For anyone that has missed the prior posts concerning the making and update of the flow through worm composting bin, here are the links which will open in a new window.

How to build a flow through worm composting bin for under $40.00

Homemade Flow Through Worm Compost Bin Update 1

The first picture illustrates a layer of brown material and mostly gone through green material underneath. You can see the cantaloupe seeds have been growing as I added one last week which is all about gone already. The worms can barely be seen in this picture; however they are doing well with a massive amount of juvenile red wiggler worms now surviving in the worm bin as well.

The next picture shows the underside of the flow through worm composting bin exposing the weed whacker line I used to support the bedding material and food scraps I have been adding. There is a little remainder of the layers of newspaper I used originally to support the base material I was adding. This is what you still see hanging on the left side of the picture below.

You can also see the vermicompost being supported by the weed whacker line. I originally did the scraping of vermicompost last week. When I checked the bottom of the flow through worm bin today, there was approximately two cups of vermicompost which had fallen to the bottom by itself.

This goes along with my theory that the weed whacker line is sufficient to support the material above as well as the weight. You will notice the bow in the weed whacker line, however figuring it is supporting well over fifty pounds of material at present, this is to be expected.

I will post further updates on this system down the road.

Bruce

I have found that many state one or another type of organic pest control to use however most do not work. On the other hand I have used some organic and natural products with much success.

If you have an issue with mice or other rodents, hold off from buying baits, messy traps or even glue traps. First off baits which poison mice and rodents are also poisonous to humans, pets, water supplies…

The way most baits work is to basically dehydrate the rodent, hence making them go look for water. Many times the rodents become too weak or disillusioned and do not find themselves outdoors but rather stuck within the walls of your home. Once they begin to decay the odor is something you can do without!

The organic method for mice and rodent pest control that is truly amazing is peppermint oil. I am not referring to peppermint extract used in baking which is usually less than 1/10 of a percent of peppermint oil, but rather pure peppermint oil which can usually be found at health food stores.

I personally tried this on my own home earlier this summer. I began hearing some noises at night then noticed mice droppings. Locating the source, I found them in the crawl space and in the heating ducts.

I placed the peppermint oil on some cotton balls and placed them under the house in the crawl space as well as in some of the duct work. I proceeded to add some around in the rooms I had seen the droppings.

Literally within 24 hours the mice were gone and the house smelled great!

The reason that this organic pest control method is so effective is that the smell for one is too strong for many rodents and others such as mice are allergic to peppermint. After four months, we still have no further issues with rodents.

Another organic pest control method for many bugs including bedbugs which have made news of lately due to some large name stores finding them is freshwater, Diatomaceous Earth, food grade. Do NOT use the pool filter grade as this can be harmful to you and your pests.

Food grade Diatomaceous Earth is an amazing product which is mined from mother earth. There are various brand names, the two larger ones Perma-Guard and Celatom. After much research, I began using the Celatom AFA, Codex food grade Diatomaceous Earth since the published analysis of each show the Celatom is more pure than the Perma-Guard brand. The Celatom brand is also pH neutral while the Perm-Guard is alkaline, which is important for my worm bins.

As for what pests can be organically exterminated, Ants, fire ants, caterpillars, cut worms, army worms, fleas, ticks, cockroaches, snails, spiders, termites, scorpions, silverfish, lice, mites, flies, centipedes, earwigs, slugs, aphids, Japanese beetles (grub stage), bed bugs, fruit flies, corn earworm, cucumber beetles, corn borer, sting bugs, squash vine borers, etc.

The Diatomaceous Earth dehydrates these pests. By absorbing the sensitive moisture balance from the pest’s body and causing them to die hence this is not an immediate organic pest control however is very effective.

Being I live in a wooded area, the dogs easily pick up fleas and ticks. One of our dogs is sensitive to any chemicals for flea and tick treatments. I have not found any more fleas or ticks on the dogs as of lately.

I also use as a pest control in my worm bins, however dusting only when the worms are hunkered down in the bedding. You do NOT want to dust the worms directly. This works on a major summer time problem of fungus gnats and flies in the adult stage when applied directly on them. The larvae are usually too far below the service to be impacted directly. By controlling the adult population you can eliminate the problem. As an additional defense a strip of fly paper on the lid of the bin will assist in removing the adult population.

Here is a recommended source to buy Celatom AFA food grade Diatomaceous Earth

One problem remained in one of my worm farm bins was the invasion of a few crickets. Once they got in they could not escape due to the design of the overhanging edge around the top of the worm bin. The Diatomaceous Earth was either not effective or very slow to work on them. Hence I proceeded with plan two.

Now many folks use Dawn liquid dish detergent to make an insecticidal soap. Keep in mind Dawn and other dish liquids are detergents and not soap, hence can cause damage on plants…

I used 2 teaspoons of liquid Dawn to one gallon of water. Applied to the top of the worm bedding material, while the worms were burrowed down below the surface, worked well. The mixture will affect the worms if too much is applied, hence only a slight misting. The next morning the crickets were all dead.

I would recommend using an organic soap rather than the dawn detergent as it can be safer on worms and your plants.

Hope these organic pest control methods are helpful in your worm vermiculture as well as around your home, keeping both you and your pets safe!

Bruce

Celatom Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth 8oz. AFA Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth – $9.95 On Sale $7.95 Free Shipping! 2lbs. AFA Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth – $21.95 On Sale $17.95 Free Shipping!

]]> http://wormcompostingblog.com/pest-repellent/organic-pest-control/feed/ 8 http://wormcompostingblog.com/worm-farm-2/starting-your-own-online-worm-farm-business/ http://wormcompostingblog.com/worm-farm-2/starting-your-own-online-worm-farm-business/#comments Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:49:02 +0000 Bruce http://wormcompostingblog.com/?p=184 I am getting more and more phone calls and emails asking me how one can start their own online worm business.

First off, let me tell you right out of the starting gate, having your own successful worm farm is a lot of work! Some folks have the impression it is easy and not very time consuming. I personally work online and offline about 70 to 80 hours a week. Now this can be started as a part time business, however to have a larger farm does require attention to detail daily!

Is it worth it? Yes, in fact most others I have helped have the same enthusiasm I have and the more you learn about worms the more you want to learn!

Others ask why I would help others compete with myself. Simple answer is the fact that there is plenty of room for reputable worm farmers online as well as competition is healthy for any business!

To get online is actually easier and more economical than many believe. You need not know any programming, HTML but rather point and click and upload your own images if you choose if you know where to go.

The first item is selecting a domain name. I recommend you select something utilizing keywords such as “red wigglers” or “worms” in the domain name you choose for search engine optimization if you are looking to get into the worm business. If you are looking into another business, look for keywords to include in your domain associated with such.

I even know of some people that register their own names or family names and post family photos… to share with friends and family around the globe.

The site we register our domain names as well as use their shopping cart for our customer’s security is Order Your Domain, which offers the lowest prices and best products. The best domain extension to register is a .COM however I do personally own a couple .INFO and .NET extensions

Next you need to be able to build a website, which is where WebSite Tonight comes into play. You can actually have your web site up and running within a matter of an hour or so. They offer loads of templates to choose from, allow you to enter your own text and images to personalize your web site.

Lastly you need a secure shopping cart. The one I actually switched to and still use for Organic Worm Farm after trying others that the emails got hacked from the database is Quick Shopping Cart. Again it is simple to setup and use while insuring the security of your customers.

Lastly, if you do not already have a PayPal account, you can set one up for free so as to accept credit cards and PayPal payments as well as accept checks or money orders.

These are the basic affordable tools you need to get yourself up and running online in your own worm farm or other business.

Don’t forget to order worms in bulk to save money to begin raising them while having enough on hand to start selling some off at a profit!

Bruce

Last month I ordered some worms from a competitor which I do regularly to see what the competition has to offer. I even have my own network of secret shoppers which help me hide my identity.

What this competitor did was send me a bonus for free. Turns out the worm bedding they were shipped in contained loads of fungus gnat eggs. Unbeknownst to me, I added them to one of my beds. Within a couple days the fungus gnats began to flourish. Within a week or so they were out of control in one of my buildings.

Do not worry; we did not sell from this building!

This started my mission of trying to eliminate them as well as see what would work not just on the gnats but mites as well.

I began using some methods others state on their web sites that work effectively. Below are some of the methods which did not work and the one method that did work to assist you from using some remedies suggested by others that can be and are fatal to your worms!

First I tried apple cider vinegar mixed with water in a jar. I sat one on the window sill where I would see some fungus gnats as well as one in the worm bin. After two weeks this caught a total of 2 fungus gnats on the window sill.

I tried attaching fly paper to 2 popsicle sticks to stretch it out and placing in a worm bin adjusting it to rest just above the bedding material.  This was effective in catching some of the adults but was not going to eliminate the problem since it did not have an effect on the eggs and larvae.

Others state to vacuum them out of your worm bin daily. I tried this and perhaps my shop vac is too strong(felt like Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor – more power…) as I was careful but every so often the end of the hose got to close to the bedding and would suck up a chunk of bedding along with worms. This does help but by the next day the numbers were back because the vacuum does not handle the eggs and larvae unless you suck up all the bedding and worms.

Next I tried cinnamon which others claim will work since it can be used as a natural pest control. This is one that I recommend you avoid. It did scatter the gnats but did not kill them. A little later they would return. Once the cinnamon was watered in, worms began trying to escape from both the bottom and the top of the worm bin. The worms that ran through the watered down cinnamon died within hours. This remedy actually created the most worm loss of any.

Another trick stated on some web sites is to use coffee grounds. I was skeptical of this one for if you save any coffee grinds and they remain damp they will attract gnats within a number of days. At this point I had nothing to lose but some time so I tried it. When applying they scattered but returned only to enjoy the environment more. Hence there was not effect on the fungus gnats other than feeding them more food!

For mites I read in a natural remedy book I have to use onion, chives or garlic to chase the mites away. I placed some fresh cut chives from the garden into the worm bin and left it over night. The next morning, the chives were had about 50 mites on them. There were still plenty of them in the worm bin though. In effect the remedy worked to the opposite of what the book stated. I even went back to read it again to be sure I read it right.

Next I decided to try “Food Grade” Diatomaceous Earth (D.E.). Now I mention food grade as there are two main types of D.E., food grade and pool filter grade. The pool filter grade is harmful not only to humans and pets if inhaled, digested… but will kill off your worms.

Now as for the food grade, there are actually a number of different grades as well as some are more pure than others depending on where they are mined.  I actually purchased from two companies, Perma-Guard and the AFA Codex food grade. After checking on the mineral analysis from each web site, I found that the AFA Codex was more pure as well had a more neutral pH hence not messing with your worm bin pH level.

AFA Codex food grade Diatomaceous Earth are fossilized freshwater seashells which are mined from the earth and ground to a flour type consistency. The way the product works is it acts like shredded glass to pests. They walk or crawl through it and get cut, allowing the Diatomaceous Earth to enter the wounds and dehydrate them.

It is safe to humans and can even be used in the vegetable garden the same day you pick your crops. As always it is a good idea to wash any vegetables whether from your own garden or produce section of your local store.

I performed an original dusting and followed up with a second dusting about three days later. The mites have dwindled way down in numbers. The fungus gnats seem to have been eradicated after about one week from the initial dusting.

The worms have not been affected by the applications of the AFA Codex food grade D.E. I went one step further on the second application which is not recommended by applying some of the dust directly on some African nightcrawlers on the top of a couple bins. To my amazement, the worms are still alive and were not affected by the direct contact to the Diatomaceous Earth. My theory to this is perhaps when they burrowed back down they were able to cleanse themselves hence removing the dust.

Food Grade D.E. is all natural and is effective on

Adult Flea Beetles, Ants, Aphids, Bedbugs, Cabbage Root Flies; Carrot Root Flies, Cockroaches, Coddling moths, Earwigs, Fleas, Fungus gnats, Mites, Pillbugs, Sawfly, Silverfish, Slugs, Snails, Thrips, Ticks, Twig borers & More….

So there you have it. The one product that is all natural and effective on numerous pests in a worm bin and around the home. It can be used as a preventative as well as handle existing pest problems.

Be sure NOT to purchase pool filter grade D.E. Also be sure to get a better quality Diatomaceous Earth since it is mined from different parts of the country, some containing many impurities. You can always purchase some of the AFA Codex food grade Diatomaceous Earth from Organic Worm Farm. They offer re-bagged 8oz. for use on one or a few worm bins or 2lb bags for larger worm farms, use in the yard and garden since they purchase in large quantities…

]]> http://wormcompostingblog.com/pest-repellent/food-grade-diatomaceous-earth-for-worm-bin-pest-control/feed/ 10 http://wormcompostingblog.com/worm-compost-bins/homemade-flow-through-worm-bin-update-1/ http://wormcompostingblog.com/worm-compost-bins/homemade-flow-through-worm-bin-update-1/#comments Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:27:11 +0000 Bruce http://wormcompostingblog.com/?p=174 It has been a week and a half since I built the flow through worm bin and placed 1 pound of red wigglers into it.  I placed a pound and a half of food in there which is just about gone. Hence under the correct conditions, one pound of red wigglers can eat approximately one pound of food scraps per week.

You can read the original article which includes directions on building this flow through worm bin.

Enjoy the video below.

Bruce

I had seen a similar concept using metal rods as well as had the bottom left wide open, allowing for variety of varmints to enter the system. I decided to build it keeping it simple so as about anyone could put it together.

One thing to keep in mind is many web sites state that the end product is worm castings in a continuous flow through system. The reality is that the end result is a vermicompost, a mix of some unfinished decaying organic matter and worm castings. While the worm castings by themselves are considered “Black Gold”, the vermicompost will do very well in many garden plants too or simply screen the mixture.

Many ask if you will lose many worms out of the bottom, no worries here. As with anything you will lose a few stragglers however the worms are consistently migrating upwards and should reproduce much quicker than your few lost worms coming through the bottom when you harvest your vermicompost.

Materials / Tools:

1 – 55 Gallon drum (one not previously used for chemicals)

1 – 2’ X 2’ piece of 3/8” plywood if your bin has not lid

4 – strips of 3/8* plywood or less, can be from lid scrap above.

1 – 12” X 8” – 1/8” or ¼” galvanized hardware cloth

4 – Short wood screws ~ ¾” to 1”

40’ – Weed whacker line

1 – Piece of approx. 80 grit sandpaper

1 – Reciprocating saw

1 – Phillips or flat head screwdriver… depending on your screws.

1 – Cutting tool for the galvanized hardware cloth.

1 – tape measure.

1 – drill

1 – 1/8” drill bit

The first thing to do is mark out a 12” wide  by 8” high opening on the bottom, 2 inches from the bottom of the drum.

Next center and mark out another opening 10” wide by 6” high inside the one you just made.

Cut out the smaller opening first as this will make it much easier. Once you cut the outer opening, save this piece.

I ran the weed whacker line from side to side as I noticed the structural strength was weekend from front to back once the opening on the bottom was cut. Hence locate and center mark your two sides two inches above the top of your cut opening on the bottom of the drum.

Now you will want to drill holes 1 1/2” on center. This does not mean going around the exterior and measuring 1 ½” all around as this will mess you up.

The simplest way to figure this task out is to drill your two centered side holes, measure 1 ½” to either side and drill those two out. Temporarily run the weed whacker line through all three holes on both sides, back and forth and snug up a little. Now you can reach inside and lay the tape measure over the three lines you ran and mark out 1 ½” in both directions on both sides of the bin. Be sure your marks are level before proceeding to drill them out. You can use your tape measure or if you have scrap wood around, use a precut piece as a template to the height from the bottom of the drum to the height of the holes to be drilled.

To run the weed whacker line tie a large knot on one end of the line and begin threading the line back and forth, starting at either the front or back of the drum. Once ran, proceed to reach inside the drum and start by pulling and placing tension on the lines to snug up, beginning where you first began to thread the line. Once complete, tie another knot on the other end to secure the tension on the weed whacker line and cut off excess.

Now you can cut your lid for the drum if your drum did not come with one out of the 3/8” plywood. Be sure to leave it a little larger than the drum top to over hang a little to prevent rain… from getting in should you be placing outside.

Under the lid, Drill 1/8” holes around the top of the drum spaced about 1 ½” apart.

You should have enough scrap from the plywood lid to cut four strips. Cut four pieces six inches long, two at 1 ½” wide and two at 2” wide.

Use the sandpaper to sand the edges of your fron lower door panel to remove the burs left behind when cutting the door.

Trim the galvanized hardware cloth to fit by being a little smaller than the outer edge of the saved piece from your bottom opening cut. Use the wider strips on the front and the narrower strips on the back of each side to hold the galvanized hardware cloth in place, securing with the four screws. Line them up with the inside edge of the opening so as they over hand on the outer side, one by ½” the other by 1”. Always place the galvanized hardware cloth on over the face which will be facing outwards towards you when fitted into place.

Always start off the flow through system with six pieces of newspaper, add 4” to 6” pre soaked sphagnum peat moss (damp, not soaking wet) on top and begin adding food scraps.

To help maintain the pH level is to layer your green (i.e. vegetable scraps) and brown (i.e. shredded newspaper, cardboard) as well as add ground eggshells when available in moderation.

After two or three months, use a garden claw to lightly rake the underside of the weed whacker line from side to side to remove the finished vermicompost. This can then be performed weekly if the system is setup and functioning correctly.

Bruce

]]> http://wormcompostingblog.com/worm-compost-bins/how-to-build-a-flow-through-worm-bin/feed/ 53 http://wormcompostingblog.com/worm-castings/beneficial-growth-using-organic-worm-castings-fertilizer/ http://wormcompostingblog.com/worm-castings/beneficial-growth-using-organic-worm-castings-fertilizer/#comments Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:39:38 +0000 Bruce http://wormcompostingblog.com/?p=163 I originally wanted to run a test and had posted the three planters I started with using different soil makeup’s, one being worm castings however due to a hail storm most of the plants were destroyed. Hence I decided to grow new seed eventually, sowing some of them in organic worm castings while others directly in the soil in my garden.

I also needed a way to grow some barley grain quickly each week for one of the worms we raise. I tried using soil which did alright however I went to plan “B” shortly thereafter realizing I needed a quick turnaround growing the barley to 6 inches tall. I did some reading on hydroponics however the startup costs were a bit high, especially for the amount of space which would be required for the tanks, pump equipment… for the amount of grain I needed to grow. I then decided to try growing the barley grain directly in well watered worm castings. The results were staggering to say the least.

I used the granular type of worm castings which are produced on the Organic Worm Farm. This enabled a type of blend between traditional planting and hydroponics since there was some water held between the worm casting granular. I use some starter trays with clear lids to help maintain the moisture until they grow tall enough in approximately 4 days time.

The seeds began to germinate in two days. After just three days most all the seed had germinated. Within the next four days, the barley grain had grown to about six inches tall.

The pictures below show the grain just 7 days after planting the seeds.

The next shows the extensive root growth taking place in the seedlings, something worm castings are known for.

Now back to the tomato experiment.

As for the tomato plants, these results are also amazing as they were all planted in the same soil with the exception of the addition of worm castings to some. They all receive the same amount of sunlight, water… in the garden.

To date not only are the tomato plants in the worm castings taller as well as bushier but they are also producing more tomatoes than the plants without the worm castings.

The benefits of worm castings are clearly noted here as well as how to produce more vegetables, flowers… per each plant.

The pictures below display the actual differences. Notice the wire tie for the plants and how the one without worm castings (first picture) only rises to the third wire while the one with worm castings rises to the fourth wire, 6 inches higher.

To produce these type of worm castings we use, be sure to visit 14 Day Worm Castings for more information and take advantage of the Father’s Day Special Promotion!

I had built the worm castings harvesting machine based on my own needs which permits me to harvest worm castings from a quality controlled setting every two weeks from 5 gallon buckets.

I start with some rich organic humus and add a special blend of grain and other organic matter as a food source. Within two weeks the half filled 5 gallon bucket is turned over to 8-10 pounds of worm castings less any debris, i.e. wood chips, bark…

The worm castings harvester is framed out of wood using wood screws to enable the system to endure the vibrations when in use.

The source of energy is produced from a $21.00 finish sander purchased at a local home improvement store.

The rest of the information is pretty much explained within the video below.

]]> http://wormcompostingblog.com/worm-harvesters/homemade-worm-castings-harvester/feed/ 19 http://wormcompostingblog.com/worm-castings/directions-for-using-worm-castings/ http://wormcompostingblog.com/worm-castings/directions-for-using-worm-castings/#comments Tue, 23 Mar 2010 01:55:09 +0000 Bruce http://wormcompostingblog.com/?p=152 Worm castings benefit all types of plants and cannot harm them even if overloading the amount applied. They will not burn the roots and can be applied directly around the roots or sprayed via a worm tea.

Worm castings do not have an odor; hence they are excellent for both indoor and outdoor plants. If purchasing worm [...]]]> Worm castings benefit all types of plants and cannot harm them even if overloading the amount applied. They will not burn the roots and can be applied directly around the roots or sprayed via a worm tea.

Worm castings do not have an odor; hence they are excellent for both indoor and outdoor plants. If purchasing worm castings, be sure they do not come in an airtight sealed container as this will kill off the aerobic microbes which are one of the main reasons to use them.

For many the questions arise on what rate to apply worm castings. In order to assist you on this I have written down some spread rates and how often to apply based on successful experiences.

• Vegetables and Annuals – Place 1-2 inches of worm castings in planting holes and seed furrows. Set plants or seeds, cover with soil and lightly water. Side dress during the growing season with ½ a cup of worm castings per plant or 1 cup of castings per linear foot for each row every 2 months.

• Perennials – Work a ½ cup of worm castings above the root zone, cover lightly with dirt or mulch and water. Take care not to damage shallow roots while working the castings in. Apply in spring, early summer and again in early fall.

• Planting Seeds / Transplanting Potted Plants – Use 1 part worm castings to 3 parts soil.

• Established Potted Plants, Hanging Baskets… – Mix in 1-2 inches of worm castings to top of soil taking precaution not to damage shallow roots and water. Repeat every 2 to 3 months.

• New or Freshly Transplanted Roses, Trees, Shrubs and Berries – Mix 1 part worm castings to 3 parts soil. Surround newly dug hole as well as drape roots over a mound of the mixture, cover and water thoroughly.

• Established Roses – Mix 4 cups of worm castings 2-3 inches below the surface for each plant once a year.

• New Lawn Seed – Apply at the rate of 10 pounds per 100 square feet. Work into top of soil, plant seed and water.

• Established Lawns – Apply at the rate of 10 pounds per 100 square feet in spring and again in early fall.

• Worm Casting Tea – Soak 1lb. castings in 5 gallons of water for 24–48 hours. Use an aquarium air pump to aerate and add 1-2 teaspoons of unsulphured molasses. Casting tea is excellent for fruiting, flowering or difficult to access potted plants, especially indoors. Apply weekly for best results.

• Compost Piles – Spread a thin layer of worm castings over each new layer of material to be composted.

For a more elaborate organic soil matter mix which works great for most plants, vegetables, flowers, potted plants, seedlings and more, you can find a previous post for and print out the recipe here.

Using these ratios will ensure your plants thrive during the growing seasons.

If you do not have any worm castings, you can purchase them from the Organic Worm Farm online store.

Bruce Galle

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