(re)starter pack round worm box

Description

Questions about the worm bin starter pack

What is growing soil

Growing soil is a mixture of, among other things, leaf compost, lava flour cellulose and a small amount of peat. Cellulose is a polysaccharide that is made by almost all plants (especially trees). The cellulose serves as food for the worms. There are only natural additives in the soil.

The growing soil is specially formulated for worm growers. The composition ensures that the worms grow well and can lay cocoons. You can put a layer of growing soil in your worm bin when you start the worm bin. But it is also useful when you go on holiday. With a large layer of breeding soil, the worms can move forward 1 to 2 weeks without new feed.

If you notice that your worms have had a hard time, for example due to the heat, give them a boost with a new layer of growing soil. Empty one of your compost rings, fill it with growing soil and carefully place the still living worms and cocoons in the beam with the growing soil. You can either empty the other rings (if it stinks), or just leave them alone and see what happens. In stressful situations, worms often lay extra eggs. So it would be quite possible that in those bins in a few weeks it will be teeming with baby worms.

Why buy special worm food?

You probably have a worm bin because you want to turn your waste into beautiful compost. In principle, special worm food is also not necessary at all. There are 2 times when it is useful:

• If you go on vacation for more than 2 weeks and you ask your neighbors not only to water your plants but also to feed your worms. They only have to sprinkle a handful of worm food over your worms 1 time a week.
• If you (restart) your worm bin with new worms. These worms are used to this worm food and will therefore feed themselves home faster and make a good start. Gradually you switch to cutting waste.

Give a small handful of worm food scattered around the tray. Do not give the worms more food than what they can eat in a few days. When the worms have completely eaten the food, you only give new worm food. When you see that the feed is going to mold, too much feed is given in 1 time or there is too much feed in 1 place. So before you go on holiday, test how much worm food your worms need per week.

What is the use of the hemp mats?

The main effect of a hemp mat is that it helps against fruit flies. The mat is compact so that fruit flies cannot reach the waste to lay eggs. In previous blog post, it was recommended to achieve this same effect with a layer of torn cardboard or sand. The mat makes this a lot easier. Because the mat is made exactly to measure for the worm bin, it also closes better than a layer of torn cardboard.

When starting up your worm bin, you can also place a hemp mat on the bottom of the container. That prevents the worms from creeping into your drip tray

Note: It is still important to add enough cardboard to your worm bin. Read here why

The mats in the photo are suitable for the round worm box. Soon there will also be custom mats for the Urbalive worm box.

Why put lava flour in your worm bin?

Lava flour increases the pH value, which makes the worm bin less attractive to fruit flies. If you really suffer a lot from fruit flies, mix a handful of lava flour through the top layer of your worm bin. Then give your worms nothing to eat for 2 to 3 weeks. Cover the container well with a hemp mat or a layer of sand. The cycle is then broken.

In any case, it is advisable to occasionally put a small cloud of lava flour in the worm tower to keep the pH favorable. The worms also eat from it and the minerals provide a better quality worm manure.