The document discusses vermicomposting and provides information about: 1) The purposes of vermicomposting including improving agriculture productivity, creating clean and green cities, and replicating traditional composting. 2) Requirements for vermicomposting including space, bedding materials, biodegradable waste, earthworms, cover, and water. 3) Common earthworm species used for vermicomposting like Eisenia fetida due to its good reproductive and digestive potential and adaptation.

1. Concise Vermicomposting
Training(CVT)
Nepal Science Foundation Trust(NSFT)
Non-Resident Nepali Association(NRNA)
January 29 2016
Innovation hub, FNCCI building, Teku

2. Purposes
 Agriculture productivity
 Clean and green city
 Replication to traditional composting
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3. Vermicast, also called worm castings or
worm manure, is the fecal matter of an
earthworm.
Vermicompost is the product or process
of composting using various worms,
usually red wigglers and other earthworms to
create a heterogeneous mixture of
decomposing vegetable or food waste and
vermicast.
This process of producing vermicompost is
called vermicomposting.
Vermiculture (rearing earthworms) is
actually an animal husbandry
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Ecological categories of Earthworm (Bouché 1977)
Epigeic Anecic Endogeic
Live Organic Litter Horizontal burrow Vertical
Feed Organic matter Soil + organic matter Soil + humus
(Phytophagous) (Geophytophagous) (Geophagous)
Discharge Holorganic feces Organomineral feces Organomineral
Example Eisenia Lampito Pheretima
Eudrilus
Perionyx
Epigeic worms are commonly used for vermicomposting.

5. EARTHWORMS SUITABLE FOR VERMICOMPOSTING
 Epigeic species of earthworms, with their natural ability to colonize
organic wastes
 High rates of consumption, digestion, and assimilation of organic matter
 Tolerance to a wide range of environmental factors
 Short life cycles
 High-reproductive rates
 Endurance and tolerance of handling
Only few earthworm species display all these characteristics: Eisenia andrei,
Eisenia fetida, Lumbricus rubelus, Perionyx excavatus, Eudrilus eugeniae,
Lampito mauritti
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6. 1 Cocoon
Per
worm
2 worms
in mating
A matured
worm
12 hatchlings
from a
cocoon
Life cycle
Of
Earthworm
Temperature 25oC
Moisture 75%
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7. Eisenia fetida
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8. Eisenia fetida is widely used due to
it’s :
1.Good reproductive potential
2.Good digestive potential
3.Good adaptation
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9. Perionyx excavatous
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10. Eudrilus eugeniae
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11. Lampito mauritii
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12. Lumbricus rubellus
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13. Requirements
Space and bin
Bedding materials
Biodegradable wastes
Earthworms
Cover
Water
Screening mesh
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14. Space with protection from direct sun light
and rain water is preferable.
Bin/Box
 Plastic bins and buckets
 Earthen pots
 Wooden boxes
 Styrofoam basket
Permanent RCC structure
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18. Bedding Materials
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19. Biodegradable wastes
 Kitchen scraps
 Cattle dung except dog and cat
 Waste papers
 Waste cotton clothes
 Farm weeds
Things to be avoided:
 Acidic materials like pickles, citrus, orange
etc.
 Excessive Garlic and onion
 Excessive Radish
 Meat products
 Milk products
 Alcoholic products
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20. Earthworms
 1 Kilogram worm for space of 1m length
and 1 m breadth
 1 Kilogram worms need ½ kilogram waste
per day.
 Vermizyme enzyme in mucus
Cover
 Jute sheet, paper, hay etc.
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21. Water
Water should be sprayed time by time to
prevent from making dry.
Spraying is necessary at dry season than at
rainy season
Screening mesh
 Mesh of size 1.5 mm is suitable.
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23. Method
 Selection of space and bin
 Holes at bin/drainage at pit
 Bedding: 3 inch of saw dust, rice bran, leaf litter,
hay etc. can be placed at bottom and water can be
sprayed.
 Waste and scraps can be laid above bedding.
 Suitable amount of worms can be placed at one
corner where they spread with time.
 Wet cover can be used to cover whole process.
 Wastes can be added with interval of 2 days.
 Wastes should not be given to worms for 1 week
before harvesting vermicompost.
 Vermicompost can be harvested after 3 months.
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25. Harvesting
 Heaping method
 News paper is laid down in the floor and
vermicompost in the bin is poured on the paper at
dusk time with dim light.
 The vermicompost is then made small heaps and left
for an hour.
 Whole worms settle down at bottom where compost at
upper surface can be removed.
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26. Sideway method
 Vermicompost is moved to one side and fresh
wastes is filled in space. This setup is left for 1
week where all the worms of vermicompost move
to fresh waste.
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27.  Enemies of worms
 Rats- Castanopsis spikes, cactus, traps etc.
 Mites- cattle urine, EM, Jeevatu
 Frogs
 Centipede, Millipede
 Birds
 Red ants- cattle urine, EM
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28.  Points to be remembered
 Waste in small size is better for worms.
 Vegetables may contain pesticide residue which may
affect worms. So it is better to give after 2 days of
storage.
 High moisture or low moisture can cause death of
worms.
 Place or bin should be free of sunlight and rain.
 Vermicompost should be harvested after 3 months and
should not exceed 3 months.
 Harvested compost can not be used immediately as
small worms and cocoons are present. So this compost
can be used after 3-4 weeks of harvesting.
 Fresh cattle dung can not be used which may harm
worm due to heat.
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29. Vermitea
Liquid formed during vermicomposting process
or liquid formed dissolving proportionate
amount of vermicompost in water is called
vermitea.
Vermitea can be used as liquid fertilizer and as
nutrient medium in Hydroponics and Aeroponics
system.
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30. Properties of Vermicompost
Physical properties
 Easily dissolved in water
 High porosity
 Fine particle size
 Grey and black in color
Chemical properties
pH :7.0 - 7.5
C:N ratio :12 -15:1
N :1.7- 2.5%
P :1.5 -2.25%
K :1.25-2.0%
Ca, Mg, SO4 :3.0-5.0 times better than FYM
Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu : 200-700 ppm
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31. Biological properties
Total bacterial count :more than 1010 (1 mg/L)
Actinomycetes, Fungi, Azotobacter, Rhizobium :Approx.102-106
(1 mg/L)
Method of enhancing quality of vermicompost
 Addition of concrete powders to increase
Phosphorus
 Addition of EM, Jeevatu to raise Nitrogen level and
microbial activity
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32. Multiple uses of earthworms
In piggery
In poultry
Fish meal
Human meal
Aquarium fish meal
Ethno zoological purposes like medicine for
wounds, mammary secretion facilitation, Asthma
etc.
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38. Thank You
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Shreeram Ghimire(9851154104)