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Boardwalk :: Forum List Six (6) New Worm Digest Forums 1) General Earthworm Discussion Forum
Norm
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A Fertile Cocoon
Posts: 4
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 ENC help - 2005/11/28 23:42 I need some good advise on raising European Nightcrawlers. I got some a while back and they seem to be doing fine until recently. They seem to be stuck and are not growing anymore. All of the large ones seem to be disappearing and they are not crawling out. I use cow manure,newspaper,wood shavings and dried leaves for my bedding and then I top dress them with a grain mixture. I have heard to use peat moss but have not tried it, has any used this? Any advise or tips on raising ENC's would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance! Norm
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redhen
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A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 686
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 Re:ENC help - 2005/11/29 08:49 Norm..How long ago did you actually get your ENC's? How big is you bin? Once upon a time I received ENC's and all was fine until perhaps 3 months. I noticed much the same problem that you have talked about. When I talked to my friend Bob Ingram, (and I am sure he will chime in here soon), he said perhaps it was time to divide my bin, so as to grow a bigger population. He also mentioned that the generation "born into my bin" would thrive better than my original bunch. I took his advice and also started feeding them more. Everything is really good now and I have 4 bins of good size ENC's. Susan Quinby-Honer
redhen@nc.rr.com
Starve the Landfill...Feed the Earth.
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Judy
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A Juvenile Earthworm
Posts: 40
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 Re:ENC help - 2005/11/29 15:43 I had a similar experience with my ENCs. I harvested the bins last year and spread them out in new peat moss and they loved it.

They have also responded well to feeding on top of the bedding. I put s 'layer' of shredded newspaper on the castings/peat, then spread the food over that. All stays damp. They have produced so much more casting material that I need to harvest and do it all again.

With the cooler weather, even though they are in the basement, the feeding frenzy of the longer days has backed off. When Life Gives You Scraps, Make A Quilt.
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billyW
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A Hatchling Earthworm
Posts: 13
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 Re:ENC help - 2005/11/30 07:59 I had asked Bob a similar question in the past.

I've since doubled my feeding (because I knew that it was not yet time to divide the bin) and they are growing like crazy. The younger generation is coming on strong. It seems the original worms were deeper in the bin all along.

]Here is that thread:
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Norm
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A Fertile Cocoon
Posts: 4
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 Re:ENC help - 2005/11/30 13:05 Thanks for the information. I have had them for about 5-6 months now. They (@5lbs) are in a 4X4 wooden box with about 4 inch think bedding. Would I be better off not feedig them the cow manure mixture for bedding and putting them in pure peat moss and top feeding them the grain? Please Advise. Thanks Again Norm
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Kuznles
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A Juvenile Earthworm
Posts: 59
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 Re:ENC help - 2005/12/01 00:05 Hi Norm, a 4x4 box should be able to hold in excess of 12lb of worms without affecting their size. I couldn't see how deep you said the bedding was, I keep 8 to 10 inches of bedding on my ENC. I lightly rake the top 2 or 3 inches and mix in some feed as well as feeding on top. KuznLes

Kountrykuznworms.com
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Boardwalk :: Forum List Six (6) New Worm Digest Forums 1) General Earthworm Discussion Forum

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