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The 3 Most Common Problems For Earthworm Farms

earthworm farms,home composting,worm farm,building earthworm farms,compost bin,earthworm farms stinkOne of my favorite things to do is building earthworm farms. It is a pretty easy activity that can be a great weekend project. Maintaining your earthworm farms is a completely different story though. They can be fickle at best, so it is sometimes very hard to figure out what to do. Thankfully, they sometimes drop us a few hints to tell us what they need us to do. Here are a few basic problems that I encounter with my earthworm farms and what I do to troubleshoot them.

The most desperate problem I encounter, which happens every so often to everyone, is when some of my worms try to escape or even die. Naturally this is the most serious problem for any earthworm farmer to encounter. Worms don’t think like humans. If their environment isn’t perfectly suitable, they move on to greener pastures as quickly as they can crawl. If your worms are dying or trying to get out, the first thing you need to check is the environment in the earthworm farms and re-examine if it is suitable for your worms.

-If the compost bin is too wet, that is if there is standing water in the bottom, you should verify that your drainage holes are not clogged and add more bedding to help disperse the moisture.

-If the compost is very dry inside, simply get a glass of water or a hose and spray down the bedding. Your bedding should be moist enough that when you wring it out, you notice a few drops fall.

-If the bedding has been completely decomposed, your worms will have nothing to live in but their own compost. This is a common reason worms try to escape. Simply harvest your compost and add new bedding to your earthworm farms.

If your earthworm farms stink, this can be very unpleasant. There are a few reasons that cause this and a few things you can do to try to clean up the air in your compost bin.

-The first thing you should do is check the moisture level in your bin. Sometimes if your compost bin is too wet it will cause odors. If the water content is high, verify that your drainage holes are not clogged and add more bedding.

-The next thing you should check is how much food is in your earthworm farms. If you are adding food quicker than your worms can decompose it, the food will stagnate and start to rot from bacteria. Simply remove some of the food and slow down how quickly you add food.

-If these options don’t work, drill more holes in the top of your compost bin to allow for more aeration.

Possibly the most common concern I see about earthworm farms is about fruit flies. Stopping fruit flies from hanging around your earthworms is a very easy thing to fix. They are there because they can smell the food inside your compost bin. When you add waste to your earthworm farms, dig a hole down into the bedding, place the food, and bury it. By burying the waste, you prevent the smell from escaping the compost bin.

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All You Should Know About Building Earthworm Farms For Compost

Why Should I Build Earthworm Farms

Earthworm farms have lots of benefits. Each year, households get rid of hundreds or even thousands of lbs. of trash. This waste makes its way to where it rots and brings unwanted guests. Making earthworm farms is the greatest thing someone can do for the environment from their own backyard. You can do something to change this, just by having earthworm farms. Instead of throwing your garbage in the city landfill, you can add your organic waste to your vermicompost bin where it will decompose organically and naturally, thanks to your earthworms. This greatly reduces your impact on the environment.

A big benefit to having earthworm farms is the organic product of home composting…compost! Compost is super fertile, nutrient-rich soil that can be used all about your lawn. Compost is the best natural fertilizer and it will ensure your plants grow larger than ever.

What about worm farming for profit? Worm farming for profit is a huge and fast growing industry. There is a ton to learn about worm farming for profit, so read about it!

What Should I Know When It Comes To Worm Farm Setting Up?

There are a few things you need to know about worm farm setting up. You need to know how to set up your vermicomposting bins, where to place your home composting system, and finally how to maintain your earthworm farms.

Building a compost bin is the simplest part to home composting. The most basic form of a vermicompost bin doesn’t have to be anything grander than a plastic container. Fill this with organic bedding, such as fallen leaves and add your earthworms!

What Is The Best Spot For My Earthworm Farms

The best location for your earthworm farms…well it varies. Worms survive best between 40 and 80 degrees F. Depending on what kind of climate you live in, this may require you to bring your vermicompost bin inside during the cold seasons, or even during the hotter seasons. Vermicompost bins should remain moist, so a shady location is preferable to avoid any evaporation.

It might also be best to keep your home composting system inside to keep your earthworms safe from natural predators such as foxes. This is an entirely separate conversation, but just know that it’s a dangerous place out there if you’re an earthworm!

Finally…How Do You Maintain Earthworm Farms?

This is a generally simple process too. Every few months you will need to remove your fresh compost and add new bedding. You need to be careful of your worms when removing the compost from the remaining bedding and your worms.

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