Topic: Worm Query

[Diamond_Skies]

Not sure if worms qualify as 'kept animals' so apologies if this is the wrong place to post!

I just started a wormery and got the little darlings last week.  They seem to be settling in ok with a bedding of shredded newspaper and some rotted horse manure.  Can I continue to add horse manure or do worms like a bit of variety?  I can throw some peelings and such in to them and was considering a collection of coffee grounds/tea bags in the kitchen at work.  I had added the manure in the hope that it would have some good microbes to keep them happy when they first arrived but wasn't sure if they could continue to live on that or not.

Thanks!

[hippydave]

Just feed them normal kitchen waste,  thats the point of a wormary but about once a month sprinkle with some calcified seaweed to keep the acid level under control as they like neutral PH.  and drain off any liquid once a week so it dosnt get too wet.

[Diamond_Skies]

Great - thanks, will do that.  Are tea bags ok or do I need to open them up and empty the leaves out?  And do I need to really finely chop things like peelings or are they ok as is?  Where do I find calcified seaweed?

[hippydave]

you can get it on Amazon, if you go through the A4A shop at the top of the page Dan gets commission from amazon to help run the site. just throw the bags in its all digestible to the worms but again its slightly acidic so the sea weed helps balance the acid. the finer things are the quicker they get broken down but its not necessary.

[Hazelb]

I'd say be careful about adding manure. I think the worms are meant for kitchen waste / wind fall apples even news paper. They say worms only eat the soft stuff, so even it it looks like there is lots for them to eat, it's good to add extra.

I managed to kill my first lot by adding chicken manure!

I've given up with them now and got rid of my wormery on freecycle, but a few did escape into my compost heap, they seem quite happy in there!

[Copper Coin]

I agree with Hazel - take care not to add too much horse manure.  They will be better off with kitchen waste (nothing cooked though), and make sure it doesn't get too wet by adding shredded newpaper. Make sure you don't add more material than than they can handle as the wormery will get smelly!  I have had mine for 2 years now and last year managed to get enough compost out of it fill the 20 medium sized pots for my chillies - really successful  :-*
Good luck with your new pets  ;D

[slyfox-mal]

here is an intresting website about worm i use it alot to let people understand how to keep worms hope its of some use
http://www.jetcompost.com/burrow/