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chuckiebtoo

Vermicomposting 103-107 (Revisited from the early days)

chuckiebtoo
9 years ago

I've taken this down due to total lack of interest.

cb2

This post was edited by chuckiebtoo on Thu, Sep 18, 14 at 19:22

Comments (2)

  • armoured
    9 years ago

    I once wrote an intro to vermicomposting that I never did anything with - it was too long and wordy, and yours is much better.

    I think you hit on the key point above: "bin disaster can almost always be synonymed with "too much", as in too much water, or food."

    I'd add - if it helps anyone - the following key point: you can never have too much bedding. Repeat: you can never have too much bedding. And a layer of bedding on top never hurts.

    The other way I like to look at it is this, the sensitivity of worm bins is asymmetrical on three major fronts: air/water, quantity of food, and temperature - and the three are somewhat related. The simple summary is: i) make sure the bin has enough bedding and is not too wet, ii) make sure you don't put too much food in and have enough bedding, and iii) don't let the bin get too hot (generally, keep it out of the sun).

    Temperature is the easiest to understand: too hot, and worms die; too cool, and the worms process more slowly, but will usually survive. Therefore, make sure the bin doesn't get too hot as first priority - the rest is trying to get the temperature right so they process food quickly enough for you. "Extra" bedding gives the worms some buffer of places to migrate to where the temperature is acceptable.

    Quantity of food (by which I mean kitchen scraps and 'wet' foods): this is relative to the amount of bedding, not absolute. But it's still pretty easy to understand: as long as there is some food, the worms will have enough to eat to survive (and they do eat bedding, albeit slowly); too much food, and they may die off. Therefore, always err on the side of slightly less food, and too much bedding is rarely a problem.

    Air/water: Too wet leads to a stinky mess and also means not enough air. Too much air (not very wet) is rarely a problem as long as not completely dry. Good bedding like shredded cardboard has some 'structure' and allows airflow, bedding at the bottom (especially if there is some drainage) and the top absorbs excess water but retains some 'in the middle'. 'Food' (like kitchen scraps) tends to have water - so avoid overfeeding. A layer of bedding at the top will generally help keep bugs out, some moisture in (and if it dries out some, will also be a buffer zone for the worms if needed).

    And same conclusion: you can't have too much bedding. Sure, the bin shouldn't be completely dry, but too wet is more dangerous than too dry.

    I find all three work together to say the mantra should be: you can't have too much bedding. You can't have too much bedding. You can't have too much bedding.

    Comments welcome though.

  • armoured
    9 years ago

    A quick follow-up point on my above: I meant this in the context of 'vermicomposting 101' - i.e. especially how to start and understand at the beginning.

    So on asymmetry: what I mean is _when uncertain_ which direction your margin of error should be.

    For those trying to 'optimise' (for specific results) and in particular trying to maximise throughput, you should adjust - it's just my belief that you should start at one end of the spectrum (e.g. lots of bedding) and move towards the 'optimal' - which can only be found through experimentation.

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