Thanks larry

Srry, haven't been around the forums lately. I've just sent a good copy of my calc to you. It shouldn't have any problems.

Cheers

Why would anyone want or need one? And, as I assume, there are good reasons for it, how does one get one?

All the best,
Le Sellers

Just post your email address and I'll send you a copy.

As Larry said, it calculates weekly growth based on conservative assumptions. In the tests I did, it's close to right for MY conditions, to a point. In 9 months, it was accurate. After that, I didn't expand my system, therefore the population didn't match the numbers. You'll see if you plug in some numbers.

My goal was to be able to predict when populations would boom, and when I would have enough worms to give away 1000 per week indefinately.

If I knew how to do an iphone app, this would cost you a dollar or two, but since I don't, it's FREE!! lol.

Eat it Steve Jobs! lol.
(Srry, i do own and IPAD, but it hasn't got worms....yet!)

Yeah, I thought about it, but in the end I wanted to see how interested people were in it, so if I send it out, then I have an idea.

Post an email here and I'll send it straight out.

Cheers

le(dot)sellers(at)gmail(dot)com

my email is JacobBonilla19@yahoo.com

mwang76 @ gmail dot com

thanks!

hught91030@hotmail.com

I would love to get a copy of the worm calculator as well. You can send it to maryhogue@optonline.net.

Sounds like a great tool to use for my own vc efforts as well as working with the high school bio club. We're hoping to do experiments with various types of composting to convince the school district and town to compost on a district-wide and town wide scale. We're in Connecticut so composting through the winter months will be a challenge. If anyone has any advice for this effort I'd love to hear it!

Thanks,

Mary

Jus

Shaul

fsmendo@aol.com

J

Shaul

homeinametronome@gmail.com

I have my own spreadsheet calculator too I can send you if you want.

Shaul

rdake @ fieldstudies dot 0rg

Shaul

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/verm/msg1022522012937.html

While most of it is Marauder sending it out to people, it does contain bits & pieces of information which may help.

Shaul

Thanks a bunch.

bacrouter@yahoo.com

thanks

can you send me the calculator??

Sounds like Marauder is sitting off on the side just waiting for your call. If you have a way to contact him, please do so. Sadly, he hasn't been heard from, for the last year and a half.

Shaul

Sshuford2@sc.rr.com

Shaul

Thanks!!

Shaul

funnybunnies1998-dvds (at) yahoo (dot) com

email is: nanchugh(at) grm (dot) net.

Thanks in advance.

Shaul

The worm calculator sounds very fun. Marauder01 no doubt knew how to raise them worms. But even way back when "Go back and read through the Whole Thread from the beginning." I had my doubts on the calculations. While the requests are many there have been zero to my knowledge "and that is the results I got" replies.

I am glad Shaul had a "clean copy" I guess this means without information keyed into it already, fresh for a wormer to add their facts and figures to.

This is a request for a new post titled something like "My Results Matched the Worm Calculator". Perhaps bin type, time vermicoposting, feeding material and rate, bedding and rate, reason for vermicomposting, rid of kitchen waste, sell worms, sell vermicompost could be included.

Alternate is Worm Calculator needs re calibrating if conditions are not ideal. This is my results.

Shaul you have no doubt read lots about vermicomposting. In your readings, do vermicomposter's results match the under ideal conditions Worm Calculator?

Would running the calculations for two or thee years result in a world filled with worms and no people?

Does the system balance out due to people stopping meeting the needs?

What I have learned after all these years is there ain't one way, or a best way, or a breakthrough. Simplicity and common sense and diversity and moderation and patience and worms are all that you need.

I trash-canned that slanderous, self-righteous sounding post because I haven't read most of the thread, wont, and cannot care less....and know nothing about the Worm Calculator-clean or otherwise.

Then, EQ2 posted his thoughts.

Bravo.

Chuckiebtoo

Shaul

Posted by marauder01 (My Page) on
Fri, Oct 23, 09 at 22:52

Hi all.

I'm slowly trying to move towards increasing my herd to cover my family's waste needs, and also giving away as many worms to friends as I can (ie if I started with 1000, how long would it take before I could give away 1000 per week indefinitely?).

Anyway, I have made a little excel spreadsheet to try and calculate just how fast a population could grow. Yes I can hear you now saying "...but there are many factors involved....yada..yada..." lol. True, but you have to start somewhere.

My VERY conservative assumptions are these:
-20 week life cycle (ie cocoon to sexual maturity)
-Each adult lays 1 cocoon per week
-Each cocoon hatches 2 reds in 10 weeks time (70 days)
-Adults live several years in good conditions

I have also added input boxes for starting number, and weekly loses (ie start with 100 mature worms, lose 10% per week, etc)

Guess how many you'd get in a year? lol

What do you think of my assumptions? Are they reasonable (given fair conditions, food and space)?

Posted by marauder01 (My Page) on
Sat, Oct 24, 09 at 18:38

I know! It seems to be soooo slow at the start. I had a similar experience with mine too. I got impatient in the end and bought another 4000 to boot things along.

I'll send the calc soonest, but remember, the numbers out of it are theoretical (but possible).

It will be interesting to trial a bin and compare it to the calc. I will start a new tote next week (already seasoning one now) with say 50 little fellas and see how it builds across time. Not exactly a clinical trial, but it will server my purpose, and let me modify my expectations (and the calc) to suit me and the way I run a wormery.

Posted by marauder01 (My Page) on
Wed, Oct 28, 09 at 17:14

I have also added a weight calc (based on 1000 per lb) and you can now enter the number of young per cocoon.

I have also timelined it a bit, so you can enter a start date (past present or future) and it'll tell you when you have how many.

Posted by marauder01 (My Page) on
Thu, Oct 29, 09 at 20:12

I'll be interested to see how close I can tune it for my own herd management.

Posted by marauder01 (My Page) on
Mon, Jan 25, 10 at 18:07

It will never be 100% accurate, but it gives you a ball park idea of how the breeding process works.

Posted by marauder01 (My Page) on
Sat, Apr 17, 10 at 19:26

I based the calcs on 10 weeks to be conservative, but am now convinced the time is actually shorter (maybe 5-7 weeks).

One other nice thing is now you can predict when the population will boom, and feed / divide accordingly!

Remember, when you talk life cycle, it's birth (ie cocoon layed) right up to laying a cocoon itself. So for eg. cocoon takes 4 - 8 week to hatch, baby to adult (breeder) another 6 - 8 weeks, cocoon layed. So total life cycle would be between 14-18 weeks (IMHO)

Posted by marauder01 (My Page) on
Wed, Feb 23, 11 at 4:41

"It calculates weekly growth based on conservative assumptions. In the tests I did, it's close to right for MY conditions, to a point. In 9 months, it was accurate. After that, I didn't expand my system, therefore the population didn't match the numbers. You'll see if you plug in some numbers.
My goal was to be able to predict when populations would boom, and when I would have enough worms to give away 1000 per week indefinitely.

Posted by marauder01 (My Page) on
Tue, Oct 18, 11 at 6:19

Columns G-R = enter a start date (in yellow at the top), for a tote, and predict what the weight of worm will be in the following weeks by looking at column G-H.

Only enter data in the yellow boxes

The dates you find to start with are from my early totes.

After reading Shaul's most recent post, I think it makes a bit more sense now, but I have to wonder if the main reason no one has posted results is because a lot of worm composters, after getting the calculator, realize as I did that they just don't need to know exactly how many worms they have or could produce. The bins are just for their own use and the calculator is way more complicated than it has to be for home use. Maybe I'm way off base, but that was why for me. :)

Lynn

Oct. 23, 2009. " excel spreadsheet to try and calculate just how fast a population could grow."

Oct 24, 2009 : " remember, the numbers out of it are theoretical (but possible). "

Jan. 25, 2010. " It will never be 100% accurate, but it gives you a ball park idea of how the breeding process works."

So here it is Short & Sweet.
Marauder created an Excel Spreadsheet. He plugged in some numbers and the computer did the math. The whole thing is based on Theory ( Not Fact.)
There were No Scientific Experiments, No Extensive Field Tests,
This doesn't mean that The Calculator is totally useless, just that it shouldn't be taken as the Word of God.

Shaul