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Worm farm failure
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Posted by Snoopy47 WA (My Page) on Mon, Apr 18, 05 at 8:12
| I was given a Relin worm farm but it isn't working according to plan. Despite installing a sheet of flywire in the base the worms still insist on congregating in the bath in the base of the farm rather than in the tray where they belong. Many of them drown as a result. Yes I have placed an upturned ice cream container in there so they can crawl back but suiside by drowning seems to be the preffered option. Despite six months of careful feeding they are nowhere near the stage where I can add the second tray as most of the castings find there way into the liquid bath through the very fine flywire base I have installed. Has anyone had a sucessful outcome with the worm farm or is it just another marketing gimmick? |
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RE: Worm farm failure
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- Posted by rosco New Zealand (My Page) on
Mon, Apr 18, 05 at 13:43
Did you put bedding in the bottom tray ??,
Coconut fibre is a cheap option and works well. Also do you have the bins exposed to direct sunlight which also tends to make the worms migrate downwards. Lastly if you have'nt got one already install a plastic tap to the base so that you can drain the worm pee regularly. Gardenweb also has a very good vermiculture forum where all the experts gather. Try posting your dissapointments there.
Cheers.
Rosco |
RE: Worm farm failure
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| I put a layer of cardboard & newspaper at the bottom of the tray to stop worms and castings falling through and it works fine. |
RE: Worm farm failure
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| I have a Reln Can of Worms too, and it seems to work fine. If I leave the tap closed, yes some worms get into the collecting tray and drown, but generally I leave the tap open, dripping into a container outside. This way, if worms get into the bottom tray where the worm juice collects they can get back up to the other trays. |
RE: Worm farm failure
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hi snoopy,
I have 2 reln worm farms and I encountered the same problem so I have placed one of those bags that chook feed comes in - kinda a woven plastic bag on the bottom collector unit before placing the next module on top. This type of bag allows moisture to flow through it whilst keeping the worms in the upper levels. I think a few layers of hessian would do the same trick, but would keep being eaten by the worms. I have heard of people putting a layer of old carpet to stop the worms going south too. Also I leave the taps on my units switched on with a bucket underneath to catch the 'juice', this way if any worms do make it to the bottom they don't drown. cheers, mudlark |
RE: Worm farm failure
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| Hi Snoopy, Like the others, we leave the tap on with a bucket underneath. The worm juice is a great feed for growing vegies. But if you leave a bucket underneath, consider putting in stick in it. We had a poor frog drown because it couldn't get out of the bucket! |
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