Hello I am Brian

[Chris Willis]

Hi again S.O.P. Brian pointed me in your direction re the YouTube video link. It's not the one I'm looking for though, although very interesting. I think I must have clicked onto a YouTube video and in my mind had it down as from the permaculture site.....it must have been when I was surfing around about worms. I'm interested in the mesh you have under the worms in this video. I have found that a lot of the worms in my farm are slipping through the holes in the layers...I have 3 of them...A Bunnings worm farm...PVC type.

[briansworms]

Chris just curious as to what you mean by slipping through the holes? The stackable farms are designed for the worms to move through the different levels. Thats why I suggested to you to put the 3rd level on. The worms will move through the layers to find warmer or cooler spots as required and also to find the food in the top layer. If the worms are going through to the bottom water collection tray your bedding maybe too dry.

[Chris Willis]

Hi Brian....the worms are slipping through to the bottom of the farm, where the worm wee collects. That's why I thought I should have some kind of shade cloth across the bottom layer to stop them from going down. I have the farm on a tilt (high at the back, low at the front where the wee comes through) I've removed the tap as I was told that they sometimes get blocked. Is there some way that photos can be posted? They say a picture is worth more than a thousand words :-)

[briansworms]

Chris check your bedding to see if it is wet enough. For the picture, you click on Reply to Thread. When it opens you will see "Go Advanced" down the bottom right. Click this. Then you will have the option to attach any photos to your reply. Have a look and keep learning lol

[Chris Willis]

Thanks for the info re posting a photo. I'm learning something new every day :-) To be totally honest Brian, I've been thinking the bedding is too wet. Today has been one of those days when I've hardly had the time to scratch myself, let alone go outside to work in the garden....BUT....tomorrow is another day. I shall take my camera out with me and take some shots of the worm farm. I may be worrying for nothing.....hopefully, my worms are just plain happy and multiplying outta sight. I have some big plans for one of our garden beds tomorrow....hopefully more castings to go in.
As for worm eggs....I have no idea what to look for...maybe there's another Google search coming up :-)
I was chatting with a friend last night delighted to hear that she's just started a worm farm....quite a surprise. Anyway, she told me that the man who helped her to set the thing up told her to give the worms water every couple of days.....the instructions on my farm said to water them once a week....which is correct?

[briansworms]

Chris drainage is the key. If your farm is well draining then every couple of days would be fine but if it is not the only water now and then. Take a handful of bedding and squeeze it. If you get more than a few drops of water then it is a bit wet. Dig it over to aerate it Id in doubt take the lid off and just use old carpet over the top. This will allow better airflow over the surface

If you had open beds like a bathtub then every couple of days. The Can of Worms style I would only water once a week if that as they hold a huge amount of moisture. Just watch the wobbly legs on them as they can tip over from the weight.

I posted a pick of worm eggs. It shows eggs at various stages of development.

[Chris Willis]

Well, that's interesting...I know that there must be eggs in my farm, because they've definitely multiplied....but I haven't seen anything like the photo you posted. I have to be up by 4am tomorrow morning to take someone to the airport....so will have a good look when I get home. A nice early start to the day :-) Enjoy your weekend....Cheers

[briansworms]

Chris they are about the size of a grape seed. They range usually in colour from green to dark brown.

[S.O.P]

Brian, interesting thread over at Reddit you may be interested in. Look for replies by 'K931SAR'. Below is an example of one question she answered for me:

We looked at commercial-scale vermicomposting for animal and human waste from several angles; efficiency, quality of finished product, pathogen reduction, and profitability. In brief, here was our findings; Efficiency - as a stand-alone system, vermicomposting was not as efficient as thermal composting, which was a more robust system that achieved a more stable product in a shorter amount of time. Pathogen Reduction - This is a subject of ongoing research, but, though worms were shown in several studies to significantly reduce pathogens, system efficiency remains a challenge. Worms do not reduce pathogens as effectively as the currently accepted methods for human waste management systems.

Rhonda Sherman at North Carolina State continues compiling data in these areas, and you would probably find her a wealth of information!

By the way, if you really want to get in to the icky but amazing on sewage remediation, let's talk black soldier fly larvae! Quality of Finished Product - Quality is a subjective term here, but speaking very generally, earthworm castings from a variety of feedstocks have been shown to produce plant growth impacts superior to thermal composts, to enhance, and even replace fertilizers in some scenarios, and to, in many tests, improve pest and disease resistance, but there is far too little data at this time to definitively characterize castings for gardening/agriculture. Ohio State University has the most comprehensive studies in this area; look for papers by Clive Edwards, Norman Arancon, and Scott Subler. Profitability - This is where commercial vermicomposting falls apart. As a point-source method of remediation, it's a great idea. The moment one puts either feedstock for the worms, or finished product on a truck for transport the economics fall to pieces. Vermicomposting in each home, and on each farm has a very real and measurable beneficial impact, but not in centralized facilities - and least not that we could find.

If you really want to delve in to this, check out Rhonda Sherman's web site at NCSU; she has the most comprehensive collection of data and articles with which I am familiar; http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/topic/vermic...ing/index.html.

Read anything and everything by Dr. Clive Edwards of The Ohio State University (Rhonda has much of not most of his published work on her web site).

[briansworms]

Thanks for the info. I looked at it on my phone today. I am looking after my daughters house till tomorrow so will have more time to check it out then.