Two weeks ago, I began testing use of multivitamin water in worm bin #6 to see if it would be of any benifit. It has dramatically affected the composting of the medium. The core temperature of the medium was at 115 F. degrees this morning, while the core temp of bins #4 and #5 were at 83 and 87 degrees F.. The ambient room temp is maintained at 72 deg F. The worms in bin #6 were not active, many dead. This was very similar to my childhood attempt at raising fishing worms, 20 pounds of green cowpie and abunch of worms. They didn't survive the heat either. Looking at samples of both bins under my microscope, I saw a much higher activity of microbe composting in bin 6 than the others. The liquid vitamin mix apparently set up an agreeable enviroment for microbe composting that was hostile for the worms. Rather than dump the mix, I am instead going to turn it more frequently, with a fresh supply of worms and water with well water. I want to keep the internal temperature of the mix between 75 and 85 deg F. I want to see if the fresh wormstock can reclaim the medium.

Results of multivitamin water test #1 : Not for use as daily wetting supply in worm bins. May be of use to jumpstart microbe compost.

Some other tests that I am undertaking are : Composting from pure paper bedding and feed slurry (no sand or topsoil) and the effect of citric acid in the medium.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), February 02, 2001

Answers

Jay, I just wanted you to know that I for one am really following your tests and trials with the worms! I have not yet set-up any worm bins, been so busy with other animal needs, but your posts really have caught my interest. Will be looking forward to whatever else you find out! Thanks!

-- Lynn Royal (homesteadmama1@aol.com), February 02, 2001.

After seeing the high temperature potential that can be produced today, I am considering a compost water heater. If the core can reach temps of 115 F, possibly, it would suffice to heat water to levels sufficient for houshold use. I had read where compost piles can be used for greenhouse heat, just didn't realize the energy potential. Another possibility would be using the heat to power a stirling heat transferance engine.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), February 02, 2001.

Jay- A couple of things which might be of interest: 1. FYI- the temperature of my outdoor compost bin regularly exceeds 160 degrees F. Usually stays hot for 4-7 days after turning before it really starts to cool down. And, that is with mostly vegetation- with sometimes a bit of used stable bedding added (horse manure and pine shavings).

2. I keep one smallish worm bin in the house all the time so that I can put all my shredded office paper in it (computer paper and junk mail mostly- no newspapers). The worms do really well in it. It dries out a little faster than some of the other bedding materials I have used, but I water it a little more often. It is easy to maintain since it is near the kitchen. I often add the water left after cooking veggies, etc. Worms love a slurry made of kitchen wastes. And, when I start chicks on feed they seem to spill and waste a lot of it, so I make a slurry of the feed when I clean the brooder- worms THRIVE on it. Be sure to give them some grit/sand, etc. though, for their little gizzards.

3. Not sure about your reference to citric acid- how are you using it? I have heard that citrus peels, etc. should not be used, but I frequently add citrus pulp and peels after juicing oranges, lemons, etc. I am not very scientific about it, but I can say that the practice does not seem to have hurt production. Can't say whether it helps, either.

4. Final question- are you familiar with the Can O'Worms vermicomposting bins? I thought of it when I read one of your earlier posts re: seperating worms from castings. If you haven't seen it, you should check it out. It is basically a 3-stage system. You start out with worms, bedding, and feed in the bottom bin. As the worms consume food and bedding you keep adding to it until the level of material reaches the top of the bin. You then add a second bin on top of the first and fill it with more food and bedding. The bottoms of the 2nd and 3rd stage bins have a series of small holes drilled in them. As the worms finish up the old food in the stage 1 bin, they migrate upwards to the next bin, leaving behind almost pure castings. Once the second stage bin is full, you repeat with the 3rd stage bin, and/or empty the first bin and start over. It's a great system because you never have to manually seperate worms from castings, plus, you get a really super high-quality casting. Downside is cost, and scale. It is really designed for household use- for composting kitchen scraps, etc. Handles a large amount of material, but it would not be sufficient for large/commercial scale production. Worms really thrive in it though. Cost is outrageous- around $119, though they can occassionally be found on sale, or used. I have been experimenting with different bins which I have made in an effort to duplicate the CoW system. Best results so far have been from old beehive supers. (I had a bunch of old 8-frame equipment. I use 9-frame, so the 8's were surplus- it wouldn't be economically feasible to purchase them for this use!). I add a screen bottom to the supers so the worms can migrate upwards. Works ok, but the bins dry out quicker than a bin with a more solid bottom would. No problem as long as they are kept watered. I plan to redesign the bottom for the next incarnation, though. Eventually, by the time my worm population is sufficient to stock them, I hope to have several large bins perfected using this type of system. I'd be really interested in knowing whether you have experimented with anything like this.

-- Elizabeth (ekfla@aol.com), February 02, 2001.

Jay, I have been following your worm post with lots of intrest, Thanks for shareing!

-- Mark in NC Fla (deadgoatman@webtv.net), February 02, 2001.

Elizabeth,

I have also run bins up to 140 to 160 F. Currently I am maintaining lower temps to attempt to result in larger more active stock. I have achieved a little better growth factor, the stock however doesn't fare well against higher temps. As I am raising them for bait, I don't think the temp intolerance is going to be a problem. I keep the medium no deeper than 12 inches and turn the mix daily to maintain the temp. All bins are also cross ventilated to minimize gas buildup.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), February 03, 2001.

Sorry, forgot to add this to the above. When I used multitier systems, I found that a rope water wick inserted down the inside wall worked pretty good to keep it watered. Maybe this will help your drying problem.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), February 03, 2001.

See Jay- I was right. I KNEW you'd come up with some good ideas! I am going to try the wick idea next time I add a tier to my bins. That might be just the trick. I suspect (though I don't monitor my bins closely enough to tell for sure) that when my bins get too dry the reproductive rate slows down. Thanks for the tip, and keep 'em coming.

-- Elizabeth (ekfla@aol.com), February 03, 2001.

Elizabetth, Bin moisture is very critical, as the worm outgas through their skin. While harvesting castings, I had a few worms end up in the drying bin, they lasted 10 days, no added food or water. While packaging the cast for garden use ,I tossed the dried, nearly dead worms in a dish with a little vitamin water, within 10 minutes they were active again. Keeping the lower bin temps have resulted in lower methane levels for me. This is advantaceous for indoor use as it doesn't smell like a poot. What I was saying earlier about the citric acid. I hope to see if use of acid blend may increase the static levels in the bins. I recall reading that static electric charges helped promote stock growth.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), February 04, 2001.

Jay, I have read all the old vermaculture threads in the archives and I am wondering what happened to your night crawlers??? Did you give them up?

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), February 04, 2001.

diane, The nightcrawlers were too difficult to keep constant indoors. After about 2 weeks, I dug up a dead flowerbed in front of our porch, lined it with 18 inch deep plywood walls and turnem loose in there. Hope the natural elements do what I couldn't inside. Got another idea for y'all to bounce around. What about compost bins used as "live cell" batteries? Could it work using compost in acidic and base/antacid conditions the way the dry chemicals in a battery work? We have all seen methane and heat come from it, what about electricity?

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), February 04, 2001.

Oh Jay, I can picture it now!! A worm bin in every room with a little florescent light attached.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), February 05, 2001.

Or running our 'pooters and modems :>) No, I'm not turning into "Dr. Vermistein", what I am thinking about is this. I have an electronic outdoor thermometer that has a sensor and wire attached to the module that mounts inside. Those temperature probes are sometimes thermocouplers which can produce small current levels with temp variations. Maybe planting it in the mix would genererat a small current as the bin went through heat that could be fed back through the medium to keep the stock active and composting harder. Guess it'll have to wait till later though, Lynn wants me to start harvesting as much cast as possible, its springtime in the South (least in our sunroom. lol.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), February 05, 2001.

Oh gee, burst my bubble why don't you!!! :>) Sounds like a plan, let us know how it works.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), February 05, 2001.

Jay, Have you or anyone else on this forum checked on the ad in the classified section of Countryside about making $25,000 yr. raising earthworms? Sounds to good to be true. Just curious.

-- Don Brueggert (bruman@bright.net), February 11, 2001.