galactic_worm
User
A Fertile Cocoon
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General questions about worms - 2008/06/03 23:06
Hi there,
I'm pretty new to this worm composting thing. I've had my worms for a week or two and have found that many of them have died and the rest are sick. 
I have a small bin (the size of a city recycling bin) with ventilation holes on the bottom, a lid which I leave cracked and then I drape a blanket over all of it (except the crack for ventilation). I put maybe 1-2 inches of fluffed and shredded newspaper, a few handfuls of dirt and 36 worms. I'm pretty sure I put too much food in there, just veggies. The soil was also very gritty (which I later learned is not good). I found a large centipede in there. Maybe he tried to eat the worms? I also noticed a large amount of mold, that was "capturing" the newspaper and becoming large wads of moldy-newspaper that I could not separate. I kept the bin damp like a sponge. Then checked the worms 10 days later and I found half of them. The 15 I found would barely moved when I put them under light and looked puffy and white. Oh no!!
So I emptied the bin, cleaned it out, put fresh non-gritty dirt in it with a 1/4 cup of bread and 1/4 cup of chopped broccoli and lettuce. Have not had time to put newspaper in yet but the bin is damp. And I thought it best not to shock them. I even washed off the worms hoping to remove all the grit stuck to their bodies!! These worms are being pampered (in a human sense...) If only I knew how to give them their wormy needs.
After reading some of the threads on here... I'm becoming more worm-educated. I will be sure to add a little sand to the bin in time. Tomorrow I will get some newspaper in there.
Question: How much newspaper vs dirt should one have at first??? And is this shredded 'fluffy' newspaper
or compact and smushed?
Also, my bin is about 24" x 15" and maybe 2 feet tall. The dirt is up to about 4-5 inches right now. If that matters..
Thanks to all that will read this and comment!!
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you don't need any dirt. the worms prefer to eat the mould that forms on rotting food or the soft portionsof decaying vegatable matter