Question about worm compost

Microbeman · Jan 21, 2019

Mate Dave said:
https://www.researchgate.net/figure...8-days-of-drought-The-left-pot_fig6_322644078

I was gonna post this over in my thread because I though it interesting to have a pot as an experiment. See if I need make any more..

Dave; I'm not sure how this correlates to my statement, however I do think there is benefit to adding small char pieces to a worm bin/pile. I need to point out that it appears the authors of the article you linked have glossed over the contribution of carbon to the atmosphere from wood burning and subsequent effecting of global climate changes. Atmospheric quality is exactly the reason wood burning is regulated in many areas. When making char one should use a good design so as to minimize this contribution. A very hot oxygen deprived fire is essential. [IMO]

https://www.atmos-meas-tech.net/4/1409/2011/amt-4-1409-2011.pdf

Big Nasty · Jan 21, 2019

h.h. said:
I think everything benefits from being in the bin.
As MM says not much transformative influence over rock, however they do get nicely coated.
Takes up a good bit of room. Basically what you end up with is a bin full of soil with worms in it.
That means I have to have twice the amount of soil, if I'm going to grow concurrently.

Initially for me this worked. I swore by it. Everything in the bin.
As I progressed I went with just a simple bin for teas and topdress.

That's the purpose,to have everything well mixed and mineralized,evenly distributed and self-adjusted with a little help from the worms

Maybe it's just overkill and speculation but i'd like to replicate what happens naturally in soil over time.
For big operations it could be a pita but i want to grow just 4-5 plants indoor.

Microbeman · Jan 21, 2019

Then you need earthworms rather than composting worms. Maybe you do. Yup you do...just checked.

Big Nasty · Jan 21, 2019

Yes MM,earthworms aren't the best option for composting but they do a great job to improve the soil,i thought a mix of the two is better.

Mate Dave · Jan 21, 2019

Microbeman said:
Dave; I'm not sure how this correlates to my statement, however I do think there is benefit to adding small char pieces to a worm bin/pile. I need to point out that it appears the authors of the article you linked have glossed over the contribution of carbon to the atmosphere from wood burning and subsequent effecting of global climate changes. Atmospheric quality is exactly the reason wood burning is regulated in many areas. When making char one should use a good design so as to minimize this contribution. A very hot oxygen deprived fire is essential. [IMO]

https://www.atmos-meas-tech.net/4/1409/2011/amt-4-1409-2011.pdf

I wasn't pulling you up on anything, I have 0 experience with using art making char. I made mine in my bread oven. I was curious with the research paper test because it is with a species I have an ongoing friendship with the Bermuda grass & I wanted to see if the biochar is worth me adding. I would think shredding & getting it back into the dirt would be the best way to use char that and germination of seeds with various fire associated dormancy.

I have pulled up a tuft of the Bermuda grass & will grow some in a pot of the char mix & non char mix as an experiment to get the last vestiges of water before wilting & simulate there experiment..

Microbeman · Jan 21, 2019

Mate Dave said:
I wasn't pulling you up on anything, I have 0 experience with using art making char. I made mine in my bread oven. I was curious with the research paper test because it is with a species I have an ongoing friendship with the Bermuda grass & I wanted to see if the biochar is worth me adding. I would think shredding & getting it back into the dirt would be the best way to use char that and germination of seeds with various fire associated dormancy.

I have pulled up a tuft of the Bermuda grass & will grow some in a pot of the char mix & non char mix as an experiment to get the last vestiges of water before wilting & simulate there experiment..

We went to great lengths to build a giant char maker and we did have success using the biochar. We found the pine/fir shavings very much outperformed hardwoods. There are several studies which came to the same conclusion.
Alas, I was dissatisfied with how long it took to get the fire hot enough to reduce emissions. Later I discovered a much better design which I believe I posted a youtube video of in this forum.

Here is the burner almost emitting clean consumed fumes

and then fully consumed

Here are the shavings we used

Microbeman · Jan 21, 2019

Here is that video; simple, elegant, efficient

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqkWYM7rYpU

Big Nasty · Jan 21, 2019

Amazing MM,how did you charge all that stuff?are you still using biochar?

h.h. · Jan 21, 2019

I look at the char ovens, but I'd probably burn the neighbors house down and not mine.
Pisses them off every time.

Microbeman · Jan 21, 2019

Big Nasty said:
Amazing MM,how did you charge all that stuff?are you still using biochar?

We charged it with compost tea. We placed a metal barrel with holes in the bottom onto the pile of compost soil mix beside the burner, filled it with char and pumped 50 gallons of ACT into it. The ACT slowly perked out the bottom so sucked air as it went, aerating while charging. The ACT then leached into the pile, serving a dual purpose.

I only have a little yard now where I am but have just opted in on a small farm. If I can find shavings...

h.h. · Jan 22, 2019

Do you think these can be scaled down effectively?
I live on the front range.
Dry grass and high winds.
Even with extreme precaution, folks would be getting excited.

Have you worked with anything other than wood?
Weeds?
Could I recycle my dog waste that way?
It would kill any pathagens bring it value.
Good luck on your land. Get farmin'.

Microbeman · Jan 22, 2019

h.h. said:
Do you think these can be scaled down effectively?
I live on the front range.
Dry grass and high winds.
Even with extreme precaution, folks would be getting excited.

Have you worked with anything other than wood?
Weeds?
Could I recycle my dog waste that way?
It would kill any pathagens bring it value.
Good luck on your land. Get farmin'.

You should be fine using the smaller ones in the youtube video.
Only wood but people use some other materials.
I don't know about dog poo. I'm going to try it with worms.

h.h. · Jan 22, 2019

I use a marine char made from ocean products.
It would be fun to play around with using local waste products.

h.h. · Jan 22, 2019

My experience with the whole soil compost worm thing has been mixed.
I used 100/gallon smart pots along with varieties of top and bottom and bottom feeding worms.
I'll probably use it come spring.
I had it in the basement, but it attracted mice like crazy.
I've move it all a couple of times.

In the mean time I wasn't growing.
So I threw together some soil to use.

Now I'm set up with a bunch of extra soil.
I'll make it all work.
Just a bit of a PITA.
Simpilist is best. At least for me.

Charge your char.
I did EM-1 fermentations, adding it at the end.
I used zeolite, pumice, so I threw that in too.
I've used ACT in the past.
Whatever you have.

Earthworms will go deeper than compost worms.

I watched an outdoor operation with compost worms that worked well.

There was carpenter wire around the whole thing for shade and to keep the birds out.
They would put down a layer of horse manure at the end of the season and tarp it. The worms would go crazy. All tiny compost worms.
They would plant about 6 months later.
Worked very well.

I think magnesium build up over the years from the horse shit.
We used gysum and irrigated it which seemed to help.

Big Nasty · Feb 11, 2019

So the germination test i'm doing gives positive results.I used the pure vermicompost not even strained and saw no burn even on seedling,this fact makes me want to reconsider the % to use during the real grow,i think i'm not going to add less than 50%,now this compost has a good drainage and aeration(i tried to water twice a day with no ill effects)but it obviously lacks the softer part.

h.h. · Feb 11, 2019

I would be hesitent to call it vermicompost as it doesnt appear to be pure worm droppings.
More like compost out of the worm bin.
Seedlings look good. Maybe a wee bit yellow. Maybe not.

Big Nasty · Feb 11, 2019

h.h. said:
I would be hesitent to call it vermicompost as it doesnt appear to be pure worm droppings.
More like compost out of the worm bin.
Seedlings look good. Maybe a wee bit yellow. Maybe not.

You're right h.h.,it's actually more similar to the soil in my garden than to vermicompost so let's call it "fake soil"

as it's intended to be and there is stuff that can not be eaten by worms,i'm just too busy to remove it now.

h.h. · Feb 11, 2019

I call it soil.
Looks pretty good.
Maybe a sprinkling of Epsoma.

Easy7 · Feb 12, 2019

Just cannot spend the money on a compost bin yet. Or even build on. I throw a lot of good trash out sometimes. Those bins gets pricey.

I'd like a double bin because they get to be different ages of decomposition. Gotta be careful with what food gets thrown outside with the critters (coyote, rabbit, deer, groundhog and some other unidentified tracks).

Working well (real good) with goat manure. Purchased a bunch of seed today (veggies and basil).

Teddybrae · Feb 12, 2019

I see you talking about Char ....

White man has been using fire to destroy the native vegetation in Australia for a while now. After piling up grass and leaves and sticks around the trunk of a grand old tree ... and prior to striking the match they say: "This should knock her back a bit".

There is Char in the soil pretty well wherever white man has been . And there are wildfires here too. Nature is on the back foot!

Question about worm compost

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