/r/Vermiculture

Photograph via snooOG

The place for worm discussion of all sorts. Whether you're raising worms for composting, bait, or God knows why else, this is the place for discussion. Common topics covered are setting up new worm bins, getting high-quality vermicompost, making vermicompost tea, or common problems encountered when raising worms.


The Vermiculture Reddit

Vermicompost is the product or process of composting using various worms, usually red wigglers, white worms, and other earthworms to create a heterogeneous mixture of decomposing vegetable or food waste, bedding materials, and vermicast. Vermicast, also called worm castings, worm humus or worm manure, is the end-product of the breakdown of organic matter by an earthworm. These castings have been shown to contain reduced levels of contaminants and a higher saturation of nutrients than do organic materials before vermicomposting.

Containing water-soluble nutrients, vermicompost is an excellent, nutrient-rich organic fertilizer and soil conditioner. This process of producing vermicompost is called vermicomposting.

Wikipedia: vermicompost

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/r/Vermiculture

39,695 Subscribers

1

Final haul-out of worms from (previously) outdoor bag v5

0 Comments
2024/03/12
13:36 UTC

4

How fast can i harvest my vermicast? Can i do it with only 1 month?

Thank you

6 Comments
2024/03/12
13:26 UTC

8

Is my worm happy?

11 Comments
2024/03/12
12:07 UTC

8

Is my vermicompost ready ?

Is this compost ready ?

I am having tough time to decide when my compost is ready for filtering process ?

Also do you guys dry the compost before filtering ?

22 Comments
2024/03/12
02:34 UTC

3

New to Worm bin What's normal??

I am more interested in learning what is normal for the worms themselves rather than the bin, since the bin itself may not be entirely optimal but it's doing its job and the worms aren't showing much sign of stress. I have nightcrawlers, I bought them just from those containers from Walmart or fleet farm. When I first bought the bin some were dead and their bodies were really bloody what can cause this and additionally should the rest of the worms not be used if others around them died?

Also how do I tell when the worms are gonna lay eggs or when they are just adults ? Will the clitellum be just barely visible when they are adults and more defined or larger otherwise ?? I'm using them to feed my axolotl and I don't want to kill ones that are gonna have babies.

Is there a way to euthanize them humanely as well I've been freezing them but I've heard mixed results on whether this is painless. Sorry for the bombardment I appreciate any help!!

7 Comments
2024/03/11
20:14 UTC

4

Concern!

Saw these little orange critters… what are they ? Are they harmful to the bin?

8 Comments
2024/03/11
18:52 UTC

5

Question?

I fed these guys some apples last feeding… is this clear the wax on the apple? Do they decompose it as well or y’all recommend taking it?

12 Comments
2024/03/11
18:42 UTC

18

Teaching a worm farming class at a local nursery

Do you teach worm farming classes in your area?

0 Comments
2024/03/11
16:44 UTC

30

Behold! The ark of the vermicant!

9 Comments
2024/03/11
16:36 UTC

0

ANC worms in the yellow buckets on day 206

0 Comments
2024/03/11
13:01 UTC

3

Are dead poinsettia leaves ok for my worm bin?

We have a poinsettia plant from Christmas that is dropping leaves. Can I use these leaves in my worm bin without harming the worms?

4 Comments
2024/03/11
11:18 UTC

5

questions about the worm bin process..

I have started a worm bin almost a month ago, and it feels like things are going smoothly now. I use a two-tiered homemade 5 gallon bucket for the worm to live in and I have a mix of sawdust, ripped up brown paper bags, and food scraps. I originally bought 100 worms from Uncle Jims. Maybe about half the worms are living in the 5 gallon bucket and the other half are living in my outdoor compost tumbler (the first day, the worms seemed quite unhappy and overcrowded so I felt it was best to remove some of them from the indoor system).

So how do you tell the difference between the coffee grounds and the worm castings?

Do the worms consume the cardboard as well as the food scraps?

Is it okay for the worms to live in newspaper with colored inks?

Thank you for the support! I love that there is a whole community of vermicomposters on here :)

1 Comment
2024/03/11
02:52 UTC

2

Malabar spinach

I have two Hungrybins, but I just don’t have enough greens. I also have some geobins and access to lots of shredded cardboard for hot composting. I’m thinking about growing Malabar spinach vertically. Thoughts, or better options? Zone 6

1 Comment
2024/03/11
02:35 UTC

3

Bin cover

I made a 100 gallon livestock tank my worm bin and is located under a carport. I don’t have a cover other than burlap sacks that I moisten and lay on top. Is this sufficient or should I find a “lid” of some sort. Is a worm blanket only used during winter/cooler weather or year round? I’m a newbie trying to figure this out.

2 Comments
2024/03/11
02:04 UTC

1

New bin bought used, don't know worm quantity. Added paper/leaves for bedding and blended 0.25lb food scraps. Have added probably 100 worms from my outside compost pile. What do I wait for? When do I add next tray?

6 Comments
2024/03/10
23:17 UTC

2

Can I transplant worms from my indoor bin to an in-bed bin?

I have an indoor 3-bucket worm hotel that I’ve been maintaining for about 9 months now. We’re getting ready to start planting in our 8x4 raised bed, and I want to try the in-bed worm bins this season, in addition to keeping the indoor bin going. For the in bed bins I went with two 2-gallon plastic buckets with the bottoms cut out and holes drilled in the sides. My middle tray on my hotel is pretty full and still has some worms hanging out in it, so I was thinking I would start some fresh food scraps, a thick layer of compost and worms from my middle tray, and some fresh shredded cardboard in each in-bed bucket. My question is, will the worms that have grown accustomed to this indoor bin immediately evacuate if I try to transplant them outside? Am I better off just buying another bag of worms and starting fresh out there? Thanks in advance for any advice.

5 Comments
2024/03/10
21:21 UTC

4

Help!

Fellow worm lovers, I badly need advice. I've been doing worm composting for just over a year and things seemed to be going well until recently.
I have several 5 gallon buckets as composting worm farms and they have started to be really smelly. Found some dead worms on the bucket lid where one of them stands a few weeks ago. Also, today I lifted two buckets to see the one below and all the worms seemed to be in a ring at the outer edge in both of them. As i lifted the bucket, there were a lot of babies which I hope to have mostly saved. Not sure what to do with the stinky towers.
Should I start new bins? Add more bedding? Is it a problem of anaerobic conditions? If so, how do I fix it? I'm thinking I added to much food all at once and it's rotting without aeration.

Any advice is very, very welcome!

9 Comments
2024/03/10
17:55 UTC

1

Help!

Fellow worm lovers, I badly need advice. I've been doing worm composting for just over a year and things seemed to be going well until recently.
I have several 5 gallon buckets as composting worm farms and they have started to be really smelly. Found some dead worms on the bucket lid where one of them stands a few weeks ago. Also, today I lifted two buckets to see the one below and all the worms seemed to be in a ring at the outer edge in both of them. As i lifted the bucket, there were a lot of babies which I hope to have mostly saved. Not sure what to do with the stinky towers.
Should I start new bins? Add more bedding? Is it a problem of anaerobic conditions? If so, how do I fix it? I'm thinking I added to much food all at once and it's rotting without aeration.

Any advice is very, very welcome!

4 Comments
2024/03/10
17:55 UTC

8

Starting a worm bin as a family of 3/4

So I live with my folks still and when my brothers back from college there’s 4 of us in the house. I’ve been considering starting a worm bin lately as a faster, more nutrient packed compost. That being said I feel like it’s either way easier than I think or I’m missing something. Can I get away with just a simple like 20-30 gallon plastic tote filling with food scraps and like 500-1000 red wiggles from uncle Jim’s worm farm? Or would a premade system be a ton better?

19 Comments
2024/03/10
16:08 UTC

12

Starting my first worm bin, any advice?

I have never tried anything vermiculture before, but after doing a lot of research I think I have a good plan, so I just wanted to make sure I was on the right track.

My plan is to purchase the Urban Worm Bin 2.0, (although I’m also considering the Worm Factory 360, let me know what you prefer!) use a mix of coconut coir, cardboard, and paper for bedding, (and maybe even some dry leaves!) and to feed them food waste from fruits and vegetables. I will be using red wigglers.

Is this a solid plan? I’ve seen mixed feedback on coco coir and using paper, and I’m still torn on which bin to use. What do you all recommend? (This is an indoor bin) I love worms and this just sounded like so much fun!

24 Comments
2024/03/10
00:25 UTC

6

Most reliable sources of worms that ship to the us

In search of a reliable source of worms, only need a pound or two but I would like to give my money directly to a company rather than through Amazon, and advice is appreciated

25 Comments
2024/03/09
21:42 UTC

3

Worm in puddle

My worm bin is new (3/6/24)

I ordered 1lb of rw from Uncle Jim.

I noticed that some of them (group or maybe 3-6 worms) likes to be grouped in a corner of the collector bin where there’s a bit of a puddle collected. (They’re alive)

Most of the worms are in the working bin so I don’t think it’s due to my bin being too dry or wet….(maybe)

But I was just wondering why they’re sitting at the bottom in a small group in a little puddle.

This is my first time making a worm bin so I’m unsure if I’m doing something wrong.

6 Comments
2024/03/09
21:29 UTC

0

These worms are eating the vegetation in my terrarium, is anyone able to identify or give me tips to eradicate them?

8 Comments
2024/03/09
18:08 UTC

1

Aer these white mites?

Moisture levels normal, worms seem happy. These white blobs have showed up to the party. Are they white mites?

4 Comments
2024/03/09
15:00 UTC

0

"Odd couple" worm bins becoming drier & another surface-applied feeding

0 Comments
2024/03/09
14:06 UTC

34

Perhaps a different marketing slogan will improve sales

3 Comments
2024/03/09
13:21 UTC

5

Baby Canadian Nightcrawler

I’m so proud 🥹

4 Comments
2024/03/09
06:41 UTC

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