What I had found is that the type of Bokashi I use actually produced from using activated EM-1 and Purina Worm Chow as a grain source cannot be used as a food source for the worms as it is very powerful as well as acidic. This is similar to the grain mix one would produce or purchase.

By using as a food source, even when mixed ever so slightly with other food sources, the results remained the same. The worms began eating, and then stopped. In all four types of worms tested, the results were very similar. Once they stopped eating, the worms would hunker down towards the bottom of the worm bins.

What I did find on the positive note is that this type of Bokashi is exceptional for setting up an environment to assist in breeding and growing worms out more rapidly. Of course it is just a single component I have found trying to encourage worms to breed more rapidly as well as grow faster however it was a very noticeable improvement.

Hence why I should have titled “Using Bokashi to Setup a Worm Bin Environment”.

If you try this with your own worm bins, one thing to keep in mind is that as mentioned above, this type of Bokashi is very powerful and will kill off worms if too much is applied. I have found that ½ teaspoon to one cubic foot of bedding material is more than ample to do the trick and must be thoroughly mixed into the bedding prior to adding worms. At the same time I add 1 tablespoon of dolomite lime (powdered form) to help neutralize any acid from the bedding and the Bokashi.

One of the first noticeable occurrences will be the establishment of a white fungus growth very similar to the texture of cotton candy for approximately the first week beginning within 24 to 72 hours. I basically have taken a garden claw upside down to disturb and mix just the top ¼” of the surface. I found by mixing the bedding too deep with the worms during the first week or so can be detrimental to the worms that are mixed up. Within a week or so the growth of the fungus begins to simmer down and grow at a much slower rate.

Fungus Growth From Bokashi In Worm Bin

It is at this time the worms appear to really explode in size as well as reproduction increases. Once again I have to state this is very noticeable however not the only thing I have been doing in these test bins. I have also been working on a food mix which has been tested separately also, consisting of numerous ingredients mixed into the bedding material so as to supply the worms with enough food for 28 to 30 days, hence eliminating daily to every few days of feeding them. This enables me to harvest the worm cocoons once a month, keeping all the new growing worms roughly the same age and size in each bin which also makes a difference in reproduction rates.

So while there are numerous conditions that effect worm reproduction and growth rates, I have found the Bokashi grain mix I am using definitely assists in the success of these better rates.

Bruce

Even with all this I was still missing something and knew I could develop a more advanced worm food.

Why Bokashi?

Bokashi composting uses a combination of organic matter and activated effective microorganisms (AEM) in an anaerobic environment which is an acid based fermentation process similar to making homemade wine. Now many following me know I stress being careful with anaerobic microbes, however this process utilizes and further produces beneficial anaerobic microbes when done correctly.

Below is a picture showing a new batch of Bokashi compost (bag on the left) compared to one which has been processing for just one week (bag on the right). The picture does not illustrate as well as seeing it in person, however if you look closely you can see that already much of the larger particles have broken down in just one week. I had purposely placed some in clear Ziploc baggies which then are placed in an airtight bucket so as to be able to see what was going on from week to week.

Comparing Bokashi Coposting After One Week

The astonishing part is that the 1 week old Bokashi mix is already broken down to what was normally taking me to process in two to three weeks time. I also noticed that my previous method would have a strong vinegar smell for the first week while the Bokashi method has only a pleasant smell which is more sweet than sour at the moment.

There are three main reasons I am anxious to try Bokashi in the worm bins. First, one of the main bacteria I have been striving to grow will actually flourish better under these conditions. Second being that this process aids in the worms digestive system in two ways. First it actually breaks down proteins into amino acids… which aid the worm’s digestive process since they no longer need to break it down. The latter is that a worm has an expandable sac known as the “crop” which stores food until such a time the gizzard has room to accept more food for processing. The Bokashi composting method will break down the food further prior to the worms eating it, hence speeding up their entire digestive process allowing them to consume more nutrient rich food.

I will update the Bokashi composting to compare over the next few weeks as well as the effect on the worms. One concern is the acidic level of the completed Bokashi; however have a couple ideas as well as another batch fermenting which may resolve the issue when ready. I will also try this method soon on food scraps since it does not generate an odor when done correctly as well as can even break down meats, dairy products… something you don’t want to feed directly to your worms.

Bruce

Now while many parts of the country are inundated with rains and flooding, here in the southeast we are dry and hot. The manure pile at times has dried out so much; the worms could not be found in the manure itself but rather moved into the ground under the pile which helps to retain a little moisture there.

Getting to my point here, if you look at worms in the ground, there are no holes in the bottom for air to pass through as many, including myself (which I still smack the back of my head from time to time for doing so) state you need air holes on the bottom of your worm bins when raising worms. Others will say it is for water to drain through or both.

Here is what I did. I setup two identical buckets without any holes on the bottom, however numerous air holes around the top as well as set them in a well ventilated area.

Raising Worms

I placed enough moisture and food mixture in both to sustain ½ pound of red wigglers in each. They both contained 2.5 gallons of bedding / food mixture.

The only difference was the bedding material by which one was sphagnum peat moss while the other contained coconut coir, one which has been aged for at least 18 months and rinsed completely.

Red Wigglers In Peat Moss

After 30 days I opened the two buckets screened the materials and found just about ¾ of a pound of worms in each. This was not due to additional worms but rather the increased size of the worms and their individual weights.

While both appeared at first to work the same, I found the coconut coir had a smell, started turning anaerobic in the bottom half of the bucket while the bucket containing the peat moss smelled like fresh earth throughout. The issue came down to the coconut coir not holding water as well and draining so that the bottom was much moister than the top.

The other difference in this setup was that there was right about a 10% higher cocoon rate in the peat moss bucket.

These were just a couple things we noticed, however onto the reason for this article again.

The worms not only fared well without any holes for aeration but grew in size, hence a happy environment for them.

I then proceeded to build a new stack unit; this permits me to hold a good number of worms for breeding, hatching and growing worms in less square footage of floor area. The bins, which are small, cement mixing tubs which when filled to an inch from the top, give me right about 1 cubic foot of bedding and food materials. None of the bins have any holes drilled on the bottom.

Worm Farm

Now we have used these for going on two months now with all four types of worms we raise here, red wigglers, African nightcrawlers, European nightcrawlers and Alabama Jumpers, hence why the different color tags on each.

From growing, breeding, hatching and using as holding bins, there have not been any issues.

It appears the worms, just as in the case of the manure pile when it is moist, thrive very well, theoretically perhaps due to the increased aeration over the open bedding surface. By placing a piece of burlap over the top of the bedding and keeping it damp helps to keep the top from drying as quickly while still allowing good breath ability for the worms.

In short, unless you are over watering or feeding a load of vegetable scraps such as melons releasing lots of moisture, worms do not need holes on the bottom of their worm bins and actually appear to grow faster when in a more natural environment, allowing the bottom to stay moist and only needing a little spray of water on top.

I will be writing about other facts we have found in our tests the past several months including a way to assist in preventing many pests from either inhabiting your worm bin or at least keeping the numbers under control so as they do not get out of control!

Some may remember I showed some plans on starting a worm farm using a Rubbermaid style storage bin a couple months ago. After I was finished, this setup does not actually do me any good for the amount of worms we raise, hence I decided to try and make the fisherman’s worm box out of it.

As I pulled back some of the bedding from the top of the worm bin, I found some worms eating which was a mix of all four types of worms while there were various worm cocoons also noticed. You will not see the Alabama Jumper cocoons as they are too small to be seen in the bedding mix.

Keep in mind that the bedding material is not an ideal mix for any one species of worm; however appears to be supporting all four types of worms rather well. I did have one issue where I needed to keep the worm bin under a light for 5 days before I could actually get all the worms to stay down.

A good solution for additional bins would be to place about 1 inch of existing bedding material from one worm bin over the top of a new worm farm.

To get started though you will need to mix one two thirds part Sphagnum peat moss and one third either sifted clay or top soil. Next you will need some damp shredded newspaper and corrugated cardboard. Finally you want to mix all the bedding materials together adding approximately 2 tablespoons of agricultural lime to a half filled 15 gallon bin. Be sure your material is at about 30% moisture level without being compacted. Finally tap down the bedding material lightly as you do not want a hard packed bed; however this is done to help support the Alabama Jumpers. If you need direction for setting up a worm bin using a Rubbermaid type of bin, use the link above.

Now take some vegetable scraps and bury them in one corner, much the same you might for a red wiggler bin and cover with the bedding material.

Lastly I ended up placing a quarter pound of each, the red wigglers, European nightcrawlers, African nightcrawlers and Alabama Jumpers onto the surface of the bedding material covered with an additional thin layer of damp shredded newspaper and left under a light.

Over the next five days, be sure the top remains moist by misting some water if needed.

Before placing the cover on top, I added Purina Worm Chow directly to the bedding under the top layer of shredded newspaper so as once any of the worms came to the surface; hopefully they would get distracted by the food on top, which apparently worked.

I have been feeding them food scraps only twice in about the past two months while applying the Purina Worm Chow on the surface weekly.

I have stored the worm bin inside the temperature controlled building at 78 degrees Fahrenheit however room temperature of around 70 degrees will do the trick also.

There you have it, the fisherman’s worm box and best friend!

Bruce

Seasonal changes affect the way one raises their red worms. When winter arrives we concentrate on keeping our red worms warm. It is much easier when raising red worms to keep a worm bin warm than trying to keep it cool enough during the warmer months.

Moving from the summer through fall and into winter is actually easier since even though the temperatures drop, so does humidity. Once summer arrives the humidity rises in most parts of the country which can make your red worm bin become an oven similar to roasting a roast.

Even if you live in areas such as Arizona where the temperatures are hot but the humidity remains low, remember your worm bin has trapped moisture within it, hence creating humidity within the worm environment.

Another reason why it becomes easier to raise red worms during the cooler months is the fact many are composting by throwing in loads of food scraps such as vegetables. This helps to heat up the worm bin which works fine during the winter.

During the transition from winter to spring, things begin to heat up. While adding plenty of nitrogen rich, green products, such as leftover vegetable scraps work well during colder, drier months, this can prove detrimental when transitioning from winter to spring into summer.

Raising red worms and transitioning from winter to spring can be relatively simple if you approach it properly.

Start by making sure your worm bin does not have too much moisture. Moisture and heat do not mix when it comes to raising red worms. A soil moisture meter can be purchased at most hardware, home improvement and even discount stores this time of year. A good year round moisture percentage to maintain is 60% to 70%.

I know many people purchase a worm farm of one sort or another offering a spigot at the bottom by which is advertised to produce worm tea. First, this is not worm tea but rather leachate, which can be anaerobic and detrimental to your worms. Leachate can be full of detrimental anaerobic microbes rather than beneficial aerobic microbes hence why landfills for example need to build retainers to catch the leachate to prevent run off into local soil and drinking wells. If you are producing liquid within your worm bin this time of year as well as during the summer months there is a good chance you will kill off your red worms.

To reduce the heat within your red worm bin, slow down on the green products and begin adding more brown which are carbon products. Carbon products consist of shredded newspaper and cardboard for one. These products will not generate nearly as much heat within your worm bin as green products do. At the same time they do not increase the moisture content but rather absorb it. Green products not only generate heat but also produce moisture content.

Certain vegetables produce more moisture than others. This is a good time of year to avoid melons and vegetables such as cucumbers for a while.

If you are raising red worms in a garage or basement that becomes hot during the summer months, now is the time to start thinking about where you can move them to. Garages that reach even 80 degrees Fahrenheit will end up cooking your worms as the internal temperature of the worm bin will exceed this.

Think of a sauna and how the steam literally heats up within the room and makes you hot. The same holds true when raising red worms within the worm bin and the heat and moisture content builds up within.

If raising your red worms outside, now is the time to find a nice shady spot for them if you have not done so already. Direct sun on the worm bin will bake your worms quickly and leave a foul odor.

Heading these precautions will save you and your red worms much aggravation and are the same guidelines used at Red Worms For Sale worm farm to insure healthy red worms. For additional information on raising red worms, be sure to sign up for the Worm Composting Newsletter!

For example, if your worm bin internal temperature is at 60 degrees Fahrenheit your worms will be less active, hence eating less food. This is also a reason I do not recommend refrigerating red wiggler worms, African nightcrawlers, European nightcrawlers or Alabama Jumpers. As they become less active and eat less they begin to get thinner and leaner, which is not what fishermen and women want.

Moisture and pH levels will also affect your worms and how much they will eat.

Red wigglers can eat half their body weight per day in decomposed food scraps, shredded paper products… under the correct conditions. So one pound of red wiggler composting worms can eat half a pound of food a day under ideal conditions in a homeowner style worm bin. In a larger style bin, 32 square foot continuous flow system for instance, under ideal conditions; red wigglers have been known to consume more food per day.

Now your African nightcrawlers and Alabama Jumpers are probably your most ferocious eaters. The ones on our farm indoors are fed daily under ideal conditions. Now I do not feed these guys food scraps but have shifted to Purina Worm Chow as their main diet. I do not have to run out constantly to pick up scraps and manure from local vendors some of which is smells pretty bad. African nightcrawlers are not as big a composting worm as the red wiggler on food scraps; however are excellent manure worm. I do not recommend chicken manure, however rabbit manure is superb as it does not require the process of heating. Horse or cow manure is also excellent however be sure the manure has been heated prior and that the animals have not been on de-wormer.

Now grain mix differs from food scraps as you do not want to feed your worms ½ a pound of Worm Chow per one pound of worms. You simply sprinkle on the surface area and do not mix in or the bin will become sour and begin to kill off your worms. Not only do the African nightcrawlers devour the chow, but damp shredded newspaper which we keep on the surface area and replace as needed. This ends up turning into the dark, rich worm castings known as “Black Gold”.

European nightcrawlers one of the favorite worms by those that fish, are also another good manure worm and are not as great on food scraps as the red wiggler. They also do not have the ferocious appetite as the African nightcrawler. I feed them with the grain mix by Purina, however anywhere from once every day or two while maintaining less feed in each bin compared to the African nightcrawler. The European nightcrawler bin is probably the easiest to sour by adding too much food. Do not expect these worms to eat as much, however they are extremely prolific and do produce a nice worm castings.

This should give you a good basis as where to begin feeding your worms, however keep in mind the conditions of your worm bin due play a large role in how much to feed your worms.

The first thing is to check a few things such as temperature, pH and moisture levels of your worm bin. If any or a combination of the previously listed are off, your worms maybe trying to get out of unfavorable conditions, in search of greener pastures. If this is true, you will want to rectify the problem so as not to end up killing off your worms.

Temperature plays a vital role not just in keeping your worms happy and the rate at which your food scraps will begin to breakdown permitting growth of beneficial microbes for your worms. An ideal temperature is 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit inside the bedding material of your worm bin.  If you add to many green products to your worm bin, raising the pH level, the temperature will also increase, heating the bin, potentially to high.

If your pH is off, usually the result of being too acidic, eliminate adding anymore green scraps to your worm bin for a while until you rectify to an acceptable pH level of 6 to 7. You could add some agricultural lime or crushed egg shells to assist in lowering and maintaining proper pH levels. Also add more brown products for a while such as shredded newspapers and cardboard.

Moisture levels are a common issue as the food scraps added to the worm bin release additional moisture as they decompose. This is especially true for certain fruits and vegetables such as cucumbers, melons… This is probably one of the most common reasons I hear from people having an issue with worms trying to escape. Moisture levels should be approximately 70% to 75%, no matter which type of worm you are raising, red wigglers, African nightcrawlers or European nightcrawlers.

To begin drying the worm bin and to assist in keeping your worms from escaping, add some shredded newspaper to the top few inches of your worm bin. Worms prefer not to crawl through dry newspaper; hence usually this will keep many of them below the dry paper.

Another trick is to leave the lid off in a room where you can leave the light on. This serves a dual purpose. The first permits more ventilation, hence allowing your worm bin to dry out faster. Secondly, the light helps to keep the worms from poking their heads out as light disturbs them, hence keeping them down inside the bedding.

The last trick I have been meaning to post, something I tried a while back with effectiveness, is to build a flap under the lid of your worm bin.

Basically you need strips of newspaper approximately 6 inches wide. Next crease the strips in lengthwise so as the 6 inch strips now or folded in half, 3 inches wide as in the photographs below.

Tear off a few smaller pieces to cover your four corners. Then use longer strips for the remaining four sides of your worm bin.

Carefully place your worm bin lid on top and snap down into place.

Be sure to check daily for worms stuck up on the underside of the newspaper that are trying to escape. Simply place them back on the top of the bedding in the center of the worm bin.

If your worm bin is to moist or in the event numerous worms get caught up on the underside of the newspaper, replace the flapped newspaper when it becomes to damp, as it will lay down on the side of your worm bin, allowing worms to crawl out again.

Good luck in your vermiculture adventures,

Bruce Galle