Oh thanks. I was kinda focusing my search on bad mites. I thought it mightve been an earthworm mite. But I'm going to check it the one you mentioned now. Thanks
Haha, that's exactly what it looks like and I found them all over the top inch layer. Could I take some of them and put them in my pot plants as a form of ipm? I prob won't but I'm just wondering?
If you want to learn more about pests this link is a good source. Mite Predator, Phytoseiulus persimilis - Spider Mite Control
::tries to paint mental picture:: I harvested what seems to be a fine mess of worm dirt this week. I’m thinking about dressing these grow spots with it in Feb and let it go until Spring if that’s advisable.
I've got a couple of cubic feet of vermicompost piled up in a mixing tub outdoors under a tarp. It has been freezing down into the teens and twenties every night. How will this affect the biological activity?
I'd amend your worm booty and keep it moist until you're ready to transplant into those spots. I believe the benefits would be leached into the ground if you do it to far ahead of time.
Yea, after writing that I remembered posing the same notion about it before and OS suggesting to wait. I was thinking it needed time to break down.
It will stall it until it warms up again. Some of the biology will die off. Once it warms up again and your cocoons hatch your biology will come back to life again. Some of your other soil biology will live through freezing solid and thawing.
I use heavy mulch when I cut the last plants late in the season and just leave them until Spring. I’ll save the castings until I prep to plant again.
I fed the worms today. I only drink 1 cup of coffee a day so those 4 filters per bin work out well. I also have 3 banana peels per bin along with leaves from defoliating three plants over the past few weeks. No other meals or MBP this feed.
How do you avoid other pests, especially fungus gnats? I'm assuming you buried that after you took the pic? I bury my worm food and I have been trying to run it drier, but I still have fungus gnats. 9
I haven't had any issues with fungus gnats in years. I do not bury anything. I use some finished casting to inoculate the fresh bedding. I'd guess there are plenty of hypoaspis miles in the previous castings to kick start the fresh bins. I keep my bin near an exterior door, maybe the cooler area helps. Spring through fall the bins live outdoors.
I’ve been making it a point to run all my fans through my bins lately. In the past I would dry and crumble them on top of my pots. They work good for bulking up my bedding. I also like putting a layer of fans down in my trays before I fill bedding on top. Keeps small bits from falling through the mesh while I fill and move the trays. Fans are a great resource for me in the winter when the outdoor Pickens are non-existent. Cheers Os
I’ve moved the crew back outside with the plumbing project going on but I have a building out there if the temps drop. We are expecting a mild week but we never know.