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Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Worm Bin 3: Flow Through System
In my recent addiction to vermicomposting, I must have watched over 50 videos and read over 50 blog entries for my research and entertainment. I think I dream about composting worms in my sleep already. Anyway, freaky behavior aside, I was intrigued by the can'o'worms contraption. Basically, it's a stack of flow-through trays or trays with little holes at the bottom. It's supposed to let worms move from one tray to another; once they finish eating through one, they'll migrate to the other trays with more food sources. Now, this system goes on sale for about $105 or PHP4,600. So I figured, hey, that's not so hard to replicate and shouldn't cost that much money.
So I bought three trays from Landmark and they're full of holes all over. It cost me P120 or $2.75. Well that's not so bad. To make sure the worms don't escape, I used packing tape around the sides. You won't see on the picture, but I actually left small holes on the sides: good enough for ventilation but a challenge for worms attempting to escape. I also taped folded paper on the sides (all 4 sides) to make sure the trays don't get stacked tight. Now the only way out for the worms is up or down. Below the bottom tray, I put in a whole newspaper. Since the bottom is flat, that basically takes care of escape routes from the bottom. But it'll still have excellent drainage since a whole newspaper won't impede water flow. On top, I'll just place a another whole newspaper and that's it. No more escape routes. And yet, since everything's loose, there'll be enough air for the worms.
So that's it. I now have a makeshift multi-layer flow-through vermicompost bin. Will it actually work? For now it seems better designed than worm bins 1 and 2. But, we'll see in a couple of weeks if it lives up to my expectations.
So I bought three trays from Landmark and they're full of holes all over. It cost me P120 or $2.75. Well that's not so bad. To make sure the worms don't escape, I used packing tape around the sides. You won't see on the picture, but I actually left small holes on the sides: good enough for ventilation but a challenge for worms attempting to escape. I also taped folded paper on the sides (all 4 sides) to make sure the trays don't get stacked tight. Now the only way out for the worms is up or down. Below the bottom tray, I put in a whole newspaper. Since the bottom is flat, that basically takes care of escape routes from the bottom. But it'll still have excellent drainage since a whole newspaper won't impede water flow. On top, I'll just place a another whole newspaper and that's it. No more escape routes. And yet, since everything's loose, there'll be enough air for the worms.
So that's it. I now have a makeshift multi-layer flow-through vermicompost bin. Will it actually work? For now it seems better designed than worm bins 1 and 2. But, we'll see in a couple of weeks if it lives up to my expectations.
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Thank you for your comment. My worm bin is doing great. I only see fruit flies in my bin but no ants. If I remember it right, it takes about 2 lbs worms for every 1 lbs scrap you produce a day. So, I wonder if you have enough worm in the bin? I'm a newbie myself, so I'm still learning. Hope this helps...
ReplyDeleteI just put in 6-8 worms...hehehe
ReplyDeleteI was wondering how fast I can grow the population.
I think it takes 2-3 weeks for them to double the amount... Make sure all are accounted for...:)
ReplyDeleteGood luck...