How many composting worms per square foot

Bentley, Interesting blog! Thanks Worms! Dwayne Clark July 30, Hey B On that topic I raised about when to harvest:: This question about how many worms is right crossed my mind. Bentley July 30, Thanks everyone for chiming in! Bo Marie July 30, I like the nursery idea…. Karen July 30, Jill July 31, Bentley July 31, Sherry July 31, Susan July 31, Bentley August 1, Sherry August 1, Marion Byrd November 16, May your bins and boxes thrive everyone. Patrick February 13, Hey Bentley, Wondering how things are going now with the dense concentrations.

Bentley February 16, Tom October 10, Frank November 29, Hi Tom, I have seen few cocoons in my bins as well. Lulu July 8, Bentley July 9, Melissa February 11, Bentley July 16, David Garcia May 30, This is amazing. This can then be broken down into egg sacks that hold anywhere between 1 and 5 worms each, juveniles that have come out of their egg sacks only weeks ago, and mature worms that are anywhere between 3 months and 5 years old.

Most of the worms you get as a part of the pound will be mature worms, while some may be juveniles or egg sacks. Red wiggler worms survive on a diet of vegetable scraps from the kitchen waste and remnants from your gardening waste, but the most common query that both beginners and experienced vermicomposters have is how much do these little composting experts eat on a regular basis?

If we look at the theoretical consensus, the worms are likely to eat approximately half of their body weight in food each day. However, you must keep in mind that this is only true for mature worms that are living in the optimal conditions when it comes to space, temperature and moisture.

If you are just setting up a composting bin, it is highly likely that the conditions are not so perfect. During the initial adjustment period, you might find that the worms may not be as quick as you expected them to be, but as they start to adjust to the bin, they will multiply and require more food to be added.

As the bin turns into an established compost pit, you will be required to set a pattern of feeding, but keep in mind that too much food could have a detrimental effect on the health of your bin. By nature, worms are known to reproduce rapidly to offset the chances of predators targeting them. Red wigglers — like most other worm species — are hermaphrodites.

This means that they have both female and male sexual organs. Despite this, they cannot produce offspring on their own — they need to mate in order to reproduce. If the conditions are favorable for the growth of red wigglers, they can reproduce quite quickly.

Once a red wiggler has reached the three-month point in its life, it can produce anywhere between two to three cocoons each week. Each of these cocoons will average about three hatchlings. While it takes about 11 weeks for the cocoons to hatch, the hatchlings require another two to three months to develop into full-fledged mature worms that are ready to breed.

After getting to know a little more about the nature of the red wiggler worms, you will find yourself better equipped to understand the entire process of vermicomposting, especially if you are a beginner with not too much experience in the field. Getting the right number of worms in your composting pit is very important if you want to get the best results at the end of the process. The entire purpose of this piece is to make you aware of the different components that come together to give you the right number of worms for your composting pit.

The number of worms in a pound, the nature of food that you will be feeding these worms, as well as the size of the composting pit are all important determining factors. The worm population will adjust to the available food and space naturally. If you notice your worms suddenly escaping and believe it is food-related, remove uneaten food items and start over.

We have a list of recommended composting products that include an inexpensive pH meter you may be interested in. The bin should be at a healthy neutral pH level of six to seven. If the pH level is too high, adding some crushed eggshells to the bin can help lower the pH level and also add grit that helps the worms digest the food. Having acidic, salty, or oily foods like tomatoes, potato chips, and citrus can help throw off the pH level of the bin so avoid those if you are seeing problems.

If you have done all of the above steps to try to keep the worms in their bin but they are still trying to escape, shine a light on the situation, literally. Worms do not like bright light, so shining a light on them will make them want to dig their way back down into the soil to avoid the light.

This is a temporary solution. Just while you are getting their bin back in balance. Also, adding dry bedding on top of the surface contents of the bin will make the worms dig back down to the moist layer of the bin. Vermicomposting is used for converting waste into natural plant fertilizer. No chemicals required and as long as you are mindful of what you feed them, you can truly create an organic compost.

Another benefit is that it is extremely nutrient-rich. Vermicompost produces a product that is naturally made to benefit plants in different ways. A primary benefit is that the nutrients absorb easily and are quickly available to the plants. The worm mucus that is found in vermicompost does not wash away easily.

This gives plants longer to absorb the nutrients unlike many chemical fertilizers source. As the compost passes through the body of the worms, it becomes enriched with microbes and bacteria. These micro-organisms help the plants to become more disease resistant and repel pests.

Vermicompost enhances plant growth-regulating hormones that can help the plants grow and become healthier source. As the plants become healthier, the need for pesticides is reduced. Vermicompost can hold up to many times its weight in water which can really help out plants during a dry spell. This is especially beneficial in sandy soils where water retention can be challenging.

Once you figure out the size of the bin you need and the number of worms needed, you can begin to set up your own vermicompost bin and let the worms get to work. Whether you build your own bin or buy one ready-to-go like this one link to Amazon , getting started is pretty darn simple. The first step is to create bedding at the bottom of the bin. Composting worms like newspaper strips. These are a favorite for bedding. Once the bin is set up, the worms can be added, and food scraps can be dispersed throughout the bin under the bedding.

A full sheet of dry newspaper can be added on top of the bedding to help maintain a moisture balance, prevent odors, and keep fruit flies out.

The bin should be covered by plastic, wood, or cloth to keep the worms in and pests out. Holes should be drilled around the edges of the lid for proper ventilation or the lid can be left partially ajar.

Bedding should be regularly checked for dryness and sprayed with water if it is not moist enough. If bedding becomes too wet, drier bedding can be added to soak up the excess moisture. The bedding should be fluffed about once a week to ensure that the worms are getting enough air. This is a pretty simple process. Keep an eye on things and adjust as needed. Determining how many worms you need depends on how big your bin is and how many food items you plan to compost.

At this time you can keep one bin going, expand to a larger bin or add another bin. Ready to Buy Compost Worms? If you have any questions, feel free to email us. We would love to talk about getting your bin populated with the right amount of worms. Earthworm Castings better known as worm castings are the excretions deposited by worms after they It is