keeping of worms for composting
TRANSCRIPT
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1 WelcomeHome,Worms!
3 WhichWormsAretheRightWorms?
4 Bedding:MakingYourWormsComy
5 WhattoFeedYourWorms
6 HarvestingYourGold:a.k.a.WormPoop
8 WormWorries:Troubleshooting
9 Worm-CareLog
The Care&KeepingoWormsS H E D D A Q U A R I U M S H O W - T O G U I D E F O R T H E N O V I C E V E R M I C U L T U R I S T
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Whycompost?Andwhywithworms?
Composting ood scraps and what we call yard waste helps our localenvironment in two ways: First, composting helps stop the loss o valuable
nutrients that would otherwise wind up as garbage in a landll or incinerator.
Second, the rich humus that results rom composting can be used in your yard
or garden to help restore the health and vitality o your soil without the use o
expensive, polluting chemical ertilizers. By returning those nutrients to your soil,
along with the good microbes they pick up in the
composting process, youre eeding your plants,completing the cycle o soil building and preventing air
and water pollution rom conventional waste disposal.
As or the worms, they are natures best little composters.
This guide shows you how to build a simple, inexpensive
worm compost bin. I you think o the bin as a compactecosystem, youll begin to understand the balanced
relationship o the worms, their neighbors, the ood you
add and the rich compost produced.
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1
The BinYou can build or buy just about anything that will provide
darkness, warmth and shelter or your worms, but the
best option is a wood or plastic container. Wood is more
absorbent and a better insulator or the worms. Wood
is also heavier and can be expensive. Plastic bins are
aordable and can be reused. People successully create
bins rom old drawers, trunks and wooden barrels, so use
your imagination! At Shedd Aquarium, we use plastic
containers, but we have to make sure the compost doesnt
get soggy (more ino under Worm Worries). Experimentand nd out what works best or you and your worms.
How Big?In Worms Eat My Garbage, Mary Appelho suggests
weighing your household ood waste or one week. Based
on that total amount, provide one square oot o bin per
pound o ood.
The container should be about 10 inches deep. Short, wide
containers create better environments than tall, narrow
bins. Instead o using one large heavy box, consider using
several smaller containers or easier liting and moving.
Appelhos book illustrates a variety o containers.
The bin needs a cover to conserve moisture and provide
darkness or the worms. I the bin is kept indoors, a sheet
o dark plastic or burlap abric placed loosely on top o the
bedding is sucient cover.
Drill ventilation holes in the sides and top o your bin.
Like people, worms need air to live so be sure to have
your bin suciently ventilated. Some people also preer
to drill about 10 holes (1/4- to 1/2-inch each) in the
bottom or aeration and drainage. A plastic bin may need
more drainage i contents get too wet, drill more holes.I you do have holes in the bottom, raise the bin on bricks
or wooden blocks and place a tray underneath to capture
excess liquid, which can be used to ertilize your house or
garden plants. The bins at Shedd do not have holes in the
bottom and work just ne.
With all these holes you may worry that the worms
will crawl out. Worms preer a dark, moist environment
and will only leave in times o extreme stress. Keeping
a balanced bin is easier than you think!
WelcomeHome,Worms!
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Red WigglersEisenia etida
Earthworms live in many dierent environments. Some
live underground, like nightcrawlers. Others, like red
wigglers, live above the soil where there are piles o
leaves, animal manure, or dead plants. Red wigglers will
process large amounts o organic material and are the
best option in your worm bin. Dont take worms rom your
garden soil they wont survive in a composting bin.
What Worms NeedYou need air, water, ood and warmth to live. Red wigglers
need the same things!
Air
Air enters your lungs where a moist layer o tissue
absorbs oxygen. Worms have lungs, too their skin!
The entire surace o a worms body absorbs oxygen
and releases carbon dioxide.
Moisture
Worms move by squeezing muscles around their water-
lled bodies. They also need water to keep their skin moist
or breathing.
Food
When eeding your worms, bury the ood at least 3 inches
deep in the bedding. Dont worry; the worms will nd
it. Change eeding spots each time you add ood or the
worms. Ater the rst month or so, its good to add more
bedding on a weekly basis. At Shedd, we wait or the
worms to process the ood partially and then add more.
Temperature Think Tropical
Worms are most comortable and will eat the most ood
waste when the bedding is 70F to 80F. The bin slows
down around 45F, and worms can reeze at 30F.
Who Else Lives in the Worm Bin?
Your worms need other critters or a healthy home.
GOOD NEIGHBORS INCLUDE:
bacteria
ungi
protozoa
microarthropods
springtails
mites
WhichWormsAretheRightWorms?
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3
You might also see small numbers o ruit fies and sowbugs in your bin. They might be annoying, but theyre
harmless, and theyll come and go depending on the
conditions in your bin. When conditions are good,
the worms and their neighbors will be hard at work
decomposing what you add. In our northern temperate
climate, unriendly neighbors are rare. Keeping a small
worm bin in your home is sae and sanitary. I you suspect
the worms are crowded, check out the troubleshooting
tips included later. Balance will make your bin a success!
Tips Check or and remove excess moisture that may collect
in the bottom o your bin. Excess moisture is especially
common in plastic bins. Standing liquid may promote
the growth o anaerobes (organisms that do not need
oxygen). Their by-products can smell and are not good
or plants.
Wooden bins breathe and will experience more
drying than plastic bins, especially in drier climates, and
may require occasional rewetting.
Stink is a sign that not enough oxygen is reaching
part or all o the worm bin system. Very wet or
compacted ood waste and/or bedding will create bad
odors. To solve stink, stir the bin contents, add more
dry bedding, and reduce the amount and requency
o eedings.
BalancingAct:MoistureandAir
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4
Red wigglers may not sleep in beds, but we set up their binwith lots o bedding or them to live in and snack on, too!
What Kind of Bedding?
GOOD BEDDING INCLUDES:
white paper
newspaper (no glossy or colored ink pages)
cardboard (without adhesives)
toilet paper tubes
brown leaves
straw
coconut husk ber (coir)
Shred all paper and cardboard into small pieces beore
using. Mixing types o bedding is great. Dampen the
bedding and add it to the bin. The bedding should have
the dampness o a wrung-out sponge.
How Much Bedding?
Formulas exist to calculate the amount o bedding needed
based on how many worms you have and the size o your
bin. Generally, the more bedding the better.
Fill your container one-hal to two-thirds ull o bedding
when you rst begin your bin.
Add a handul o dirt or sand as well as some crushed
eggshells. Worms dont have teeth to grind their
ood, so they need to eat this grit to help their gizzard
grind. The eggshells also help keep the bedding rom
becoming too acidic. Add new crushed eggshells
each week.
Add your red wigglers and watch them get comortable
in their new home. They will burrow into the bedding
in search o the dark, moist places.
Dont eed your worms right away! Let them settle
in or a ew days. Add small amounts o bland ood
scraps the rst ew weeks. Lettuce, apples, eggshells
and banana peels are good choices. Wait a ew weeks
to add stronger-smelling ood like broccoli and onions.
Youll know theyre eating when the scraps begin to
disappear and you see the rst signs o worm poop! In
the beginning, the poop, or castings, will resemble light
brown coee grounds. In a ew months, the castings
will turn darker shades o brown.
Bedding:MakingYourWormsComy
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A Balanced Diet
Collect ood scraps in a reusable pail or other container;
worms like tea bags, coee grounds and lters, vegetable
and ruit scraps, and bread. Discard meat scraps, bones,
dairy products and garlic or potato peelings, as these will
attract insects and may cause stink.
When the pail is ull, chop the ood waste and bury it in
the bin. Pull aside the bedding and bury the ood waste
deeply, covering it with bedding again. Start at one end o
the bin and add ood waste systematically to a new sectioneach time, until you work back to the original site.
I there is still a lot o uneaten ood in the rst location,
the worms need time to catch up. Wait a ew days to add
more scraps.
Your red wigglers will be a cinch to look ater; they
dont need to be ed on a regular schedule, theyre quiet,
and you dont need to look or a worm-sitter i you go
on vacation!
WhattoFeedYourWorms
Worms Like:
coee grounds and tea bags
ruit
vegetable peelings cereals (oats, barley and corn)
annual weeds (not seed heads)
bread
green leaves
cow/horse manure
Worms Dont Like:
meat and sh
cheese
baked beans rice or pasta
cooked potatoes
grass in any quantity
weed seeds
diseased plant material
cat or dog poop
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There is no wrong way to harvest your bin; many methods
and techniques exist. The technique to use is best chosen
by what you want ater harvesting the bin. Do you want
the worms or shing? Is your goal to have as much
compost or your plants as possible?
Iyouwanttobeveryhands-onwithyourbinand
keepyourwormsorcomposting,theDump and Sort
Methodisagoodoption.
Iyoudontmindwaitingoryourrewards,theSplitHarvesting Methodmightberightoryou.
It is important to remember that removing castings (poop)
rom the box will be necessary or the health o your
ecosystem. Excess castings can create a toxic environment
or the worms. Worms preer bedding to poop.
Dump and Sort Method
MATERIALS NEEDED:
Onesmallplasticsheet
Lightsource(sunlightorbrightoverheadfuorescent)
1. Prepare resh bedding or your worms.
2. Empty the contents o your container onto the
plastic sheet in one large pile or a series o smaller
cone-shaped piles.
3. Add resh bedding to the container. This is a great time
to wash out your bin, but stay away rom harsh
chemicals. Vinegar and warm water work very well.
4. Position the light source over the casting pile.
The worms will move down into the castings.
5. Careully pick the castings rom the pile(s) in layers,
working toward the bottom center o the each pile.
Place castings in a separate container. Keep on the
lookout or cocoons (worm eggs) and very young,
small worms. Make sure to add these back to the
reshly bedded bin.
6. Continue sorting until there is only a small pile o
castings with worms beneath it.
7. Add this pile and worms to the resh bedding
in the bin.
8. Use the harvested castings or a horticulture project.
HarvestingYourGold
* Believe it or not, all native worm species were removed romour local soil (in the Great Lakes region) during the last glacial
period. None o the earthworms you might be amiliar with
are native to our local ecosystems, which have evolved or over
11,000 years without the presence o worms. Do not release
your worms into any orested or other natural area, as they may
disrupt or damage the ecosystem.
* Worms are okay in your garden, unless you live next to a orest
or river. Worms dont move very quickly on their own, but
humans have helped them spread to areas where they are
rapidly altering and creating imbalances in orest ecosystems.
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Split Harvesting MethodOPTION 1:
Iyoudontwanttobehands-onwithharvesting
1. Simply split your bin by adding two-thirds o the
castings (worms and all) directly to your garden.
2. Add the remaining one-third to your resh bedding.
This will inoculate the bedding with the microscopic
neighbors rom your existing bin and provide some
worms to get you going again, but it depletes your
worm population or awhile.
OPTION 2:
Iyoudontwanttorisklosinganyoyour
redwigglers
1. Dont eed the worms or a ew days.
2. Move all the castings and worms to one side o the bin.
3. Add resh bedding to the empty area, moisten the
bedding, add eggshells and then bury ood in the new
bedding. The worms will start to move to the new
bedding to eed.4. In about a month, you can remove the worm castings
rom the older bedding and use them in your garden.
When you remove them, you may need to add some
more bedding.
a.k.a.WormPoop
A wise person once saidThe best way to ertilize
is do it weakly weekly.
Using Your Castings in a Horticulture Project: Worm Poop to Feed Your Plants
OPTION 1
Sprinkle resh castings directly on the soil or add pinches o poop when potting plants.
A small amount near your newly planted seeds will help them grow.
OPTION 2
Add 1 tablespoon o resh castings to 2 cups o warm unchlorinated water.
Shake or stir mixture or one minute. Pour directly on soil to eed your plants.
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When you have: What may be happening: What you can do:
ODOR exposed ood cover ood scraps with bedding
too much moisture add dry bedding; reduce the amount o ood
placed in the bin; avoid adding ood with a high
percentage o water (such as melons)
not enough oxygen add dry bedding; mix bin contents daily; be sure
bin is adequately ventilated with holes
ood in bin is naturally
odorous; onion, broccoli
avoid oods that smell unpleasant when they
decompose; dont add meat, bones, dairy, or oil
products to the bin because these become rancid
when decomposing
DISAPPEARINGWORMS bin is too wet;
worms are drowning
dont panic; add dry bedding; avoid adding oods
with high water content
dead worms decompose rather
quickly; i you dont monitor these
bin is too dry;
worms are drying out
lightly moisten bedding; add moist oods
conditions, you can have a bin with
no worms beore you realize it not enough air;
worms are suocating
mix bin contents to aerate; be sure bin is
adequately ventilated with holes
not enough ood add ood
bin is too hot or too cold keep bin in a location where it will be between
50F and 80F
an overabundance o mites remove any ood that has a congregation
o mites
FRUITFLIES exposed ood bury ood under bedding material; cover the
contents with a dry sheet o newspaper
i ruit fies become a problem,
you can try using fypaper traps
or make your own ruit fy trap*;
too much moisture avoid overeeding; add dry bedding
housefies should not be attracted
to your worm bin i you cover the
ood scraps with bedding material
ruit fy eggs in ood scraps wash all ruits and peels even those you
remove beore eating, such as bananas and
citrus to remove any ruit fy eggs
WormWorries:Troubleshooting
* Make your own ruit fy trap by leaving out a cup o wine or beer. This will attract and drown these unwanted houseguests.
Flypaper can also be used on or near your bin.
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Date Food Added to Bin Action Taken Observations
01/01 1 banana peel cover ood scraps with bedding lots o babies and eggpods
Worm-CareLog
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Resources
Where to Get WormsFind a friend with extra worms.
Order Locally (if you can)
Soil Exchange Inc.
2307 Colby Dr.
McHenry, IL 60050
Dean Allen 815-483-6046
$15 a pound or red wigglers, plus shipping
Order On Line
www.composters.com
They order rom the grower closest to you.
About WormsRecommended Book
Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Appelho
www.wormwoman.com
Posters and Other Materials
The Illinois Sustainable Education Project (ISTEP)
Shedd Contact
John G. Shedd Aquarium
Conservation Department
1200 South Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60605