Handy Tips for raising worms - Uncle Jim's Worm Farm

Handy Tips for raising worms

Indoor Composters, Live Worms, Night Crawlers, Outdoor Composters, Red Worms

Red wiggler wormsRaising worms is easy, and you can even make a hobby out of it. Other than that, several worm breeders also get to make a profit out of selling these as well. There is a big demand for this in organic farming, as earthworm composts have been continuously used as a natural fertilizer for plants and soil. Either used for personal use or for business means, here are a few handy tips when raising these slimy but wonderful creatures.

To get you started on your worm breeding project, you must first prepare the following things: a vermicomposting bin, some organic materials (as food supply to your worms), as well as some soil, or sand. Now after you’ve prepared all these, you may now get on with your project.

So the first step to this project is deciding what earthworm type to raise. There are a lot of earthworms to choose from, and some of the most well-liked earthworms are the Red Wiggler worms, and the African Night Crawlers. The red wrigglers are usually the worms that are small in size, and is typically the easiest type to breed. The African Night Crawlers on the other hand, are the largest in size; and are usually the ones that are used for catching fish on bait.

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Moving forward, you can either find these worms on your own or purchase them at a local store near you (you’ll also be able to find some online). You’ll be able to find these being sold in local shops as baby worms, or as eggs. But if you’re really just into looking for some, then the Night Crawlers for example, can be found squeezed into lawn edges, unlike red worms. Look for these Night Crawlers at night, or start looking for them right after a heavy downpour, as these can be found plenty in these conditions.

So, as soon as you’ve picked what earthworm type to use, you may then prepare their habitat, which is in a form of a worm composting bin. Make sure that your worm bin has drainage and aeration holes as well. It’ll also be better to keep your worms moist and kept in a dark environment, to allow them to thrive better. So the best thing that you can do to keep them away from these is to cover the worm bin with a lid. Covering the worm bin will help keep in that much needed moisture, as well as that necessary darkness. Also make sure that the temperature is between 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit, as this will be the best temperature for the worms.

Now, feeding your worms inside a worm composting bin should only happen once a week (about one pound of food for each cubic foot of space, for each month). But if you decide to feed them weekly, then you should take note that the best way to do so is by dividing their food into fourths. Their food should always be kept moist, and not too soggy or wet, as adding too much water will cause the worms to drown. Besides that, you can also put in organic materials inside the bin as part of their food supply like dried leaves, grass clippings, food scraps from the kitchen, and other compost materials. Place these organics on top of the worms bedding, and wait for the worms to appear and consume these. They will surely resurface when its time to eat, and will go back to burrowing when they’re done with it. But also make sure that you don’t overfeed them.

Raising worms is simple. You’ll just have to know what to start with. Composting with red worms for example, is an efficient process when it comes to recycling your regular organic wastes.

You can learn more about this from our article: Worm composting with red wiggler worms.

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