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Here's some pages with great information about Worms & Vermiculture. The articles presented here have been collected from various sources as well as documenting our own experience. We have done our best to credit the original author. Some information presented will take you an external link. Anyone who's really interested in learning about vermiculture, will find these articles a valuable source of information. Remember, Help Contribute to Global Worming! Click on the TITLE to go to the article. Composting is the age old method of turning waste materials into humus, which will lighten and enrich your soil. Sir Albert Howard, doing research in India, developed the Indore method of layered composting.
Common name: land planarians Scientific name: Bipalium kewense Moseley and Dolichoplana striata Moseley (Tricladida: Terricola) Esser (1981) discussed land planarians in Florida. He stated that in almost every month of the year specimens of grey to brown long flat worms with several dark stripes running down the back were submitted to the Nematology Bureau for identification and information concerning their biology........................... This article is some basic "How To's" for the Stackable Worm Factory that we sell. With our own suggestions added. Earthworms are nature's clean-up crew, aiding in the production of lush, humus-rich topsoil from spent plant and animal materials. These elegantly efficient organisms have been on earth for hundreds of thousands of years longer than humankind, largely untouched by evolution due to their nearly perfect adaptation to their role in nature. Many homeowners have some kind of home composting system in operation. However, people living in condominiums, apartments and other residences don't have a suitable place to start a compost pile. These people feel left out on a worthwhile cause, and need alternative ways to be part of the composting program. In order to talk about optimal storage and moisture conditions for the finished product of a worm bin we first need to be on the same page as regards the nature of that finished product. Some excellent pictures and video's of red worms mating and giving birth. A nice cup of good, hot tea has for years been enjoyed as a restorative to the mind and body. Centuries ago human kind learned that the flavor and beneficial essence of certain plants could be drawn from their leaves, bark and roots by steeping them in water, sometimes fortifying the brew with a bit of milk and honey... Humic Acid is a Bio-stimulant that is derived from concentrated compressed Carbon based Organic materials in the form of leonardite shale. Elemental analysis of humic acid shows it contains: Carbon 50%, Oxygen 40%, Hydrogen 5%, Nitrogen 3%, Phosphorous <1%, Sulfur <1%. To really enlarge our worms for better bait purposes, here's a great recipe to fatten them up. Several researchers have demonstrated that earthworm castings (vermicompost) have excellent aeration, porosity, structure, drainage, and moisture-holding capacity. This paper will discuss the effect of vermicompost on plant growth. The following is based upon the paper "The Potential of Earthworm Composts as Plant Growth Media," by Clive Edwards and Ian Burrows in Earthworms in Waste and Environmental Management edited by Clive Edwards and Edward Neuhauser. Wild claims abound concerning the beneficial aspects of earthworm castings and vermicompost when used on household potted plants or in the garden. Stories of the remarkable qualities of earthworm castings are firmly embedded in gardening folklore, and can still be found in modern web pages and cyberspace chat rooms. Even for scientists who are considered to be rational and objective observers of nature - experiences with the use of worm castings suggest that, more often than not, these stories ring true. Mix leaves, sawdust, scraps, yard manure, and a handful of worms, to produce year-round protein for your flock, as organic as you make it. Reap the extra benefit of top-flight garden fertilizer to use or sell. Chicken owners everywhere say they should have gotten "into worms" much sooner! "How To" Symptoms, Causes, Solutions After two years of tests, a project in Florida finds that vermicomposting is effective in reducing pathogen levels in biosolids to meet Class A requirements. C - Change of Habitat - As in any life style change, there is an acclimation period for the worms. If worms have been raised with a particular feedstock or bedding material and are then transferred to a system that uses completely different material and feed, the worms may crawl away from the new, shockingly different habitat. Be aware of these acclimation needs... Information about worms. The KISS - Keep It Simple & Save - plan for vermicomposting for farmers and others uses established methods (an extended windrow) and available equipment (a front end loader) to process large volumes of organic material into vermicompost. The plan suggests easy, appropriate technology to manage environmental factors and control quality. The KISS plan is based on several years of research and experience in vermiculture and vermicomposting. The plan may be adapted to other situations or applications... Although composting of organic waste has been going on for a long time, we are continually improving the process by reducing costs and improving compost quality. Composting is a good option for dairy producers where there is straw available to mix with the manure, where odors may be an issue, and where the animal density is too high to utilize manure nutrients effectively close to the farm... Imagine you've recently retired. You don't have enough income to make ends meet, so you're thinking of working part time. You wonder what to do. You see an ad for a business opportunity that sounds like fine work. Raising red worms part-time will earn you a pretty good income... What this Manual Can Do for You (requires Acrobat Reader) If you have an interest in working with composting worms, this manual can provide you with the following:
This guide explores vermicomposting—the practice of using worms to transform food waste into a nutrient-rich finished product called vermicompost. In a school setting, vermicomposting can set the stage for a variety of fun, interdisciplinary activities. Vermicomposting can utilize school cafeteria waste for the worm bin, provide a variety of interesting experiments while maintaining the bin in the classroom, and can culminate in a school or classroom garden using the finished product.
The worm bin is an amazing, complex habitat, with hundreds or thousands of decomposer species all working together to turn your organic waste into fertilizer. And you thought you just had a bin of redworms! Not true - redworms are greatly out numbered by other macro- and microscopic organisms. A great game for teaching school kids about vermiculture
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