Worm fattener

[Ellen]

My worms in the worm farm are getting very few and skinny. I do put kitchen scraps in there, as well as news paper. What can I give them to give them a boost - like a tonic?

[Terra]

Manure , my worm bed is fed 50% horse manure 40% green weeds /plant scraps plus a bit of paper cardboard ect and they are looking great .

[barefootrim]

There's not much info to go on in your questions,,,but worms getting few and skinny usually indicates dehydration and / or not enough space for the amount of worms, so they regulate their population in confined space available.....when worms feel threatened by conditions,,,they mate rapidly lay eggs and die.

put some manure in like the above writer says,,,,but if it is purely not enough room for them to grow in, a 1/2 wheel barrow of wet leaves/straw gives them a good safe haven to live in, then the wormies can move out of that material at their leisure to eat the kitchen scraps and manure....

The 2 secrets to worms in a kitchen scrap type environment are (1) to have some areas that are bland or neutral (ie leaves or straw) that they can always retreat to if things get hot in there, and (2) chop the kitchen scraps or put them in a food processor before adding. similarily I have success with kitchen scraps by wrapping them in newspaper and the worms can enter or not if they feel like it at their leisure.

a bucket of water once a week is good.

[Ellen]

Thanks for the help. The worms are very few, and there environment is not dry. But I will do the manure and hay thing and see if they react on it!