The Culture of Vermi and Composting (Part 2)

The Culture of Vermi and Composting (Part 2)

Now that we have discussed a very basic cost effective way to make compost and to prepare material to suffice as feeds for the worms we will use let's get into vermiculturing and what it entails.
As we know in organic and sustainable agriculture proper utilization of waste negates the by product left behind while creating a very practical and versatile fertilizer that not only is effective but has mass market potential as well.
So let's talk numbers shall we ?
The average house produces 700 pounds that could be diverted through proper composting or vermicomposting.
30% of the waste stream in the US is divertable yard and food waste and through proper utilization of these BASIC principles the waste stream could be cut by easily over 25%.
Worms feed off anything that is bio degradable so basic everday wastes we create feed them.
They are also labor extensive and usually locally available requiring no imported benefits is a huge benefit.
I guess I should have mentioned the benefit of these practices first pasensya na ako folks.
Proper composting and vermiculturing can vastly improve soil aeration , texture , and water retention.
Also these are the creatures that absolutely aid best in speeding up natural decomposition.
So you may be asking what do I need and how does this work ?
Well my approach to agriculture is what I call common sense gardening so that we don't discourage those that would want to learn with an overly technical or rescource intensive effort.
Firstly the worms the species I know of that are practical for usage in vermiculturing are:
African night crawler (My personal favorite to use.)
Red Tiger
Red Wiggler
Red Worms
Blue Worms

I prefer The African Nightcrawler as for me at least it is the most easily obtainable and has yielded the best reproduction and if properly maintained has given me almost no problems.

Temperature and condition as well as food available to the worms are all extremely crucial in maintaining a well functioning productive vermipit .

Temperature and Condition.
I keep my worms out of the sun and in temperatures between 25 and 29 degrees C also it is most important to keep them fed proper I try not to add too much waste at once to feed them to negate attraction of fruit flies (just my opinion.)
.
The worms are hermaphrodites meaning one worm contains both male and female sexual organs maturity is reached in 6 weeks and you should see population double in a month.

Part 3 will see us discuss worm bin construction , harvesting , and substrates mixtures thank you all for your continued support be blessed and productive today.