A. Worms must never dry out – they need moisture.
B. Do not over‐feed the worms. Be patient and only add food when the worms actively start to work on the food you recently added. The volume of food increases as the worms multiply.
C. Regular checks are important. If water runs out of the bedding when you squeeze it, it is too wet and can become anearobic. It is too dry if compost stickes to the skin of the worms. During temperature extremes add more coconut coir, shredded paper, dry leaves or newspaper to worm bedding (wet paper for dry climates and dry paper for humid climates). It acts as an insulation and bedding when they are not eating. In extreme temperatures they will also move back to the lower trays. Find a cool shady spot in summer and bring them indoors in winter (when there is frost). Or put a blanket or carpet over the wormbox. The red wigglers will die in freezing conditions.
D. Good ventilation is very important. Our lid is specifically designed to aid with this. But it is important to keep your WormBox in a well ventilated room or even outside.
E. Remember that plastic perishes quicker in the sun, especially recycled plastic. The worms also get uncomfortable and will crawl out in handfulls. The container must never stand in direct sunlight. So, avoid direct sunlight and direct rain.
F. Never stack your WormBox too high as you might compact the bottom tray too much.
G. ANTS: Your bin is especially prone to an attacks if the moisture level drops.
H. Poisons: And if your neighbor sprays his crops your worms might all die. Or non-organic sprayed food that was not properly washed
I. Other creatures in your WormBox: They include spring tails, mites, white pot worms and mould. But that is perfectly normal if the conditions are good. They all help the worms! Please contact me for extra info on "other creatures in your wormbox"
J. If you are into growing worms for fishing, fill up all of your trays so you can easily harvest worms by simply lifting each tray. When you lift a tray, you see the worms in transit and they will hang from the bottom of the tray.
Add some neutral lime - just add a small handfull once a month. This prevents any wormbox from going acidic, especially if you feed them a lot of fruit.
Your wellmanaged WormBox should only smell like fresh garden soil! Worms are our friends. Be patient and the reward will be beneficial to your own body as well as to the planet we live on. JOIN our Facebook group for regular news an updates or just chat with other wormaholics on Blogger..... see links below
