(We acknowledge the contribution of EARLYBIRD WORM
FARM in the preparation of these notes.)
FOR
MORE INFORMATION ON WORMS FROM THE INTERNET CLICK HERE (INTERNET WEB LINK)
The Earlybird worms you have purchased in the plastic container are not
ordinary "earthworms" but a very close relative, especially bred for composting.
They are a mixture of tiger worms (EISENIA
FETIDA), and red worms (LUMBRICUS RUBELLIS).
These worms differ from ordinary garden
earthworms, in that they are better at eating and breeding, whereas common garden worms
are great burrowers. Your compost worms are the Porsches or Ferraris of the worm world !!
The important part that these worms play in our
lives today, is the way they can break down nearly any organic waste matter into
"worm castings", thus turning waste products into a valuable and truly organic
fertilizer.
The addition of these worms to your compost bin or
heap will greatly accelerate decomposition and breakdown. So if you are starting a new
"bin" or heap, make sure you have some food in there before placing them in.
All organic wastes are suitable, excluding onions,
citrus, and meat or fat. Another important point to remember is that worm absorb moisture
from what they eat, so the compost must be kept moist at all times. Worms don't have
teeth, so they actually drink what they eat.
The simple addition of water once or twice week is
normally sufficient, but remember the compost should be moist, not wet or saturated, as
this slows the whole process creating an anaerobic (without air) condition.
As well as your food scraps (kitchen waste) some horse, cow, rabbit,
sheep, guinea pig, alpaca, dog, cat , elephant or monkey manure can be added if it is
moistened either before or after you put it in. (NO CHICKEN MANURE PLEASE !! - TOO HOT!)
Grass clippings, leaves, soaked newspaper and cardboard, are very acceptable to your worm
workers.
Remember that the smaller you can break anything up the quicker it will
break down because the worms will be able to consume it more easily.
If you have choice and it is at all possible, place your bin in a cool
shady place and not as previously thought, in the full sun. Worms like to stay cool !
Occasional aeration of the compost bin or heap is advisable but
sometimes overlooked. About once every two weeks you should give your bin a turn over with
a garden fork. When doing this check that moisture levels are consistent through the bin
and if necessary add water.
If your bin or worm farm starts to smell a bit, it could be becoming
slightly acidic, so you can always add a couple of tablespoons of garden lime to sweeten
it up a bit, and raise you ph slightly.
Making compost is a bit like making a dagwood sandwich - it turns out
better when there is a lot of thin layers of lots of different materials - none being too
thick. Worms like a variation in their diet the same as we do. So lots of different things
keeps them happiest, and a supplementary diet of an occasional dressing of fresh manure
will make them ecstatic - remember that these little fellows are manure worms.
As you progress and fill your bin/worm farm it will eventually need
emptying.
The idea now, is to attract the worms to the top 12 to 18 inches in a
compost bin or top couple of inches in a worm farm, and extract them with as little
compost or castings as you can.
The easiest way to do this is to let them go hungry for a couple of
weeks, then put in some moistened cow/horse manure, and a couple of days later dig out the
top layer with most of your worms in it.
After a while you'll be left with lots of worms and their castings (worm
pool) which is the "best" fertilizer known to man - 100% completely natural,
organic, odor free, ph perfect, will not burn sensitive plants, acid or alkaline plants,
native or any type of plant. Castings can also be mixed with water for a soluble dynamic
boost to keep plants or vegetables healthy and disease free.
When you harvest your worm colony from your compost bin simply add
castings with eggs and some worms to garden beds and retain some "workers" for
your next colony in the bin.
Worm castings will help break up clay soils, help to bind sandy soil,
and the eggs in the castings will hatch, producing more young worms to aerate your
gardens.
If after composting with red worms you would like to become more
involved (ie wormfarming) please inquire at your local nursery, as we at Earlybird Worm
Farm would be pleased to supply additional information regarding this as well as our
unique "buy back" scheme.
Worm casting analysis:
Nitrogen 14.4 % Calcium 1.58 % Phosphorous 0.89 % Potassium 0.34%
Magnesium 0.34 %
Charles Darwin said in his thesis on the worm: "They
are the intestines of the Earth" and he was totally fascinated by these lowly
creatures, saying they were the most important of all for our health and well being.
FOR
MORE INFORMATION ON WORMS, FROM THE INTERNET CLICK HERE |
