Tag: Worm Castings

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Adding Worms Into Your Garden

A common question is: Can Red Wigglers and African Night Crawlers be kept directly in gardens? The short answer is yes, under the right circumstances. The long answer is explored in this blog post, where we elaborate a bit more on the topic and the do’s and don’ts of keeping these worms in a garden setting as opposed to a worm bin.

Red Wigglers: Garden-Friendly or Not?

Red Wigglers are surface-dwelling worms primarily suited for composting. Unlike deep-burrowing earthworms, Red Wigglers live in the top few inches of soil, making them ideal for worm bins, compost piles, and vermiculture systems.

Can They Be Kept Directly in the Garden?

✔ Yes, but with limitations.

  • Shallow Soil Preference: Since Red Wigglers prefer to stay near the surface, they are best suited for garden beds with thick mulch or compost layers.
  • Moisture Sensitivity: They require a consistently moist environment, which may be challenging to maintain in open gardens, especially in dry or extreme climates.
  • Predation Risk: Exposed in the garden, they are more vulnerable to birds, ants, and other predators compared to burrowing earthworms.
  • Temperature Sensitivity: Red Wigglers thrive in temperatures between 13–25°C and may struggle with extreme heat or cold.

African Night Crawlers: Garden-Compatible?

African Night Crawlers are larger worms known for their deep burrowing ability and rapid decomposition of organic material. These worms are favoured for composting and soil conditioning.

Can They Be Kept Directly in the Garden?

✔ Yes, but only under the right conditions.

  • Tropical Species: African Night Crawlers require warm temperatures (above 15°C), making them unsuitable for colder regions.
  • High Moisture Needs: They need consistently damp soil, and dry garden beds may not provide the right environment for survival.
  • Poor Cold Tolerance: Unlike native earthworms, African Night Crawlers struggle to survive in cooler temperatures or during winter months. Extra measures should be taken to ensure sufficient warmth, such as thick layers of mulch on top of the soil.
  • Depth Preference: They burrow deeper than Red Wigglers but are not as effective at aerating garden soil compared to native earthworm species.

Things to Avoid When Adding Worms to Your Garden

To ensure a healthy environment for worms, avoid the following:

  • Pesticides and Chemical Fertilizers: These can harm or kill worms and disrupt soil health.
  • Dry, Compact Soil: Ensure your soil is loose and retains moisture to support worm activity.
  • Overly Acidic or Alkaline Soil: Extreme pH levels can make the soil inhospitable for worms.
  • Excessive Tilling: Frequent tilling can disturb worm populations and reduce their effectiveness.
  • Direct Sun Exposure: Worms need shade and moisture to thrive, so heavy mulch or compost layers are beneficial.

Final Verdict

Both species of worms can be kept in a garden setting, however, the environment must be monitored and controlled to ensure the right conditions for them to thrive.

  • Red Wigglers can survive in garden beds with proper mulch and moisture but are not ideal for direct soil integration.
  • African Night Crawlers can be kept in garden soil under the right conditions, including warmth, moisture, and protection from extreme cold.

For best results, use these worms in composting systems and introduce their nutrient-rich castings to the garden, rather than relying on them to thrive directly in garden soil.

By understanding each species’ needs, gardeners can make informed decisions on how to enhance their soil health effectively.

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Guide to Worm Castings: Nature’s Black Gold

If you’re looking for a natural and powerful way to boost plant growth, look no further than worm castings. Often referred to as “black gold” by gardeners and farmers, worm castings are one of the best organic soil amendments available. But what exactly are they, and why should you use them? Let’s dive in.

What Are Worm Castings?

Worm castings are essentially worm manure—organic matter that has been digested and excreted by worms. While this might not sound appealing at first, the result is a nutrient-rich, finely textured soil amendment that improves plant health in a variety of ways. Unlike synthetic fertilizers, worm castings are all-natural, chemical-free, and safe for plants, pets, and people.

Benefits of Worm Castings

  1. Nutrient-Rich – Worm castings contain essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, as well as trace minerals that plants need to thrive.
  2. Improved Soil Structure – They help aerate soil, retain moisture, and enhance soil drainage.
  3. Beneficial Microorganisms – Worm castings introduce beneficial microbes into the soil, promoting healthy root development and disease resistance.
  4. Odor-Free and Non-Toxic – Unlike traditional compost, worm castings are virtually odourless, making them perfect for indoor and outdoor use.
  5. Slow-Release Fertilizer – The nutrients in worm castings are released slowly over time, reducing the risk of over-fertilization.
  6. Pest and Disease Resistance – Studies have shown that plants grown in soil enriched with worm castings are more resistant to pests and diseases.

How to Use Worm Castings

Worm castings are incredibly versatile and can be used in several ways:

  • Soil Amendment: Mix worm castings into garden beds, potting soil, or around established plants to enrich the soil.
  • Compost Tea: Soak worm castings in water to create a nutrient-rich liquid fertilizer that can be applied to plants.
  • Seed Starting Mix: Blend worm castings into seed-starting soil for healthier seedlings.
  • Top Dressing: Sprinkle worm castings on the surface of the soil around plants for a slow, steady nutrient boost.

How to Make Your Own Worm Castings

If you’re interested in producing your own worm castings, vermicomposting is the way to go. Here’s how you can get started:

  1. Choose a Bin: Use a plastic or wooden container with ventilation holes.
  2. Pick Your Worms: Red wigglers (Eisenia fetida) are the best worms for composting.
  3. Add Bedding: Shredded newspaper, coconut coir, or cardboard make great bedding materials.
  4. Feed Your Worms: Provide food scraps like fruit peels, vegetable scraps, and coffee grounds (avoid meat, dairy, and oily foods).
  5. Harvest Castings: In a few months, you’ll have nutrient-rich worm castings ready to use in your garden.

Final Thoughts

Worm castings are an incredible natural fertilizer that can transform your garden. Whether you buy them or make your own, they provide a wealth of benefits for soil health, plant growth, and sustainability. Give them a try and see the difference they can make in your plants!

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Red wiggler care – caring for your red wiggler worms

Red Wigler care 2

How to care for your red wigglers?

Critters such as red wiggler worms don’t require a lot of maintenance. Even though red wigglers may be a species of earthworm, they are seldom found in soil – making them ironic creatures for their name.  Proper care for your red wiggler is essential if you want to grow them for recycling, worm castings or even just as pets.

Why is red wiggler worms important?

One of the most exciting and fascinating things you can learn via sustainability and circular economy is waste value. What you currently know as rubbish now can become a valuable resource for you if you have a Red wiggler worms farm. These farms can play a vital role in your household’s circular system and because worms are amazing and fascinating creatures they can offer you multiple benefits.

Let’s have a look at some of the benefits that can come up by having your own Red Wiggler Worms farm:

  1. Whether you have established a Red Wiggler Worms farm or any other, these worms can help you in building good soil effectively via their tunneling characteristics, and aerating the soil. They leave higher nitrogen, magnesium, phosphates and calcium concentration behind in the soil.
  2. When Red Wiggler Worms borrow around, they eat and process their bedding and food, leaving behind rich organic fertilizer known as worm castings. This can improve your soil and help it in maintaining moisture.
  3. With the worm castings, you can get an endless supply of a rich, organic and chemical-free fertilizer full of microbes that aid plant growth and help fight off disease without burning plants.

Well, the list of these benefits can go on and on with ease. But if you are all-set to farm Red Wiggler Worms, then you must have a better idea about how to take care of them, and what to feed them.

What to feed Red Wiggler Worms?

When you have started keeping Red Wigglers, providing them with a comfortable and nice bin to thrive in is not going to be enough. You will also need to provide the right supply of food for your worms.

What Food options you should offer to your Red Wiggler Worms?

Here we have enlisted some of the best things you can feed your Red Wigglers Worms:

  • Egg shells – Use crushed egg shells to put in your worm bin.
  • Vegetables and Fruits – Offer peels and uncooked vegetables to your worms. You can bring any variation of fruits and vegetables to your Red Wiggler worms except citrus to ensure their health and comfort.
  • Starchy food – You can use starchy foods to feed your worms, but in the form of oatmeal, pasta and home-cooked bread.
  • Coffee Grounds – You can put used coffee grounds in your worm bin too to feed your Red Wiggler worms. However, it is necessary to avoid putting too much coffee grounds in the bin at once. Instead, prefer mixing them with other foods to test the preferences of your worms.
  • Garden waste – You can use garden waste in the form of some fallen leaves or dried grass clippings to feed your Red Wiggler worms effectively.
  • Sawdust – This can be great to add on your worm bedding. You can use organic scrap wood pieces and fallen limbs as worm food.
  • Paper – A great news for homesteads is that composting worms can eat paper happily. Provide them papers shredded into small pieces. Because these will be easier to absorb in soil. Using paper towels and tissues can also be okay but make sure these are not greasy.
  • Tea bags – Used tea bags can also be an amazing option to feed your Red worms. Rip up the tea bags before putting in worm bin to make breaking them easier for worms

What to avoid?

Here are the food options that you should not put in your worm bin:

  • Citrus Fruits – Citrus fruit or their rinds and peels are not good to feed your compost worms. It is because these are highly acidic. This is irritating for worms when it breaks down in the soil.
  • Meat – Meat is a major food group you shouldn’t put in the worm bin. Not only because Red Wiggler Worms don’t like it but also because this can make your compost bin smelly and attract unwanted pests.
  • Oily Foods – Red Wiggler Worms can’t process oils and fats. As worms don’t like oily foods, therefore, these will just lie in the bin and can lead to unwanted smell and pests.
  • Processed food – Keep processed foods out of your worm bin, because these are full of preservatives. These preservatives are chemicals that are dangerous to your worms potentially.
  • Dairy products – As dairy products contain high amounts of fiber and protein. Therefore, your worms don’t care to eat them, so avoid putting these products inside a worm bin.
  • Alliums – such as onion and garlic should not be offered to worms, because when these break down, the substances these are going to release in soil can be irritating for your worms.
  • Spicy food– Capsicum is the compound that makes spicy food hot on our tongue. This compound can get mixed in the soil when spicy food breaks down. When your worms will dig the soil, they will get in touch with the compound that can make them sick or even kill your worms.

When and how often to feed your Red Wiggler Worms?

To keep your Red worms healthy and happy, it is always recommended to avoid overfeeding. When you are starting your vermicomposting project for the first time, let your worms settle in for a day or two and so that the population of microorganisms can build up before offering them food. Avoid overloading the compost bin during earlier weeks to give your Red Wiggler Worms some time to settle in the new environment.

However, once the environment is set and the new worms get going, then you have to make sure they never run out of food completely. Keep checking the bin every other day, when your worms are wiggling around the last bit of the food, it’s time to offer them more food.

Final thoughts on feeding:

Making your own worm farm and nurturing Red Wiggler Worms is not that difficult, if you know how, what and when to feed them. Besides various other benefits like plenty of worm castings, easy care and maintenance, make Red Wiggler Worms a great option to keep.

However, to let them grow properly, it is important to offer your compost worms balanced food they can eat safely. We have made a share of mistakes and learnt from them, but with the right information, there is no reason for you to repeat all those again. So, make sure to understand what your Red Wiggler Worms love to eat and avoid giving them what they should not eat.

Give them their privacy

Worms, unlike many other pets, work better when they are left alone, in the dark. Because they are technically creatures of the soil, they will work better if there is less light for them.

Space is a necessity

Nobody likes to be squeezed around all the time and try to survive in a highly close environment where they can barely breath. Red wigglers are the same. Even if you plan to use these wigglers for worm castings, you should be giving them adequate space when they are being kept under your control. Because red wiggler worms double in population once every 50 to 60 days, they must be given enough space if you would like to keep increasing your population of worms. The worms will reach a certain population threshold for the size of their bin, once that threshold is reached the worms will stop breeding.

Maintain the right environment:

Here are a few things about the environment that you should take care of if you want your red wigglers to live a long and happy life:

  • pH of the bedding – We mentioned this earlier too, the pH of the bedding should be kept between 5 – which is a little acidic, to 9 – which is a little alkaline/basic. Your ultimate goal is to try and make the soil as neutral as possible. 
  • Moisture – Red Wigglers need a moist environment, because they breathe through their skin. Their Skin must be moist in order for them to breathe. Try and keep 50-70% moisture level. If you squeeze the worm bedding in your hand and water streams out, it is too wet. Too much moisture can cause the worms to drown.
  • Temperature – A consistent temperature between 12°C to 24°C is adequate for worms. Anything too high or too low will kill the worms. Even if they don’t die, the worms will want to try and escape the bin. 
  • Lack of oxygen – Just because something is supposed to live in the ground doesn’t mean that they won’t need any sort of oxygen to live – all living beings do. Make sure your worm bin has plenty of ventilation, avoid filling worm bin to the top with bedding, keep 25% of the bin open for air circulation.
  • Nitrogen and Carbon – Finding the perfect balance between Nitrogen and Carbon in the bin is the perfect way to ensure that your worms thrive in their environment and create the best castings. You can add vegetables and paper products for increasing both these compounds in the bin. 

Final Thoughts: 

We hope that this small article on taking care of red wiggler worms will help you to succeed in maintaining your own worm farm.