Table of Contents
How do I start raising red wigglers?
How to Get Started Raising Red Wiggler Worms Preparing the Bin. Drill 1-inch-wide holes 2 inches from the top of the bin and spaced 3 inches apart. Adding the Starter Worms. Pour 2 pounds of red wigglers onto the bedding. Maintaining the Bin. Harvesting the Worms.
What do red wigglers need to survive?
Aeration: Red worms need oxygen to live. They produce carbon dioxide. Air circulation is a must in and around a worm box. Temperature: Red worms tolerate a wide range of temperatures, however, the ideal temperature is between 55-77 degrees F.
What is the best home habitat for red wigglers?
Red Wiggler Habitat Found in the top 6 inches of soil, red wiggles congregate in dark areas full of organic matter. Decaying materials, such as dead leaves, aged animal manure and garden waste, all serve as food for the species. Unlike earthworms, red worms eat the decaying matter in the soil.
Do red wigglers like coffee grounds?
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.
What is the best food for red wiggler worms?
Red wigglers eat most things organic including fruit/veggie scraps, bread, coffee grounds/filters, tea bags, grains, plant trimmings, paper, leaves, etc.
How often should you change worm bedding?
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).
How do you keep a worm bin warm in the winter?
To keep the worms warmer, add insulation to the outside of the worm bin. Bales of straw, blankets, used carpet, Styrofoam, or even bubble wrap will suffice. Leave gaps so that fresh air can flow into the bin’s air holes. Be sure not to block the drainage holes.
How do you insulate worm farms?
Use a worm blanket on top of the worm bed. This helps to create a cooler and moist insulating layer for the worms. Pull up one side of the worm blanket to add your scraps. A thick layer of plain brown corrugated cardboard can be used, but be sure to soak it well in water before you layer it on.
Is newspaper good for worms?
Instead of soil, composting red worms live in moist newspaper bedding. Like soil, newspaper strips provide air, water, and food for the worms. Using about 50 pages, tear newspaper into 1/2″ to 1″ strips. Avoid using colored print, which may be toxic to the worms.
Can you put shredded paper in a worm farm?
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!.
Can red wigglers survive in soil?
Red Worms can survive in soil IF it is properly prepared ahead of time. Simply making rows of waste materials (like food waste, manure, shredded cardboard etc) alongside your plant rows, then inoculating with Red Worms would help to fertilize your plants.
Should I stir my worm bin?
There is definitely no need to completely mix up your worm bin contents. The worms themselves – along with various other critters do a lot of mixing on their own. The worms should do a pretty good job of finishing everything off, and leaving you with plenty of nice vermicompost.
Can you put tea bags in worm farm?
Tea Bags: Yes! The tea bags will start to break down in the worm bin, and the worms will finish off the contents. The string and paper tab might not break down as quickly. You can rip them off before saving a tea bag.
Can I put coffee filters in my worm bin?
True! Your morning cup of joe can do more than just get you ready for your day. Those used up coffee grounds make perfect worm food for hungry red wigglers! Even better, the coffee filter that holds those grounds is edible too!.
How often should you water your worm farm?
Once every week, pour about five litres of fresh water into the Top Working Tray, which will flood down through the lower trays, ensuring the entire worm farm remains very moist. The sudden ‘flood’ will not harm the worms. Adding water is especially important in the hotter months of the year.
How do you rotate worm farm trays?
To rotate my trays, I lay my lid upside down on the floor and unstack my tower one tray at a time beside me. Once I reach my treasured bin of finished compost, I set it aside, and rebuild my tower of worms.
Why are 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.
Can you raise red worms?
The red wrigglers are usually the worms that are small in size, and is typically the easiest type to breed. It’ll also be better to keep your worms moist and kept in a dark environment, to allow them to thrive better. So the best thing that you can do to keep them away from these is to cover the worm bin with a lid.
