Worm Composting Information & Advice
From the monthly archives:
“How do microorganisms know an organism is dead and it is time to consume them? What stops them from attacking living healthy organisms?” ~ Daryl Albers
Hi Daryl,
This is a great question.
How do worms and micro-organisms know if something is dead for them to eat?
How come earthworms don’t eat healthy plants and roots in the garden?
The [...]
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“What can I feed my worms to encourage increased breeding? Someone once told me that using molasses in their food increases breeding. What about EM (Enriched micro-organisms)? Would appreciate your view” ~ Robert Harris
Hi Robert,
It makes logical sense that molasses can increase breeding, but I wouldn’t recommend adding it on purpose into a worm bin. [...]
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Earthworms have a large cavity called the coelom, which runs through the length of the whole body.
This cavity is filled with coelomic fluid which is what worms secrete. The fluid is milky white in colour and is thick and gelatinous depending on conditions.
It is especially secreted in times of stress, to prevent itself from drying [...]
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“We farm with nectarines and have a lot of undersized fruit. Would worms survive on an orange diet and how would you construct such an operation?” ~ Joan Heatlie
Hi Joan,
Orange and citric fruits have two problems in a wormery system.
- Citrus peelings have a oily layer on the peelings, also known as limonene. Limonene covers [...]
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“My worms seem to think that the hessian sacking that covers them is also food! Is this suitable for them to eat?” ~ Jennifer Dolan
Hi Jennifer,
Good news is that you don’t need to worry at all!
Hessian (AKA burlap) is a woven material made from Jute. Jute is a fibrous material made from the cellulose and [...]
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“Are dried castings as good as fresh moist castings? That is the question, more specifically we take castings and dry them out to make tea bags, if you don’t dry the worm castings, they rot or decompose the biodegradable tea bags that we package them in before you can use them. Thanks” ~ Rick from [...]
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Setae are hair like structures on the surface of the earthworm, but setae can come in different shapes depending on the position it is in on the worm. They can come in either rod-shaped, needle shaped or hair-like shaped.
The setae are also usually enlarged at either ends of the worm. The setae near the genital [...]
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