Today I'll talk a little more about worm bin moisture. What is the proper level of moisture? How can you tell? What happens if the moisture level is off?
I've been vermicomposting for about seven months now. It doesn't seem like a long time, but I have seen a good number of bin conditions. I've had content worms and restless worms. Let me share a couple of things I've observed over the months.
I had a small bin before that was really wet. The contents were minimal but water puddled at the lower end (the floor was slightly tilted I guess). Guess where the worms stayed? They stayed in the wettest part of the bin. That tells me that worms are not averse to moisture per se. I also have a big aquarium that has some leftover water. It's flooded but I do have paper sticking out about 5-6 inches above water. The worms are thriving in that aquarium. In both bins, worms didn't try to escape.
So is excess moisture always good? Let me answer it this way. I also have a couple of bins with excess moisture where worms escape on a daily basis. The difference I believe is the amount of content. In the bins where worms tried to escape, I had hundreds of worms inside aside from being packed to the brim with lots of paper. My best guess is that in these bins, the packed paper combined with the excess moisture limited airflow within the bin.
So how should you manage the moisture content in your worm bin? The fuller the worm bin, the less moisture you're allowed, especially if the contents pack together. You need a few holes for bins with limited content; you need a few dozen more for bins with more content. Check the sides and the lid for moisture. If there's condensation, you can either add some dry bedding or leave the lid off (but keep the lights on). In my case, I add dry bedding, leave the lid off in the daytime and I turn the contents to keep the contents from packing together.
These days, I hardly even add water. The food I put in is usually enough to keep the contents wet. Sure the top dries out and I get worried. But when I check the bottom, the vermicompost is usually not fluffy. That means it's still wet. I just turn the contents. Since I have small bins too, I sometimes turn the bins upside down so the moisture goes down to the dry contents. I wonder if my worms get dizzy when I do that.
A cool thing I've also discovered is that I add dry whole paper just below the lid so there's a paper filter between the bin and the lid. It discourages the worms from crawling out because they'd have to crawl through dry paper. It also helps absorb excess moisture. How do I know? Even if the piece of paper doesn't touch the contents, it'll be soft due to moisture by morning.
That's it for now. I've already said a mouthful. Happy worming!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Everything Germinates in the Worm Bin Experiment Results: Worm Bin Adventures in the Philippines
Guess what? The Indian Mango Seed did not germinate within the required period. At least the worms did not run away from the tray. As for the various seeds, mostly melons and watermelons, a lot germinated but a lot didn't as well. I still got about a dozen sprouts, which isn't a bad deal. I don't know what a chico seedling looks like so I'm not sure if the seed germinated. It is worth noting though that while a lot of seedlings sprouted, most of them died after 2-3 days, including the carrot top that sprouted. Could it be the lack of sunshine? Perhaps.
Friday, March 25, 2011
American Idol Update...
There's something wrong with the voting public. The bottom vote getter is the most musically talented guy on the show. Tsk...tsk...Meanwhile that irritating pop singer Stefano is not even in the bottom three.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Kitchen Scraps Mulch - Update 3
It's been almost two months since I put African Nightcrawlers inside a pot while I was trying below-the-soil-mulch. The experiment was conducted with my habanero as participant. Here's my two-month worth of experience conclusion: African Nightcrawlers can thrive inside a pot (about 14 inches) for at least two months. In my last post, I indicated that I saw vermicompost on the ground below the pot. That means the worms were pooping at the bottom. Not yet convinced?
Earlier, temperatures reached a punishing 33 degrees. Summer is here! Since the habanero likes full sunlight, the pot is out in a sunny spot in the garden. My initial worry was that worms will not survive the heat. Earlier though I saw them. When I lifted the pot earlier (about 3 PM), the worms were all below the pot. There must have been at least a dozen of them there (adults and babies). If I remember correctly, I must have put in about half of those. The rest must be due to reproduction. 
As for the habanero, well it's doing fine. The chili peppers are big but still unripe. However, the whole vermicompost thing has not really resulted in plentiful, green leaves. In fact, in at least three plants, I've had some yellowing of leaves while using pure vermicompost. I am thinking that my worms' general diet has been too low on nitrogen, therefore resulting in fairly low nitrogen vermicompost. So I just top dressed the habanero's leaf mulch with coffee grounds to give the plant that green pep.
That's it for now. Until next time.
Earlier, temperatures reached a punishing 33 degrees. Summer is here! Since the habanero likes full sunlight, the pot is out in a sunny spot in the garden. My initial worry was that worms will not survive the heat. Earlier though I saw them. When I lifted the pot earlier (about 3 PM), the worms were all below the pot. There must have been at least a dozen of them there (adults and babies). If I remember correctly, I must have put in about half of those. The rest must be due to reproduction. But why below the pot? It's the first time I've seen that. First of all, there was cardboard below the pot. They must think it's a good place to hang out while the scorching sun was creating a burning environment within the pot. Even for African Nightcrawlers 33 degrees is much too hot I would guess.
As for the habanero, well it's doing fine. The chili peppers are big but still unripe. However, the whole vermicompost thing has not really resulted in plentiful, green leaves. In fact, in at least three plants, I've had some yellowing of leaves while using pure vermicompost. I am thinking that my worms' general diet has been too low on nitrogen, therefore resulting in fairly low nitrogen vermicompost. So I just top dressed the habanero's leaf mulch with coffee grounds to give the plant that green pep. That's it for now. Until next time.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Everything Germinates in the Worm Bin Experiment Update: Worm Bin Adventures in the Philippines
It's been just over a week since I started testing the germinating potential of vermicompost. It's simple. I just put a couple of seeds in my worm tray. This afternoon, I found these little babies. I think those are all watermelon seedlings. I'm pretty sure a dozen or more should sprout. My chico seed hasn't showed up yet; neither have my indian mango seeds. I'll give the rest of the seeds about a week more. As for these seedlings, I'll probably plant them in some small pots within the week.
Oh by the way, if you look at the bottom left part of the picture, you'll find the carrot top that started growing stalks.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Everything Germinates in the Worm Bin Experiment: Worm Bin Adventures in the Philippines
How To Propagate Lavender By Stem Cutting 2
Next time I'll take a picture of the mother plant. I've pruned six stems already for the cuttings. You'll observe that it's a little more bushy now than before.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Are Worms Escaping Your Worm Bin?
I had a eureka moment this morning. Most of my worm bins have been doing okay: the worms are eating and staying put. In the past days though, I've noticed an increase in the crawl outs, even in established bins. And so I've been wondering why. I think I have the answer.
In a couple of plastic bins, I found the sides and lid covered with moisture. I'm not sure if conditions became anaerobic because of the moisture, but I think the moisture does enable the worms. They can easily navigate around the sides because there's so much moisture.
I'll find out tomorrow if that indeed was the problem. For most part of the day, I left the lids off in these bins so excess moisture can evaporate. When I checked earlier, the top part seems somewhat drier. I hope that solves the problem.
If it works, I now know that when I see moisture condensation on the lid, that's a sign that there's excess moisture in the worm bin.
In a couple of plastic bins, I found the sides and lid covered with moisture. I'm not sure if conditions became anaerobic because of the moisture, but I think the moisture does enable the worms. They can easily navigate around the sides because there's so much moisture.
I'll find out tomorrow if that indeed was the problem. For most part of the day, I left the lids off in these bins so excess moisture can evaporate. When I checked earlier, the top part seems somewhat drier. I hope that solves the problem.
If it works, I now know that when I see moisture condensation on the lid, that's a sign that there's excess moisture in the worm bin.
Monday, March 14, 2011
How To Propagate Rosemary By Stem Cuttings
Finally I've done it. I got my rosemary back in May 2010. I've been trying to grow it successfully ever since. But it's such a slow growing plant, much like the lavender. A few months back, I tried rooting it by stem cutting but I guess it wasn't time yet. The weather was too wet for this dry loving plant. But now the weather seems just right. It has been fairly dry and sunny. The two sprigs you see in the picture have inch long roots. But I'm getting ahead of myself. About a month ago, I cut two sprigs about the length of a ring finger. I cut off the leaves in the bottom half of the cuttings. Then I placed the two cuttings in a liter bottle of water, with only the bottom half submerged. I replaced the water every week or so and placed the bottle where there's slight afternoon sun. I made sure the leaves don't get wet. I don't think rosemary likes wet leaves.
Finally the month passed and the roots appeared. I let the roots grow for a week. Today I planted the two sprigs in a small pot which I half filled with finished vermicast. I would have used vermicast for the entire pot but my vermicast factory is a bit slow. I also punctured the bottom of the pot to provide drainage. And that's it. Rosemary cuttings will root in plain water if the weather is right.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Kitchen Scraps Mulch - Update 2
Well it's been over a month since my kitchen scraps mulch experiment. I don't really want to dig up the habanero again since it's been fruiting. I'll wait for the harvest of this current batch of chili peppers and then maybe we'll see.
Anyway, my concern is that the powdery mildew seems to be back. I was watering the leaves earlier when the white little things started flying. I figured I should move the pot to a sunnier location and by that I mean move it around within the day to follow the sun. The pot is made of plastic and has like a mesh bottom.
When I lifted and moved the pot, guess what I found. Vermicast on the ground. This leads me to believe that the two worms I placed inside the pot are still alive. Not bad. Maybe that's a sustainable way to fertilize. I added some dried leaves and coffee grounds mulch to supply more brown and greens since the soil level has gone down by about two inches since I started this experiment. Hopefully, the worms will migrate up where there's more organic material.
That's it. Seems positive. I just hope I get rid of the powdery mildew or I'll have to spray the plant with baking soda.
Anyway, my concern is that the powdery mildew seems to be back. I was watering the leaves earlier when the white little things started flying. I figured I should move the pot to a sunnier location and by that I mean move it around within the day to follow the sun. The pot is made of plastic and has like a mesh bottom.
When I lifted and moved the pot, guess what I found. Vermicast on the ground. This leads me to believe that the two worms I placed inside the pot are still alive. Not bad. Maybe that's a sustainable way to fertilize. I added some dried leaves and coffee grounds mulch to supply more brown and greens since the soil level has gone down by about two inches since I started this experiment. Hopefully, the worms will migrate up where there's more organic material.
That's it. Seems positive. I just hope I get rid of the powdery mildew or I'll have to spray the plant with baking soda.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Everything Germinates in the Worm Bin Experiment: Worm Bin Adventures in the Philippines
I keep reading that a lot of seeds "volunteer" inside worm bins supposedly because of all the beneficial bacteria inside the bin. Supposedly, bad microbes won't infect seeds inoculated with worm castings. Here in the Philippines, a lot of people are interested in germinating mango seeds.
Since germinating mango seeds is what got me into gardening again, I have a series of blog posts on how to germinate mango seeds. But that was before my fascination with worm composting.
A few minutes ago, I pushed aside some material from my worm tray (at this time, the tray has probably about 75% worm castings). The I put in two Indian mango seeds, a chico seed and a few dozen watermelon seeds. However, the mango seeds interest me the most. Oh by the way, I didn't bother to remove the fibrous shell. Finally, I covered the seeds with the material I pushed aside earlier.
Supposedly, for mango seeds to germinate, they need to be placed in the sunniest / hottest location in the yard. The seeds should also be kept in a ziplocked bag to ensure high humidity. The environment in a worm bin is a lot different. While also moist, worm bins are generally located in cool, dark areas. Will it work? I wonder if anyone else in the Philippines has done this test. We'll see in a couple of weeks.
For me there are three measures of success: 1) the mango seeds germinate at all; 2) the mango seeds germinate within two weeks (it takes longer in the prior method I talked about); 3) my worms don't crawl away follow the introduction of a citrus element inside the small tray.
Since germinating mango seeds is what got me into gardening again, I have a series of blog posts on how to germinate mango seeds. But that was before my fascination with worm composting.
A few minutes ago, I pushed aside some material from my worm tray (at this time, the tray has probably about 75% worm castings). The I put in two Indian mango seeds, a chico seed and a few dozen watermelon seeds. However, the mango seeds interest me the most. Oh by the way, I didn't bother to remove the fibrous shell. Finally, I covered the seeds with the material I pushed aside earlier.
Supposedly, for mango seeds to germinate, they need to be placed in the sunniest / hottest location in the yard. The seeds should also be kept in a ziplocked bag to ensure high humidity. The environment in a worm bin is a lot different. While also moist, worm bins are generally located in cool, dark areas. Will it work? I wonder if anyone else in the Philippines has done this test. We'll see in a couple of weeks.
For me there are three measures of success: 1) the mango seeds germinate at all; 2) the mango seeds germinate within two weeks (it takes longer in the prior method I talked about); 3) my worms don't crawl away follow the introduction of a citrus element inside the small tray.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Vermicomposting Meat and Bones: Vermiculture Adventures in the Philippines
I now have about 6 small to medium sized worm bins, none of them really with a substantial amount of worms. But after months and months of trying, I'm glad to note that I now vermicompost (or use as mulch) all of my fruits and vegetables, paper, used toilet paper, cardboard (including pizza boxes), coffee grounds and tea bags, and all those other goodies you find that are usually fed to worms. It's like my African Nightcrawlers have a buffet 24x7 and they're not complaining.
Since that episode a couple of weeks ago when I put garlic and onion in a small enclosed bin and all the worms there went crazy trying to escape, I'm happy that I haven't had an escape attempt in any of my bins since then.
Today I'll push the envelope again. About a week or so I tried pushing all my scraps into one bin and that resulted in an epic fail moment. I put a stop to that experiment right away, pulled out the large amount of food and used those for mulch. Today, I tried vermicomposting meat. I didn't do it in one of my favorite bins. Instead, I used a big flower pot situated in the garden. This way, even if there's some slight odor, I won't be affected. So this big clay pot already has some contents, alternating layers of moist cut up newspaper and food waste. I cover it using a sack that's weighed down by a big upside down broken pot? I placed all the chicken bones and skin and covered it up again with some newspaper (not even a thick layer). I put back the sack the and pot, added some moisture and that's it. Let's see if cats can move that big ass pot.
There are very few worms in that pot so I added three more (cheapskate huh?). I also made sure the pot drainage holes touch the ground. In fact I partially covered the sides of the pot with soil? Why? I'm not sure if it will work, but I'm hoping it will attact garden earthworms as well. Perhaps they can help my African Nightcrawlers break stuff down.
Will it work? My nose will be the guide, but only time will tell. Let's see in a few weeks.
Since that episode a couple of weeks ago when I put garlic and onion in a small enclosed bin and all the worms there went crazy trying to escape, I'm happy that I haven't had an escape attempt in any of my bins since then.
Today I'll push the envelope again. About a week or so I tried pushing all my scraps into one bin and that resulted in an epic fail moment. I put a stop to that experiment right away, pulled out the large amount of food and used those for mulch. Today, I tried vermicomposting meat. I didn't do it in one of my favorite bins. Instead, I used a big flower pot situated in the garden. This way, even if there's some slight odor, I won't be affected. So this big clay pot already has some contents, alternating layers of moist cut up newspaper and food waste. I cover it using a sack that's weighed down by a big upside down broken pot? I placed all the chicken bones and skin and covered it up again with some newspaper (not even a thick layer). I put back the sack the and pot, added some moisture and that's it. Let's see if cats can move that big ass pot.
There are very few worms in that pot so I added three more (cheapskate huh?). I also made sure the pot drainage holes touch the ground. In fact I partially covered the sides of the pot with soil? Why? I'm not sure if it will work, but I'm hoping it will attact garden earthworms as well. Perhaps they can help my African Nightcrawlers break stuff down.
Will it work? My nose will be the guide, but only time will tell. Let's see in a few weeks.
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Fruit Flies, Fungus Gnats, Mosquitoes, Spiders and Lizards: Vermicomposting in the Philippines
I've read that worm bins are not just bedding, food and worms, but that bins represent an entire ecosystem. Apparently, that's true not just inside the bin, but outside as well. Let me tell you my story.
In the past one and half months, I've seen so many fruit flies and fungus gnats around my bins that I've had to kill them with my electric fly swatter every morning. I'd get at least 6-7 hits per day. The swatter is a cool tool, but the experience gets old quickly.
The past week though, I think it has lessened to about 1-2 hits only. Why?
I think the bugs peaked when I ate a lot of bananas and did not bury the peels sufficiently deep in bedding. About two weeks ago, I really wanted to lessen the paper I had because my paper and cardboard bin was already full. So without shredding, I just dumped a lot of paper into my 5-gallon water container / worm bin. Since that time, I saw minimal gnats flying around from that bin. So I guess that technique works. Dry bedding prevents insects from laying eggs.
I've also eliminated most water sources. I had an aquarium there which I used for an experimental hydroponic set-up. Epic fail. But I didn't drain the water at once because I was using the water to moisten my worm bins on a daily basis. The tradeoff is that it bred dozens of mosquitoes! I just gave up and used the water for my plants. Then I dumped a whole newspaper inside the aquarium to absorb the excess moisture. Worked like a charm.
So while I did my part in minimizing the insects, it seemed like I attracted a host of predators as well. See, there's an ecosystem outside my bins! I've been seeing lots of spiders and I think they're eating the other insects. Good luck to them. I've also been seeing more house lizards, which were also probably attracted by the free food flying around.
The clincher though is that I saw a big lizard hanging out right beside one of my bins. I don't think it's after my worms, but if it did, it could eat a worm. This one wasn't like a normal house lizard that's grey and plain. He had a course back and was bigger. And he was staring at me! Eek! Too much food in the area. Oh well. Anyway, since I've done my part in lessening the insects, I'm hoping to see a decline in the predators as well.
To make this post meaningful, there should be a lesson. Don't underestimate the impact of dry bedding on top of your worm bin. Otherwise you might find yourself staring into the eyes of a big lizard with a course back.
In the past one and half months, I've seen so many fruit flies and fungus gnats around my bins that I've had to kill them with my electric fly swatter every morning. I'd get at least 6-7 hits per day. The swatter is a cool tool, but the experience gets old quickly.
The past week though, I think it has lessened to about 1-2 hits only. Why?
I think the bugs peaked when I ate a lot of bananas and did not bury the peels sufficiently deep in bedding. About two weeks ago, I really wanted to lessen the paper I had because my paper and cardboard bin was already full. So without shredding, I just dumped a lot of paper into my 5-gallon water container / worm bin. Since that time, I saw minimal gnats flying around from that bin. So I guess that technique works. Dry bedding prevents insects from laying eggs.
I've also eliminated most water sources. I had an aquarium there which I used for an experimental hydroponic set-up. Epic fail. But I didn't drain the water at once because I was using the water to moisten my worm bins on a daily basis. The tradeoff is that it bred dozens of mosquitoes! I just gave up and used the water for my plants. Then I dumped a whole newspaper inside the aquarium to absorb the excess moisture. Worked like a charm.
So while I did my part in minimizing the insects, it seemed like I attracted a host of predators as well. See, there's an ecosystem outside my bins! I've been seeing lots of spiders and I think they're eating the other insects. Good luck to them. I've also been seeing more house lizards, which were also probably attracted by the free food flying around.
The clincher though is that I saw a big lizard hanging out right beside one of my bins. I don't think it's after my worms, but if it did, it could eat a worm. This one wasn't like a normal house lizard that's grey and plain. He had a course back and was bigger. And he was staring at me! Eek! Too much food in the area. Oh well. Anyway, since I've done my part in lessening the insects, I'm hoping to see a decline in the predators as well.
To make this post meaningful, there should be a lesson. Don't underestimate the impact of dry bedding on top of your worm bin. Otherwise you might find yourself staring into the eyes of a big lizard with a course back.
Sunday, March 06, 2011
Easy Worm Castings Harvesting: Vermicomposting in the Philippines
About two weeks ago, I noticed that the contents of one of my small plastic worm bins are almost fully processed. I figured I would try horizontal migration as a harvesting technique. I brushed the contents to one side and then I placed a folded cardboard pizza box in the middle to act as a divider. Then I added fresh bedding to the other side and food for a couple of days. Since it was a small bin, it was easy to fill up. Afterwards, I only moistened the "new" side because I wanted to dry up the the vermicompost side somewhat. In fact, I even left the cover off during daylight to hasten the drying process. I wanted to encourage the worms (African Nightcrawlers) to migrate to the side with "fresh" food and more optimal moisture. I did help the process somewhat. While fiddling with the vermicompost side, I moved one or two worms manually, but for most part I let the worms move on their own. True enough, within a week or so, I couldn't find any more worms on the vermicompost side. They all migrated. Cool huh? No more sifting. So apparently, that approach works.
Tip: if you want worms to migrate, feed them their favorite foods! Try melons and watermelons.
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
American Idol Picks
It seems like I make predictions every year but my picks never win. ;-) This year, I think the top 5 will be all guys. I didn't see any hot female singer. My #1 pick is Casey Abrahms. My secondary picks would be that rocker guy that dresses like Menudo (can't have it all) and screams a little like Adam Lambert and the big black guy that looks like Bubba from Forrest Gump. I don't know their names yet, but they're good. The country guy is also pretty cool although I doubt he'd be mainstream enough to rank higher than 5. And that's it!
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
Vermicompost Experiment: Overfeeding Conclusion
I'm ending this experiment abruptly. This morning I found two dead worms on the ground. That's a bad sign since I haven't had any escapees in a while. When I removed the newspaper cover, there were a couple of worms on the sides of the bin near the top. That's another bad sign. This afternoon when I checked the bin, a good number of worms were congregating on the side opposite where I fed them. That's strange behavior considering I never see them group together. My worms are generally as antisocial as I am.
I checked on the food to see if any worms were exploring. No worms near the food whatsoever. And the smell was a little funky. That rarely happens to my bins now since I've been very conservative in feeding. So like any other good vermicomposter, I removed about 90% of the food and used them as mulch. My Cat's Whiskers plants could use a good mulching anyway. I hope that's good enough. I don't want to lose more worms tonight.
I checked on the food to see if any worms were exploring. No worms near the food whatsoever. And the smell was a little funky. That rarely happens to my bins now since I've been very conservative in feeding. So like any other good vermicomposter, I removed about 90% of the food and used them as mulch. My Cat's Whiskers plants could use a good mulching anyway. I hope that's good enough. I don't want to lose more worms tonight.
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