Adam
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A Fertile Cocoon
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lack of castings - 2005/10/29 23:05
Hi guys, hope you can help me here.
I've had the worm box going for 15 months now, and the worms themselves are fine. There are masses of them everywhere and about 6 months ago i split them into 3 milkcrate bins as well and they're all doing fine too (the original bin is a "worm factory", a rectangle about 2.5 square feet, tray system).
But in all this time I'm still only on the first tray. They eat about 8L of scraps a week (8L ice cream tub) so it's usually at least 2kg. Also lots of shredded paper. I started out with maybe 2 inches worth of peat & castings that came with the worms i bought, and they have barely reached the line to add the second tray, so 2-3" in 15 months. I did remove some when splitting the bin so maybe another inch to that at most. Is 4" in 15 months normal?
I feed them heaps it piles way over the 2nd tray line but a week later it's sagged right back down. I think I had too much moisture, the castings are quite thick and mudlike, you cant really squeeze it that well. But lately I've been getting the drainage moisture going through the bottom down to maybe half a cup a week from a few litres not long ago so I think it's drying up. I'm just baffled that there's not more castings especially with the volume of food they're getting. BTW I started with 1kg of worms so there wasn't a lack of them to start with.
Thanks for any help 
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Dick
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A Hatchling Earthworm
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Re:lack of castings - 2005/10/30 03:10
I have the same results with a couple of Worm Factories I'm using. After 7 months of generous feeding I'm still far below the "add another bin" level. I think a lot of the castings wind up down in the collection tray and are flushed away with the leachate. Just the other day, I added maybe a cubic foot of shredded paper to each bin and fluffed them up really well. Right now they are right to the top. I'll see if they stay standing tall or shrink back down. I'd like to try a new level but don't want to strand my worms. You know what they say: "Red worms can't jump."
Dick
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Bob Ingram
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A Protected Species Earthworm
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Re:lack of castings - 2005/10/30 04:54
Hi, Adam. you probably have more castings than you think. As the bedding and feed are converted to castings, they become very dense...a lot of castings don't take up much space. By splitting the bin into 4 bins over a 15 month period, I can understand why they're not to the next tray yet, but it sounds as if your 'worm herd' is doing great. Seeya, Bob
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Bob Ingram
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A Protected Species Earthworm
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Re:lack of castings - 2005/10/30 05:01
Dick, the paper will go down as the worms work on it and the moisture builds..How many pounds of worms did you start with in each tray? Castings are being added to you bin as we speak, but will add weight and use less space than the paper..time means nothing to a worm, but we get impatient, lol. Seeya, Bob
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redhen
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A Protected Species Earthworm
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Re:lack of castings - 2005/10/30 11:27
Adam..I have many Can'O Worms systems. They are much like the Worm Factory. Whenever I set up new systems with people, they are always anxious to know when they are going to have castings like they see in my bins, when I show them the different layers. When these systems are just being set up, I encourage folks to start with at least 2 lbs of worms. They can start with less but the process will be slower. The process, when starting from scratch, is slow to start no matter what. I always tell people to figure at least 6 months to get their first castings (IF the worm poulation is large and all other parts of the environment are correct). You said you divided the bin up 6 months ago and added castings (really good idea) to those new bins. Sounds as if your worms are very happy, if they are eating all that you put in. They will eat the paper as well and it needs to be replenished as it goes down in volume. I think you are doing all the right things and just now have to be patient and let those bins mature. After the initial 6 months of starting a new bin, I can pretty much count on having a full castings tray about every 2 months. (Remember that is IF the conditions are optimum for the worms to thrive).
Susan Quinby-Honer
redhen@nc.rr.com
Starve the Landfill...Feed the Earth. |
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redhen
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A Protected Species Earthworm
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Re:lack of castings - 2005/10/30 11:43
Dick..I add new shredded newspaper every week in my COW's, to keep a good 3" layer on top. The worms will consume it and it gets damp and settles down. You may have some castings drop to the collection tray. I clean mine out every couple of months. Do you have a bucket under your spigot? If not, it is a good thing to have set up, so you can see how much drainage you have.
Susan Quinby-Honer
redhen@nc.rr.com
Starve the Landfill...Feed the Earth. |
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amystew
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A Hatchling Earthworm
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Re:lack of castings - 2005/10/30 20:55
I agree that it can really take a while to get a steady supply of castings. Also, the worms may be able to eat more than you think they can--are you sure they couldn't handle more food?
I tell people who are just getting started with a Can O Worms to give themselves a year to get through the whole cycle--all three trays--for the first time. I probably pull out a tray full of castings 3-4 times a year, and it would be more except we are a small household and some of our scraps go to the chickens now.
Amy Stewart
Worms of Endearment |
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Adam
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A Fertile Cocoon
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Re:lack of castings - 2005/11/01 09:16
Thanks guys, I'll keep going as is. I think one problem is the castings seem to compact easily and go kinda claggy. It seems to lack structure and i mix it up every fortnight but it never seems to retain the fluffyness or the aeration for long. How do I dry it out a bit and help aerate the castings? ..maybe either with different feedstock or beding?
Also is there no way to actually increase casting production? I use the worm fattener recipe and it works well, is there some sort of casting production recipe or method?
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redhen
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A Protected Species Earthworm
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Re:lack of castings - 2005/11/01 10:16
Castings are dense and not fluffy. Your bedding should be fluffy and aerated. As to production...I think you just have to run it through your worms and they work at their own pace. We humans like things fast and this process is never going to be that..
Susan Quinby-Honer
redhen@nc.rr.com
Starve the Landfill...Feed the Earth. |
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gnosnhoj
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A Protected Species Earthworm
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Re:lack of castings - 2006/01/03 03:53
Dredging up old topics, I am, but my question seemed to fit:
I opted to feed slurry "trench style" along the sides of my WF: dug trench, laid dry shredded office paper, spooned gack on (1.5-2 cups) and covered lightly with coir/compost/loam/paper bedding. First trench, about 3 weeks in, is history. Second trench, less than 1 week in, is roiling with wormies  My li'l fellas are cranking!
WF owner's manual is kinda vague about when to start the next tray. If I set a new tray now, will enough of my li'l fellas stay below to clean up, or should I take a deep breath and give 'em some more time in the first tray?
Thanx,
Gary
Y'all have fun, whatever you're doing.
Gary
Hopkinsville, KY |
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redhen
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A Protected Species Earthworm
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Re:lack of castings - 2006/01/03 11:13
In a tray system you want to have over half the tray with mostly castings (very little recognizable food/paper) and no room to actually bury any new food. The new tray should be in good contact with the lower one. Then add your new food and bedding to the new "working" tray and do not feed the lower one again. The youngest worms seem to be the first to migrate up to the new food. There will always be worms re-ingesting the material below and making it better and your cocoons will be hatching. The migration is slow because there is so much for them to finish off in the lower bin, even if it doesn't seem so. Sometimes, too, conditions in the upper tray become, maybe, too acidic, hot, cold or something and the worms will retreat to the lower levels. One of the biggest problems you might run into is adding a new tray too soon. The worms have lots to consume in the lower tray and the new food you add will just sit there and cause problems.
Susan Quinby-Honer
redhen@nc.rr.com
Starve the Landfill...Feed the Earth. |
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