After making some worm food using a Bokashi method, I was actually disappointed 
The initial results looked promising however as each passing day went by the results began to take a turn for the worse. For anyone that missed the original article you can find it here, Bokashi Composting for Worm Food Part 1.
I do believe that perhaps using a pinch of bokashi in the initial bedding setup may help to setup a better environment after all a well balanced garden soil has both, beneficial aerobic and anaerobic microbes.
After allowing the Bokashi to sit in an anaerobic environment for 4 weeks, the smell was right on and all looked well. I made two batches, one out of just shredded rabbit manure and the other out of Purina Worm Chow. Rather than dig a hole and place outside for several more weeks allowing the possible contamination of pests which I did not want since I was using for worm food, I proceeded to dry it quickly in shallow layers in flat bins.
Purina Worm Chow Bokashi
Shredded Rabbit Manure Bokashi
I first proceeded to feed it directly to the worms which they devoured overnight, the next feeding took two days, and the following took about four days for the worms to consume.
So next I went to plan “B” which was to break down the amount of Bokashi used to feed the worms by adding 5 parts Purina Worm Chow, Dolomite lime (since I knew the Bokashi was on the acidic side), Diatomaceous Earth and some dried shredded rabbit manure to 1 part Bokashi.
Once again the worms began to devour the food and slow down day by day on the amount consumed. After a total of two weeks I had lost just a couple worms from various species The worms had just about all but stopped eating the material. I could actually see the loss of weight in the European nightcrawlers and African nightcrawlers.
Uneaten Worm Food
I thought breaking the material down would help; however I can feed the same species of worms just a straight diet of Purina Worm Chow every day for the life of the worms with no issues as well as good growth rates. This is not to say that I am not trying different feed sources and am back to one I have been using with a twist. Rather than make a wet mixture which breaks down over time, I am trying the same mix which is made and stored dry with good results thus far!
In short, I found the Bokashi the way I made it, to be a waste of time and effort as a worm food source. As for using in the garden, this could be an entirely different result as I have not done so to date. Also, not to discourage others wanting to try composting using the Bokashi method to avoid the stench of a compost pile, I find by burying vegetable scraps… in a worm bin to be more effective means for composting on smaller scales. On a larger scale this can be accomplished with worm composting using a continuous flow worm bin and layering your materials, greens (vegetable scraps) always followed by browns (shredded newspaper, cardboard and even coffee grounds).
Bruce
In paragraph 4, you stated that you added diotomaceous earth, wouldn’t this be harmful for the worms? I am of the understanding that this can cause micro abrasions both externally and internally.
I too have stopped using the bokashi in my worm bin, since it seems to encourage massive amounts of those little white pot worms.
cheers
Deight
Deight
As long as you are using food grade Diatomaceous Earth and not applying directly on your worms… i.e. turn a light on if they have migrated to the top and allow them time to burrow down you are fine. In fact we found this not only to be the perfect way to help eliminate pests such as fungus gnats that get killed off during the larvae stage, hence killing off the life cycle but adds minerals for the worms too!
Bruce
today, i make carrot juice for myself and give the carrot pulp to the worms.
so as not to have to add a little water to my dry worm chow (moisten)
i sprinkle
the worm chow on top of my added carrot pulp.
They work quite well together as worm food.
I’ve heard of amazing results from bokashi fed to worms. Key is that the bokashi needs to be really well made. We use bokashi to ferment our food-waste then feed this to the worms. They absolutely thrive on this and we’ve noticed significant improvements in growth, reproduction and very fast processing.
All without the need to separate our food-scraps into worm friendly vs. unfriendly food. So everything is processed including onions, small bones, cooked and uncooked meat, sea-food, citrus, etc.
The way which you prepare your Bokashi is a two step process while mine was a one step process, hence why I mentioned the way I produced ours.
I may have jumped the gun as I have noticed somethings even though the worms stopped eating the mix. I am currently using much less in my original food mix I have been developing for months which has shown great success…
As you mentioned faster growing worms, faster reproduction of worms…
I will write another article soon on this when I check the latest results today!
Bruce
This looks amazing as it is the first time I have heard of such a method using bokashi and worms. I am sure many people would love to have the composting done without the smell..
I shall have to try this myself as well, thank you for this article.
A friend of mine – The Worm Guy – down here in South Africa now begs us for bokashi’d food-waste. He’s a large scale worm farmer. I wish I had his picture of worms feeding on his onions.
The real benefit, in my mind, is that (a) you no longer have to separate your food-waste, (b) as it’s “pre-digested” and full of beneficial microbes there’s no waiting before the worms get into it, (c) as mentioned, happier worms.
Key here is that the worms are Red Wigglers. Dr Danuta Plisko a global worm expert, mentioned the other day that Red Wigglers tolerate (prefer?) low pH environments. So I don’t know if other worm species would quite have the same love for bokashi’d food-waste.
Best,
Gav
Gav
Actually there is another worm, the European nightcrawlers which can tolerate a lower pH from our findings. In fact it is also known as a leaf worm since they enjoy the comforts of fallen leaves which can be more acidic than other bedding materials. They make a good composting worm and fishing worm!
Yes. You’re totally right. In South Africa we prefer the red wiggler as it can’t survive outside of its ‘bin’ and thus can’t run wild. There’s more and more concern here about introduced species taking over from indigenous species. So in general we don’t recommend these one’s here.
Hi Bruce
Very interesting article! Where can I get shredded rabbit manure? My worms love rabbit manure.
Thanks
Sandie Anne
Sandie
I actually shred the rabbit manure here on Organic Worm Farm as well as add additional natural ingredients to make our worm food. I do not know of anywhere one can purchase shredded rabbit manure.
The trick is to allow the manure to dry out a good bit but not to dry that it creates a dust storm when shredding it. I also separate the manure from the urine with a setup I have built so as not to have a strong ammonia odor to it.
Bruce