 Posted: Sat Sep 08, 12 1:55 pm Post subject: |
 
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| Gawber wrote: |
Hello Wormguy - tell us more about your worms...please  |
They're Dendros and they're lovely
I've given them all names, and I sing to them and leave Classic FM on for them at night
I'll do some write ups on composting with worms, how to make a wormbin for next to nothing, or literally nothing, the pitfalls to watchout out for, and so on if people are interested.
I've got several beds going in the sheds, one bed that composts dog and fox poop exclusively, and am currently setting up a much bigger outdoor bed, to experiment with over the winter - all the stuff is precomposting now so the worms can chow down from the off.
I'm also going to get some Tiger worms to experiment with and run some comparisons with the Dendros. There's a ton of contradictory findings out there, but I suspect it's all very much based on individual and very specific conditions relating to the worms. |
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jamanda
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon
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Went
Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 6968
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Londonworms
Joined: 07 Sep 2012
Posts: 36
Location: London/Essex borders
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| Posted: Sat Sep 08, 12 2:17 pm Post subject: |
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| gritstone wrote: |
| Hi and yes I'd be interested in knowing more, I'm assuming they're the blue nosed? What about horse muck as feed or at least bedding, every fork I turn after just a week or so is full of worms. |
The vermicompost I've got readying at the moment is exclusively cardboard, waste paper and foot scraps.
As I've got an unlimited amount of horse poop to play with, the bedding for the latest lot of bins I've set up is exclusively horse doodoo. I'm adding dead leaves and food scraps to that.
I've read experiences from some that the Dendros raised exclusively on horse doodoo thrive, but don't grow as big as those raised on a healthier mixture of paper, cardboard, leaves and food waste.
Worms definately do better when their food source is mixed.
The things to watch out for are:
*Make sure the doodoo is well aged to kill off any worm medication and the like that may be lingering.
Having said that, I've read the experiences of a woman who uses her horse doodoo as and when, not bothered about getting it though the heating stage, worms her horses every 8 weeks or so and has never had a problem.
*The doodoo heating up (and it does, rapidly  ) in the beds when other food sources are added, which will be much less of a problem if the manure is well aged.
A lot will depend on the bin/bed set up. In a smallish bin, the worms are trapped! If it gets too hot for them, or the food or bedding isn't right, there's nowhere for them to go!
In a bigger setup, or in a windrow type set up, they can just go deeper, or move away, until conditions are right for them. |
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Pilsbury
Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 5645
Location: East london/Essex
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Londonworms
Joined: 07 Sep 2012
Posts: 36
Location: London/Essex borders
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Londonworms
Joined: 07 Sep 2012
Posts: 36
Location: London/Essex borders
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Pilsbury
Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 5645
Location: East london/Essex
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alice
Joined: 18 Feb 2006
Posts: 2820
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Kenworth
Joined: 04 Apr 2011
Posts: 855
Location: Michigan
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astra
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 1243
Location: Somerset
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 12 7:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Wormguy wrote: |
| Gawber wrote: |
| Hello Wormguy - tell us more about your worms...please |
They're Dendros and they're lovely
I've given them all names, and I sing to them and leave Classic FM on for them at night
I'll do some write ups on composting with worms, how to make a wormbin for next to nothing, or literally nothing, the pitfalls to watchout out for, and so on if people are interested.
I've got several beds going in the sheds, one bed that composts dog and fox poop exclusively, and am currently setting up a much bigger outdoor bed, to experiment with over the winter - all the stuff is precomposting now so the worms can chow down from the off.
I'm also going to get some Tiger worms to experiment with and run some comparisons with the Dendros. There's a ton of contradictory findings out there, but I suspect it's all very much based on individual and very specific conditions relating to the worms. |
Hi wormguy! Could you tell me how come I get loads of thin red worms in my compost bin without ever putting any in there? the strange thing is it's sitting on concrete so they're not coming up through the ground. It's one of life's little mysteries to me  |
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Londonworms
Joined: 07 Sep 2012
Posts: 36
Location: London/Essex borders
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| Posted: Sun Sep 16, 12 12:12 am Post subject: |
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| astra wrote: |
| Hi wormguy! Could you tell me how come I get loads of thin red worms in my compost bin without ever putting any in there? the strange thing is it's sitting on concrete so they're not coming up through the ground. It's one of life's little mysteries to me |
They obviously like the conditions of your bin and are happy to stay. They're probably reds and they could have come from anywhere Someone elses compost bin near by, from a pile of leaf mulch you threw in, not noticing the juvies or the cocoons in the mix, a few stray cocoons attached to something that made it's way in, anywhere - they'll always find the good stuff.
Although you say it's on concrete, if it's not hermetically sealed they'll find their way in one way or another.
Once they're settled they're prolific breeders, and they'll regulate their numbers to the conditions.
The cocoons are tough as nails - they hold out until the conditions are right for them to hatch. If you're composting your garden and kitchen waste, they've probably got a nice balance foodwise, so they're happy as larry. Although they'll avoid things like garlic/onions and anything to citric or acidic, if your bin's big enough, and you're composting this stuff, they're able to avoid that area until it's well and truely broken down and they're not bothered by it anymore.
But reds are tough and adaptable and they'll adjust to what's available. The only impact this would have is the quality of the vermicompost they're producing. But even the worst vermicompost is better than anything you can buy commercially and better than just plain old composted materials.
I've got one bin on the go, that only gets fed the dogs poo and the fox poo I clear up from the garden.
The bizzare thing is the worms in there seem bigger and happier than the worms I shower loving tender care on 
Sometimes I think we can interfere too much with nature - afterall they've managed just fine over the last million years without us |
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