2. •Relies on hungry worms to break
down farm waste into a very nutrient
rich fertilizer for plants.
WORM COMPOSTING
•Casting are often called “Black
Gold”, looks like dark, rich coffee
grounds
•AUXIN – a naturally occurring growth
hormone is present in the casting
•Vermi castings contain more nutrients
than conventional compost
•Sanitary and odorless if done properly
3. ANC- “African Night Crawler” (Eudrilus
Euginae). A kilo of these worms can consume
a kilo of farm waste per day
WORM COMPOSTING
Started in the Philippines in the 1970’s.
They reproduce quickly under favorable
conditions, doubling their population in
month
4. ABOUT EARTHWORMS
African Night Crawler (Eudrilus Eugenae)
or referred to as the composting worm have
no scales and are soft bodied.
They feed on moist organic
materials that have been
decomposed by bacteria and other
microorganisms.
They breathe through their skin
with a mouth at the tip of their
anterior portion.
5. ABOUT EARTHWORMS
Most earthworms are
hermaphrodites (Have both male
and female sex organs)
The two worms as hermaphrodites
on copulation, are both capable of
producing offsprings. (Both become
pregnant)
6. ABOUT EARTHWORMS
The African Night crawler is capable of
breeding weekly and produces up to three
fertilized eggs per capsule.
Worms eat as much as their bodyweight per
day.
They can mature within a month, attain a
length more than 20 cm long and live for more
than a year.
7. FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT OUR WORMS
No RH Bill- They double their
population every month;
Hermaphrodites – when they mate, the
two worms will both become pregnant;
Voracious appetite-They can consume
as much as their body weight per day;
They breath through their skin
They shy away from light
They have 5 hearts
Very complex digestive system
Very efficient farm workers – works
24 hours without pay! All you need
to do is just to give them food.
8. Earthworm
# Very important macro-organism in the soil.
# Member of Phylum Annelida family(segmented worm)
# Class Lumbricus Teristis(150 segments)
# Like to stay in the dark moist places
# Soil with organic matter, and not too acidic and alkaline soil.
# Called ATERRESTRIAL Organism; outer part of the body is
permanently WET
9. WHAT CAN EARTHWORM DO?
• It can cultivate the soil.
• It wipes out pathogens(a disease carrier organism to
plants) that can be found in the organic matter.
• It helps in the faster decomposition of garbage through
a natural way.
• It produces one kind of fertilizer full of Organic Matter
called CASTING
10. Site SELECTION
Flood free
It must be shaded (earthworms shy
away from strong light)
Accessible to water supply and
source of compost material
Well ventilated
27. STOCK FILLING OF SUBSTRATE
Sandwich: stock with 2-inch layer alternating
substrate. Water every layer with
EMAS(Dilution rate: 10ml EMAS for every liter
of water)
29. SELECTION OF RAW MATERIALS
Market waste/Farm waste/Kitchen waste
CONSIDER THE SOURCES OF MATERIALS
Identify materials rich in nitrogen
•All legumes
•Ipil-Ipil
•Duckweed
•azolla
•Wild Sunflower
•Katuray
•Peanut
•Sea weeds
•Vegetable Peels
•All animal
manure
except dog
and cat.
Livestock manure/Leguminous plants
30. Identify materials rich in carbon:
Size and kind of materials:
Materials readily available in forms (decomposed kitchen waste, EM Kitchen
garbage, cow and carabao manure, paper shreds and other biodegradable
materials.
Grass
Rice Straw
Corn Stalks
Wood
•Small material sizes are more favorable. Shredded materials decompose
more easily.
•Easily composted materials like banana leaves, stalks and fruit peelings
Saw dust (from non treated wood)
Coco dust(from non treated wood)
Paper
SELECTION OF RAW MATERIALS
31. BY VOLUME RATIO
50% animal manure and 50% farm waste
50% nitrogen rich plant and 50% grasses or farm waste
34. Anaerobic Stage
.
Leave for 2 weeks
AFTER PREPARING THE SUBSTRATE IN A SANDWICH TYPE STOCK
FILLING
Spray or drench EM/IMO at a
rate of 1:100
Cover the bin with laminated
sack or used tarpaulin
35. Aerobic Stage
Remove the plastic covering
Deploy the worms
The earthworms will start to feed on the
substrate.
Maintain optimum moisture
Cover with net or leaves
36. Maintenance Of Worm Bin
Squeeze a fistful of
substrate, five to seven
drops of water indicates
about 80% MC
TEST THE MOISTURE CONTENT
37. Maintenance Of Worm Bin
Birds, chickens, frogs
PROTECT YOUR WORMS FROM NATURAL
PREDATORS
mice, snakes,
flatworms and even
pigs love to eat worms
38. Maintenance Of Worm Bin
PROTECT YOUR WORMS FROM NATURAL
PREDATORS
Ants do not eat worms
but they can kill your
population if left
unattended.
39. UNWANTED MATERIALS IN THE
PILE
Meat scraps- these can attract unwanted animal visitors
and create unpleasant odors. Rotten meat may produce
bacteria that can pose health hazard.
Fats, oils and grease- large amounts of these will give
your microbes indigestion slowing down composting
process. It also attracts unwanted pests.
40. UNWANTED MATERIALS IN THE
PILE
Droppings from caged
birds- Bird droppings may
contain dangerous disease
pathogens.
42. Human waste: The potential
for spreading diseases.
Unsanitary.
UNWANTED MATERIALS IN THE
PILE
Diseased plants: disease
could spread later when
compost is applied to the
plants
43. Harvesting
Manual Pick- Pick the worms
by hand and transfer them
to a new worm bed. The
vermi-compost may be
allowed to dry in the shade
for few days and sifted, if
finer compost is desired.
44. Harvesting
Pyramid method- In the shade, put
the vermi-compost in such a
manner that it looks like a
pyramid. After a day,
vermicompost can be harvested
at the top part easily since this will
drive the worms to settle at the
bottom of the pile. When you
reach the bottom pile, you can
extract the worms manually.
45. Harvesting
Migration-Move the contents of
the whole bed to one side. Fill
the empty half with new
substrate. Allow the worms to
move freely to the new food.
Harvest the castings left by the
worms.
46. Harvesting
Top Harvest Method is our favorite
method of harvesting vermicast
Vermi castings (earthworm manure) look
like dark, rich coffee grounds. They can be
collected using:
47. Vermi Compost Screener
Vermicompost can immediately be used after harvest. A 3/16” mesh wire is
recommended to separate pure vermicompost from the remaining substrate.
49. DRYING AND STORAGE
•Dry the vermi-compost by
air, under shades only.
Exposing organic fertilizer to
the sun will lose it’s nitrogen
content.
•Vermi compost can be
stored at 30% MC in plastic
bags. Store in cool place
away from direct sunlight.
