Reproduction
Compost worm are hermaphrodites, however two worms are still required for reproduction, they lay small lemon shaped cocoons which start off pale yellow and then turn a dark brown when the baby worms are ready to hatch. The cocoons have between 2 to 7 baby worms each and take about 3 weeks to mature. Adults can lay between 1 to 2 cocoons per week, all though blue worms are known for the great reproduction rate and faster maturity. Most juvenile worms take about 3 months to mature, and then the whole process starts all over.
Worm Castings
This is just a fancy word for worm poop. Castings are the end result of digested bedding and food scraps. While the worms are digesting the organics many insoluble minerals are converted to plant-based soluble form. Worm casting have been found to be several times richer in available nitrogen, phosphates and potash than topsoil. The castings also contain 10 to 20 times as much microbial activity as soil and food the worms ingest. Each casting is in-cased in mucus, which helps soil retain moisture. The casting are used as soil enhancer and can be mixed in at a ration anywhere from 1:3 to 1:4 with other soils. Castings can also be made into a tea and used as a liquid feed
Creating the Best Conditions for Compost Worms
Compost worms can tolerate a wide range of temperatures long as their environment is dark and moist and they have organic matter to consume. Compost worms are hardy earthworms who can survive a temperature range from 5⁰c to 30 ⁰c, but prefer a range between 16⁰c to 25⁰c. and in the southern part of BC can survive outside for most of the year. In northern BC and Alberta you can move them inside your garage or other sheltered locations for winter. A good rule of thumb to remember is that the worms will slow down their production at low double digit and single digit temperatures.
Compost worms breathe through their body so their environment must be kept moist, but not wet or you may drown your worms! We will discuss worm bedding options in the bin set up but make sure the bedding you choose can retain moisture. The bins should have a lid or covering of some sort because although compost worms are considered surface or shallow dwellers they will want to move away from light. When you shine a light on worms they will move away as a survival technique to ensure that they don’t dry out.
Try to keep you bin at a neutral PH of around 7. This is easily done by monitoring what you fed your worms, like minimal amounts of high acid organics or by adding crushed eggs shells.
Compost worms breathe through their body so their environment must be kept moist, but not wet or you may drown your worms! We will discuss worm bedding options in the bin set up but make sure the bedding you choose can retain moisture. The bins should have a lid or covering of some sort because although compost worms are considered surface or shallow dwellers they will want to move away from light. When you shine a light on worms they will move away as a survival technique to ensure that they don’t dry out.
Try to keep you bin at a neutral PH of around 7. This is easily done by monitoring what you fed your worms, like minimal amounts of high acid organics or by adding crushed eggs shells.