[compost_tea] Re: Re: vermicompost

From: Kirk Leonard <kirkleon_at_open.org>
Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2004 11:25:25 -0800
> Message: 11
> Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2004 05:10:53 -0000
> From: "pccrozat" <pccrozat_at_fastmail.fm>
> Subject: Re: vermicompost
>
>
> so, what should they be eating, or not be eating? in other
> words "are there questions that i should ask the vermicompost
> producer?"
>

Sure, always good to know the feedstock.  I think mixed produce wastes make
the best vermi, but they can work well with virtually anything.  They don't
work well on wood chunks or big pieces of produce, usually, and a lot of wet
materials will need bulking, so what are bulking materials?  Any pesticides
there?  Worms love manures (after fresh acids volatize), can work them fast
and well, but I'd want to know that it came from healthy animals that
haven't had antibiotics or hormonal treatments.  Paper or cardboard products
shredded up are usually fine.  Any of these in comibination is likely good.
Even meat and dairy wastes can be accommodated in moderation.

C:N is not important with worms, only constraint is pH - they (eisenia)
won't go into material less than 4 or more than 10, generally.  The only
thing I'd think needing to be avoided is heavy metals or pesticide residues
in the feedstock (though it's thought worms can deal with them, as well...
not sure it's good for the worms...).  Per some research, worms deal
effectively and quickly with pathogens, so I don't think that's an issue.

The C:N range of "finished" vermi is the same as for compost, interestingly,
and worms seems always to pull material toward pH neutral.  It should be
crumbly, darkish, fine material, pleasant soil smell to no odor.  If a lot
of chunky woody (lignin) kind of stuff was in the feedstock, it's likely to
have chunks in the finished product.  If it's dried and unscreened, it will
likely have clumps, which is fine, just break them up to use.

Different materials will require different worm bed residence times -
something with a lot of woody material longer than lettuce or avocados, for
instance.  So the bin or bed residence time is relevant.  I think 6-12
months is a good range, worms will keep it fresh a long time.

Worms also won't destroy seeds, so if seed presence is important to you,
whatever was fed to them should have been through initial thermal composting
phases to reduce seed viability.

Kirk


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Received on Sat Dec 18 2004 - 20:54:00 EST

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