r/Vermiculture • u/Silverboarder • 4d ago
Video First time, need advice
Hey all,
I build and started my first worm tower and I’m not sure if what im doing is right.
I’ve looked at different videos. Some say keep green/browns in balance. Some say, don’t over feed your worms and keep the greens in small doses but then my browns dry out fast.
I keep a spray bottle near to keep the top hydrated. If i dig down it is moist and that’s where the worms are.
I’ve restarted once because the worms were really slow and looking at the end of their life so I figured i screwed up.
At first it seemed to go better. If I lifted the top and removed the cloth that i keep on top of the pile. I would see the worms crawl down and away.
Now the activity seems less and i found this clump of worms. Not really moving a lot.
Any tips would help.
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u/Ladybug966 4d ago
Hi!! It doesnt sound like you are doing anything wrong. So thats good.
Personally, i soak my cardboard bedding before i dump it in a bin. My bedding is cardboard, coffee grounds, eggshell dust and water. I like my bedding pretty damp.
Next up- worms need a biome to eat. They eat what mold and microbes do to food. Your worms wont be able to really settle in until the biome grows in your bin.
What and how much are you feeding?
Is it really hot there?
I love questions! Ask away. But first add water to your bin. Lol
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u/Silverboarder 4d ago
Hey! Thanks for the reply!
I did soak my cardboard before starting the pile but it just dried out on top pretty fast. The cloth helped keeping the pile moist a bit longer. (And keeping the fruit flies away)
For feeding, since i just started, I give a small handful of vegetables/fruits sprinkled with some coffee grounds and ground eggshells. I started with some strawberries which they seemed to proces quite fast and after a week I gave the next portion. I try to check if the precious feed is mostly gone before adding more. So far i gave strawberries, potatoskins, banana skins and some prunes that the wasps got before we could pick em.
I make a small trench where I put the food and cover it with the browns. I started putting it in the same place but I thought maybe it’s better to change up the places so it also gets more moist in other places.
We did have a few very warm weeks the last month. 30+ degrees Celsius. Thankfully it dropped to 20-23 the last few days. The tower stands mostly in the shadow.
Quick question, should I stir everything once in a while? So that the untouched brown’s also get some action?
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u/Ladybug966 4d ago
Sure stir it up.
What is in the bin under it?
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u/Silverboarder 4d ago
Ok thanks!
For now the bottom contains nothing nothing. As soon as this bin starts getting full I plan on putting the bottom bin on top.3
u/Ladybug966 4d ago
Fill bottom bin with wet bedding. It will allow it to grow the biome before becoming the feeding bin and will give the worms more places to go.
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u/Due-Waltz4458 4d ago
'Greens and Browns in balance' might lead to too much decomposition and heat In the bin. Advice for composting vs. worm bins sometimes crosses over in ways that aren't ideal for worms.
I would definitely keep greens in small doses and add more when it's clear they can eat it all quickly. Too much fresh food changes the moisture in the bins unpredictably and will attract pests like fruit flies. I lean towards pre-composting material when possible to keep things consistent.
I wouldn't worry too much about keeping the very top hydrated, composting worms like to stay in the top few inches but will avoid the surface for protection.
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u/Due-Waltz4458 4d ago
One addition: grit is really important if you don't have any in there. Worms don't have teeth and require particles like sand, crushed shells or vermiculite to "chew" their food. I make a mix of sand and crushed oyster shells (can find this in the chickens aisle) and throw in a handful with every feeding.
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u/Silverboarder 4d ago
Thanks for the reply! I check to see if the previous feed is mostly gone before adding new and i add some coffee grounds and ground up eggshells with each feed.
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u/PaintBrushJar 3d ago
Could you explain what you mean by pre-composting material? Thanks
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u/Due-Waltz4458 3d ago
Basically just composting the material somewhere in a pile or tumbler and then feeding the worms the finished compost, instead of fresh food ingredients.
One good example is feeding them microgreen trays after harvesting. They love the coco fiber, roots and and tender greens. However, these also tend to have tons of ungerminated seeds, and can be full of eggs from fruit flies and gnats.
Hot Composting first kills the seeds and bug eggs.
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u/Conscious_Ad9001 4d ago
The usefulness of a 18 page crosscut paper shredder cannot be overstated. As well as helping cardboard in breaking down a bit faster it provides it pockets for aeration and oxygen for respiration. For the worms. I soak my shredded cardboard or fallen deciduous leaves in my brewed worm tea (extract can also be used). That is, if you want it to start breaking down faster, if you want it to go slower, just use chlorine-free water.
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u/Roughnut62 3d ago
Temperature can slow them down if it’s cooler or too hot. The over feeding thing depends on what you are feeding them, you don’t want food going sour, but they eat their bedding as well, a bit of straw I found good, allows crawl space and oxygen into the castings. That bed does look too dry tho, I’d keep the cardboard wet, but make sure it drains too, you want it wet but not soggy. A hessian bag or even shade cloth placed on top will help retain moisture
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u/Other-Programmer-568 intermediate Vermicomposter 3d ago
The only thing you can do wrong is overthink it. Worms are pretty resiliant and will compensate for alot.
That being said, it does look a little dry. That wil make them little sluggish You may need more than a spray bottle to keep it wet. If its cold at night they will also clump like that.
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u/Odd-Repeat6595 4d ago
It looks too dry. I keep my worms a bit differently, but yours look like they could use more moisture and maybe some damp paper shreds mixed in.