I've noticed that after a heavy rain during the spring or fall that these redworms come up to the surface and that they look like the redworms that I've bought in the past. I've failed a few times with them, and am hoping to not have to buy worms again. Buying worms seems silly to me.
Anyway, I've been collecting these worms for several days while out checking on my slug traps. I'm going to try and use them for composting coffee grounds just outside my kitchen door.
Does anyone know if these are the same species that are being sold?
I've posted this question on several forums and will post any information that I've found in the comments section.
Showing posts with label vermiculture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vermiculture. Show all posts
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
My new redworms
Well, I ordered some redworms a couple weeks ago. They are very expensive but I think it is worth it. The least expensive place I found to buy them was Peaceful Valley, for $29, including shipping.
I made a homemade worm bin but unfortunately it didn't work out very well. I put a lot of thought into the homemade design too. The trouble is getting the moisture level right without creating an anaerobic environment which I ended up doing, even with all of the holes that I drilled into the bin. It ended up stinking and smelling like mildew very quickly. I used cardboard and garden soil, as many sites recommend. But cardboard repels water while the garden soil likes to soak it up. So it seems near impossible to get the moisture level right with two very different mediums. If I water water water the cardboard to try to get it to soak, the soil ends up way too wet. Frustrating.
I've tried to do worms once before, but I got them from a person on craigslist who I don't think really knew what they were doing. And my heart just wasn't into it.
So I bought the "worm factory" from a local landscape store for $69. That is the cheapest I've seen it. It is really much smaller than it appears in all of the photos. For many reasons I thought this would help with my issues.
Unfortunately, last time I checked my worms were dying. I bet that this is probably from the anaerobic environment that they were living in. But many did appear to be doing well, so I am hopeful. I combed through the worm factory manual to see if there was any other reason they might be dying. The manual says never ever give the worms pine needles because it will kill the worms, which I had done with my homemade bin. Of course there isn't any way for me to pick out all of the pine needles now, so I may just be sitting back and watching them die. I combed the internet to see what others had to say about pine needles. Most have no mention of it and several sites recommend it as a good medium. To me, not giving redworms some pine needles seems counterintuitive. But what do I know.
Needless to say I am frustrated. I am afraid to look in the bin now and wonder if I should just leave them alone for awhile and not mess with them. I am also contemplating contacting Peaceful Valley and asking for a replacement since their instructions have no mention of pine needles. We will see. $30 is a lot of money to spend on vermin, not to mention the investment I made in the worm bin.
I made a homemade worm bin but unfortunately it didn't work out very well. I put a lot of thought into the homemade design too. The trouble is getting the moisture level right without creating an anaerobic environment which I ended up doing, even with all of the holes that I drilled into the bin. It ended up stinking and smelling like mildew very quickly. I used cardboard and garden soil, as many sites recommend. But cardboard repels water while the garden soil likes to soak it up. So it seems near impossible to get the moisture level right with two very different mediums. If I water water water the cardboard to try to get it to soak, the soil ends up way too wet. Frustrating.
I've tried to do worms once before, but I got them from a person on craigslist who I don't think really knew what they were doing. And my heart just wasn't into it.
So I bought the "worm factory" from a local landscape store for $69. That is the cheapest I've seen it. It is really much smaller than it appears in all of the photos. For many reasons I thought this would help with my issues.
Unfortunately, last time I checked my worms were dying. I bet that this is probably from the anaerobic environment that they were living in. But many did appear to be doing well, so I am hopeful. I combed through the worm factory manual to see if there was any other reason they might be dying. The manual says never ever give the worms pine needles because it will kill the worms, which I had done with my homemade bin. Of course there isn't any way for me to pick out all of the pine needles now, so I may just be sitting back and watching them die. I combed the internet to see what others had to say about pine needles. Most have no mention of it and several sites recommend it as a good medium. To me, not giving redworms some pine needles seems counterintuitive. But what do I know.
Needless to say I am frustrated. I am afraid to look in the bin now and wonder if I should just leave them alone for awhile and not mess with them. I am also contemplating contacting Peaceful Valley and asking for a replacement since their instructions have no mention of pine needles. We will see. $30 is a lot of money to spend on vermin, not to mention the investment I made in the worm bin.
Friday, March 5, 2010
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