I opened the valve on my tray bin today after watering and got probably 3/4 once of semi clear brown water. I just left the water can there to catch some rain to mix in and I’ll pour it on the garden bed. I do hope that “red trout worms” are red wigglers. I bought some at the store today and put them in. Scared @TimJ or Rancho is going to come along and say they are lethal to humans or something. The look and act like regular reds anyway.
I figured they were the same wholesaler since it’s the same store and can. I did notice the medium in the container they came in was very different. Much dryer than the last ones I got there. I misted it on top of the bed when I put them in. I’m back to full function from the kill.
Moving these bins to all shade has done the trick for holding moisture better. I checked later this afternoon and didn’t have to bother with misting them as usual.
The topic of pesticides and bananas came up in another thread and I’ve gotten worried about putting them in worm bins. I did see one article on “the organic conversation” saying that non org bananas are loaded with chemicals. I buy them from the local cig store sometimes so who knows what I’m eating. I’ll look for organic next time.
Here is a article with some facts. You can research each chemical yourself. Look into 1/2 life for these products and decide for yourself what you consider safe. I use non-organic banana peels all the time in my compost that is ultimately run through my worm bins. I've never seen any problems using them in that way. My worm bins are thriving. https://www.chemservice.com/news/why-do-bananas-require-so-many-pesticides/
They mention something “being in use for over 40 years” as if that’s a safe signal. I’ll put them in compost or in place compost. And look for organic fruits. I hate to find out a favorite food is toxic, I’m so upset I almost can’t eat this doughnut.
I finally put a second tray on all four worm cafe. Im finding it hard to fill the trays because I need to feed more I believe. Every time I thought the trays were more than full the media dropped too low by the time I was ready for another tray. I need to harvest all 4 original trays for my two 100gal fabric pots.
I fill the trays in my unit heaping full. As they are worked they settle down just right. I think the worms migrate quicker that way too. Cheers Os
I hope I’m on the right track here but these kudzu vines are a pain and the leaves are go green and juicy looking, I grabbed some to put in the worm bins. I can’t find a down side but I’m looking to be sure.
I'd compost it first then add it to your bins. But, it shouldn't hurt your way, it will just take a while for your arthropods and or microbes to make it available to your worms.
I was thinking of the added moisture to just laying a few on top but the breakdown time is noted. I guess I’m trying to look at it as added greens.
I'm puzzled here because this area used to be loaded with worms. And it's just the kind of spot I used to hunt while looking for bait. I may try chumming the area with some fruit.
That what I do when I want to harvest my outdoor bin, I put a few pieces of melon rind face down for a few day then take what worm that are underneath for my new bedding. Speaking of my outdoor bin, I finally got out to my horsetail fern patch and harvested some. Some horsetail with a little comfrey mixed in.
I'm about ready to take my chainsaw to my CFT bin, toss the remains into a bonfire and piss on the ashes. What a colossal waste of effort. Don't get me wrong, it produces fantastic castings. By the time it cycles from top to bottom, the noodles have worked everything into a perfectly dark, moist, granular yet fluffy consistency. Phenomenal stuff. That said, if my material isn't "bridging", its falling through the support bars like a sand hourglass thing. I think the only way for this to work halfway decently is if I scrap the whole bedding idea and just feed em straight up scraps. Bedding doesn't seem to want to compress solid enough to support itself (to "age" properly). Maybe if I just treat it as a kitchen/garden scrap cold composting bin I'd have better luck. In any case, I'm debating if I should give up and use large smart pots from here on out. Just load it up with compost, amendments, rice hulls, noodles and let it sit for a year. Maybe during that time frame I can work out the kinks of the cft. Anyone have any input on the smartpot bin idea? Haven't tried that before. Heard coot does it, but I don't think he's around these parts anymore unfortunately
I’ve done smart pots, 10 gal size, and they worked great. I set em on a bed of lava rock to wick some moisture back in. Pretty effortless, great results. Cheers Os
Thanks again as always OS! One more question if you don't mind... can you give a description on the bark you use in your bedding mixes? I remember seeing it somewhere in this thread but I can't find it. I tried using a type of bark a while back (was the type used in pet reptile tanks) but had pretty crummy results, that type refused to absorb any water and never really broke down. I'm ready to try bark again but I'm wary of choosing the wrong kind again. Still picking out the nuggets out of my castings, still lookibg as brand spanking new as the day I put 'em in lol