Breeding earthworms for optimum soil productivity
Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2020 6:57 pm
Earthworms are a highly diverse group of different species filling different ecological roles in the soil. Some live only at the surface in pasture and leaf litter, voraciously consume decaying leaves, grass clippings, and kitchen scraps.
For others, they move through the soil, breaking up compacted soil so air and water can circulate more freely. Healthy organic soil may have enough earthworms to move forty tons of soil per acre every year.
As the food processes through their bodies, they expel what is called “castings” which are very rich in nutrients and minerals.
In a normal soil on an arable farm, there can be between 100,000 and 1 million earthworms, with a combined weight of between 100 and 1000kg, within one hectare. These earthworms play a very important role in the soil when they carry out their work.
Earthworms can further boost soil health, structure and fertility. They can provide a free tillage service, and a healthy earthworm population of more than 50-100 earthworms per square metre can consume and excrete over 5-10 tonnes of materials per hectare per day at active times of the year
A health population of earthworms can reduce the need to work soil at depth. Once earthworm numbers have been built up, it might be possible to reduce tillage, eliminating rotary hoeing and either avoiding tillage or only preparing the upper 5-10cm of soil as seed or seedling bed.
STARTING YOUR WORM FARM
Location Of Worm Bin
Worm farms can be started in five to thirty gallon containers or in a layered compost pile in the yard. A bin can be easily made out of cinder blocks. Form a “U” or square shape, two or three feet high. Start with a small area
Because worms like moderate temperatures (between 55 and 75 degrees F), place the bin in a shady location where it will not freeze or overheat and is protected from the rain, such as a kitchen corner, garage, basement, patio, or laundry room.
Earthworms lying on the soil
Getting The Right Specie
Worms are usually available by the thousand and you’ll need between 1,000 and 2,000 worms to start with. They will multiply over time.
The best kind of earthworm for composting are “red worms”, or “red wigglers.” These worms are incredible garbage eaters! They eat and expel their own weight every day, so even a small bin of redworms will yield large quantities of rich sweet-smelling compost.
Worm Beds
First thing you’ll need is a good bed for the worms to make a home in. Make moist carbon-based bedding starting with a layer of newspaper or dry leaves. Two inches deep of bedding is enough for most worm farms. Cover the worm farm a piece of hessian. This will help keep a constant temperature in the worm farm and allow air to flow to the worms.
Settle your worms in by gently spreading them over the surface and watch them burrow into their new bed. When the bed is exposed to light the worms will travel deep to stay out of the light
Good Drainage
Let the worm juice drip down, and all will be well. Let it build up inside the farm, and all will be stinky. This is not good for the worms or for you.
Feeding
Worms are happy on a simple diet. They like food scraps including vegetable and fruit peelings, tea leaves, crushed eggshells and bread.
They also like small amounts of moistened paper and cardboard such as shredded egg cartons. As a guide, each worm can eat its own body weight per day.
Feed worms enough food for them to get through in a week. If they are not eating it quickly it starts to ferment, turn acidic and attract little black vinegar flies. Worms don’t like acidic conditions and don’t eat this food.
Harvesting Worm Compost
After three to six months, begin to harvest compost and add new bedding materials. There are two simple ways to accomplish this: the first is to place the bin under a bright light, (not direct sun light as it will heat the compost and the worms). Worms do not like the bright light.
They will move further down into the container as compost is removed. Worms or eggs that are found can be placed back into the bin.
The second way is to move all the compost to one side of the bin and add new bedding material and food waste to the empty side. In several days, the worms will move to the side with the new bedding and food, making the harvest of the compost very easy.
Move the contents of the bin to one side. Add fresh bedding and food to the vacant side. The worms will move from the finished compost in search of food.
After a few days you should be able to remove the older, worm free compost.
Dump the contents of the bin onto a large plastic sheet, and separate into small piles. Place a bright light
above the sheet.
The worms will move down away from the light allowing you to collect the compost.
Always mix in some good compost or worm compost in a new bin, if you have it — the bin starts decomposing food waste faster that way.
APPLYING THE WORM CASTING
Worm castings/compost Worm castings is a very concentrated compost so it should be mixed into compost or the soil.
It is most effective if dug into the drip line of plants, or mixed with potting soil when potting plants. You can also dilute a handful of worm castings in a bucket of water to make a “tea” and use it as a liquid fertiliser.
Source
https://agronigeria.ng/2018/07/17/breed ... ductivity/
For others, they move through the soil, breaking up compacted soil so air and water can circulate more freely. Healthy organic soil may have enough earthworms to move forty tons of soil per acre every year.
As the food processes through their bodies, they expel what is called “castings” which are very rich in nutrients and minerals.
In a normal soil on an arable farm, there can be between 100,000 and 1 million earthworms, with a combined weight of between 100 and 1000kg, within one hectare. These earthworms play a very important role in the soil when they carry out their work.
Earthworms can further boost soil health, structure and fertility. They can provide a free tillage service, and a healthy earthworm population of more than 50-100 earthworms per square metre can consume and excrete over 5-10 tonnes of materials per hectare per day at active times of the year
A health population of earthworms can reduce the need to work soil at depth. Once earthworm numbers have been built up, it might be possible to reduce tillage, eliminating rotary hoeing and either avoiding tillage or only preparing the upper 5-10cm of soil as seed or seedling bed.
STARTING YOUR WORM FARM
Location Of Worm Bin
Worm farms can be started in five to thirty gallon containers or in a layered compost pile in the yard. A bin can be easily made out of cinder blocks. Form a “U” or square shape, two or three feet high. Start with a small area
Because worms like moderate temperatures (between 55 and 75 degrees F), place the bin in a shady location where it will not freeze or overheat and is protected from the rain, such as a kitchen corner, garage, basement, patio, or laundry room.
Earthworms lying on the soil
Getting The Right Specie
Worms are usually available by the thousand and you’ll need between 1,000 and 2,000 worms to start with. They will multiply over time.
The best kind of earthworm for composting are “red worms”, or “red wigglers.” These worms are incredible garbage eaters! They eat and expel their own weight every day, so even a small bin of redworms will yield large quantities of rich sweet-smelling compost.
Worm Beds
First thing you’ll need is a good bed for the worms to make a home in. Make moist carbon-based bedding starting with a layer of newspaper or dry leaves. Two inches deep of bedding is enough for most worm farms. Cover the worm farm a piece of hessian. This will help keep a constant temperature in the worm farm and allow air to flow to the worms.
Settle your worms in by gently spreading them over the surface and watch them burrow into their new bed. When the bed is exposed to light the worms will travel deep to stay out of the light
Good Drainage
Let the worm juice drip down, and all will be well. Let it build up inside the farm, and all will be stinky. This is not good for the worms or for you.
Feeding
Worms are happy on a simple diet. They like food scraps including vegetable and fruit peelings, tea leaves, crushed eggshells and bread.
They also like small amounts of moistened paper and cardboard such as shredded egg cartons. As a guide, each worm can eat its own body weight per day.
Feed worms enough food for them to get through in a week. If they are not eating it quickly it starts to ferment, turn acidic and attract little black vinegar flies. Worms don’t like acidic conditions and don’t eat this food.
Harvesting Worm Compost
After three to six months, begin to harvest compost and add new bedding materials. There are two simple ways to accomplish this: the first is to place the bin under a bright light, (not direct sun light as it will heat the compost and the worms). Worms do not like the bright light.
They will move further down into the container as compost is removed. Worms or eggs that are found can be placed back into the bin.
The second way is to move all the compost to one side of the bin and add new bedding material and food waste to the empty side. In several days, the worms will move to the side with the new bedding and food, making the harvest of the compost very easy.
Move the contents of the bin to one side. Add fresh bedding and food to the vacant side. The worms will move from the finished compost in search of food.
After a few days you should be able to remove the older, worm free compost.
Dump the contents of the bin onto a large plastic sheet, and separate into small piles. Place a bright light
above the sheet.
The worms will move down away from the light allowing you to collect the compost.
Always mix in some good compost or worm compost in a new bin, if you have it — the bin starts decomposing food waste faster that way.
APPLYING THE WORM CASTING
Worm castings/compost Worm castings is a very concentrated compost so it should be mixed into compost or the soil.
It is most effective if dug into the drip line of plants, or mixed with potting soil when potting plants. You can also dilute a handful of worm castings in a bucket of water to make a “tea” and use it as a liquid fertiliser.
Source
https://agronigeria.ng/2018/07/17/breed ... ductivity/