lets talk worms! Bins, castings, techniques etc

^^^ why I started the thread! Me too!

. And to top off my day I have ordered 6 root crown of bocking 14. Planning on 4 outside and keep 2 in my room, maybe 3. So I lied about my worm feed also..... add comfrey to the list. Chop, dice up, grind, feed.... be good top dressing in my beds and worms will feed on it in there soon as well... coming together slow.

Trying to get my room finished! It will be a min. But I felt that was $30 well spent and will help me be even more self sustainable etc. Save me money!

Happy growing!

Diesel0889 said:

^^^ why I started the thread! Me too!

. And to top off my day I have ordered 6 root crown of bocking 14. Planning on 4 outside and keep 2 in my room, maybe 3. So I lied about my worm feed also..... add comfrey to the list. Chop, dice up, grind, feed.... be good top dressing in my beds and worms will feed on it in there soon as well... coming together slow.

Trying to get my room finished! It will be a min. But I felt that was $30 well spent and will help me be even more self sustainable etc. Save me money!

Happy growing!

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I realized that you cannot buy good potting soil, there is always going to be issues. That's why I decided that I was going to have to dive deep on soil science. So, the guy that taught me composting knew to add comfrey, borage, and nettle(etc) but he really didn't understand why. From what I can tell from composting without them, I was always really high in phosphorus and low in iron and manganese(not magnesium). Comfrey is high in calcium and iron which both are antagonistic against phosphorus. Compost that is not made right will be like this, high in P and low in Fe. My biggest issue has been balancing P, Fe, and Mn...

This is a cool thread and we get DIRTy.

You boys or girls like Africans!

They along with (from what I hear) everything from that part of the world comes longgggg lol! Just shut heat mat under bin off due to it supposed to be warmer today. Been a minute since I had any africans so gotta figure em out again! Although I'm game. They are probably my favorite worm and the castings and rate they produce them are great! If any of you guys have them bring on the info! Anyone else use heat mat under there bin?

Happy growing!

50# malted barley and a 1 yard bas peat minral blend on the way to feed my babies! Shit my local brew shop was only 20 cheaper than bas so I went through bas for quality and there point system! Almost have a $225 off coupon!

Hope everyone is well and safe! Happy growing!

I’ve only got the red wigglers but the Africans look to be some good fertilizer makers. I’m getting some more reds this week.

Diesel0889 said:

You boys or girls like Africans!
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They along with (from what I hear) everything from that part of the world comes longgggg lol! Just shut heat mat under bin off due to it supposed to be warmer today. Been a minute since I had any africans so gotta figure em out again! Although I'm game. They are probably my favorite worm and the castings and rate they produce them are great! If any of you guys have them bring on the info! Anyone else use heat mat under there bin?

Happy growing!

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Yea those are some big boys. For the last two bins I set up, I got some reds and some european night crawlers. Do you mix your worms into the same bins or do you keep them separate?

I keep my worms inside so never really worried about temperature issues, I always just assume that they are in a comfortable range all year. Might not be ideal, but they are surviving and producing so that's all I can ask for. I still can't believe how easy it is to keep them going. When I first started a bin, I figured I would kill them off somehow, but around 4 years later and I still have my initial batch of worms doing their thing.

After a long overdue harvest of my oldest bin, maybe I will try to just feed amendments and compost to see the difference. I do sprinkle some alfalfa/neem/crab/oyster from time to time, but primarily all my bins get fed fruit/veggie scraps along with oats.

@Deadhead13, ya the reds at 70f seem to be just as fast. Im planning on another 5-10lb myself. Only problem with reds is ALOT of people market blues as reds and you often get more of them than reds! Have you had this problem? Uncle jims has done it to me multiple times as well....

Happy growing!

Diesel0889 said:

@Deadhead13, ya the reds at 70f seem to be just as fast. Im planning on another 5-10lb myself. Only problem with reds is ALOT of people market blues as reds and you often get more of them than reds! Have you had this problem? Uncle jims has done it to me multiple times as well....

Happy growing!

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So far, I’ve been getting mine “in the wild” and at a local bait store. I’m lucky to have a place out back that holds a lot of worms and I started tossing scraps and such around. I’ve got a ditch that will produce worms with each dig and I get a lot of leaf mold from that area.

@loco41 make sure to start with a GOOD compost. Also good ammendments (not all the same). My bins have no spout for liquid due to not getting wet. I give new compost and feed (mainly barley), lightly spray it and mix it up. My reds in a 24hr period are going through a mix of 3/4-1 gallon compost with a handful of powdered malted barley. My euro are healthy but MUCH slower. I also started with 6lb of them and only 5lb reds.

Your castings will still be good, coot method is just on another level. Keep a bin of both maybe so your waste still goes somewhere good?

Happy growing!

If I can muster the energy and will, I’m going to put another bin together today. It’s super hot down here in da south.

Deadhead13 said:

So far, I’ve been getting mine “in the wild” and at a local bait store. I’m lucky to have a place out back that holds a lot of worms and I started tossing scraps and such around. I’ve got a ditch that will produce worms with each dig and I get a lot of leaf mold from that area.

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Hey I've thought of doing it as well. Forging is great. I just don't want any of those pesky Alabama jumpers. I dont believe in them due to them being very invasive and a problem due to them eating up the forests "mulch" layer when some local plants need it to thrive. I have read its becoming a problem in some places due to them not being there originally. If this interests you a simple goggle search will show you what i mean.

At some point i see a couple 4x8 beds in my yard! Breeding area possibly. Add only a pound or 2 and let them multiply etc.

Happy growing!

Deadhead13 said:

If I can muster the energy and will, I’m going to put another bin together today. It’s super hot down here in da south.

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Hell ya! Get it going!

let me clarify on the jumpers. I do think in the usa they are considered "local". Alabama or South states maybe, not sure. In New England they are not so i dont want them around my shit. I have heard they burrow deep and top feed. Ill never know! If a local "wild" worm. Do it up.

Happy growing!

Diesel0889 said:

let me clarify on the jumpers. I do think in the usa they are considered "local". Alabama or South states maybe, not sure. In New England they are not so i dont want them around my shit. I have heard they burrow deep and top feed. Ill never know! If a local "wild" worm. Do it up.

Happy growing!

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I’m going to have to research these as I’m in the south, not as far as Bama but still south.

Deadhead13 said:

I’m going to have to research these as I’m in the south, not as far as Bama but still south.

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The clitellum is normally closer to the head and silky white. Have more of a purple/grey color to them similar to an African nightcrawlers imo. You can tell the difference from reds if both are in your hands. The clitellum has a different color white on most as well far as I have seen.

Happy growing!

Chopped some clover that was growing in some veggie pots yesterday. Just threw it on top of the bins and took a couple pictures. Sorry shitty quality, but I'll get some better ones of the worms in action soon.

@loco41 I ordered 6 root crown cuts on bocking 14 comfrey for 29 bucks with shipping. If you are into feeding clover and all. This biodynamic accumulater will give you indefinite feed for your bin and a great filler feed after the initial purchase. Part of the reason im doing it. I just dry it up first and either chop very fine or chop, dry and powder. No wet mess in my bin!

Looking good my friend! Happy growing!

Diesel0889 said:

@loco41 I ordered 6 root crown cuts on bocking 14 comfrey for 29 bucks with shipping. If you are into feeding clover and all. This biodynamic accumulater will give you indefinite feed for your bin and a great filler feed after the initial purchase. Part of the reason im doing it. I just dry it up first and either chop very fine or chop, dry and powder. No wet mess in my bin!

Looking good my friend! Happy growing!

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I'm confined to a one bedroom apartment, so can't get too crazy. Had a nice grow going but had to chop mid flower due to an inspection. Didn't want to risk it anymore, so just going to play around with lights and random things for now. At least I won't be messing with legal issues this way.

Did just get some aloe and alfalfa seeds, so set up a little spot in the closet with a spare qb and whatever else I had lying around today. Wanted to mix up some more aerated soil for the aloes, but it's all for fun so we'll see how they do with this mix.

I’d like to try some aloe from seed, I have a couple of regular aloe plants going.