captmicha
Members
Does anyone have any to share or sell? I underfed mine over the winter and now my population is way too low to harvest.
dogofwar
CCA Members
I'm red wiggler free for the first time in years... need to get some new ones from http://www.veterancompost.com/
Matt
Matt
lgfelic
Members
captmicha
Members
I don't want to pay shipping, which will be more than the culture it's self. Which is why I posted here in the classifieds.
dogofwar
CCA Members
Veterans Compost is local.
Matt
Matt
captmicha
Members
Thanks!
Localzoo
Board of Directors
Hey Michelle & Matt. Matt I don't see a price for the worms on their site, do you know their prices? Are you buying some any time soon? Maybe we can do a large order and split it....dep on what their prices are....
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
dogofwar
CCA Members
Hmmm... I don't see worms listed anymore either... but you know they've got them!
Just email or otherwise contact them. They also sell (or sold) pre-made bins.
If I recall from a couple of years ago, worms were like $25/lb.
Matt
Just email or otherwise contact them. They also sell (or sold) pre-made bins.
If I recall from a couple of years ago, worms were like $25/lb.
Matt
CichlidAddict
Members
Petsmart sells red wigglers as food for small animal. Some bait shops sell them too.
dogofwar
CCA Members
Veterans still sells red wigglers by the pound...pick-up at their main facility in Aberdeen.
You'd go bankrupt buying enough worms from Petsmart or a bait store to get a culture going...
Matt
You'd go bankrupt buying enough worms from Petsmart or a bait store to get a culture going...
Matt
chriscoli
Administrator
I know a lot of people have set up bins with smaller cultures....and I'm not saying this is a bad idea as long as you've got time and patience.
There's a huge benefit, though, to starting your bin with a lot of worms. They settle in and start reproducing a LOT faster when you start with one or two pounds of worms (at about 1000 worms per pound) in a good-sized bin. They seem to get a bit traumatized during transportation (can't say I blame them) and may stop being productive, prolific worms for a few months after being shipped and dumped into a new bin. The more you start with, the sooner they settle in.
So, bottom line.....my two-cents worth is start with minimally-transported worms, and start with a lot of worms if you can. If you can't, though, you'll still have success. Just a little slower takeoff on the productivity.
There's a huge benefit, though, to starting your bin with a lot of worms. They settle in and start reproducing a LOT faster when you start with one or two pounds of worms (at about 1000 worms per pound) in a good-sized bin. They seem to get a bit traumatized during transportation (can't say I blame them) and may stop being productive, prolific worms for a few months after being shipped and dumped into a new bin. The more you start with, the sooner they settle in.
So, bottom line.....my two-cents worth is start with minimally-transported worms, and start with a lot of worms if you can. If you can't, though, you'll still have success. Just a little slower takeoff on the productivity.
chriscoli
Administrator
Also, Gary at Aqua-Pharm (local sponsor) sells a smaller kit with worms for those that don't have room for a larger bin.
http://aqua-pharm.com/worms/worm-rv-2000
http://aqua-pharm.com/worms/worm-rv-2000
dogofwar
CCA Members
As an aside, my culture died out when I let it get way too wet.
I made the mistake of dropping a bunch of veggie scraps into the bin, stacking some stuff on top of it (it's in the garage) and then forgetting about it (was traveling for business on and off for a couple of weeks).
So much leachate (worm juice) was produced that it flooded the bin and killed the worms.
I'd had the bin going since I think 2011, so not to bad of a run!
Time to start over
Matt
I made the mistake of dropping a bunch of veggie scraps into the bin, stacking some stuff on top of it (it's in the garage) and then forgetting about it (was traveling for business on and off for a couple of weeks).
So much leachate (worm juice) was produced that it flooded the bin and killed the worms.
I'd had the bin going since I think 2011, so not to bad of a run!
Time to start over
Matt
jonclark96
Past CCA President
As an aside, my culture died out when I let it get way too wet.
I made the mistake of dropping a bunch of veggie scraps into the bin, stacking some stuff on top of it (it's in the garage) and then forgetting about it (was traveling for business on and off for a couple of weeks).
So much leachate (worm juice) was produced that it flooded the bin and killed the worms.
I'd had the bin going since I think 2011, so not to bad of a run!
Time to start over
Matt
I had a similar issue when I dumped some bad tomatoes in the bin. The substrate turned to mud, and I could never get the moisture under control and eventually the culture died off.
dogofwar
CCA Members
My bin was nested in a way that allowed the leachate to flow from the substrate in the bin to another rubbermaid below it - basically a bin inside of a bin with the inside bin (with the worms in it) held off of the floor of the other bin with a couple of flower pots.
Problem was that I let the leachate back up into the inner bin... filled it with nastiness
Matt
Problem was that I let the leachate back up into the inner bin... filled it with nastiness
Matt
jonclark96
Past CCA President
I had a similar set up, but the liquid from the tomatoes turned the dirt to mud and it clogged up the holes in the inner bin. Lesson learned.
chriscoli
Administrator
First of all, remember, worm leachate and worm castings are like gold to a gardener. I have a friend who is always asking if I've got some to spare. I use the leachate on my potted plants (diluted) all the time. So it's good to have a way to capture it.
I've also gotten quite picky about the worm bedding I use. For those that are going the DIY route, you'll need to find a balance of a pH neutral moisture retentive substrate (coir works very well and you can get it in dried brick form for easy storage), plus paper or newspaper shreddings (they need their cellulose), plus some grit so that they can break down their food. Throw in some pumice or sand once in a while for them. Then you add your scraps to that mixture. If you go on just scraps and newspaper, you end up with a dense mucky bedding and stinky unhappy worms.
I've also gotten quite picky about the worm bedding I use. For those that are going the DIY route, you'll need to find a balance of a pH neutral moisture retentive substrate (coir works very well and you can get it in dried brick form for easy storage), plus paper or newspaper shreddings (they need their cellulose), plus some grit so that they can break down their food. Throw in some pumice or sand once in a while for them. Then you add your scraps to that mixture. If you go on just scraps and newspaper, you end up with a dense mucky bedding and stinky unhappy worms.
chriscoli
Administrator
As an aside, my culture died out when I let it get way too wet.
I made the mistake of dropping a bunch of veggie scraps into the bin, stacking some stuff on top of it (it's in the garage) and then forgetting about it (was traveling for business on and off for a couple of weeks).
So much leachate (worm juice) was produced that it flooded the bin and killed the worms.
I'd had the bin going since I think 2011, so not to bad of a run!
Time to start over
Matt
I heard that someone threw in part of a whole watermelon once and overwhelmed their bin.
