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coreyandtrevor

worm bedding?

coreyandtrevor
10 years ago

hi errybody just got 2000 red wigglers from unlce jim, came very fast but when they arrived i was worried they were dying (it was cold and they were left inthe mailbox for the wholeday) so i tore up news paper and some carboard for bedding and dumped emin, they came in peat. theyve been in there for about 15 hourss and i dont see many that have left the peat so my question is should i buy some peat and mix it in? would that disturb the wporms too much? anyhelp wouldbe appreciated

Comments (6)

  • coreyandtrevor
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    also im not stupid, my keyboard is veryy sticky

  • iLoveLawn
    10 years ago

    Mine did that at first too. If I were a worm I'd like soft fluffy peat moss better that chopped up cardboard and newsprint.

    Did you soak your newspaper and cardboard? I mixed in UCG with my bedding to get them to go exploring down away from the peat. Try that. Otherwise I wouldn't worry about it. Just let them get used to their new home and feed em in a week.

    2000 is kind of a lot of worms. What size is your bin?

  • coreyandtrevor
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    its a shallow rubermaid im not sure the exact size uncle jim said it was the maximum amount of worms to have in his youtube vid (the boxes look pretty similar) and yea i soaked it in water but is it bad that i gave them a sliver of a banana peel? ik they arent soposed to eat alot but theyre were alot congrugated in one spot so i put it close to em should i remove it?

  • sbryce_gw
    10 years ago

    You are over thinking this. I suspect the worms have not moved for three reasons.

    1) They came from Uncle Jim.

    2) They are in a bit of shock, having been harvested, packaged, shipped and placed in an unfamiliar environment.

    3) There is no incentive for them to move.

    Give them time. In the mean time, do not let them dry out. Place a light overhead to encourage them to burrow. And find something to feed them NOW. Focus on foods that they can eat quickly. Foods that are soft (melon, banana), a favorite (horse manure), or well decomposed (compost). I am guessing that your bin is too sterile, and the worms are preferring to stay in the microbe-rich peat moss that they were shipped in.

    Do you have a neighbor who tosses his grass clippings over the fence? Dig in that pile for the black, crumbly stuff at the bottom of the pile. Gather about a liter of it. Toss it in the bin. Do SOMETHING to get the micro herd going.

  • PRO
    equinoxequinox
    10 years ago

    "bin is too sterile, and the worms are preferring to stay in the microbe-rich peat moss" yes.

    "They are in a bit of shock" yes.

    "Focus on foods that they can eat quickly" yes. I too was thinking melon or over ripe banana.

    It would be handy to know what the seller was growing them in and replicate that to start. Every seller should state that as a matter of practice.

  • Shaul
    10 years ago

    A couple things;

    Your keyboard can't be so 'Sticky' that you can't go back and edit your post. How ken errybudy unnerstan wut yur tryin tuh saay if yuh don yuze prahpur spellun punkthuhayshin an grammur?

    Oh sorry, my keyboard is sticky.

    If you don't know the size of your bin, then take a tape measure and measure it: Width (side to side), Depth (front to back), Height (top to bottom) and then post it here. It could be that your bin is already too small for the quantity of worms you have. If someone told you that 2000 worms is the maximum for your container, then that's all you'll ever have. Worms will multiply and expand to fill the space allotted. So if a bin is a cubic yard, then the worms will expand to fill that space, but if it's only a cubic foot then they'll stop multiplying and regulate to the smaller space. Also, a bin is mainly bedding with the worms, food and their castings. You may need to add a second bin or go to a larger size.

    Shaul

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