Introduction to Vermiculture

Introduction to Vermiculture

Session 2

• Welcome and attendance.
• Homework? What kind of worm farm would best suit your living arrangements? Try to find an example of one you might purchase or make for our next session together.
• Today you will be setting up a small stacking worm farm which will become your responsibility to monitor and care for until the end of the semester.
• With the guidance of information resources, materials and your tutor you will be creating an appropriate environment for your worms and learning about the following:

Establishment of a worm farm and suitable types of worms

We will be working with Eisenia fetida (older spelling: foetida), known under various common names such as red worm, brandling worm, panfish worm, trout worm, tiger worm, red wiggler worm, red californian earth worm. It is species of earthworm adapted to decaying organic material. These worms thrive in rotting vegetation, compost, and manure which makes them well suited for our worm farms. Earthworms have been classified by a variety of schemes, the most useful being those based on their behavior and habitat. The classification of M. Bouche describes a worm species as occupying a level in the soil and indicates its feeding behavior.

• EPIGEIC (ep-i-jee-ik) types that live at the surface in freshly decaying plant or animal residues.
• ENDOGEIC (en-do-jee-ik)types live within the soil and ingest soil to extract nutrition from degraded organic matter.
• ANECIC(an-ee-sik) types burrow deep in the soil but come to the surface at night to forage for freshly decaying residues.

The conditions for optimal worm activity include

• Light: Worms don't have eyes and are sensitive to light and move away from bright light if they can. If exposed to bright light for an hour your worms may become paralyzed dry out and die. Make a square of cardboard and dampen it with rain water and sit this on top of the bedding layer.
• Temperature: The optimal temperature range is 55–77 degrees Fahrenheit (13–25 degrees Celsius). You can stretch those limits to 50–84 degrees Fahrenheit (10–29 degrees Celsius), but they may not process as much organic matter or reproduce as vigorously. They are better at tolerating cold than excessive heat.
• Moisture: Worms must remain in a moist, humid environment at all times, or they will die. Worm bedding should be 60 to 85 percent moisture. Food scraps will provide some moisture. Add nature's wine if you think the bedding layer does not equate to the moisture level of a moist sponge.
• Breathing:Tiger worms need oxygen to maintain their bedding layer as an aerobic (with air), sweet-smelling system. Be careful not to allow bedding to become too wet or to add too much food at once, which may deplete oxygen levels. Aerate the bedding by gently fluffing it up and adding torn up paper or cardboard. Wear gloves or use a suitable tool to gently lift and turn.
• pH levels: In nature, worms survive in a range of pH levels but in your system try to keep pH in the range of 6.8 to 7.2.
• Feeding habits: Your worms can be fed once a day, every two or three days, once a week or you can even go on vacation for a month! Healthy worms can eat half their weight in food every day. Food that is preferred apples, pears, banana peels, strawberries, peaches and all melons, beans, cabbage, celery, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, all greens, corn, corncobs and squash oatmeal, pasta, rice, non–sugared breakfast cereals, corn meal, pancakes ,eggshells, tea bags, coffee filter paper, dead flowers, hair, vacuum cleaner dust, lint from clothes drier, leaves, cow manure... Use caution when adding: Breads — can attract red mites.  Potato skins, onions, garlic, ginger — get consumed slowly and can cause odors.  Coffee grounds — too many will make the bin acidic. Avoid feeding: meat, poultry, fish, dairy, oils and excess feeding of citrus which has a chemical substance (limonene) that is toxic to worms. Definite No–No's: Non–biodegradable materials that do not belong in your bin include plastic, rubber bands, sponges, aluminum foil, glass, and dog or cat faeces.