Understanding the pH Scale:

pH reading of 7 is neutral and is in the middle of the scale of 0 to 14.

Anything from 0 to 6 would be low, however is actually high in acid. OK, don’t ask me to make sense out of this, as I did not create the scale

Anything from 8 through 14 on the pH scale is high as the alkaline level is high!

Confused yet???

Just remember, 0 – 6, acidic = low, 8 – 14, alkaline = high, while 7 is neutral

Many people assume the pH meter is linear such as a thermometer, hence they believe a pH level of 6 is very close to a pH level of 7. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The pH scale is logarithmic. Without all the mathematical explanations and simply put, a soil with a pH level of 6 is ten times more acidic than a pH level of 7.

For your worm bin the ideal pH level is 6.5 and can vary slightly, more towards the neutral zone of 7.

To raise the pH, being it is too acidic, 0 – 6, you can use agricultural lime or other alkaline material; however this takes a bit of time to level the pH. Another trick is to use hardwood ash. Since this is powdery, it acts very quickly, however a little goes a long way so do not over mix!

In order to lower your pH level, 8 – 14, in your worm bin, you will need to add acid based material. You can add peat moss, hardwood sawdust or some fresh spent coffee grounds.

To maintain a neutral pH balance in your worm bin, finely crushed eggshells will do the trick as well as keep expenses down.

Reducing the Acidic Level of Peat Moss:

Soaking peat moss will NOT reduce the acidic level as many websites offering worms would have you believe. If we could balance the pH simply by adding water we would all have perfectly balanced pH flower beds, gardens and yards after watering  ;-)

Peat moss by itself is acidic as low as 3.0 on the pH scale and should be neutralized prior to adding to a worm bin. The way to reduce the acid level in peat moss is to apply one of the above mentioned, preferably hardwood ash as it is quick acting. The best method is to add a little in with the dry peat moss and mix thoroughly prior to adding water for soaking. Turn the soaking peat moss a couple times a day to insure that the alkaline material used is dispersed evenly.

Why Peat Moss Needs to Be Soaked For 48 Hours:

Soaking peat moss for 48 hours is required due to the nature of the peat moss. It acts as a sponge in slow motion, some fibers absorbing the water quicker than other fibers. If you soak for less than the 48 hour recommended time period, your bedding will begin to dry out rapidly and be difficult to moisten to the correct level of 70% to 75% moisture content.

This will occur as the result of not all the peat moss having time to absorb moisture, hence sharing the existing moisture throughout. The dry peat moss fibers will absorb some of the moisture from the wet peat moss fibers hence drying out the wet fibers, eventually leaving all fibers shy of the correct moisture content.

Well there you have it, a short lesson in pH levels as well as why you need to soak peat moss prior to adding to your worm bin!

Good Luck in Your Vermiculture Adventures

Bruce Galle