More Red Worm Composting Tips
Heat and light:
Red worms prefer a shady, cool spot, and although they are hardy, they are susceptible to direct light.In direct light, red worms suffer undue stress and could even die from it, if they are unable to escape it.
Temperature:
Red worms compost best at a temperature of between 60 degreesand 85 degrees.
Oxygen:
A shallow container is best as it is much better to have more surface area than depth, as this allows for the oxygenation process throughout the bin and enables the worms to spread out more evenly within the bin. An elongated plastic container is much more effective than a deep cylindrical bucket, and a inexpensive container works just as well as a more expensive container, only requiring you to drill hole in the bottom, sides, and lid to allow for drainage and air exchange.A 1/8” drill bit makes adequate sized holes, but is small enough so that the worms cannot escape the container.
Note: If you have a large backyard, a shallow rectangular hole will work just fine. Once dug, just add the worms and bedding and watch it work.
Worm Bin Bedding:
Our compost manure is the best product to use for your red worms, as they are accustomed to eating it and living within it. This will ensure you low maintenance and provide the worms with fantastic vitality and life span. All you need to do is ensure that you water the material every few days so that it remains moist. You can also use aged straw, shredded cardboard, or old newspapers as healthy bedding materials following the formula of three cups soil for every two pounds of shredded paper product.
Water:
Do not over water! Your worms bedding mixture should be moist like a damp sponge, not soaking wet or soggy.When squeezed, without squishing the worms, only a couple droplets of water should be released. If you are using a smaller bin, you should add vegetable and fruit, citrus fruit especially, in moderation and starchy materials such as pasta, rice, potatoes, and breads would be best avoided altogether, especially if you are just learning about composting with red worms.
If you decide to add animal waste, be especially careful with poultry and rabbit waste, as you require lots of bedding to balance the heat of the wastage. If it is too hot, it will kill the worms.
Adding paper products is best done when adding any wet food wastage to the container as it provides a carbon-rich base and egg shells, coffee grounds, tea bags, when added are best ground up or spread out and added moderately.
Red Worms Do Not Like:
Human/pet waste, dairy, meat, oils, grease, harsh chemicals and non-biodegradable materials such as glass, metal, and plastics should be avoided as they cause the worms to malfunction, or die, and the container to stink.
Troubleshooting
If the worms leave their home in massive numbers it is an indication that the contents of the bin are incorrect. Modify the amount of food you are feeding your worms, the amount of water you are adding to the bin, or the amount of carbon-based volume you are adding – paper, straw, plant debris, green plant matter or urine.
Only add small amounts of food at any time, usually one to two cups works best in an average size bin and allow the worms to digest this before adding any more food to the bin. Allow food scraps to decompose a bit before adding them to the container and be sure to cover them with some bedding material, as the worms will like it better. This will also prevent attracting insects that will lay eggs in your bedding. If you add too much food at one time, the composting will generate too much heat and smoother your worms to death.
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