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Traditionally, people raise worms to be used as fishing bait and a protein source for different products like biodegradable cleansers and animal food. Also, worms are used to handle agricultural waste. These creatures turn waste into worm manure or castings, which are rich in nutrients.
Vermicomposting is a process that uses worms to produce vermicompost. If you want to get started with vermicomposting, you can easily order Vers L’avenir worm kits online.
Understanding Vermicompost
Vermicompost is also called castings or worm manure. A lot of those in the horticulture world consider worm castings as the best soil amendments. The amount of nutrients castings contain depends on what they are fed. Often, worms feed on food waste and manure, which are highly nutritious materials.
Worm castings offer different nutrients that can promote plant growth. The biology of the gut of worms facilitates fungal and bacterial growth that benefits plant growth. Additionally, castings also contain a lot of chemical compounds that can promote plant growth.
Types of Worms Used
The majority of worm farms raise Lumpricus rubellis and Eisenia foetida. Such worms are used for fish bait and to produce vermicompost. They are also called tiger worms, red wigglers, and manure worms. Usually, such species are raised together and not easy to tell apart.
What Worms Need
Composting worms can survive a range of temperatures; however, they thrive best between 55 degrees F and 77 degrees F. Such creatures need moist, organic beddings to live in. They will consume the bedding and transform it into castings. Both oxygen and moisture are important and bedding must be damp enough. The skin of a worm is photosensitive, so it needs a dark environment.
Due to their lack of teeth, worms need some kind of grit in the bedding they can swallow. You can introduce a bit of sand or soil; however, ensure it is sterile to avoid the introduction of foreign organisms. You can try additives such as rock dust and oyster flour. Because oyster flow is calcium carbonate, too much of it will increase the pH in the environment of the worm. Worms prefer a pH level of 6.5. for typical worm bins, you only need to add a maximum of one tablespoon of grit.
Should You Purchase Worms?
Red worms are hermaphroditic; however, 2 worms are necessary to procreate and exchange DNA. When a small egg case is produced, this can have up to 20 baby worms.
The worms’ environmental conditions will influence worm population regulation. Such conditions include moisture, pH, space, bedding material, temperature, and the food amount. Typically, a household worm bin may begin with one pound of worms. These worms will soon become thousands in ideal conditions.
