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Vermicomposting in the home 3 31-2020
- 1. Composting in the home garden- Closing the loop. Bart Renner, North Carolina Cooperative Extension
- 2. What is vermicomposting??? • The process of composting with worms. What is vermiculture??? • The process of breeding worms.
- 3. Why “close the loop”? • Last year we threw away about 60 million TONS of food. ($160 billion) • At least 12% of municipal waste is food. • Spend $1 billion to dispose of food waste • The average American throws away 209- 245lbs of food per year. • If we wasted 5% less each year we could feed 4,000,000 Americans. • Landfills account for about 1/3 of all methane emissions in the air. Source: http://atozsolutions.com/21-shocking-u-s-food-waste-facts-statistics-infographic/ http://endhunger.org/food_waste.htm
- 4. Compost first if you can • 3’X3’X3” minimum size pile • Need balance for proper chemistry: 2/3 brown, 1/3 green, air, water.
- 5. • Minimum of 131 degrees for 3 days • Stir every 7 days Compost first if you can
- 6. Composting basics • Make sure compost is not near house/ wood structure • Good drainage- don’t want anaerobic conditions • Good Structure • Layers 4-6” thick carbons and nitrogen • Plenty of moisture
- 9. Keep critters and varmints away!
- 10. Benefits of using worms • Divert food waste from the landfill • Create a rich planting material • Reduce pathogen/ bacterial load in compost • Worth $25-30/ lb • Fishing bait! • Chicken food • Great educational project for kids
- 12. Can any type of earthworm be used for vermicomposting?
- 14. How do earthworms eat?
- 15. Do earthworms have eyes?
- 17. How do earthworms breathe?
- 20. How many Eisenia fetida do I need to start a worm bin? • You should start with at least 1,000, which will weigh about one pound.
- 21. How much should I feed my worms? • Eats about 30% its body weight every day
- 22. Finding the right worm bin
- 23. Worms need a good home!
- 24. Worm bins I don’t like…
- 25. What should I feed them? http://www.naturesfootprint.com/what-to-feed-worms https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ1FnOUyqECYX1QmgaMFFVfuB9LYHtssun6USSVLlW8k6dlVnpL
- 27. Worm Casting tea
- 28. Be careful! • Wet yard clippings, manure with hay, too much food waste can heat up too much. • Non ruminant manures are not recommended directly into the bin. • No meat • Citrus, pasta, bread, onion, garlic, black walnut, eucalyptus
- 29. Taking care of your worms • Make sure they are actively eating what you’ve already added before adding more. • Needs about a foot of material, but no more than a inch of scraps • Between 60-85 degrees. • 70-80% moisture in material • 30:1 C:N ratio
- 31. Master Gardeners can help!!!
- 32. Tips • Plan ahead! Do your research! • Where are you going to put them? • How will you keep them warm/ cool? • Who is going to take care of them? • Dive in! Do it!
- 33. Get involved! • Great project for parents and kids at home. • Great project for camps • Schools • Municipal waste project? • Where else?
Editor's Notes
- Only epigeic species are suitable for vermicomposting. Aren’t all earthworms the same? No, there are over 9,000 species of earthworms, ranging in size from half an inch to 22 feet long. Undoubtedly the most common species of worm used for composting is Eisenia fetida – the ‘Red Wiggler’ worm, also known as Red Worms, Brandling Worms, Manure Worms, and Tiger Worms (among others). This worm can vary widely in terms of coloration and size, which helps to explain why there are so many common names. This also highlights the important of using scientific names! This species is incredibly versatile – it has a temperature tolerance ranging from 0C (32F) to 35C (95F), is a prolific breeder, and will readily feed on a wide range of organic waste materials (more specifically, on the microorganisms inhabiting the material, but we’ll chat more about that further down). Another species of worm used for worm composting (especially overseas), and one that is becoming much more popular here in North America, is Eisenia hortensis – the ‘European Nightcrawler’, also known as Belgian Nightcrawlers, ENCs, and Euros. This species is a larger relative of Eisenia fetida and has similar preferences and requirements. Interestingly enough, this is a species that has been viewed by researchers as inferior to the Red Worm in a lot of ways. It reportedly has a much lower reproductive rate, is slow to mature, and is not as effective at converting wastes into vermicompost. Many worm farmers (and others who have raised them) tend to disagree however, saying they are just as good or better. Based on my experience thus far with keeping this species I would tend to agree. I’ve found them to be a very tolerant and durable worm (more so that Reds in my opinion), active breeders, and quite effective when it comes to processing wastes. I’m hoping to test them head-to-head with Red Worms in the near future. Aside from these two commonly used species, there are a handful of other worms used for vermicomposting as well. Generally, they are tropical worms and just don’t have the versatility (for a number of reasons) that the above-mentioned species do – especially not in cooler regions of the world. Just so you know, two commonly used tropical species are Eudrilus eugeniae (the African Nightcrawler) and Perionyx excavatus (the Malaysian Blue Worm).
- Sucking mouth parts with crop and gizzrd Breath through skin Sensitive to light Not tunnelers (like ground worms).
- They have tiny mouths and no teeth, so earthworms eat differently than you and I. An earthworm will push its pharynx (throat) out, grab microorganisms and little bits of organic matter, and pull them into it’s mouth. The food is coated with saliva, pushed down the esophagus into the crop and on to the gizzard, where it is crushed and ground apart. Next, it moves into the intestine, where food is broken down more by digestive enzymes. Some of the food is passed into the bloodstream for use by the earthworm and the rest passes out the anus as castings (worm poop).
- No, instead they have receptor cells that are sensitive to light and touch. These cells allow earthworms to detect different intensities of light and to feel vibrations. They will move away from light, if they can. If earthworms are exposed to light for too long (about an hour), they will become paralyzed and die when their skin dries out. Tug of worm
- Instead of noses, earthworms have chemoreceptors in the anterior region that react to chemicals. Worms are hermaphroditic
- They do not have lungs; instead, they breathe through their skin. Their skin needs to stay moist to allow the passage of dissolved oxygen into their bloodstream. They coat their skin with mucus and need to live in a humid, moist environment.
- There are over 6,000 species of earthworms, ranging in size from half an inch to 22 feet long. seven species have been identified as suitable for vermicomposting. One species, Eisenia fetida, is used by most people throughout the world.