worm bin + coco bedding

[captain.koons]

Does anyone use coco as bedding?

I just harvested a bunch of worms today to start 2 new bins and only had enough news paper for one bin so I used coco in the other.

Is it a suitable bedding? I hardly ever see it used.

Thanks!

 

[Clackamas Coot]

Does anyone use coco as bedding?

I just harvested a bunch of worms today to start 2 new bins and only had enough news paper for one bin so I used coco in the other.

Is it a suitable bedding? I hardly ever see it used.

Thanks!

captain.koons

Coconut coir is widely used in commercial worm bins as well has home bins for a number of reasons with coir's PH being one major factor and it's ability to hold an almost perfect air-water ratio which is important in maintaining a healthy worm bin.

Here's a partial list of articles at WormDigest.com on using coconut coir. Google.com or another general search engine should give you hundred and hundreds of articles on using coir for worm bins.

You might want to do a search on adding a good calcium source (I used crushed oyster shells) as calcium is needed by worms to maximize reproduction and general health. Some people used crushed egg shells and other sources.

WormDigest.org is a good place to get information on being a 'worm wrangler'

HTH

CC

 

[captain.koons]

Excellent, I will need to look into a calcium source then. I just started the bin.. I'll probably get some crushed oyster shells or coral or something.

Thanks!

 

[maryjohn]

regular old limestone is what I use, other than crushed eggshells. Don't overdo it!

For the eggshells, keep a bag in you freezer that is the shell bag. When it has a good number (your definition), go over it with a rolling pin. Voilà!

 

[Organic Rooster]

I use about 95% coco and the other 5% is soiled newpapers from my parrots cage. I have a food processor strictly for my worm bin. I like throwing the egg shells into that thing and get them chopped up as small as possible. I do that with everything I throw in there so it speeds up the process.

 

[habeeb]

the top of this page has some info for worms:

http://www.growfaq.net/growfaq/GrowFAQ Basic Topics.htm

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=60422

 

[captain.koons]

Interesting, maybe I'll try a composted manure feeding.. I have several bags of composted cow manure... which is basically grass/mushroom substrate most of the time

 

[captain.koons]

can anyone advise me on feeding composted manure? I don't want to overload my worms but I want to feed them well. I mixed in a bunch into the coco because I wanted to be safe I figure it will be gone for the most part in a week because it wasn't much.

Basically I don't want hot spots from composting.. do I mix it in or do I just make smaller piles?

 

[maryjohn]

I never mix up food and bedding, but rather bury food in bedding. I like to give the wormies a chance to choose where they want to be by offering varied territory.

Not sure I would feed composted manure to an indoor worm bin, since composted manure is ready to use as is. In a manure pile outdoors, you find tons of red worms though.

If this is a new bin, you are thinking backwards. Beware of overfeeding, and don't worry about leaving for a week. Start feeding scraps very slowly to avoid sour bin.

 

[captain.koons]

ive just got a lot of manure and precomposted food = good for worms?

 

[quadracer]

Horse manure is a common food in large scale worm farms. The worms love it and really thrive. However it can produce somewhat bland castings.

Ideally you want to have a nice mix of materials. Horse manure can definitely be used as well, but it is important to consider the source. If the animal has been recently de-wormed, it can kill all your wormies in the bin.

It's best to let the manure chill for 90 days if you are unsure then use it.

Don't "dump and run," meaning leave the food scraps on the top. This will cause a lot of flies in the bin. Instead mix the food in the bedding, and the worms will eat what they want when they want.

 

[captain.koons]

My cow manure is 2 yrs old + composted before retail. I got many many bags of it.

My horse manure is as old as 20 years, and all from free grazing horses.

Thanks for the info!

 

[Clackamas Coot]

captain.koons

A couple of questions might be helpful in answering some of your questions.

1. How big of a bin are you planning to start with?

2. How many lbs. of worms can you afford to start with @ $20.00+ per lb. - that's the current price around here. When you can find someone with enough to sell that is.

3. Have you considered starting with cocoons vs. live worms? It's far less expensive going that route than buying pounds of worms. Or do both.

4. Do you know any produce managers at some of the local grocery stores? Especially the stores that handle organic produce. They have to pay to have food items removed from their facilities and if you set up a specific day and time, it's been my experience that they'll work with you.

5. Do you have any farm or feed stores in the area? I'm thinking of straw, alfalfa, etc. scraps that they sweep-up and throw away. They'll give you all that you want if you, again, set up a weekly stop and take care of business.

6. Dairy operations provide all the manure you can use. An average milk-producing cow provides about 85 lbs. per day of manure and you don't have the big issue with worming as you do with horse manure.

7. Do you know anyone with a few chickens? Their spent bedding is a great addition to a worm bin.

Just a couple of thoughts and questions.

CC

 

[captain.koons]

the suppliers I know of sell worms only and they`re 35 or 45$ for 1lb shipped

I`m just going to use my own supply, my bins are indoor so im just using rubber totes for now. I have about 5-8 lbs of worms in my 3 bins atm.

Currently I have a good food supply, I`m going to make some scheduled pickups for coffee grounds (When I was growing mushrooms I`d pick up about 12 garbage bags a week from this one starbucks-I still talk to one of the employees) and I know some restaurant owners so I don`t need more till I expand... Those sound like excellent sources if I ever do expand. I`m not sure if I will though because I live in Canada so I gotta stay indoors.

 

[Clackamas Coot]

captain.koons

Starbucks is cool about supporting 'worm wranglers' from my experience as well. Especially the independent Starbucks' stores.

Indoors is kewl - I keep my worm bins in one of our barns/sheds with bedding heaters to keep them active through the winter with great success.

If you decide to get into 'bokashi composting' you'll finds other sources of food items for your worm bins that are out of the norm, i.e. fish bones, raw chicken bones, yogurt culture, et al.

It's a fun project and well worth your time and effort, IMHO

If I could make one small suggestion based on personal experience and that is to include both 'red wigglers' as well as 'European nightcrawlers' to the worm colony mix. It's been my personal experience that you'll end up with a better EWC by including both.

I got that from a semi-professional worm/EWC operation over in Camas, Washington across the Columbia River. He had the nicest EWC's that I've ever purchased.

HTH

CC

 

[captain.koons]

I can get some European baitworms one lb is 47$, 10lbs saves u 5$ a lb.

I don't know the actual name of them but those would be useful for fishing and feeding to my fish and turtles. I try feeding them red wrigglers but those suckers arent that big... My flowerhorn eats a couple dozen every couple of days.

 

[Clackamas Coot]

captain.koons

Try these guys for worm cocoons - link

Good folks. Good prices. High-quality cocoons.

Keep in mind that each cocoon produces, on average, 3.3 worms each. After 5 or 6 weeks you should have about 3 lbs. of worms for each 1,000 cocoon purchase.

CC

 

[captain.koons]

1cacoon = 20 baby worms?

Thanks for the link! I'll get some when my bins are a bit more established.

I'm also not sure if worms or cacoons would clear customs I'm Canadian.

 

[Organic Rooster]

Here's a site about vermicomposting. http://www.besmart.org/hazwaste/resident/leaves/vermicomposting.html At the bottom of the page there are many useful sites about worming.

 

[maryjohn]

I first learned about worm composting many moons ago in Vancouver, so you should be able to find them easily in Canada. Lots of people are doing it. They are in Canadian manure piles just like American ones too.