Root like groth in my bin after new bedding mix

11 years ago

Hello,
I recently changed the mix I use for bedding. I've noticed while mixing up my lower beds (I use a series of four beds) that the beds I made up with the new mixture clump together much more closely than before. Breaking apart the clumps, I find a root-like growth, which certainly wasn't there when I made up the bin. It's not any growth from the food scraps, as it always looks the same. I end up removing it, and get a good handful of this very root like mass. I don't see any seed pod, or any main root, just a wide span of interconnected roots.

I was on a bedding mixture of 50% shredded cardboard and 50% coir. I switched to a new formula:

1/2 brick of coir, saturated
3 gallons shredded cardboard and shredded paper mix
A gallon mixture of
Ã¯Â¿Â½ coffee grounds (70%)
Ã¯Â¿Â½ vermi-compost (1 cup)
Ã¯Â¿Â½ pulverized egg shell (1/2 cup)
Ã¯Â¿Â½ alfalfa meal (1/2 cup)
Ã¯Â¿Â½ generous sprinkling of fine sand

The worms seem to love the mixture, I can tell they're happier than they were with the old mixture. But the root growth is odd and faintly disturbing. Putting this down on paper, my prime suspect is the alfalfa meal, but that's just a guess. I'm hoping someone has seen this before and can let me know if its something to worry about.

Thanks!

Comments (12)

joe_thurston
Original Author
11 years ago
Typo
bamboo_rabbit
11 years ago
Joe,

Is it perhaps Mycorrhizal Fungi?
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joe_thurston
Original Author
11 years ago
I looked up images of Mycorrhizal Fungi, and it is very possible that's it. I will do a closer inspection.

Is it a cause for concern? Should I remove it? Should I leave it?
bamboo_rabbit
11 years ago
Joe,

You are asking the wrong guy:) I know plants but worms I am just a newb. The Mycorrhizal Fungi is VERY beneficial to plants. My guess is it is feeding on the same stuff your worms are but that is just a guess.
sbryce_gw
11 years ago
Coffee grounds will grow this fungus. It is your friend. It breaks down the coffee grounds so that the worms can eat them. It will also help break down the cardboard. You want it in your bin. The only downside with it, as you have seen, is that it tends to bind the OM together into clumps.
PRO
equinoxequinox
11 years ago
Maybe you have been blessed with mycelium running. It indeed would be wide span interconnected. It was the original internet. There are at least 6 ways mushrooms can save the world. If you let them set fruit you can enjoy seeing it and identifying it. The worms would love to eat the mushrooms after they melt back into the bin. Now I'm curious what type of mushroom is growing for you for free.
JerilynnC
11 years ago
Any way you can post a photo?
joe_thurston
Original Author
11 years ago
Since I was due to begin the harvest of my lowest bin, I took some pictures. This photo shows a clump found in one of the middle bins - as I "fluff up" the vermicompost, to aerate, this is typical of the clumps I find. It is out of focus, so I will post another couple of pictures.
joe_thurston
Original Author
11 years ago
This photo, more in focus than the last, shows a much smaller clump that I found in the lowest bin, which is the bin I'm harvesting. I could wash it off and re-photograph if anyone thinks that might help identify.

Behind it, out of focus, is a clump of what I believe to be vermicompost and slime mold. I have lots of yellow slim mold in my bins, and this came (I believe) from the bin below this one.
joe_thurston
Original Author
11 years ago
This photo (it's tough to get an in-focus picture in my basement) shows a closeup of the clump of what I believe to be slime mold. When processing the photo in preparation to upload here, I noticed a whole bunch of cocoons.

This brings up another question (sorry to go off topic), and that is - what should I do with this bin of vermicompost? I'm theoretically harvesting it, and would normally let it dry for a few days, then package it up and store it out in my (very cold) garage, for use next spring. But I'd hate to lose all those cocoons!

Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do? Do I incorporate the contents of this bin, with all the cocoons, into my lowest bin? Or do I put it back on the bottom, and keep feeding the top bin? The top bin has been feed four times (once a week in a corner), and is due to move down the ladder to make room for a new bin.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

-jwt
JerilynnC
11 years ago
I don't know what those roots are, but they look to big to be fungal hyphae. Don't you all think?
User
11 years ago
Impressive number of cocoons! Their color will give you a clue to when you could expect baby worms, i.e. creamy color means newly formed and almost brown means ready to hatch. You know freezing in the garage won't kill the cocoons, right? That move would just mean baby worms next spring when the VC thaws. If you have enough trays to not need to use this one right now, keeping it in rotation will give you a population boost sooner.....