Vermicompost - An Oraganic Manure For Organic Farming

Vermicompost

1. Introduction	Related Information
2. Materials for preparation of Vermicompost		Bamboo waste vermicomposting
3. Vermicompost Production Methodology		Earthworms –  Heroes of Organic Farming
4. Advantages of vermicompost
5. Pests and Diseases of vermicompost

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1. Introduction

Earthworms have been on the Earth for over 20 million years. In this time they have faithfully done their part to keep the cycle of life continuously moving. Their purpose is simple but very important. They are nature’s way of recycling organic nutrients from dead tissues back to living organisms. Many have recognized the value of these worms. Ancient civilizations, including Greece and Egypt valued the role earthworms played in soil. The Egyptian Pharaoh, Cleopatra said, “Earthworms are sacred.”  She recognized the important role the worms played in fertilizing the Nile Valley croplands after annual floods. Charles Darwin was intrigued by the worms and studied them for 39 years.  Referring to an earthworm, Darwin said, “It may be doubted whether there are many other animals in the world which have played so important a part in the history of the world.” The earthworm is a natural resource of fertility and life.

Earthworms live in the soil and feed on decaying organic material. After digestion, the undigested material moves through the alimentary canal of the earthworm, a thin layer of oil is deposited on the castings. This layer erodes over a period of 2 months. So although the plant nutrients are immediately available, they are slowly released to last longer. The process in the alimentary canal of the earthworm transforms organic waste to natural fertilizer.  The chemical changes that organic wastes undergo include deodorizing and neutralizing. This means that the pH of the castings is 7 (neutral) and the castings are odorless. The worm castings also contain bacteria, so the process is continued in the soil, and microbiological activity is promoted.

Sieved finished vermicompost

Vermicompost ready for sale

Vermicomposting is the process of turning organic debris into worm castings. The worm castings are very important to the fertility of the soil. The castings contain high amounts of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium. Castings contain: 5 times the available nitrogen, 7 times the available potash, and 1 ½ times more calcium than found in good topsoil. Several researchers have demonstrated that earthworm castings have excellent aeration, porosity, structure, drainage, and moisture-holding capacity. The content of the earthworm castings, along with the natural tillage by the worms burrowing action, enhances the permeability of water in the soil.  Worm castings can hold close to nine times their weight in water. “Vermiconversion,” or using earthworms to convert waste into soil additives, has been done on a relatively small scale for some time. A recommended rate of vermicompost application is 15-20 percent.

Vermicomposting is done on small and large scales. In the 1996 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, the Australians used worms to take care of their tons and tons of waste.They then found that waste produced by the worms was could be very beneficial to their plants and soil. People in the U.S. have commercial vermicomposting facilities, where they raise worms and sell the castings that the worms produce. Then there are just people who own farms or even small gardens, and they may put earthworms into their compost heap, and then use that for fertilizer.

Vermicompost and its utilization
Vermicompost is nothing but the excreta of earthworms, which is rich in humus and nutrients. We can rear earthworms artificially in a brick tank or near the stem / trunk of trees (specially horticultural trees). By feeding these earthworms with biomass and watching properly the food (bio-mass) of earthworms, we can produce the required quantities of vermicompost.

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2. Materials for preparation of Vermicompost

Any types of biodegradable wastes-

1. Crop residues 
2. Weed biomass 
3. Vegetable waste 
4. Leaf litter
5. Hotel refuse
6. Waste from agro-industries
7. Biodegradable portion of urban and rural wastes

Phase of vermicomposting

Phase 1	:	Processing involving collection of wastes, shredding, mechanical separation of the metal, glass and ceramics and storage of organic wastes.
Phase 2	:	Pre digestion of organic waste for twenty days by heaping the material along with cattle dung slurry.  This process partially digests the material and fit for earthworm consumption.  Cattle dung and biogas slurry may be used after drying.  Wet dung should not be used for vermicompost production.
Phase 3	:	Preparation of earthworm bed. A concrete base is required to put the waste for vermicompost preparation.  Loose soil will allow the worms to go into soil and also while watering, all the dissolvable nutrients go into the soil along with water.
Phase 4	:	Collection of earthworm after vermicompost collection.  Sieving the composted material to separate fully composted material.  The partially composted material will be again put into vermicompost bed.
Phase 5	:	Storing the vermicompost in proper place to maintain moisture and allow the beneficial microorganisms to grow.

What Worms Need

The Five Essentials 
Compost worms need five basic things:

1. An hospitable living environment, usually called “bedding”
2. A food source
3. Adequate moisture (greater than 50% water content by weight)
4. Adequate aeration
5. Protection from temperature extremes

These five essentials are discussed in more detail below.

Bedding

Bedding is any material that provides the worms with a relatively stable habitat. This habitat must have the following characteristics:

High absorbency

Worms breathe through their skins and therefore must have a moist environment in which to live. If a worm’s skin dries out, it dies. The bedding must be able to absorb and retain water fairly well if the worms are to thrive.

Good bulking potential

If the material is too dense to begin with, or packs too tightly, then the flow of air is reduced or eliminated. Worms require oxygen to live, just as we do. Different materials affect the overall porosity of the bedding through a variety of factors, including the range of particle size and shape, the texture, and the strength and rigidity of its structure. The overall effect is referred to in this document as the material’s bulking potential.

Low protein and/or nitrogen content (high Carbon: Nitrogen ratio)

Although the worms do consume their bedding as it breaks down, it is very important that this be a slow process. High protein/nitrogen levels can result in rapid degradation and its associated heating, creating inhospitable, often fatal, conditions. Heating can occur safely in the food layers of the vermiculture or vermicomposting system, but not in the bedding.

Requirements

• Housing: Sheltered culturing of worms is recommended to protect the worms from excessive sunlight and rain. All the entrepreneurs have set up their units in vacant cowsheds, poultry sheds, basements and back yards.
• Containers: Cement tanks were constructed. These were separated in half by a dividing wall. Another set of tanks were also constructed for preliminary decomposition.
• Bedding and feeding materials: During the beginning of the enterprises, most women used cowdung in order to breed sufficient numbers of earthworms. Once they have large populations, they can start using all kinds of organic waste. Half of the entrepreneurs have now reached populations of 12,000 to 15,000 adult earthworms.

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3. Vermicompost Production Methodology

i) Selection of suitable earthworm

For vermicompost production, the surface dwelling earthworm alone should be used. The earthworm, which lives below the soil, is not suitable for vermicompost production.  The African earthworm (Eudrillus engenial), Red worms (Eisenia foetida) and composting worm (Peronyx excavatus) are promising worms used for vermicompost production. All the three worms can be mixed together for vermicompost production. The African worm (Eudrillus eugenial) is preferred over other two types, because it produces higher production of vermicompost in short period of time and more young ones in the composting period.

African earthworm (Eudrillus euginiae)

Tiger worm or Red wrinkle (Eisenia foetida)

Asian worms (perinonyx ecavatus)

ii) Selection of site for vermicompost production

Vermicompost can be produced in any place with shade, high humidity and cool. Abandoned cattle shed or poultry shed or unused buildings can be used.  If it is to be produced in open area, shady place is selected.  A thatched roof may be provided to protect the process from direct sunlight and rain. The waste heaped for vermicompost production should be covered with moist gunny bags.

iii) Containers for vermicompost production

A cement tub may be constructed to a height of 2½ feet and a breadth of 3 feet. The length may be fixed to any level depending upon the size of the room.  The bottom of the tub is made to slope like structure to drain the excess water from vermicompost unit. A small sump is necessary to collect the drain water.

In another option over the hand floor, hollow blocks / bricks may be arranged in compartment to a height of one feet, breadth of 3 feet and length to a desired level to have quick harvest. In this method, moisture assessment will be very easy.  No excess water will be drained. Vermicompost can also be prepared in wooden boxes, plastic buckets or in any containers with a drain hole at the bottom.

Cement tub

Coir waste

Saw dust

Sugarcane trash

iv) Vermiculture bed

Vermiculture bed or worm bed (3 cm) can be prepared by placing after saw dust or husk or coir waste or sugarcane trash in the bottom of tub / container. A layer of fine sand (3 cm) should be spread over the culture bed followed by a layer of garden soil (3 cm).  All layers must be moistened with water.

Common Bedding Materials

Bedding Material	Absorbency	Bulking Pot.	C:N Ratio
Horse Manure	Medium-Good	Good	22 - 56
Peat Moss	Good	Medium	58
Corn Silage	Medium-Good	Medium	38 - 43
Hay – general	Poor	Medium	15 - 32
Straw – general	Poor	Medium-Good	48 - 150
Straw – oat	Poor	Medium	48 - 98
Straw – wheat	Poor	Medium-Good	100 - 150
Paper from municipal waste stream	Medium-Good	Medium	127 - 178
Newspaper	Good	Medium	170
Bark – hardwoods	Poor	Good	116 - 436
Bark -- softwoods	Poor	Good	131 - 1285
Corrugated cardboard	Good	Medium	563
Lumber mill waste -- chipped	Poor	Good	170
Paper fibre sludge	Medium-Good	Medium	250
Paper mill sludge	Good	Medium	54
Sawdust	Poor-Medium	Poor-Medium	142 - 750
Shrub trimmings	Poor	Good	53
Hardwood chips, shavings	Poor	Good	451 - 819
Softwood chips, shavings	Poor	Good	212 - 1313
Leaves (dry, loose)	Poor-Medium	Poor-Medium	40 - 80
Corn stalks	Poor	Good	60 - 73
Corn cobs	Poor-Medium	Good	56 - 123
Paper mill sludge	Good	Medium	54
Sawdust	Poor-Medium	Poor-Medium	142 - 750
Shrub trimmings	Poor	Good	53
Hardwood chips, shavings	Poor	Good	451 - 819
Softwood chips, shavings	Poor	Good	212 - 1313
Leaves (dry, loose)	Poor-Medium	Poor-Medium	40 - 80
Corn stalks	Poor	Good	60 - 73
Corn cobs	Poor-Medium	Good	56 - 123

If available, shredded paper or cardboard makes an excellent bedding, particularly when combined with typical on-farm organic resources such as straw and hay. Organic producers, however, must be careful to ensure that such materials are not restricted under their organic certification standards. Paper or cardboard fibre collected in municipal waste programs cannot be approved for certification purposes. There may be cases, however, where fibre resources from specific generators could be sourced and approved. This must be considered on a case-by-case basis. Another material in this category is paper-mill sludge, which has the high absorbency and small particle size that so well complements the high C:N ratios and good bulking properties of straw, bark, shipped brush or wood shavings. Again, the sludge must be approved if the user has organic certification.

In general, it should be noted by the reader that the selection of bedding materials is a key to successful vermiculture or vermicomposting. Worms can be enormously productive (and reproductive) if conditions are good; however, their efficiency drops off rapidly when their basic needs are not met (see discussion on moisture below). Good bedding mixtures are an essential element in meeting those needs. They provide protection from extremes in temperature, the necessary levels and consistency of moisture, and an adequate supply of oxygen. Fortunately, given their critical importance to the process, good bedding mixtures are generally not hard to come by on farms. The most difficult criterion to meet adequately is usually absorption, as most straws and even hay are not good at holding moisture. This can be easily addressed by mixing some aged or composted cattle or sheep manure with the straw. The result is somewhat similar in its bedding characteristics to aged horse manure.

Mixing beddings need not be an onerous process; it can be done by hand with a pitchfork (small operations), with a tractor bucket (larger operations), or, if one is available, with an agricultural feed mixer. Please note that the latter would only be appropriate for large commercial vermicomposting operations where high efficiency levels and consistent product quality is required.

v) Worm Food

Compost worms are big eaters. Under ideal conditions, they are able to consume in excess of their body weight each day, although the general rule-of-thumb is ½ of their body weight per day. They will eat almost anything organic (that is, of plant or animal origin), but they definitely prefer some foods to others. Manures are the most commonly used worm feedstock, with dairy and beef manures generally considered the best natural food for Eisenia, with the possible exception of rabbit manure. The former, being more often available in large quantities, is the feed most often used.

Common Worm Feed Stocks

Food	Advantages	Disadvantages
Cattle manure	Good nutrition; natural food, therefore little adaptation required	Weed seeds make pre-composting necessary
Poultry manure	High N content results in good nutrition and a high-value product	High protein levels can be dangerous to worms, so must be used in small quantities; major adaptation required for worms not used to this feedstock. May be pre-composted but not necessary if used cautiously
Sheep/Goat manure	Good nutrition	Require pre-composting (weed seeds); small particle size can lead to packing, necessitating extra bulking material
Hog manure	Good nutrition; produces excellent vermicompost	Usually in liquid form, therefore must be dewatered or used with large quantities of highly absorbent bedding
Rabbit manure	N content second only to poultry manure, there-fore good nutrition; contains very good mix of vitamins & minerals; ideal earth-worm feed	Must be leached prior to use because of high urine content; can overheat if quantities too large; availability usually not good
Fresh food scraps (e.g., peels, other food prep waste, leftovers, commercial food processing wastes)	Excellent nutrition, good moisture content, possibility of revenues from waste tipping fees	Extremely variable (depending on source); high N can result in overheating; meat & high-fat wastes can create anaerobic conditions and odours, attract pests, so should NOT be included without pre-composting
Pre-composted food wastes	Good nutrition; partial decomposition makes digestion by worms easier and faster; can include meat and other greasy wastes; less tendency to overheat.	Nutrition less than with fresh food wastes.
Biosolids (human waste)	Excellent nutrition and excellent product; can be activated or non-activated sludge, septic sludge; possibility of waste management revenues	Heavy metal and/or chemical contam-ination (if from municipal sources); odour during application to beds (worms control fairly quickly); possibility of pathogen survival if process not complete
Seaweed	Good nutrition; results in excellent product, high in micronutrients and beneficial microbes	Salt must be rinsed off, as it is detrimental to worms; availability varies by region
Legume hays	Higher N content makes these good feed as well as reasonable bedding.	Moisture levels not as high as other feeds, requires more input and monitoring
Legume hays	Higher N content makes these good feed as well as reasonable bedding.	Moisture levels not as high as other feeds, requires more input and monitoring
Corrugated cardboard (including waxed)	Excellent nutrition (due to high-protein glue used to hold layers together); worms like this material; possible revenue source from WM fees	Must be shredded (waxed variety) and/or soaked (non-waxed) prior to feeding
Fish, poultry offal; blood wastes; animal mortalities	High N content provides good nutrition; opportunity to turn problematic wastes into high-quality product	Must be pre-composted until past thermophillic stage

vi) Selection for vermicompost production

Cattle dung (except pig, poultry and goat), farm wastes, crop residues, vegetable market waste, flower market waste, agro industrial waste, fruit market waste and all other bio degradable waste are suitable for vermicompost production.  The cattle dung should be dried in open sunlight before used for vermicompost production.  All other waste should be predigested with cow dung for twenty days before put into vermibed for composting.

vii) Putting the waste in the container

The predigested waste material should be mud with 30% cattle dung either by weight or volume. The mixed waste is placed into the tub / container upto brim. The moisture level should be maintained at 60%. Over this material, the selected earthworm is placed uniformly. For one-meter length, one-meter breadth and 0.5-meter height, 1 kg of worm (1000 Nos.) is required. There is no necessity that earthworm should be put inside the waste. Earthworm will move inside on its own.

viii) Watering the vermibed

Daily watering is not required for vermibed. But 60% moisture should be maintained throughout the period.  If necessity arises, water should be sprinkled over the bed rather than pouring the water. Watering should be stopped before the harvest of vermicompost.

ix) Harvesting vermicompost

In the tub method of composting, the castings formed on the top layer are collected periodically. The collection may be carried out once in a week.  With hand the casting will be scooped out and put in a shady place as heap like structure.  The harvesting of casting should be limited up to earthworm presence on top layer.  This periodical harvesting is necessary for free flow and retain the compost quality. Other wise the finished compost get compacted when watering is done. In small bed type of vermicomposting method, periodical harvesting is not required.  Since the height of the waste material heaped is around 1 foot, the produced vermicompost will be harvested after the process is over.

x) Harvesting earthworm

After the vermicompost production, the earthworm present in the tub / small bed may be harvested by trapping method.  In the vermibed, before harvesting the compost, small, fresh cow dung ball is made and inserted inside the bed in five or six places. After 24 hours, the cow dung ball is removed. All the worms will be adhered into the ball.  Putting the cow dung ball in a bucket of water will separate this adhered worm.  The collected worms will be used for next batch of composting.

Worm harvesting is usually carried out in order to sell the worms, rather than to start new worm beds. Expanding the operation (new beds) can be accomplished by splitting the beds that is, removing a portion of the bed to start a new one and replacing the material with new bedding and feed. When worms are sold, however, they are usually separated, weighed, and then transported in a relatively sterile medium, such as peat moss. To accomplish this, the worms must first be separated from the bedding and vermicompost. There are three basic categories of methods used by growers to harvest worms: manual, migration, and mechanical. Each of these is described in more detail in the sections that follow.

a) Manual Methods

Manual methods are the ones used by hobbyists and smaller-scale growers, particularly those who sell worms to the home-vermicomposting or bait market. In essence, manual harvesting involves hand-sorting, or picking the worms directly from the compost by hand. This process can be facilitated by taking advantage of the fact that worms avoid light. If material containing worms is dumped in a pile on a flat surface with a light above, the worms will quickly dive below the surface. The harvester can then remove a layer of compost, stopping when worms become visible again. This process is repeated several times until there is nothing left on the table except a huddled mass of worms under a thin covering of compost. These worms can then be quickly scooped into a container, weighed, and prepared for delivery.

There are several minor variations and/or enhancements on this method, such as using a container instead of a flat surface, or making several piles at once, so that the person harvesting can move from one to another, returning to the first one in time to remove the next layer of compost. They are all labour-intensive, however, and only make sense if the operation is small and the value of the worms is high.

b) Self-Harvesting (Migration) Methods

These methods, like some of the methods used in vermicomposting, are based on the worms tendency to migrate to new regions, either to find new food or to avoid undesirable conditions, such as dryness or light. Unlike the manual methods described above, however, they often make use of simple mechanisms, such as screens or onion bags.

The screen method is very common and easy to use. A box is constructed with a screen bottom. The mesh is usually ¼”, although 1/8” can be used as wel. There are two different approaches. The downward-migration system is similar to the manual system, in that the worms are forced downward by strong light. The difference with the screen system is that the worms go down through the screen into a prepared, pre-weighed container of moist peat moss. Once the worms have all gone through, the compost in the box is removed and a new batch of worm-rich compost is put in. The process is repeated until the box with the peat moss has reached the desired weight. Like the manual method, this system can be set up in a number of locations at once, so that the worm harvester can move from one box to the next, with no time wasted waiting for the worms to migrate.

The upward-migration system is similar, except that the box with the mesh bottom is placed directly on the worm bed. It has been filled with a few centimeters of damp peat moss and then sprinkled with a food attractive to worms, such as chicken mash, coffee grounds, or fresh cattle manure. The box is removed and weighed after visual inspection indicates that sufficient worms have moved up into the material. This system is used extensively in Cuba, with the difference that large onion bags are used instead of boxes. The advantage of this system is that the worm beds are not disturbed. The main disadvantage is that the harvested worms are in material that contains a fair amount of unprocessed food, making the material messier and opening up the possibility of heating inside the package if the worms are shipped. The latter problem can be avoided by removing any obvious food and allowing a bit of time for the worms to consume what is left before packaging.

xi) Nutritive value of vermicompost

The nutrients content in vermicompost vary depending on the waste materials that is being used for compost preparation. If the waste materials are heterogeneous one, there will be wide range of nutrients available in the compost. If the waste materials are homogenous one, there will be only certain nutrients are available. The common available nutrients in vermicompost is as follows

Organic carbon	:	9.5 – 17.98%
Nitrogen	:	0.5 – 1.50%
Phosphorous	:	0.1 – 0.30%
Potassium	:	0.15 – 0.56%
Sodium	:	0.06 – 0.30%
Calcium and Magnesium	:	22.67 to 47.60 meq/100g
Copper	:	2 – 9.50 mg kg-1
Iron	:	2 – 9.30 mg kg-1
Zinc	:	5.70 – 11.50 mg kg-1
Sulphur	:	128 – 548 mg kg-1

xii) Storing and packing of vermicompost
       
The harvested vermicompost should be stored in dark, cool place. It should have minimum 40% moisture. Sunlight should not fall over the composted material.  It will lead to loss of moisture and nutrient content. It is advocated that the harvested composted material is openly stored rather than packed in over sac. Packing can be done at the time of selling. If it is stored in open place, periodical sprinkling of water may be done to maintain moisture level and also to maintain beneficial microbial population. If the necessity comes to store the material, laminated over sac is used for packing. This will minimize the moisture evaporation loss. Vermicompost can be stored for one year without loss of its quality, if the moisture is maintained at 40% level.

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4. Advantages of vermicompost

• Vermicompost is rich in all essential plant nutrients.
• Provides excellent effect on overall plant growth, encourages the growth of new
• shoots / leaves and improves the quality and shelf life of the produce.
• Vermicompost is free flowing, easy to apply, handle and store and does not have bad
• odour.
• It improves soil structure, texture, aeration, and waterholding capacity and prevents
• soil erosion.
• Vermicompost is rich in beneficial micro flora such as a fixers, P- solubilizers,
• cellulose decomposing micro-flora etc in addition to improve soil environment.
• Vermicompost contains earthworm cocoons and increases the population and
• activity of earthworm in the soil.
• It neutralizes the soil protection.
• It prevents nutrient losses and increases the use efficiency of chemical fertilizers.
• Vermicompost is free from pathogens, toxic elements, weed seeds etc.
• Vermicompost minimizes the incidence of pest and diseases.
• It enhances the decomposition of organic matter in soil.
• It contains valuable vitamins, enzymes and hormones like auxins, gibberellins etc.

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5. Pests and Diseases of vermicompost

Compost worms are not subject to diseases caused by micro-organisms, but they are subject to predation by certain animals and insects (red mites are the worst) and to a disease known as “sour crop” caused by environmental conditions.

Vermicomposting is a type of composting in which certain species of earthworms are used to enhance the process of organic waste conversion and produce a better end-product. It is a mesophilic process utilizing microorganisms and earthworms. Earthworms feeds the organic waste materials and passes it through their digestive system and gives out in a granular form (cocoons) which is known as vermicompost.

Simply speaking, vermicompost is earthworm excrement, called castings, which can improve biological, chemical, and physical properties of the soil. The chemical secretions in the earthworm’s digestive tract help break down soil and organic matter, so the castings contain more nutrients that are immediately available to plants.

How is Vermicompost Produced

A wide range of organic residues, such as straw, husk, leaves, stalks, weeds etc can be converted into vermicompost. Other potential feedstock for vermicompost production are livestock wastes, poultry litter, dairy wastes, food processing wastes, organic fraction of MSW, bagasse, digestate from biogas plants etc. Earthworms consume organic wastes and reduce the volume by 40–60 percent. Each earthworm weighs about 0.5 to 0.6 gram, eats waste equivalent to its body weight and produces cast equivalent to about 50 percent of the waste it consumes in a day. The moisture content of castings ranges between 32 and 66 percent and the pH is around 7. The level of nutrients in compost depends upon the source of the raw material and the species of earthworm.

There are nearly 3600 types of earthworms which are divided into burrowing and non-burrowing types. Red earthworm species, like Eisenia foetida, and are most efficient in compost making. The non-burrowing earthworms eat 10 percent soil and 90 percent organic waste materials; these convert the organic waste into vermicompost faster than the burrowing earthworms. They can tolerate temperatures ranging from 0 to 40°C but the regeneration capacity is more at 25 to 30°C and 40–45 percent moisture level in the pile. The burrowing types of earthworms come onto the soil surface only at night. These make holes in the soil up to a depth of 3.5 m and produce 5.6 kg casts by ingesting 90 percent soil and 10 percent organic waste.

A commercial vermicomposting facility in Avon, New York

The types of vermicomposting depend upon the amount of producton and composting structures. Small-scale vermicomposting is done to meet personal requirements and farmers/gardeners can harvest 5-10 tons of vermicompost annually. On the other hand, large-scale vermicomposting is done at commercial scale by recycling large quantities of organic waste in modern facilities with the production of more than hundreds of tons annually.

Applications of Vermicompost

The worm castings contain higher percentage of both macro and micronutrients than the garden compost. Apart from other nutrients, a fine worm cast is rich in NPK which are in readily available form and are released within a month of application. Vermicompost enhances plant growth, suppresses disease in plants, increases porosity and microbial activity in soil, and improves water retention and aeration.

Vermicompost also benefits the environment by reducing the need for chemical fertilizers and decreasing the amount of waste going to landfills. Vermicompost production is trending up worldwide and it is finding increasing use especially in Western countries, Asia-Pacific and Southeast Asia.

A relatively new product from vermicomposting is vermicompost tea which is a liquid produced by extracting organic matter, microorganisms, and nutrients from vermicompost. Unlike vermicompost and compost, this tea may be applied directly to plant foliage, reportedly to enhance disease suppression. Vermicompost tea also may be applied to the soil as a supplement between compost applications to increase biological activity.

Vermicompost may be sold in bulk or bagged with a variety of compost and soil blends. Markets include home improvement centers, nurseries, landscape contractors, greenhouses, garden supply stores, grocery chains, flower shops, discount houses, and the general public.

Vermicompost - Production and Practices Vermicomposting is a method of preparing enriched compost with the use of earthworms. It is one of the easiest methods to recycle agricultural wastes and to produce quality compost. Earthworms consume biomass and excrete it in digested form called worm casts. Worm casts are popularly called as Black gold. The casts are rich in nutrients, growth promoting substances, beneficial soil micro flora and having properties of inhibiting pathogenic microbes. Vermicompost is stable, fine granular organic manure, which enriches soil quality by improving its physicochemical and biological properties. It is highly useful in raising seedlings and for crop production. Vermicompost is becoming popular as a major component of organic farming system. Vermicomposting materials Decomposable organic wastes such as animal excreta, kitchen waste, farm residues and forest litter are commonly used as composting materials. In general, animal dung mostly cow dung and dried chopped crop residues are the key raw materials. Mixture of leguminous and non-leguminous crop residues enriches the quality of vermicompost. There are different species of earthworms viz. Eisenia foetida (Red earthworm), Eudrilus eugeniae (night crawler), Perionyx excavatus etc. Red earthworm is preferred because of its high multiplication rate and thereby converts the organic matter into vermicompost within 45-50 days. Since it is a surface feeder it converts organic materials into vermicompost from top. Important characteristics of red earthworm (Eisenia foetida) Characters Eisenia foetida Body length 3-10cm Body weight 0.4-0.6g Maturity 50-55days Conversion rate 2.0 q/1500worms/2 months Cocoon production 1 in every 3 days Incubation of cocoon 20-23days Types of vermicomposting The types of vermicomposting depend upon the amount of producton and composting structures. Small-scale vermicomposting is done to meet the personal requirement and farmer can harvest 5-10 tonnes of vermicompost annually. While, large-scale vermicomposting is done at commercial scale by recycling large quantity of organic waste with the production of more than 50 – 100 tonnes annually Methods of vermicomposting Vermicromposting is done by various methods, among them bed and pit methods are more common. Bed method : Composting is done on the pucca / kachcha floor by making bed (6x2x2 feet size) of organic mixture. This method is easy to maintain and to practice (Fig.1). Pit method: Composting is done in the cemented pits of size 5x5x3 feet. The unit is covered with thatch grass or any other locally available materials. This method is not preferred due to poor aeration, water logging at bottom, and more cost of production (fig.2) Process of vermicomposting Following steps are followed for vermicompost preparation • Vermicomposting unit should be in a cool, moist and shady site • Cow dung and chopped dried leafy materials are mixed in the proportion of 3: 1 and are kept for partial decomposition for 15 – 20 days. • A layer of 15-20cm of chopped dried leaves/grasses should be kept as bedding material at the bottom of the bed. • Beds of partially decomposed material of size 6x2x2 feet should be made (fig.3). • Each bed should contain 1.5-2.0q of raw material and the number of beds can be increased as per raw material availability and requirement. • Red earthworm (1500-2000) should be released on the upper layer of bed (fig.4). • Water should be sprinkled with can immediately after the release of worms (fig.5) • Beds should be kept moist by sprinkling of water (daily) and by covering with gunny bags/polythene (fig.6) • Bed should be turned once after 30 days for maintaining aeration and for proper decomposition. • Compost gets ready in 45-50 days (fig.7). • The finished product is 3/4th of the raw materials used. Harvesting When raw material is completely decomposed it appears black and granular. Watering should be stopped as compost gets ready. The compost shout be kept over a heap of partially decomposed cow dung so that earthworms could migrate to cow dung from compost (fig.7). After two days compost can be separated and sieved for use (fig.8). Preventive measures • The floor of the unit should be compact to prevent earthworms’ migration into the soil. • 15-20 days old cow dung should be used to avoid excess heat. • The organic wastes should be free from plastics, chemicals, pesticides and metals etc. • Aeration should be maintained for proper growth and multiplication of earthworms. • Optimum moisture level (30-40 %) should be maintained • 18-25oC temperature should be maintained for proper decomposition. Nutrient content of vermicompost The level of nutrients in compost depends upon the source of the raw material and the species of earthworm. A fine worm cast is rich in N P K besides other nutrients. Nutrients in vermicompost are in readily available form and are released within a month of application. Nutrient Analysis of Vermicompost Parameters Content pH 6.8 OC% 11.88 OM% 20.46 C/N ration 11.64 Total Nitrogen (%) 1.02 Available N (%) 0.50 Available P (%) 0.30 Available K (%) 0.24 Ca (%) 0.17 Mg (%) 0.06 Advantages There are many advantages of vermicompost : • It provides efficient conversion of organic wastes/crop/animal residues. • It is a stable and enriched soil conditioner. • It helps in reducing population of pathogenic microbes. • It helps in reducing the toxicity of heavy metals. • It is economically viable and environmentally safe nutrient supplement for organic food production. • It is an easily adoptable low cost technology. Doses The doses of vermicompost application depend upon the type of crop grown in the field/nursery. For fruit crops, it is applied in the tree basin. It is added in the pot mixture for potted ornamental plants and for raising seedlings. Vermicompost should be used as a component of integrated nutrient supply system. Crops Dose/rate Field crops 5-6t/ha Fruit crops 3-5kg/plant Pots 100-200g/pot Benefit Vermicomposting is a highly profitable venture for farmers having dairy units. The approximate cost and benefit under different scale of production is given below. Scale App.cost per App.benefit per Cost/benefit ratio annum (Rs) annum (Rs) Small 52,000 90,000 1 : 1.73 Medium 1.0 lakh 1.85 lakh 1 : 1.85 Large 2.25 lakh 4.5 lakh 1 : 2.0 Published by ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Umiam – 793 103, Meghalaya For Further information contact Joint Director, ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Mizoram Centre Kolasib – 796081, Mizoram

Vermicompost (vermi-compost, vermiculture) is the product of the decomposition process using various species of worms, usually red wigglers, white worms, and other earthworms, to create a mixture of decomposing vegetable or food waste, bedding materials, and vermicast.

Vermicast (also called worm castings, worm humus, worm manure, or worm feces) is the end-product of the breakdown of organic matter by earthworms.^[1] These castings have been shown to contain reduced levels of contaminants and a higher saturation of nutrients than the organic materials before vermicomposting.^[2]

Vermicompost contains water-soluble nutrients and is an excellent, nutrient-rich organic fertilizer and soil conditioner.^[3] It is used in farming and small scale sustainable, organic farming.

Vermicomposting can also be applied for treatment of sewage.^[4] A variation of the process is vermifiltration (or vermidigestion) which is used to remove organic matter, pathogens and oxygen demand from wastewater or directly from blackwater of flush toilets.^[5][6]

Contents

• 1Overview
• 2Design considerations
  • 2.1Suitable worm species
  • 2.2Large scale
  • 2.3Small scale
  • 2.4Climate and temperature
• 3Feedstock
  • 3.1Small-scale or home systems
  • 3.2Large-scale or commercial
• 4Harvesting
• 5Properties
• 6Benefits
• 7Uses
  • 7.1Soil conditioner
• 8Operation and maintenance
  • 8.1Smells
  • 8.2Moisture
  • 8.3Pest species
  • 8.4Worms escaping
  • 8.5Nutrient levels
• 9Application examples
• 10See also
• 11References
• 12Further reading
• 13External links

Overview[edit]

Vermicomposting has gained popularity in both industrial and domestic settings because, as compared with conventional composting, it provides a way to treat organic wastes more quickly. In manure composting, it also generates products that have lower salinity levels.^[7]

The earthworm species (or composting worms) most often used are red wigglers (Eisenia fetida or Eisenia andrei), though European nightcrawlers (Eisenia hortensis or Dendrobaena veneta) could also be used. Red wigglers are recommended by most vermicomposting experts, as they have some of the best appetites and breed very quickly. Users refer to European nightcrawlers by a variety of other names, including dendrobaenas, dendras, Dutch nightcrawlers, and Belgian nightcrawlers.

Containing water-soluble nutrients, vermicompost is a nutrient-rich organic fertilizer and soil conditioner in a form that is relatively easy for plants to absorb.^[3] Worm castings are sometimes used as an organic fertilizer. Because the earthworms grind and uniformly mix minerals in simple forms, plants need only minimal effort to obtain them. The worms' digestive systems create environments that allow certain species of microbes to thrive to help create a "living" soil environment for plants.^[8] The fraction of soil which has gone through the digestive tract of earthworms is called the drilosphere.^[9]

Design considerations[edit]

Suitable worm species[edit]

One of the species most often used for composting is the red wiggler or tiger worm (Eisenia fetida or Eisenia andrei); Lumbricus rubellus (a.k.a. red earthworm or dilong (China)) is another breed of worm that can be used, but it does not adapt as well to the shallow compost bin as does Eisenia fetida. European nightcrawlers (Eisenia hortensis) may also be used. Users refer to European nightcrawlers by a variety of other names, including dendrobaenas, dendras, and nightcrawlers. African Nightcrawlers (Eudrilus eugeniae) are another set of popular composters. Lumbricus terrestris (a.k.a. Canadian nightcrawlers (US) or common earthworm (UK)) are not recommended, since they burrow deeper than most compost bins can accommodate.^[10]

Blueworms (Perionyx excavatus) may be used in the tropics.^[11]

These species commonly are found in organic-rich soils throughout Europe and North America and live in rotting vegetation, compost, and manure piles. They may be an invasive species in some areas.^[1][12] As they are shallow-dwelling and feed on decomposing plant matter in the soil, they adapt easily to living on food or plant waste in the confines of a worm bin.

Composting worms are available to order online, from nursery mail-order suppliers or angling shops where they are sold as bait. They can also be collected from compost and manure piles. These species are not the same worms that are found in ordinary soil or on pavement when the soil is flooded by water.

Large scale[edit]

Large-scale vermicomposting is practiced in Canada, Italy, Japan, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, and the United States.^[13] The vermicompost may be used for farming, landscaping, to create compost tea, or for sale. Some of these operations produce worms for bait and/or home vermicomposting.

There are two main methods of large-scale vermiculture. Some systems use a windrow, which consists of bedding materials for the earthworms to live in and acts as a large bin; organic material is added to it. Although the windrow has no physical barriers to prevent worms from escaping, in theory they should not due to an abundance of organic matter for them to feed on. Often windrows are used on a concrete surface to prevent predators from gaining access to the worm population.

The windrow method and compost windrow turners were developed by Fletcher Sims Jr. of the Compost Corporation in Canyon, Texas. The Windrow Composting system is noted as a sustainable, cost-efficient way for farmers to manage dairy waste.^[14]

Movement of castings through a worm bed

The second type of large-scale vermicomposting system is the raised bed or flow-through system. Here the worms are fed an inch of "worm chow" across the top of the bed, and an inch of castings are harvested from below by pulling a breaker bar across the large mesh screen which forms the base of the bed.

Because red worms are surface dwellers constantly moving towards the new food source, the flow-through system eliminates the need to separate worms from the castings before packaging. Flow-through systems are well suited to indoor facilities, making them the preferred choice for operations in colder climates.

Small scale[edit]

Demonstration home scale worm bin at a community garden site (painted plywood)

Diagram of a household-scale worm composting bin

For vermicomposting at home, a large variety of bins are commercially available, or a variety of adapted containers may be used. They may be made of old plastic containers, wood, Styrofoam, or metal containers. The design of a small bin usually depends on where an individual wishes to store the bin and how they wish to feed the worms.

Some materials are less desirable than others in worm bin construction. Metal containers often conduct heat too readily, are prone to rusting, and may release heavy metals into the vermicompost. Styrofoam containers may release chemicals into the organic material.^[15] Some cedars, Yellow cedar, and Redwood contain resinous oils that may harm worms,^[16] although Western Red Cedar has excellent longevity in composting conditions. Hemlock is another inexpensive and fairly rot-resistant wood species that may be used to build worm bins.^[17]

Bins need holes or mesh for aeration. Some people add a spout or holes in the bottom for excess liquid to drain into a tray for collection.^[18]The most common materials used are plastic: recycled polyethylene and polypropylene and wood.^[19] Worm compost bins made from plastic are ideal, but require more drainage than wooden ones because they are non-absorbent. However, wooden bins will eventually decay and need to be replaced.

Small-scale vermicomposting is well-suited to turn kitchen waste into high-quality soil amendments, where space is limited. Worms can decompose organic matter without the additional human physical effort (turning the bin) that bin composting requires.

Composting worms which are detritivorous (eaters of trash), such as the red wiggler Eisenia fetidae, are epigeic (surface dwellers) and together with symbiotic associated microbes are the ideal vectors for decomposing food waste. Common earthworms such as Lumbricus terrestris are anecic (deep burrowing) species and hence unsuitable for use in a closed system.^[20] Other soil species that contribute include insects, other worms and molds.^[21]

Climate and temperature[edit]

There may be differences in vermicomposting method depending on the climate.^[22] It is necessary to monitor the temperatures of large-scale bin systems (which can have high heat-retentive properties), as the raw materials or feedstocks used can compost, heating up the worm bins as they decay and killing the worms.

The most common worms used in composting systems, redworms (Eisenia foetida, Eisenia andrei, and Lumbricus rubellus) feed most rapidly at temperatures of 15–25 °C (59-77 °F). They can survive at 10 °C (50 °F). Temperatures above 30 °C (86 °F) may harm them.^[23] This temperature range means that indoor vermicomposting with redworms is possible in all but tropical climates. Other worms like Perionyx excavatus are suitable for warmer climates.^[24] If a worm bin is kept outside, it should be placed in a sheltered position away from direct sunlight and insulated against frost in winter.

Feedstock[edit]

There are few food wastes that vermicomposting cannot compost, although meat waste and dairy products are likely to putrefy, and in outdoor bins can attract vermin. Green wasteshould be added in moderation to avoid heating the bin.

Small-scale or home systems[edit]

Such systems usually use kitchen and garden waste, using "earthworms and other microorganisms to digest organic wastes, such as kitchen scraps".^[25] This includes:

• All fruits and vegetables (including citrus, in limited quantities)
• Vegetable and fruit peels and ends
• Coffee grounds and filters
• Tea bags (even those with high tannin levels)
• Grains such as bread, cracker and cereal (including moldy and stale)
• Eggshells (rinsed off)
• Leaves and grass clippings (not sprayed with pesticides^[26])
• Newspapers (most inks used in newspapers are not toxic)
• Paper toweling (which has not been used with cleaners or chemicals)

Large-scale or commercial[edit]

Such vermicomposting systems need reliable sources of large quantities of food. Systems presently operating^[27] use:

• Dairy cow or pig manure Sewage sludge^[28][29]
• Brewery waste
• Cotton mill waste
• Agricultural waste
• Food processing and grocery waste
• Cafeteria waste
• Grass clippings and wood chips

Harvesting[edit]

Worms in a bin being harvested

Vermicompost is ready for harvest when it contains few-to-no scraps of uneaten food or bedding.^[25] There are several methods of harvesting from small-scale systems: "dump and hand sort", "let the worms do the sorting", "alternate containers" and "divide and dump."^[30] These differ on the amount of time and labor involved and whether the vermicomposter wants to save as many worms as possible from being trapped in the harvested compost.

The pyramid method of harvesting worm compost is commonly used in small-scale vermiculture, and is considered the simplest method for single layer bins.^[31] In this process, compost is separated into large clumps, which is placed back into composting for further breakdown, and lighter compost, with which the rest of the process continues. This lighter mix is placed into small piles on a tarp under the sunlight. The worms instinctively burrow to the bottom of the pile. After a few minutes, the top of the pyramid is removed repeatedly, until the worms are again visible. This repeats until the mound is composed mostly of worms.

When harvesting the compost, it is possible to separate eggs and cocoons and return them to the bin, thereby ensuring new worms are hatched. Cocoons are small, lemon-shaped yellowish objects that can usually be seen with the naked eye.^[32] The cocoons can hold up to 20 worms (though 2-3 is most common). Cocoons can lay dormant for as long as two years if conditions are not conducive for hatching.^[33]

Properties[edit]

Vermicompost has been shown to be richer in many nutrients than compost produced by other composting methods.^[34] It has also outperformed a commercial plant medium with nutrients added, but levels of magnesium required adjustment, as did pH.^[35]

However, in one study it has been found that homemade backyard vermicompost was lower in microbial biomass, soil microbial activity, and yield of a species of ryegrass^[36] than municipal compost.^[36]

It is rich in microbial life which converts nutrients already present in the soil into plant-available forms.

Unlike other compost, worm castings also contain worm mucus which helps prevent nutrients from washing away with the first watering and holds moisture better than plain soil.^[37]

Increases in the total nitrogen content in vermicompost, an increase in available nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as the increased removal of heavy metals from sludge and soil have been reported.^[38] The reduction in the bioavailability of heavy metals has been observed in a number of studies.^[39][40]

Benefits[edit]

Soil

• Improves soil aeration
• Enriches soil with micro-organisms (adding enzymes such as phosphatase and cellulase)
• Microbial activity in worm castings is 10 to 20 times higher than in the soil and organic matter that the worm ingests ^[41]
• Attracts deep-burrowing earthworms already present in the soil
• Improves water holding capacity^[42]

Plant growth

• Enhances germination, plant growth, and crop yield
• Improves root growth and structure
• Enriches soil with micro-organisms (adding plant hormones such as auxins and gibberellic acid)^{[citation needed]}

Economic

• Biowastes conversion reduces waste flow to landfills
• Elimination of biowastes from the waste stream reduces contamination of other recyclables collected in a single bin (a common problem in communities practicing Single-stream recycling)
• Creates low-skill jobs at local level
• Low capital investment and relatively simple technologies make vermicomposting practical for less-developed agricultural regions

Environmental

• Helps to close the "metabolic gap" through recycling waste on-site
• Large systems often use temperature control and mechanized harvesting, however other equipment is relatively simple and does not wear out quickly^{[citation needed]}
• Production reduces greenhouse gas emissions such as methane and nitric oxide (produced in landfills or incinerators when not composted).

Uses[edit]

Mid-scale worm bin (1 m X 2.5 m up to 1 m deep), freshly refilled with bedding

Soil conditioner[edit]

Vermicompost can be mixed directly into the soil, or mixed with water to make a liquid fertilizer known as worm tea.

The dark brown waste liquid, or leachate, that drains into the bottom of some vermicomposting systems is not to be confused with worm tea.It is an uncomposted byproduct from when water-rich foods break down and may contain pathogens and toxins. It is best discarded or applied back to the bin when added moisture is needed for further processing.^[43][44]

The pH, nutrient, and microbial content of these fertilizers varies upon the inputs fed to worms. Pulverized limestone, or calcium carbonate can be added to the system to raise the pH.

Operation and maintenance[edit]

Worms and fruit fly pupas under the lid of a home worm bin.

Smells[edit]

When closed, a well-maintained bin is odorless; when opened, it should have little smell—if any smell is present, it is earthy.^[45] The smell may also depend on the type of composted material added to the bin. An unhealthy worm bin may smell, potentially due to low oxygen conditions. Worms require gaseous oxygen.^[46] Oxygen can be provided by airholes in the bin, occasional stirring of bin contents, and removal of some bin contents if they become too deep or too wet. If decomposition becomes anaerobic from excess wet feedstock added to the bin, or the layers of food waste have become too deep, the bin will begin to smell of ammonia.

Moisture[edit]

Moisture must be maintained above 50%, as lower moisture content will not support worm respiration and can increase worm mortality. Operating moisture-content range should be between 70-90%, with a suggested content of 70-80% for vermicomposting-oriented vermiculture operations.^[47] If decomposition has become anaerobic, to restore healthy conditions and prevent the worms from dying, excess waste water must be reduced and the bin returned to a normal moisture level. To do this, first reduce addition of food scraps with a high moisture content and second, add fresh, dry bedding such as shredded newspaper to your bin, mixing it in well.^[48]

Pest species[edit]

Pests such as rodents and flies are attracted by certain materials and odors, usually from large amounts of kitchen waste, particularly meat. Eliminating the use of meat or dairy product in a worm bin decreases the possibility of pests.^[49]

Predatory ants can be a problem in African countries.^[50]

In warm weather, fruit and vinegar flies breed in the bins if fruit and vegetable waste is not thoroughly covered with bedding. This problem can be avoided by thoroughly covering the waste by at least 5 centimetres (2.0 in) of bedding. Maintaining the correct pH (close to neutral) and water content of the bin (just enough water where squeezed bedding drips a couple of drops) can help avoid these pests as well.

Worms escaping[edit]

Worms generally stay in the bin, but may try to leave the bin when first introduced, or often after a rainstorm when outside humidity is high.^[51] Maintaining adequate conditions in the worm bin and putting a light over the bin when first introducing worms should eliminate this problem.^[52]

Nutrient levels[edit]

Commercial vermicomposters test, and may amend their products to produce consistent quality and results. Because the small-scale and home systems use a varied mix of feedstocks, the nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus content of the resulting vermicompost will also be inconsistent. NPK testing may be helpful before the vermicompost or tea is applied to the garden.

In order to avoid over-fertilization issues, such as nitrogen burn, vermicompost can be diluted as a tea 50:50 with water, or as a solid can be mixed in 50:50 with potting soil.^[53]

Additionally, the mucous layer created by worms which surrounds their castings allows for a "time release" effect, meaning not all nutrients are released at once. This also reduces the risk of burning the plants, as is common with the use and overuse of commercial fertilizers.^[54]

Application examples[edit]

Vermicomposting (also known as vermiculture) is widely used in North America for on-site institutional processing of food scraps, such as in hospitals, universities, shopping malls, and correctional facilities.^[55] Vermicomposting is used for medium-scale on-site institutional organic material recycling, such as for food scraps from universities and shopping malls. It is selected either as a more environmentally friendly choice than conventional disposal, or to reduce the cost of commercial waste removal.

Researchers from the Pondicherry University discovered that worm composts can also be used to clean up heavy metals. The researchers found substantial reductions in heavy metals when the worms were released into the garbage and they are effective at removing lead, zinc, cadmium, copper and manganese.^[56]

Vermicomposting is a type of composting in which certain species of earthworms are used to enhance the process of organic waste conversion and produce a better end-product. It is a mesophilic process utilizing microorganisms and worms. Earthworms feeds the organic waste materials and passes it through their digestive system and gives out in a granular form (cocoons) which is known as vermicompost.

Simply speaking, vermicompost is earthworm excrement, called castings, which can improve biological, chemical, and physical properties of the soil. The chemical secretions in the earthworm’s digestive tract help break down soil and organic matter, so the castings contain more nutrients that are immediately available to plants.

Production of Vermicompost

A wide range of agricultural residues, such as straw, husk, leaves, stalks, weeds etc can be converted into vermicompost. Other potential feedstock for vermicompost production are livestock wastes, poultry litter, dairy wastes, food processing wastes, organic fraction of MSW, bagasse, digestate from biogas plants etc.

Earthworms consume organic wastes and reduce the volume by 40–60 percent. Each earthworm weighs about 0.5 to 0.6 gram, eats waste equivalent to its body weight and produces cast equivalent to about 50 percent of the waste it consumes in a day. The moisture content of castings ranges between 32 and 66 percent and the pH is around 7. The level of nutrients in compost depends upon the source of the raw material and the species of earthworm.

Types of Earthworms

There are nearly 3600 types of earthworms which are divided into burrowing and non-burrowing types. Red earthworm species, like Eisenia foetida, and are most efficient in compost making. The non-burrowing earthworms eat 10 percent soil and 90 percent organic waste materials; these convert the organic waste into vermicompost faster than the burrowing earthworms.

They can tolerate temperatures ranging from 0 to 40°C but the regeneration capacity is more at 25 to 30°C and 40–45 percent moisture level in the pile. The burrowing types of earthworms come onto the soil surface only at night. These make holes in the soil up to a depth of 3.5 m and produce 5.6 kg casts by ingesting 90 percent soil and 10 percent organic waste.

Types of Vermicomposting

The types of vermicomposting depend upon the amount of production and composting structures. Small-scale vermicomposting is done to meet personal requirements and farmers/gardeners can harvest 5-10 tons of vermicompost annually.

On the other hand, large-scale vermicomposting is done at commercial scale by recycling large quantities of organic waste in modern facilities with the production of more than hundreds of tons annually.

Benefits of Vermicompost

The worm castings contain higher percentage of both macro and micronutrients than the garden compost. Apart from other nutrients, a fine worm cast is rich in NPK which are in readily available form and are released within a month of application. Vermicompost enhances plant growth, suppresses disease in plants, increases porosity and microbial activity in soil, and improves water retention and aeration.

Vermicompost also benefits the environment by reducing the need for chemical fertilizers and decreasing the amount of waste going to landfills. Vermicompost production is trending up worldwide and it is finding increasing use especially in Western countries, Asia-Pacific and Southeast Asia.

Vermicompost Tea

A relatively new product from vermicomposting is vermicompost tea which is a liquid produced by extracting organic matter, microorganisms, and nutrients from vermicompost. Unlike vermicompost and compost, this tea may be applied directly to plant foliage, reportedly to enhance disease suppression. Vermicompost tea also may be applied to the soil as a supplement between compost applications to increase biological activity.

Potential Market

Vermicompost may be sold in bulk or bagged with a variety of compost and soil blends. Markets include home improvement centers, nurseries, landscape contractors, greenhouses, garden supply stores, grocery chains, flower shops, discount houses, indoor gardens, and the general public.

Composting is an aerobic process with high temperatures, while vermicomposting is a process where worms do the work. This means that vermicomposting is a low temperature process.

Vermicomposting can be done in small bins to bathtub size vessels. The worms eat through the kitchen waste and paper that is added. It is also a moist process and any drainage is commonly used as a worm tea. Vermicomposting can be done on a larger scale, but the waste must be applied in thin layers to not to overheat the pile or overfeed the worms. Worms are sensitive animals and may take off when conditions are not right.

In composting, the minimum size is a cubic yard, otherwise the temperature will not increase high enough. Oxygen must be applied to satisfy the needs of the bacteria that do the work. This means turning and aerating. If a compost pile gets too wet or otherwise anaerobic, stink will develop. This is the issue with larger industrial facilities. Odour is the Achilles heel of the composting industry.

Municipalities and private industries are collecting food waste and yard and garden waste for composting. When food waste is a large percentage of the collected material the risk of odour is high and composting facilities need more sophistication in aeration, mixing and air and leachate containment.

Which of the two is better? it depends. For small scale use in the garden it may be vermicomposting for wet food waste, especially when fed every day. If yard waste is involved a decent size compost heap with regular turning (and a batch system where all material is composted the same time) will work. In cases where the compost is sold or given away to the public, quality standards must be met including those for sanitizing the compost in the hot process. A large commercial set-up is then required.

Worms And Vermicomposting: Best Types Of Worms For Vermicomposting

Vermicomposting ^[1] is a quick, efficient way to convert kitchen scraps into a rich soil amendment using earthworms. Vermicompost worms break down organic matter, such as kitchen scraps ^[2], into waste products called castings ^[3]. Although castings may be waste to the worms, they are a rich treasure for gardeners. Vermicompost is richer in essential plant nutrients such as nitrogen ^[4], phosphorous ^[5] and potassium ^[6] than traditional compost ^[7]. It also contains microbes that help plants grow. ^[8]

Can Any Type of Earthworm be Used for Vermicomposting?

The best types of worms for vermicomposting are red wigglers (Eisenia fetida) and redworms (Lumbricus rubellus). These two species make great worms for the compost bin ^[9] because they prefer a compost environment to plain soil, and they are very easy to keep. Worms that feed on vegetable waste, compost, and organic bedding produce richer casting than those that feed on plain soil.
You won’t find red wigglers in garden soil. You may find redworms near compost, under rotting logs, and in other organic situations. The problem is identifying them. You won’t be able to tell the difference between Lumbricus rubellus and other worms, so it’s best to buy them. If you don’t have a local supplier, you can order them on the Internet. It takes one pound of worms (1,000 individuals) to start a good-sized compost bin.
Worms and vermicomposting bins don’t smell, so you can keep worms indoors year round ^[10]. It’s a great way to use up your kitchen scraps and the kids will enjoy helping out with the worm farm. If you choose the right vermicomposting worm types and feed them regularly ^[11] (about one-half pound of food scraps per pound of worms per day), you’ll have a steady supply of vermicompost for your garden.


Drawbacks

Vermicomposting, or worm farming, has been a part of organic and natural gardening methods for years. Vermicomposting has both supporters and detractors; like any gardening method, it also has many advantages and disadvantages. Learn about some of the disadvantages before going into this method of composting.

Ratios Between Waste and Time

Vermicomposting requires waste to be applied in thin layers because of temperature concerns. If you apply too much waste to the bin in a short amount of time, the temperature will rise too fast and kill off the worms. Large quantities of waste must be spread out over large areas of ground to maintain the correct temperature.

Temperature Limits

Vermicomposting requires a low temperature to be maintained in the compost operation so the worms do not lose moisture and dry out. The normal temperature for vermicomposting is between 55 and 80 degrees F.

Care

Vermicomposting requires greater care than regular composting methods. The worms used in vermicomposting require care, food, heat and moisture at proper levels to remain healthy and create the compost material.

Cost

Vermicomposting is more expensive to set up than regular compost piles or batch composters. Vermicomposting needs special materials to start, such as plastic or metal containers and red worms. Regular composting requires nothing but a hill or barrel to start. Vermicomposting also requires lime to stabilize the acid levels created by the waste in the new soil.

Size Scales

Vermicomposting requires more space than regular composting. Eventually, you will need several bins to get the same compost yield as you would from one traditional composting bin.

Concerns

Vermicomposting does not destroy any weed seeds which may have entered the bedding area with the food supply. There is not enough evidence to show that pathogens would be destroyed if large amounts of pathogens are present in organic material. Bedding must be provided that allows the worms to breed away from their food.

Composting is the speeding up of the natural process of decomposition. The goal is to improve soil composition by returning useful waste back to your garden

One of the most significant contributors for composting is kitchen waste. Scraps from meal preparations as well as cooking supplies can be added to a compost bin and, in turn, contribute to your soil and mulch. Vermicomposting is a compliment to the process by increasing the value of nutrients returned to the soil.

Vermicomposting instead of composting gives gardeners five key benefits.

1. Diverting waste from landfills is excellent, and vermicomposting also produces nutrient-rich castings for your garden.

2. Compared to traditional composting less space is needed.

A bin with a couple square feet of surface area 8 -16 inches deep works well. So do five-gallon buckets buried in the ground.

3. Less strength is needed.

The worms do the work, so you don’t have to measure temperature and turn the pile.

4. Faster production of compost.

This depends on the temperature of your compost pile, but 3 months to a year is a typical time period for a compost pile to be ready. Vermicomposting should be ready around every three months.

5. Red wiggler worms eat half their weight in food waste daily.

Imagine if a 200-pound man could eat 100 pounds of garbage every day?

Vermicomposting has some challenges as well. You need to make sure you don’t let your worm beds dry out or keep them to wet. Worms like fruit, vegetables, coffee grounds, and pasta. Don’t feed them meat scraps because it will smell and attract unwanted pests. You should harvest about every three months. Your mileage will vary depending on temperatures, moisture and how much you feed your worms. Soil makes one of the most significant differences in how your landscape looks and how much food your garden produces. Vermicomposting won’t solve all the problems in your garden, but it will give you the opportunity to reduce waste while improving the look and production of your garden.

Vermicomposting and Worm Farming

Vermicomposting – Composting with the Worms

Vermis is the ancient Latin word for “worms”, so Vermicomposting is essentially the decomposition of organic material by worms. In other words, “Worm Composting”. The worms perform their magic on both waste matter and the soil producing a nutrient-rich, organic fertiliser and soil conditioner, called “vermicompost”.

Generally a traditional aerobic compost heap gets too hot in its centre for anything to live there other than bacterial organisms. But in cooler compost heaps, a lot of the work of decomposition can be done by worms and a composting process that relies entirely on worms is called “vermicomposting”.

Vermicomposting is an easy but fairly slow way of turning vegetable and food scraps as well as garden waste into high-quality compost and soil conditioner for use by the gardener. Another advantage of using worms, is that worms are abundant (20 to 50 per square foot), odourless, free from disease and work all year-round given the right conditions. Then, vermicomposting results in the bio-conversion of the waste stream into two useful products, “earthworm biomass” and “vermicompost”.

Vermicompost Redworms

Vermicomposting uses specially bred worms to aerate the soil and convert organic matter into compost. Worms are eating machines that feed on the bacteria growing on the waste organic matter and pass it through their digestive system, producing worm castings or “worm poo”.

This worm manure or vermicastings as it is politely and officially called, may be useless waste to a worm, but to a gardener it is a fantastic soil conditioner and enhancement medium. Vermicompost not only contains worm poo, but also their bedding materials and added organic wastes at various stages of decomposition allowing other micro-organisms to attach to the digested organic matter that has passed through the worm.

Vermicastings are an important part of worm composting as they can be much higher in organic matter containing phosphates, nitrogen, potash and other such nutrients than plain soil which has not been processed by the worms. Also, vermicastings produced by the worms add structure to the soil improving aeration and water retention as the tunnels formed by the burrowing worms aid in the storage and passage of water, which also wash nutrients to the roots of the plants that extend quite rapidly along these horizontal tunnels.

Also, vermicompost increases microbial activity, as well as suppressing soil born diseases allowing plants to grow compared to regular soil or compost. Worms are powerful eating machines providing many benefits to the average soil, but not all worms are suitable for vermicomposting as some live only on the surface or in water, some prefer different soil conditions, while others live deep below the surface of the soil. So what types of “earthworms” are suitable for vermicomposting or for use in a wormery.

Types of Vermicompost Worms

To create fertile soil we need the right kind of composting worms because after all its the worms that do the work. Over thousands of years, mother nature has created hundreds if not thousands of different species of earthworms distributed all over world, but only a few of these are suitable for vermicomposting. Most earthworms are terrestrial organisms, which live in the soil and are often divided into different groups by scientists with names such as: edaphologists and pedologists according to their function in the soil with the most suitable for vermicompost being the Anecic, Endogeic and Epigeic species of worms.

• • Anecic Worms – anecic worms feed at or near too the soil surface on plant litter or dead roots and other plant debris. They are usually larger worms that build permanent horizontal and vertical burrows in the soil and only come to the surface to pull leave bits and other food into their burrows.
• Anecic earthworms are called humus former’s and are capable of both organic waste consumption as well as in modifying the structure of the soil. As anecics are a burrowing species they are widely used in soil management as well as helping in compost production. Lumbricus terrestris, called the nightcrawler is a large anecic worm with a flattened tail that is great for the soil, but will not survive in an enclosed vermicomposting bin so are not considered suitable for producing vermicompost.
• 
  Vermicompost Tiger Worms
  • Endogeic Worms – endogeic worms spend most of their time below the surface in the mineral layers of soil burrowing constantly and rarely come to the surface. Endogeic worms live near the roots of plants feeding on the decaying roots, fungi and bacteria that is found there. They are a geophagous species of worm that ingests large quantities of organically rich soil turning it into vermicompost.
• Endogeic species, such as Aporrectodea calignosa, feed on large quantities of soil and as they burrow they produce stable earthworm casts which help to improve the soil structure by mixing and aerating the soil as they move through it creating long tunnels and cracks in the soil.
• Endogeic worms require deep subsoils and survive best in undisturbed areas where their burrows can remain intact making them unsuitable for composting heaps due to the constant turning over of the pile to aerate it.
• • Epigeic Worms – epigeic worms are surface dwellers and feed on the decayed organic materials found on the soil surface and not in the soil itself. Epigeics used in vermicomposting are called red earthworms (Eisenia foetida), also known as red wiggler’s, manure worms, red hybrid or tiger worms due to their relatively high tolerance of environmental variations. They are excellent for vermicomposting. These detritivorous earthworms species also thrive in compost bins and enclosed wormeries. Epigeic worms reproduce quickly and in one day can eat their own weight in food making them ideal to produce vermicompost.

Although there are literally thousands of species of worms, only a few are used for vermicomposting. The epigeic and anecic species are particularly well suited for worm composting as these types of worms thrive on just about any kind of vegetable scraps, eating as much as their own weight per day. The two most common worms used for vermicomposting are the Eisenia foetida also known commonly as the Red Wiggler, and the red earthworm or Lumbricus rubellus.

It is better not to buy random worms from fishing and bait shops or even garden centres and garden suppliers as they may not be the right sort of heavy duty consumers required to process kitchen waste fast and furiously. However, vermicomposting worms can be purchased from specialist suppliers or sometimes local species of earthworms can be used as these are excellently adapted to the local soil conditions.

Taking Care of Vermicomposting Worms

Worms are generally easy to look after and grow. Earthworms are hermaphroditic, that is each worm is both male and female and each can produce eggs and fertilise the eggs produced by another worm, but it takes two worms to produce offspring. A mature worm will produce an egg capsule every 7 to 10 days, each containing over one dozen hatchlings and capsules (cocoons or eggs).

Once hatched, the newly emerged vermicompost worms reach maturity quickly in only two to three months, meaning that the worm population may double each month. However, worms are usually lost when the vermicompost is harvested or due to birds and other such predators feeding on them. Luckily, this rapid breeding rate means that the worm population easily adjusts to environmental conditions, and the food supply.

Although vermicomposting does not require a balanced carbon-to-nitrogen ratio like aerobic composting, a proper diet will help maintain a healthy stock of worms. Worms are basically vegetarians and like to eat the vegetable wastes from your kitchen, yard and garden but can not eat non-degradable materials, such as glass, plastic, rubber or metals. Theses types of materials are not only bad for the worms, they are also bad for your compost pile so should be avoided.

Vermicompost worms prefer relatively fresh foods like animal waste, plant biomass (leaf litter), plant cuttings or weeds, kitchen waste (fruit peels, vegetables), untreated paper or cardboard and the like. As worms do not have teeth only mouths, it does helps the worms and the decomposition processes if the harder more solid waste materials are broken or cut up prior to placement in the vermicomposting system, but it is not required.

Worms like to be wet and need adequate moisture to help them breathe through their skin. The bedding used for vermicomposting helps retain moisture, reduces odours, and serves as food for the worms. It is also used as a retreat for the worms when the heat generated by the decomposition of the food waste becomes to high.

Worm bedding should shelter vermicompost worms from direct sunlight so they do not dry out and overheat and give protection from predators. The bedding material should be loose consisting of approximately two-thirds topsoil and one-third decayed organic matter and can be made using animal manure, leaf mould, decaying leaves, newspaper strips, or shredded cardboard allowing it to contain the recommended moisture content.

Vermicomposting worms are recognized to play an important role in the decomposition of organic materials. They are important because they are essential for soil health and decomposition of organic matter. Composts inoculate the soil with humus building microbes that convert these carbon compounds into humus (dark organic matter that also stores water) and worms facilitate this process.

Growing earthworms on farms with livestock is often a successful way to generate vermiculture. Raising earthworms in the waste products of live stock and then feeding the animals with crops that have been grown with worm castings helps complete a nutrient cycle.

Vermicomposting technology involves harnessing various species of worms as versatile natural bioreactors helping in the decomposition of organic matter, improving soil fertility and in bringing out efficient nutrient recycling enhancing a plants growth. A variety of organic solid wastes, domestic, animal, agro-industrial, human wastes etc can be vermicomposted.

The value of vermicompost is further enhanced as it plays a role in reducing global climate change by improving the production of crops and cereals used to manufacture biomass and biofuels. Then we can think of Vermicomposting as a type of “global worming”.

In the next tutorial about “Composting”, we will look at some of the Composting Bins available and their designs which can be used to contain and manage the compost within the garden instead of just a pile of soil on the floor.

To learn more about how “Vermicomposting” works, to obtain more information about the various worms available for vermicomposting or to explore the advantages and disadvantages of composting with worms, then Click Here today to get your copy of one of the top “Worm Farming and Vermicomposting Guides” from Amazon and learn more about the different ways to produce good quality compost in your garden using the power of worms.

Vermicomposting: Composting with Worms

• Worms?
• What is vermicompost?
• What kind of worms are used for vermicomposting?
• What do worms need?
• What will worms eat?
• Where should you keep worms?
• How do you harvest worms and vermicompost?
• Will I need to buy more worms?
• What other organisms live with worms?
• Are vermicomposting facilities regulated?
• Where can I get more information on vermicomposting?

Worms?

Traditionally, worms have been raised for fishing bait as well as a protein and enzyme source for various products, including animal food and biodegradable cleansers. Worms have also been used to manage agricultural wastes such as dairy manure. They convert waste into worm manure (also known as worm castings), a nutrient-rich, biologically beneficial soil product.

Vermicomposting is the use of worms as a composting method to produce vermicompost. Vermiculture is worm farming for the production of worms. In recent years, worm farming has been practiced on both a small and large scale with three complementary goals in mind: waste diversion, vermicomposting, and vermiculture.

What is vermicompost?

Vermicompost, or castings, is worm manure. Worm castings are considered by many in horticulture to be one of the best soil amendments available. The nutrient content of castings is depends on the material fed to the worms--and worms commonly feed on highly nutritious materials, such as food waste and manures.

Worm castings provide a variety nutrients helpful to promote plant growth and in a form readily available for plant uptake. The biology of the worm’s gut facilitates the growth of fungus and bacteria that are beneficial to plant growth. In addition, many chemical compounds are found in castings that are thought to promote plant growth.

Much of the content of worm castings and their effects on plants are still being studied. Nonetheless, farmers and soils blenders know the benefits of worm castings from their actual effect on plants and product sales, even when the worms are fed low-nutrient materials such as paper fiber.

What kind of worms are used for vermicomposting?

Most worm farms raise two main types of earthworm: Eisenia foetida and Lumbricus rubellis. These worms are commonly used to produce vermicompost, as well as for fish bait. Both are referred to by a variety of common names, including red worms, red wigglers, tiger worms, brandling worms, and manure worms. These two species are often raised together and are difficult to tell apart, though they are not believed to interbreed. While several other species have been successfully bred in recent years, this fact sheet focuses primarily on the use of these species.

The night crawler (Lumbricus terrestrius) is also harvested and sold for fishing bait. This species does not breed well in captivity and is generally harvested from wild stock.

What do worms need?

Worms can survive a wide variety of temperatures, but they thrive best at temperatures between 55 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit (13–25 degrees Celsius). They need a moist, organic substrate or “bedding” in which to live. They will eat the bedding and convert it into castings along with other feed. Moisture and oxygen are vital and bedding should be about as damp as a wrung-out sponge. A worm’s skin is photosensitive and therefore they need a dark environment.

Because worms have no teeth, they need some type of grit in their bedding that they can swallow and use in their gizzard to grind food, much like birds do with small stones. A little soil or sand will work, but it should be sterile so that no foreign organisms are introduced. Common additives used include rock dust or oyster flour (ground up oyster shells).

Since oyster flour is basically calcium carbonate, adding too much will raise the pH in the worms’ environment. Worms prefer a slightly acidic pH level of about 6.5. For a typical worm bin, no more than a tablespoon of grit is needed, which should not significantly alter the pH.

What will worms eat?

Worms will eat a wide variety of organic materials such as paper, manure, fruit and vegetable waste, grains, coffee grounds, and ground yard wastes. While worms will eat meat and dairy products, it is best not to feed these materials or oily foods to worms, due to potential odor and pest problems. Worms will consume limited amounts of citrus scraps, but limonene, a chemical compound found in citrus, is toxic to worms, so it is best to limit or avoid feeding them this material.

Since worms have no teeth, any food they eat must be small enough to swallow, or soft enough for them to bite. Some foods may not be soft enough initially for them to consume, but they quickly degrade so that the worms can consume them.

Where should you keep worms?

Worms can be raised on a small or large scale, depending on your goals. If you are trying to manage food scraps for yourself or your family, a small 12-to 20-gallon worm bin should be adequate. The bin should be dark and opaque and should, have a lid, drainage, and aeration holes in the bottom. Small 1-inch legs and a tray underneath the bin are also helpful.

If you are trying to manage larger amounts of organic materials or produce large amounts of worms or vermicompost, worms can be managed in low-mounded rows called worm beds or “ricks,” or in large in-vessel continuous-flow systems available from suppliers. Worms burrow into the bedding to protect themselves, and they will not come out to sunlight unless bedding conditions are intolerable.

How do you harvest worms and vermicompost?

Large-scale worm farmers using worm beds generally use harvesting equipment to separate worms and castings. In-vessel “continuous flow” systems are generally designed to produce vermicompost. They rely on the surface-feeding tendency of red worms to incorporate a casting harvest mechanism on the bottom of the system, below the active feeding area. Food and additional bedding are added to the top, encouraging the worms to continue feeding upwards.

Smaller scale worm bins are harvested in a variety of ways. In all cases, harvesting should begin when the bedding and consumed food has turned a rich dark brown, with a consistency of coffee grounds. Waiting longer can result in a sludgy material that is difficult to harvest and may become anaerobic and odorous.

One commonly used method of harvesting is to dump the bin onto a tarp in bright light, allowing the worms to burrow down to escape the light. Castings can then be separated by slowly scraping them away, pausing periodically to let the worms burrow further. Eventually, you are left with a pile of worms.

Some will harvest by placing new bedding in one half of the bin, and feed exclusively on that side. Eventually (sometimes over a period of several weeks) most of the worms will move to the side with the new bedding, and the finished compost can be harvested.

One simple method is to place a large amount of food in one area of the bin. Within a few days to a week, this should become a writhing mass of feeding worms. By turning a plastic bag inside out over your hand, you can then “reverse harvest” the worms by simply grabbing the mass of worms and turning the bag right-side out. You then have enough worms to start your bin again. Some worms and egg cases will be left in the castings. This should be no problem if the castings are used soon for indoor potted plants. Castings should be cured before outdoor use.

Harvested castings can be mixed into potting soil soon after harvest for best effect on indoor plants. If they are to be stored or used for outdoor plants, they should be cured in an aerobic environment to dry, eliminate the potential to introduce new species and prevent mold.

Will I need to buy more worms?

Red worms are hermaphroditic, but they need two worms to procreate and exchange DNA. A small egg case, usually amber in color, is produced which can contain from 2 to 20 baby worms.

Worms will regulate their own population according to the conditions of their environment. These conditions include space, moisture, pH, temperature, bedding material, and amount of food available. A typical household worm bin might start out with one pound of worms (approximately 1,000 adults), which will soon multiply to 2,000–3,000 in favorable conditions. Conversely, if one or more of the above conditions are not provided, the worms may crawl out leaving the bin or die off.

What other organisms live with worms?

Worms do not live in isolation. In addition to microscopic organisms like bacteria and some fungi, you may notice several other creatures, such as springtails, mites, pot worms (small white worms often mistaken as baby red worms), and an occasional fungus gnat. These organisms generally stay in the bin, live in harmony with the worms and cause little problems. Consistently burying the food in the bedding will minimize the attraction of unwanted species.

Keeping the bin moist and stirring the castings and bedding periodically will minimize the growth of fungi and the potential of fungal spores. If the bin is not stirred, full-sized mushrooms can grow.

If a bin is kept outside, the number of organisms that find their way into a bin greatly increases. Slugs and snails, ants, spiders, soldier fly larvae, fruit flies, pill bugs, centipedes, even frogs, salamanders and some small rodents have found their way into outdoor worm bins. Rarely will more than three or four of these cohabitants occupy a bin. Most do not hinder the functioning of a bin, and they are not bothersome. It is best to keep outdoor bins outside to prevent the introduction of unwanted animals into your house.

The most common “pests” in worm bins are ants and fruit flies. Keeping the bin moist, stopping feeding for a week or two, and stirring the bin every day can eliminate ants. Fruit flies can be more problematic, and sometimes can only be eliminated by starting over. Short of that, stopping feeding for a couple weeks and using flypaper or other fly traps can work if the population of flies is not too high.

Worms raised in worm beds can also attract predators such as birds and moles. Birds can be deterred in traditional ways such as placing scarecrows near the beds, or the beds can be covered with cardboard or other material. Moles can breed quickly and can eat a lot of worms. They can be deterred either by raising the worms in an in-vessel system, on a cement pad, or placing a wooden or plastic barrier several inches into the soil around the beds. The barrier should stick out of the soil an inch or two to prevent the moles from finding a way over it.

Are vermicomposting facilities regulated?

Vermicomposting is defined as an “excluded activity” from California solid waste regulation. However, an “exclusion” recognizes that a given activity is involved in solid waste handling and therefore must comply with fundamental health and safety codes.

According to California food and agriculture regulations, worms can be considered livestock, much as cows are livestock in a ranching or dairy operation. Within reason, certain organic wastes can be viewed as feed. However, the handling of compostable material prior to and after use as a growth medium is subject to regulation under solid waste regulations.

If a large worm operation becomes a nuisance by taking in more waste than can be effectively fed to and processed by the worms (resulting in odors, for instance), the activity could be viewed as a solid waste facility. Concerns about a particular circumstance should be directed to a community’s environmental health department.

Where can I get more information on vermicomposting?

Individuals interested in pursuing more information on vermicomposting or vermiculture, as well as worm and soil market issues, can contact an existing worm farm, soil blender, or organic waste processor to discuss the present and future possibilities of worm enterprises. Explore the rest of this site for more information on worms.

 Introduction

Earthworms have been on the Earth for over 20 million years. In this time they have faithfully done their part to keep the cycle of life continuously moving. Their purpose is simple but very important. They are nature’s way of recycling organic nutrients from dead tissues back to living organisms. Many have recognized the value of these worms. Ancient civilizations, including Greece and Egypt valued the role earthworms played in soil. The Egyptian Pharaoh, Cleopatra said, “Earthworms are sacred.”  She recognized the important role the worms played in fertilizing the Nile Valley croplands after annual floods. Charles Darwin was intrigued by the worms and studied them for 39 years.  Referring to an earthworm, Darwin said, “It may be doubted whether there are many other animals in the world which have played so important a part in the history of the world.” The earthworm is a natural resource of fertility and life.

Earthworms live in the soil and feed on decaying organic material. After digestion, the undigested material moves through the alimentary canal of the earthworm, a thin layer of oil is deposited on the castings. This layer erodes over a period of 2 months. So although the plant nutrients are immediately available, they are slowly released to last longer. The process in the alimentary canal of the earthworm transforms organic waste to natural fertilizer.  The chemical changes that organic wastes undergo include deodorizing and neutralizing. This means that the pH of the castings is 7 (neutral) and the castings are odorless. The worm castings also contain bacteria, so the process is continued in the soil, and microbiological activity is promoted.

Sieved finished vermicompost

Vermicompost ready for sale

Vermicomposting is the process of turning organic debris into worm castings. The worm castings are very important to the fertility of the soil. The castings contain high amounts of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium. Castings contain: 5 times the available nitrogen, 7 times the available potash, and 1 ½ times more calcium than found in good topsoil. Several researchers have demonstrated that earthworm castings have excellent aeration, porosity, structure, drainage, and moisture-holding capacity. The content of the earthworm castings, along with the natural tillage by the worms burrowing action, enhances the permeability of water in the soil.  Worm castings can hold close to nine times their weight in water. “Vermiconversion,” or using earthworms to convert waste into soil additives, has been done on a relatively small scale for some time. A recommended rate of vermicompost application is 15-20 percent.

Vermicomposting is done on small and large scales. In the 1996 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, the Australians used worms to take care of their tons and tons of waste.They then found that waste produced by the worms was could be very beneficial to their plants and soil. People in the U.S. have commercial vermicomposting facilities, where they raise worms and sell the castings that the worms produce. Then there are just people who own farms or even small gardens, and they may put earthworms into their compost heap, and then use that for fertilizer.

Vermicompost and its utilization
Vermicompost is nothing but the excreta of earthworms, which is rich in humus and nutrients. We can rear earthworms artificially in a brick tank or near the stem / trunk of trees (specially horticultural trees). By feeding these earthworms with biomass and watching properly the food (bio-mass) of earthworms, we can produce the required quantities of vermicompost.

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2. Materials for preparation of Vermicompost

Any types of biodegradable wastes-

1. Crop residues 
2. Weed biomass 
3. Vegetable waste 
4. Leaf litter
5. Hotel refuse
6. Waste from agro-industries
7. Biodegradable portion of urban and rural wastes

Phase of vermicomposting

Phase 1	:	Processing involving collection of wastes, shredding, mechanical separation of the metal, glass and ceramics and storage of organic wastes.
Phase 2	:	Pre digestion of organic waste for twenty days by heaping the material along with cattle dung slurry.  This process partially digests the material and fit for earthworm consumption.  Cattle dung and biogas slurry may be used after drying.  Wet dung should not be used for vermicompost production.
Phase 3	:	Preparation of earthworm bed. A concrete base is required to put the waste for vermicompost preparation.  Loose soil will allow the worms to go into soil and also while watering, all the dissolvable nutrients go into the soil along with water.
Phase 4	:	Collection of earthworm after vermicompost collection.  Sieving the composted material to separate fully composted material.  The partially composted material will be again put into vermicompost bed.
Phase 5	:	Storing the vermicompost in proper place to maintain moisture and allow the beneficial microorganisms to grow.

What Worms Need

The Five Essentials 
Compost worms need five basic things:

1. An hospitable living environment, usually called “bedding”
2. A food source
3. Adequate moisture (greater than 50% water content by weight)
4. Adequate aeration
5. Protection from temperature extremes

These five essentials are discussed in more detail below.

Bedding

Bedding is any material that provides the worms with a relatively stable habitat. This habitat must have the following characteristics:

High absorbency

Worms breathe through their skins and therefore must have a moist environment in which to live. If a worm’s skin dries out, it dies. The bedding must be able to absorb and retain water fairly well if the worms are to thrive.

Good bulking potential

If the material is too dense to begin with, or packs too tightly, then the flow of air is reduced or eliminated. Worms require oxygen to live, just as we do. Different materials affect the overall porosity of the bedding through a variety of factors, including the range of particle size and shape, the texture, and the strength and rigidity of its structure. The overall effect is referred to in this document as the material’s bulking potential.

Low protein and/or nitrogen content (high Carbon: Nitrogen ratio)

Although the worms do consume their bedding as it breaks down, it is very important that this be a slow process. High protein/nitrogen levels can result in rapid degradation and its associated heating, creating inhospitable, often fatal, conditions. Heating can occur safely in the food layers of the vermiculture or vermicomposting system, but not in the bedding.

Requirements

• Housing: Sheltered culturing of worms is recommended to protect the worms from excessive sunlight and rain. All the entrepreneurs have set up their units in vacant cowsheds, poultry sheds, basements and back yards.
• Containers: Cement tanks were constructed. These were separated in half by a dividing wall. Another set of tanks were also constructed for preliminary decomposition.
• Bedding and feeding materials: During the beginning of the enterprises, most women used cowdung in order to breed sufficient numbers of earthworms. Once they have large populations, they can start using all kinds of organic waste. Half of the entrepreneurs have now reached populations of 12,000 to 15,000 adult earthworms.

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3. Vermicompost Production Methodology

i) Selection of suitable earthworm

For vermicompost production, the surface dwelling earthworm alone should be used. The earthworm, which lives below the soil, is not suitable for vermicompost production.  The African earthworm (Eudrillus engenial), Red worms (Eisenia foetida) and composting worm (Peronyx excavatus) are promising worms used for vermicompost production. All the three worms can be mixed together for vermicompost production. The African worm (Eudrillus eugenial) is preferred over other two types, because it produces higher production of vermicompost in short period of time and more young ones in the composting period.

African earthworm (Eudrillus euginiae)

Tiger worm or Red wrinkle (Eisenia foetida)

Asian worms (perinonyx ecavatus)

ii) Selection of site for vermicompost production

Vermicompost can be produced in any place with shade, high humidity and cool. Abandoned cattle shed or poultry shed or unused buildings can be used.  If it is to be produced in open area, shady place is selected.  A thatched roof may be provided to protect the process from direct sunlight and rain. The waste heaped for vermicompost production should be covered with moist gunny bags.

iii) Containers for vermicompost production

A cement tub may be constructed to a height of 2½ feet and a breadth of 3 feet. The length may be fixed to any level depending upon the size of the room.  The bottom of the tub is made to slope like structure to drain the excess water from vermicompost unit. A small sump is necessary to collect the drain water.

In another option over the hand floor, hollow blocks / bricks may be arranged in compartment to a height of one feet, breadth of 3 feet and length to a desired level to have quick harvest. In this method, moisture assessment will be very easy.  No excess water will be drained. Vermicompost can also be prepared in wooden boxes, plastic buckets or in any containers with a drain hole at the bottom.

Cement tub

Coir waste

Saw dust

Sugarcane trash

iv) Vermiculture bed

Vermiculture bed or worm bed (3 cm) can be prepared by placing after saw dust or husk or coir waste or sugarcane trash in the bottom of tub / container. A layer of fine sand (3 cm) should be spread over the culture bed followed by a layer of garden soil (3 cm).  All layers must be moistened with water.

Common Bedding Materials

Bedding Material	Absorbency	Bulking Pot.	C:N Ratio
Horse Manure	Medium-Good	Good	22 - 56
Peat Moss	Good	Medium	58
Corn Silage	Medium-Good	Medium	38 - 43
Hay – general	Poor	Medium	15 - 32
Straw – general	Poor	Medium-Good	48 - 150
Straw – oat	Poor	Medium	48 - 98
Straw – wheat	Poor	Medium-Good	100 - 150
Paper from municipal waste stream	Medium-Good	Medium	127 - 178
Newspaper	Good	Medium	170
Bark – hardwoods	Poor	Good	116 - 436
Bark -- softwoods	Poor	Good	131 - 1285
Corrugated cardboard	Good	Medium	563
Lumber mill waste -- chipped	Poor	Good	170
Paper fibre sludge	Medium-Good	Medium	250
Paper mill sludge	Good	Medium	54
Sawdust	Poor-Medium	Poor-Medium	142 - 750
Shrub trimmings	Poor	Good	53
Hardwood chips, shavings	Poor	Good	451 - 819
Softwood chips, shavings	Poor	Good	212 - 1313
Leaves (dry, loose)	Poor-Medium	Poor-Medium	40 - 80
Corn stalks	Poor	Good	60 - 73
Corn cobs	Poor-Medium	Good	56 - 123
Paper mill sludge	Good	Medium	54
Sawdust	Poor-Medium	Poor-Medium	142 - 750
Shrub trimmings	Poor	Good	53
Hardwood chips, shavings	Poor	Good	451 - 819
Softwood chips, shavings	Poor	Good	212 - 1313
Leaves (dry, loose)	Poor-Medium	Poor-Medium	40 - 80
Corn stalks	Poor	Good	60 - 73
Corn cobs	Poor-Medium	Good	56 - 123

If available, shredded paper or cardboard makes an excellent bedding, particularly when combined with typical on-farm organic resources such as straw and hay. Organic producers, however, must be careful to ensure that such materials are not restricted under their organic certification standards. Paper or cardboard fibre collected in municipal waste programs cannot be approved for certification purposes. There may be cases, however, where fibre resources from specific generators could be sourced and approved. This must be considered on a case-by-case basis. Another material in this category is paper-mill sludge, which has the high absorbency and small particle size that so well complements the high C:N ratios and good bulking properties of straw, bark, shipped brush or wood shavings. Again, the sludge must be approved if the user has organic certification.

In general, it should be noted by the reader that the selection of bedding materials is a key to successful vermiculture or vermicomposting. Worms can be enormously productive (and reproductive) if conditions are good; however, their efficiency drops off rapidly when their basic needs are not met (see discussion on moisture below). Good bedding mixtures are an essential element in meeting those needs. They provide protection from extremes in temperature, the necessary levels and consistency of moisture, and an adequate supply of oxygen. Fortunately, given their critical importance to the process, good bedding mixtures are generally not hard to come by on farms. The most difficult criterion to meet adequately is usually absorption, as most straws and even hay are not good at holding moisture. This can be easily addressed by mixing some aged or composted cattle or sheep manure with the straw. The result is somewhat similar in its bedding characteristics to aged horse manure.

Mixing beddings need not be an onerous process; it can be done by hand with a pitchfork (small operations), with a tractor bucket (larger operations), or, if one is available, with an agricultural feed mixer. Please note that the latter would only be appropriate for large commercial vermicomposting operations where high efficiency levels and consistent product quality is required.

v) Worm Food

Compost worms are big eaters. Under ideal conditions, they are able to consume in excess of their body weight each day, although the general rule-of-thumb is ½ of their body weight per day. They will eat almost anything organic (that is, of plant or animal origin), but they definitely prefer some foods to others. Manures are the most commonly used worm feedstock, with dairy and beef manures generally considered the best natural food for Eisenia, with the possible exception of rabbit manure. The former, being more often available in large quantities, is the feed most often used.

Common Worm Feed Stocks

Food	Advantages	Disadvantages
Cattle manure	Good nutrition; natural food, therefore little adaptation required	Weed seeds make pre-composting necessary
Poultry manure	High N content results in good nutrition and a high-value product	High protein levels can be dangerous to worms, so must be used in small quantities; major adaptation required for worms not used to this feedstock. May be pre-composted but not necessary if used cautiously
Sheep/Goat manure	Good nutrition	Require pre-composting (weed seeds); small particle size can lead to packing, necessitating extra bulking material
Hog manure	Good nutrition; produces excellent vermicompost	Usually in liquid form, therefore must be dewatered or used with large quantities of highly absorbent bedding
Rabbit manure	N content second only to poultry manure, there-fore good nutrition; contains very good mix of vitamins & minerals; ideal earth-worm feed	Must be leached prior to use because of high urine content; can overheat if quantities too large; availability usually not good
Fresh food scraps (e.g., peels, other food prep waste, leftovers, commercial food processing wastes)	Excellent nutrition, good moisture content, possibility of revenues from waste tipping fees	Extremely variable (depending on source); high N can result in overheating; meat & high-fat wastes can create anaerobic conditions and odours, attract pests, so should NOT be included without pre-composting
Pre-composted food wastes	Good nutrition; partial decomposition makes digestion by worms easier and faster; can include meat and other greasy wastes; less tendency to overheat.	Nutrition less than with fresh food wastes.
Biosolids (human waste)	Excellent nutrition and excellent product; can be activated or non-activated sludge, septic sludge; possibility of waste management revenues	Heavy metal and/or chemical contam-ination (if from municipal sources); odour during application to beds (worms control fairly quickly); possibility of pathogen survival if process not complete
Seaweed	Good nutrition; results in excellent product, high in micronutrients and beneficial microbes	Salt must be rinsed off, as it is detrimental to worms; availability varies by region
Legume hays	Higher N content makes these good feed as well as reasonable bedding.	Moisture levels not as high as other feeds, requires more input and monitoring
Legume hays	Higher N content makes these good feed as well as reasonable bedding.	Moisture levels not as high as other feeds, requires more input and monitoring
Corrugated cardboard (including waxed)	Excellent nutrition (due to high-protein glue used to hold layers together); worms like this material; possible revenue source from WM fees	Must be shredded (waxed variety) and/or soaked (non-waxed) prior to feeding
Fish, poultry offal; blood wastes; animal mortalities	High N content provides good nutrition; opportunity to turn problematic wastes into high-quality product	Must be pre-composted until past thermophillic stage

vi) Selection for vermicompost production

Cattle dung (except pig, poultry and goat), farm wastes, crop residues, vegetable market waste, flower market waste, agro industrial waste, fruit market waste and all other bio degradable waste are suitable for vermicompost production.  The cattle dung should be dried in open sunlight before used for vermicompost production.  All other waste should be predigested with cow dung for twenty days before put into vermibed for composting.

vii) Putting the waste in the container

The predigested waste material should be mud with 30% cattle dung either by weight or volume. The mixed waste is placed into the tub / container upto brim. The moisture level should be maintained at 60%. Over this material, the selected earthworm is placed uniformly. For one-meter length, one-meter breadth and 0.5-meter height, 1 kg of worm (1000 Nos.) is required. There is no necessity that earthworm should be put inside the waste. Earthworm will move inside on its own.

viii) Watering the vermibed

Daily watering is not required for vermibed. But 60% moisture should be maintained throughout the period.  If necessity arises, water should be sprinkled over the bed rather than pouring the water. Watering should be stopped before the harvest of vermicompost.

ix) Harvesting vermicompost

In the tub method of composting, the castings formed on the top layer are collected periodically. The collection may be carried out once in a week.  With hand the casting will be scooped out and put in a shady place as heap like structure.  The harvesting of casting should be limited up to earthworm presence on top layer.  This periodical harvesting is necessary for free flow and retain the compost quality. Other wise the finished compost get compacted when watering is done. In small bed type of vermicomposting method, periodical harvesting is not required.  Since the height of the waste material heaped is around 1 foot, the produced vermicompost will be harvested after the process is over.

x) Harvesting earthworm

After the vermicompost production, the earthworm present in the tub / small bed may be harvested by trapping method.  In the vermibed, before harvesting the compost, small, fresh cow dung ball is made and inserted inside the bed in five or six places. After 24 hours, the cow dung ball is removed. All the worms will be adhered into the ball.  Putting the cow dung ball in a bucket of water will separate this adhered worm.  The collected worms will be used for next batch of composting.

Worm harvesting is usually carried out in order to sell the worms, rather than to start new worm beds. Expanding the operation (new beds) can be accomplished by splitting the beds that is, removing a portion of the bed to start a new one and replacing the material with new bedding and feed. When worms are sold, however, they are usually separated, weighed, and then transported in a relatively sterile medium, such as peat moss. To accomplish this, the worms must first be separated from the bedding and vermicompost. There are three basic categories of methods used by growers to harvest worms: manual, migration, and mechanical. Each of these is described in more detail in the sections that follow.

a) Manual Methods

Manual methods are the ones used by hobbyists and smaller-scale growers, particularly those who sell worms to the home-vermicomposting or bait market. In essence, manual harvesting involves hand-sorting, or picking the worms directly from the compost by hand. This process can be facilitated by taking advantage of the fact that worms avoid light. If material containing worms is dumped in a pile on a flat surface with a light above, the worms will quickly dive below the surface. The harvester can then remove a layer of compost, stopping when worms become visible again. This process is repeated several times until there is nothing left on the table except a huddled mass of worms under a thin covering of compost. These worms can then be quickly scooped into a container, weighed, and prepared for delivery.

There are several minor variations and/or enhancements on this method, such as using a container instead of a flat surface, or making several piles at once, so that the person harvesting can move from one to another, returning to the first one in time to remove the next layer of compost. They are all labour-intensive, however, and only make sense if the operation is small and the value of the worms is high.

b) Self-Harvesting (Migration) Methods

These methods, like some of the methods used in vermicomposting, are based on the worms tendency to migrate to new regions, either to find new food or to avoid undesirable conditions, such as dryness or light. Unlike the manual methods described above, however, they often make use of simple mechanisms, such as screens or onion bags.

The screen method is very common and easy to use. A box is constructed with a screen bottom. The mesh is usually ¼”, although 1/8” can be used as wel. There are two different approaches. The downward-migration system is similar to the manual system, in that the worms are forced downward by strong light. The difference with the screen system is that the worms go down through the screen into a prepared, pre-weighed container of moist peat moss. Once the worms have all gone through, the compost in the box is removed and a new batch of worm-rich compost is put in. The process is repeated until the box with the peat moss has reached the desired weight. Like the manual method, this system can be set up in a number of locations at once, so that the worm harvester can move from one box to the next, with no time wasted waiting for the worms to migrate.

The upward-migration system is similar, except that the box with the mesh bottom is placed directly on the worm bed. It has been filled with a few centimeters of damp peat moss and then sprinkled with a food attractive to worms, such as chicken mash, coffee grounds, or fresh cattle manure. The box is removed and weighed after visual inspection indicates that sufficient worms have moved up into the material. This system is used extensively in Cuba, with the difference that large onion bags are used instead of boxes. The advantage of this system is that the worm beds are not disturbed. The main disadvantage is that the harvested worms are in material that contains a fair amount of unprocessed food, making the material messier and opening up the possibility of heating inside the package if the worms are shipped. The latter problem can be avoided by removing any obvious food and allowing a bit of time for the worms to consume what is left before packaging.

xi) Nutritive value of vermicompost

The nutrients content in vermicompost vary depending on the waste materials that is being used for compost preparation. If the waste materials are heterogeneous one, there will be wide range of nutrients available in the compost. If the waste materials are homogenous one, there will be only certain nutrients are available. The common available nutrients in vermicompost is as follows

Organic carbon	:	9.5 – 17.98%
Nitrogen	:	0.5 – 1.50%
Phosphorous	:	0.1 – 0.30%
Potassium	:	0.15 – 0.56%
Sodium	:	0.06 – 0.30%
Calcium and Magnesium	:	22.67 to 47.60 meq/100g
Copper	:	2 – 9.50 mg kg-1
Iron	:	2 – 9.30 mg kg-1
Zinc	:	5.70 – 11.50 mg kg-1
Sulphur	:	128 – 548 mg kg-1

xii) Storing and packing of vermicompost
      
The harvested vermicompost should be stored in dark, cool place. It should have minimum 40% moisture. Sunlight should not fall over the composted material.  It will lead to loss of moisture and nutrient content. It is advocated that the harvested composted material is openly stored rather than packed in over sac. Packing can be done at the time of selling. If it is stored in open place, periodical sprinkling of water may be done to maintain moisture level and also to maintain beneficial microbial population. If the necessity comes to store the material, laminated over sac is used for packing. This will minimize the moisture evaporation loss. Vermicompost can be stored for one year without loss of its quality, if the moisture is maintained at 40% level.

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4. Advantages of vermicompost

• Vermicompost is rich in all essential plant nutrients.
• Provides excellent effect on overall plant growth, encourages the growth of new
• shoots / leaves and improves the quality and shelf life of the produce.
• Vermicompost is free flowing, easy to apply, handle and store and does not have bad
• odour.
• It improves soil structure, texture, aeration, and waterholding capacity and prevents
• soil erosion.
• Vermicompost is rich in beneficial micro flora such as a fixers, P- solubilizers,
• cellulose decomposing micro-flora etc in addition to improve soil environment.
• Vermicompost contains earthworm cocoons and increases the population and
• activity of earthworm in the soil.
• It neutralizes the soil protection.
• It prevents nutrient losses and increases the use efficiency of chemical fertilizers.
• Vermicompost is free from pathogens, toxic elements, weed seeds etc.
• Vermicompost minimizes the incidence of pest and diseases.
• It enhances the decomposition of organic matter in soil.
• It contains valuable vitamins, enzymes and hormones like auxins, gibberellins etc.

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5. Pests and Diseases of vermicompost

Compost worms are not subject to diseases caused by micro-organisms, but they are subject to predation by certain animals and insects (red mites are the worst) and to a disease known as “sour crop” caused by environmental conditions.

Vermicomposting, or worm composting, turns kitchen scraps and other green waste into a rich, dark soil that smells like earth and feels like magic. Made of almost pure worm castings, it’s a sort of super compost. Not only is it rich in nutrients but it’s also loaded with the microorganisms that create and maintain healthy soil. Clemson University Extension lists the following benefits of vermicompost in their article on worm composting:

• provides nutrients to the soil
• increases the soil’s ability to hold nutrients in a plant-available form
• improves the soil structure’
• improves the aeration and internal drainage of heavy clay soils
• increases the water holding ability of sandy soils
• provides numerous beneficial bacteria

Because it’s usually made in modest quantities, vermicompost is often used as top or side dressing for one’s most demanding and deserving plants. Mixed with regular compost it adds a boost to garden soil. Blended with potting soil, it invigorates plants growing in containers, outside or in (properly made vermicompost has a slight, natural smell and is perfectly suitable for indoor use).

With the right worm bins and supplies turning table scraps into valuable vermicompost is a cinch! Planet Natural has everything you need to get started: worms, a container and “bedding.” Plus books that tell you just how to do it. Now let’s rot!

In general, having a worm bin requires very little attention. Worms are surprisingly low-maintenance housemates. They don’t need to be fed every day, they make no noise, and their bins only need to be cleaned every three to six months. They can make for a fascinating learning experience for kids that not only includes biology with one of their favorite creatures, but also wider environmental lessons. Composting with worms isn’t just good for plants. It’s also good for the planet. It keeps food waste and other organic material out of our trash and reduces use of landfills. No wonder it’s encouraged by state, county, and city municipalities who deal with waste disposal and its costs, both in dollars and environmental damage. Spokane, Washington offers it citizens information on worm composting (PDF) to encourage its residents to give it a try. The City of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada posts a page on its City Farmer News that not only contains a video how-to but also offers worm bins to residents. It even has a call-in hotline for composting information. Not to be out done, the state of California has an animated, interactive game that teaches the basics of vermicomposting and its benefits. It’s called The Adventures of Vermi the Worm (link no longer available).

What You’ll Need

In addition to your readily available kitchen scraps, you’ll need worms, a container, and bedding. Planet Naturaloffers all the worms, composting bins, and supplies you need to get started.

The size of your worm bin (or how many bins you can put to use) and the amount of worms you’ll need will depend on how much usable kitchen waste your family generates. Keeping a record for a week or two of how many pounds of suitable waste you produce (also consider volume) can help determine how large your vermicomposting operation should be.

The Right Worm For the Job

“A worm is a worm is a worm” may sum up your thoughts on the subject, but all worms aren’t created equal. Don’t try using your garden-variety night crawlers. They need to worm their way through dirt to eat and survive and don’t dine on organic waste. Most of the smaller worms found in your landscape are also not suitable. Most of them are likely to be Lumbricus terrestris. The essential difference, besides adaptability, is that L. terrestris is a deep-soil dweller (as its name suggests), while worms for vermicomposting are litter-dwellers that neither need nor want several feet of earth in which to delve.

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Red Wigglers

Red wigglers (Eisenia foetida) convert food waste into nutrient-rich castings.

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The worms needed for composting are Eisenia foetida, also known as red wigglers, brandling or manure worms. E. foetida will eat its weight in garbage every day, reproduce prolifically, and survive a variety of feeding conditions. Lumbricus rubellus (manure worms) will also do well in composting bins. Ordering worms from a dependable supplier will ensure that the worms in your bin will survive and perform the task you provide them.

How many red wigglers will you need? Some vermiculture experts recommend a one-to-one ratio: one pound of worms, approximately 1,000 worms, to one pound of garbage added daily. Mary Appelhof, also the author of Worms Eat My Garbage, recommends two pounds of worms for every pound of garbage.

The other thing to keep in mind is that worms multiply like rabbits. (Or maybe it’s more like rabbits multiply like worms!) If you give them adequate food and a good home they can double their populations every 90 days. You may want to start out slow and with fewer worms than you think you’ll need and the resulting worm population explosion will take care of the rest.

Bins

A good worm composting bin is easy-to-use and efficient. There are a number of fine commercial bins available or the handy among us can build their own.

Commercial Bins

A wide variety of commercial worm bins are available for composting, from simple, ventilated boxes to various “stacked” versions. Most are suitable for basements, entry ways, and other out-of-the-way corners in the home. They can also be used outdoors, at least seasonally, if protected from extremes of heat and cold. Bins with layered trays make harvesting finished compost very easy; this is the primary advantage they offer over most home-made bins and one-room bins.

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In a stacked worm bin, the trays are used in succession, each one coming on line after the one below fills up with compost. When it’s time to move the worms, food and bedding gets placed on the next tray up; the trays are designed so that worms can indeed migrate to the next level. When they’ve left the old one behind, it can be removed and emptied — and then replaced at the top of the stack. As long as it’s left empty, it has nothing to attract the worms. Only when food waste is present will worms move in.

Homemade Bins

Simple bins made of wood or plastic can be quite simple to make. It’s important that the material be opaque as worms do not like light. A tight-fitting lid isn’t necessary; worms don’t generally try to flee their quarters. Tight fitting lids cut-off ventilation. But some sort of cover is important, both to shut out light and to keep moisture in.

Bin size depends on the number of worms you’re planning to house and the amount of garbage you want them to recycle. A couple of structural rules pertain to all. First, worms generally need floor space rather than head room. (Commercial bins that look tall usually consist of several shallow trays stacked on top of each other.) A one-room bin need be no more than 12-18 inches (30-45cm) deep. Ventilation and drainage are a must. Here are plans (PDF) for a very functional wooden bin from the fine folks at Seattle Tilth. More general bin suggestions, including using a plastic storage crate as a bin, can be found at this University of Nebraska Extension page.

Choosing A Location

Since worms are quite sensitive to both light and noise, a corner of the basement often works best for their home. They thrive at temperatures between about 55°-77°F (13°-25°C) which means that most basements should fit the bill. During summer months it’s possible to keep worm bins outside (at least in some places) as long as they’re in the shade. People have found ways to keep a worm bin in the kitchen, and even in the living room. In colder locations, bins can be brought inside for the winter months.

Bedding

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To give your worms a good home, you need the proper bedding that will take up anywhere from one-third to one-half of your bin. Keep in mind they like water and their bedding should be about 75 percent water. Make bedding out of strips of newspaper or shredded grocery bags, cardboard, or egg cartons, (no glossy paper), composted manure, old leaves, coconut coir, or a mixture of any of these substances. Just be sure that the material is clean and non-toxic as the worms will eat the bedding as well as the table scraps you feed them. If you’re working with cardboard or paper, soak the chosen material in water until it is easy to work with. Then rip it up into fairly small pieces and wring them out thoroughly. The bedding should be damp but not wet.

Half-fill the box, but loosely, with bedding and add a handful or two of dirt as well as some crushed eggshells. The dirt provides roughage — you can also use a smaller amount of sand or cornstarch — the eggshells calcium. Fluff the bedding up as you put it into the bed. The worms need a place to burrow and you need a place to bury their food. This will keep odors and insects at bay.

Introducing the Worms

When the bin and bedding are in place, dig a shallow depression in the bedding, and place the worms in it. Then leave them, with the lid off or askew and a low light on overhead. The light will encourage them to burrow into the bedding. Leave the worms to acclimate for a week or so before feeding them. Food left out too soon will just rot and smell — not a good beginning for the new venture. Be sure to bury the food in the bedding rather than just scattering it on top. Again, leave them for a week, then check on whether the worms are eating and adjust quantities accordingly.

What To Feed

It’s easy to avoid problems if you supply your worms the right wastes. Fruit scraps, vegetable peels, tea bags, and coffee grounds are all good (unbleached coffee filters can also go in). Avoid meat or meat by-products as well as dairy products and oil foods. All those trimmings will do is attract pests like flies and rodents while harming your worms. What about pasta? Experts are divided on whether to feed worms pasta and other grains, so let your worms tell you what the best diet is for them. Of course, don’t feed your worms inorganic waste such as aluminum foil or glass. Also avoid colored-ink newspaper as these dyes can be harmful. Basically use common sense and you’ll end up with happy worms and plenty of compost.

After initially feeding your worms, it’s best to feed them only once a week in small amounts. The idea is to give them only enough that they can eat, otherwise the leftovers (what they don’t process) will end up making your compost bin stinky.

If your worms seem to be eating too slowly, you can either add more worms or you can try chopping up what you feed them. Much like turning the compost in a traditional compost heap (sans worms), chopping scraps up will speed the process along.

Moisture/ Drainage

For worms, moisture is essential to the most basic function of life, breathing. Lacking lungs, worms “breathe” through their skins, something that is only possible in a moist environment. Their bedding should therefore be damp. But if moisture starts collecting in the bottom of the bin, it can be a problem. The classic solution is to set a couple of low blocks (1-2″ high) in a large tray and put the bin on the blocks so that liquid can drain from the holes in the bottom of the bin. This is fine as long as you empty the tray frequently enough. Check from time to time to be sure that bedding has not blocked these holes.

A turkey baster may be the best way to drain the tray without lifting off the bin. Mary Appelhof suggests several other ways to deal with excess water. If your bin has no drainage holes, the baster can again be pressed into service. But if you simply stick it down into the bin and try to suction up the liquid, it will almost certainly clog. Instead, scoop away the bedding from one area and lower a small strainer into the bin — you until you can see moisture rising in it – and then bring the baster into play.

Another ingenious way to deal with excess moisture is the coir sock. Fill an old sock or stocking with dry coconut coir and lay it in the bottom of the bin. Check it from time to time. If it becomes waterlogged, remove it and squeeze it out saving the liquid, of course, for plants.

Harvesting Castings

Once the contents of your bin have turned to worm castings — brown, earth-looking stuff — it’s time to harvest the castings and give your worms new bedding. Worm castings can be harvested any time from every two-and-a-half months to every six months, depending on how many worms you have and how much food you’ve been giving them.

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When to collect the compost depends largely on whether you want to continue the operation year-round or shut it down for the summer. If you’re planning to vermicompost only through the winter, then you can set your bin up in the fall, feed your worms for three to four months, and then leave the bin untouched for another month or two while the worms eat through what remains of their bedding and any leftover food in it. Most will eventually die off and decay and what will be left will be almost pure vermicast, with very few worms left in it.

If you plan to keep vermicomposting even through the summer, you will need to move the worms to a new clean home after the third or fourth month. The vermicompost you harvest will contain bedding and bits of old food as well as a high proportion of worm castings. Though not as pure as the vermicast left after most of the worms die, it nevertheless has high nutrient value, perhaps higher than the vermicast, which has passed so many times through worm guts.

There’s more than one way of harvesting worm castings, but one popular method is to move everything to one side of the bin. Then push the partially composted food to the middle and add additional food scraps. Replace the lid. The worms will head for the new food. Once they’ve relocated to the food pile — it should take about two weeks — simply put on a pair of gloves and remove the worm castings without taking out any worms. Once they’ve been harvested, replace the bedding. (Tray-style commercial binsmake this job a snap.)

Note: As a worm eats its way through organic matter, it leaves behind castings, digested organic matter rich in nutrients and beneficial microbes. These microbes (as many as 10,000 kinds) not only control harmful bacteria, they aid plant growth, help fight off disease and nourish your plants with readily absorbed nutrients that keep them healthy and productive.

Troubleshooting

Vermicomposting is so easy as to be almost fool-proof. But problems can develop. Here are solutions for the most common worm bin problems.

Odors

Sometimes a vermicompost bin will develop a rotten smell. It’s important to realize that this is not the smell of the compost or of the worms; it is the smell of rotten food. Most often, this happens if the worms are being fed more than they can eat. But it may be simply that the food is not buried deeply enough. Either way, make sure the food is buried and stop feeding the worms until they catch up, or remove the rotten food, wait a few days, and start again on a smaller scale.

If the odor doesn’t go away, check that the holes around the bottom of the bin are clear. If the bin has drainage holes, make sure it is up on its blocks, so that the underside is ventilated.

Worms on the Loose!

Worms trying to flee the bin is a clear sign that something has gone wrong. It’s usually one of two things: either the castings have built up too deeply or the bedding is too acidic. Obviously, if the problem is castings, the response is to harvest. If you don’t have time to do a complete bin change, tear up some extra newspaper or other bedding material and toss it into the bin. This may hold the worms until you have time to harvest the castings and set up new bedding.

Acidity

If that doesn’t seem to be the problem, try adding crushed eggshell to the bedding to reduce acidity. Too high a proportion of peat moss or coconut coir (especially peat moss) can make bedding acidic, as can too much citrus fruit or peels in the diet. Mix more shredded newspaper or cardboard with the bedding and cut out all citrus fruits.

Fruit Flies and Gnats

The first trick is to figure out whether you’ve got fruit flies or gnats. Or both. They’re both small, flying insects but the fruit flies tend to be rounder and paler. Gnats are fairly slender and quite dark. Often the tell-tale difference is behavioral: gnats resist flying, frequently trying to scramble away rather than taking to the air.

Fruit flies: Completely buried food should not attract flies. A fly population indicates that food is exposed or rotten, which may mean that there is too much of it. Citrus fruit, especially, will attract fruit flies. Clean out some of what is there and wait for several days or a week before feeding the worms again. When you do, give them less and bury it deep. This should bring the fruit fly population under control.

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Eliminate gnats from your kitchen with the BioCare® Fruit Fly Trap. A natural attractant entices these troublesome pests into the decorative container where they become trapped and drown. Safe and effective.

One suggestion for trapping fruit flies comes from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection: put a banana peel inside a plastic bag and make numerous holes in the bag with a toothpick or small knitting needle. Put the bag near the bin and wait several days. Because fruit flies are particularly drawn to bananas, they will find their way to the banana peel but the vast majority will not be able to find their way out again. Don’t feed your worms any bananas while you’ve got this trap set; you don’t want the flies to be distracted from the one source of banana.

Gnats: These can be remarkably pesky for unlike fruit flies, which hang around the fruit, fungus gnats like light (your computer screen) and damp places (your nose). Furthermore, unlike fruit flies, they can damage plants. So even if you don’t worry about the few in your bin, it’s important to eradicate them from finished compost before using it. This involves inoculating the batch with beneficial nematodes.

Beneficial nematodes (Steinernema feltiae) can also be used in the bin itself, though eventually the worms will eat them along with just about everything else in reach. With luck, they’ll get the gnat larvae before the worms get them.

Coffee grounds seem to discourage gnats as well. Fruit flies, however, love them — which is one reason why it helps to know which one you’re dealing with. Sticky traps, fly paper, and traps baited with apple cider vinegar or red wine can all help control a problem with either gnats or flies.

Mold

Mold in the bedding, curiously, indicates not that the bedding is too wet, but once again that it is too acidic. Change the bedding and cut out citrus fruit completely until the problem is solved; reintroduce it slowly and carefully.

Vermicomposting Definition

“Vermicomposting is a process in which the earthworms convert the organic waste into manure rich in high nutritional content.”

Read on to explore what is vermicomposting and the process involved in vermicomposting.

What is Vermicomposting?

Vermicomposting is the scientific method of making compost, by using of earthworms which are commonly found living in soil, feeding on biomass and excreting it in a digested form.

Vermiculture means “worm-farming”. Earthworms feed on the organic waste materials and give out excreta in the form of “vermicasts” that are rich in nitrates and minerals such as phosphorus, magnesium, calcium and potassium. These are used as fertilizers and enhance soil quality.

Vermicomposting comprises two methods:

• Bed Method: This is an easy method in which beds of organic matter are prepared.
• Pit Method: In this method, the organic matter is collected in cemented pits. However, this method is not prominent as it involves problems of poor aeration and waterlogging.

Also, refer to Morphology and Anatomy of Earthworm

Process of Vermicomposting

The entire process of vermicomposting is mentioned below:

Aim

To prepare vermicompost using earthworms and other biodegradable wastes.

Principle

This process is mainly prepared to add nutrients to the soil. Compost is a natural fertilizer that allows an easy flow of water and to the growing the plants. The earthworms are mainly used in this process as they eat the organic matter and produce castings through their digestive systems.

The nutrients profile of vermicomposts are:

• 1.6 per cent of Nitrogen.
• 0.7 per cent of Phosphorus.
• 0.8 per cent of Potassium.
• 0.5 per cent of Calcium.
• 0.2 per cent of Magnesium.
• 1.75 per cent of Iron.
• 96.5 per cent of Manganese.
• 24.5 per cent of Zinc.

Also Read: Garbage in garbage out

Materials Required

• Water.
• Cow dung.
• Thatch Roof.
• Soil or Sand.
• Gunny bags.
• Earthworms.
• Weed biomass
• A large bin (plastic or cemented tank).
• Dry straw and leaves collected from paddy fields.
• Biodegradable wastes collected from fields and kitchen.

Procedure

1. To prepare compost, either a plastic or a concrete tank can be used. The size of the tank depends upon the availability of raw materials.
2. Collect the biomass and place it under the sun for about 8-12 days. Now chop it to the required size using the cutter.
3. Prepare a cow dung slurry and sprinkle it on the heap for quick decomposition.
4. Add a layer (2 – 3 inch) of soil or sand at the bottom of the tank.
5. Now prepare a fine bedding by adding partially decomposed cow dung, dried leaves and other biodegradable wastes collected from fields and kitchen. Distribute them evenly on the sand layer.
6. Continue adding both the chopped bio-waste and partially decomposed cow dung layer-wise into the tank up to a depth of 0.5-1.0 ft.
7. Once, after adding all the bio-wastes, release the earthworm species over the mixture and cover the compost mixture with dry straw or gunny bags.
8. Sprinkle water on a regular basis to maintain the moisture content of the compost.
9. Cover the tank with a thatch roof to prevent the entry of ants, lizards, mouse, snakes, etc. and protect the compost from rainwater and direct sunshine.
10. Have a frequent check to avoid the compost from overheating. Maintain proper moisture and temperature.

Also Read: Think and throw

Result

After the 24th day, around 4000 to 5000 new worms are introduced and the entire raw material is turned into the vermicompost.

Advantages Of Vermicomposting

The major benefits of vermicomposting are:

1. Develops roots of the plants.
2. Improves the physical structure of the soil.
3. Vermicomposting increases the fertility and water-resistance of the soil.
4. Helps in germination, plant growth, and crop yield.
5. Nurtures soil with plant growth hormones such as auxins, gibberellic acid, etc.

Also refer: Vermiculture 

Vermicomposting turns the kitchen waste and other green waste into dark, nutrient-rich soil. Due to the presence of microorganisms, it maintains a healthy soil.

Vermicomposting is an eco-friendly process that recycles organic waste into compost and produces valuable nutrients.