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After worms are added, bedding should be kept moist but not soggy and the top 6 to 8 inches turned every 7 to 10 days to keep it loose. About every 6 to 9 months the old bedding should be replaced with properly prepared new bedding. To change bedding, remove the top 5 or 6 inches (where most of the worms are).
Should I add bedding to my worm bin?
When do I add the bedding? When you start your worm bin, and at each harvest time, fill or top off the bin to about three-fourths full with damp- ened bedding. Add a few handfuls of garden soil to provide bacteria and grit to help worm digestion. Maintain a 2- to 3-inch layer of dampened bedding at all times.
When should I add another tray to my worm farm?
*Adding a new Worm Factory® tray is simple. When your first tray is filled to the top, it is time to add a second tray. The material in the first tray does not need to be fully composted before adding a new tray, but the first tray should be full of partially composted material, bedding, and food.
How deep should my worm bedding be?
The container depth should be between eight and twelve inches. Bins need to be shallow because the worms feed in the top layers of the bedding. A bin that is too deep is not as efficient and could potentially become an odor problem. Worm boxes can be purchased or made.
How much bedding do I need for a worm farm?
Bin should be 3/4 full of wet newspaper strips. Sprinkle 2-4 cups of soil in bin, which introduces beneficial microorganisms. Gritty soil particles also aids the worms’ digestive process.
Can you compost with worm bedding?
Soil and aged compost are very similar materials used oftne for worm bin bedding. Compost is a bit superior because it’s already full of beneficial nutrients and microbes that worms love. Compost doesn’t need to be completely broken down, but particles should be small for effective bedding.
Can you use cardboard worm bedding?
Cardboard as Worm Bedding Cardboard that is highly processed, bleached white, coated, shiny, or saturated with colored ink does not make good bedding. The chemicals can be toxic to the worms. Plastic-like coatings will never break down in a worm bin. Brown corrugated cardboard makes a good worm bedding ingredient.
How many worms are in a tray?
For beginners we recommend starting with 1 pound of worms for every 4 square feet of your worm bin’s top surface area. Experienced vermicomposters can start with more worms and we recommend 1 pound of worms for every 1 square foot of you worm composter’s top surface area.
How do you rotate worm trays?
Place a small amount of food scraps evenly across the top of the worm bedding to a depth of no more than 3-5cm. Increase the amount of food and rotate the trays as the worms turn the scraps into rich, earthy castings.
Why are all my worms in the bottom tray?
The worms are heading to the bottom as they are trying to get cool. Add some bedding to the top layer (damp newspaper, cardboard) to encourage the worms upwards. Is the worm farm food too dry? Add a little moisture if it is.
Is sawdust good for worms?
To the worms, the sawdust is as delicious as raked leaves. The worms eat sawdust mixed with everything else Vander Werf throws into his mix: kitchen scraps, 4,000 pounds of coffee grounds a month, 400,000 pounds of shredded paper every year.
How do you clean a worm farm?
Take a large flat service like a big tray or table top and remove a few litres of material from the bin, worms and all. Form it into a mound in the center and leave them alone for 10 to 20 minutes. Direct sunlight works best but any bright space will do.
How do you keep a worm bin moist?
Add dry coir or shredded paper to reduce moisture in a worm bin. To correct a wet bin, add dry shredded paper or coir, which will help to soak up excess moisture. You can also stop feeding high-moisture foods (fruits and tomatoes) until your vermicomposter becomes drier.
What is the best bedding for a worm farm?
10 Bedding Materials Your Worms Will Love Shredded brown cardboard. Shredded paper (not bleached white office paper) Shredded newspaper (not colored) Aged compost. Aged horse or cow manure. Coco coir. Peat moss. Straw and hay.
How do you set up worm bedding?
Fill worm bin with dry bedding material. (leaves, shredded paper, etc.) Add water (approximately 2-3 litres) and mix contents. Bedding should be the consistency of a wet sponge. Pour off any excess water. ( Add more dry bedding or water as required. Add crushed eggshells/limestone and soil. Add the worms.
What should worm bedding look like?
Worm bin bedding usually consists of a mix of carbon materials and needs to be at about 80% moisture level. The bedding material should feel like a damp sponge, moist but not dripping. Worm bedding is a long term food source for worms. In fact, up to 50% of a worms diet may consist of its bedding.
Can worms eat newspaper?
Shredded paper and cardboard, egg cartons, ripped up newspaper, receipts and envelopes should all be a regular part of the worms diet. LOTS of non-glossy paper should go in your worm farm – it is worth repeating!.
Are coffee grounds good for night crawlers?
Attract worms Worms love to eat coffee grounds, and that’s great news for your garden. Add coffee grounds to your compost pile to help attract worms, which help speed up the process of turning food scraps into compost. You can also add coffee grounds directly to the soil, but you’ll have to be careful not to overdo it.
Can you feed hay to worms?
Hay or Straw works well as worm bedding material, however unless you live on a farm, you will need to purchase the hay or straw. another drawback is that hay and straw do not hold moisture as well as paper and cardboard. Hay and straw do provide great space for air and worm movement because of their structure.
