The worm factory manual


















The goal is to recycle what you usually throw away by feeding it to worms. Some people feed them a handful a week; some people feed them a handful a day. The general rule of thumb is worms can eat about half their weight in food per day. This means that if you start with 1 lb of worms, they can eat a half pound of food per day. Worms can survive up to two weeks without any additional food. Just feed them a bit extra before going on long vacations. In a healthy environment composting worms will maintain their population without over or under populating.

Composting is no longer limited to the warm months. You can view the video below anytime you wish:. Would you like to get better at worm composting? How about signing up for our monthly newsletter? We are happy that you are on this journey with us, helping to make a cleaner planet by reducing waste. Worms reduce the volume of all this organic material over time by two-thirds to three-quarters of its original volume. When you see the worms actively involved in the waste that you previously fed them, you may then feed them more.

Be sure to cover the exposed food in the uppermost tray with inches of damp shredded newspaper. This layer of newspaper is very important for breeding, pest control, C:N ratio, and castings quality.

The newspaper will eventually be consumed. Simply replace the shredded paper as needed. If leaving worms unattended, put 6 in. When to add the next tray: When the upper tray is converted to a mixture of vermicompost and castings and reaches the top of the tray then it is time to add the next tray.

Scrape an inch of compost from the tray and place into the next tray. Your Reln Worm Factory is designed for the break down of soft organic waste. Garden refuse is a slow composting organic waste and is best recycled by aerobic composting methods like the Reln Compost Bin. The worms will need a little time to adapt to their new food source. Should I add water to the Reln Worm Factory? Watering will enhance the production of liquid fertiliser in your Reln Worm Factory.

If you pour a container of water over the hessian or newspaper each week or two and place an empty container under the open tap, you will have a constant supply of liquid fertiliser. The sudden flood will not harm the worms as it is similar to heavy rain.

Page 15Page 14 What do I do? The worms are showing their sensitivity to pressure changes in the weather. Often they will move up into the lid before it rains. In nature this migration takes them above flood level and prevents them from drowning. Move your Reln Worm Factory out of the rain, take the worms out of the lid and replace them in the bedding.

Could the little white worms in my Reln Worm Factory be baby worms? Baby worms are not white but clear to opaque before developing a reddish colour. They are just about visible at this stage. The white worms that you are seeing is a type of worm called Entrachyadids. They are harmless, but they indicate acidic conditions which can be overcome by the regular addition of a handful of lime.

Will the Reln Worm Factory attract flies? The Reln Worm Factory is fly-proofed against household flies. Sometimes the small vinegar fly often mistaken for the fruit fly appears but these are harmless. However, very large numbers of vinegar fly may indicate that you are overfeeding your worms causing a bacteria build up and producing offensive odours. To eradicate vinegar flies, limit the food supply to what the worms will eat on a daily basis.

Page 17 7. Will I get too many worms? The worm population will regulate itself to the available space and the amount of food given. Worm concentration should reach capacity about 10, - 15, worms after 2 - 5 years. You may be adding new food before the worms can eat the previous serving, so they are reluctant to migrate upwards when food is available lower down. Before adding a new tray, stop feeding the worms for at least a week to ensure that all existing food in the lower tray has been eaten.

You may have added the Second Working Tray too soon. The level of castings must be at least 2 cms. If not, there will be a gap. What to do when temperatures are extreme. Worms will tolerate temperatures from about 10 - 30 C. If it gets hotter than this, place your Reln Worm Factory in a cool, shady position. Remove the lid, open the tap and hose the whole unit, re-assemble and cover with a wet carpet or blanket. If you live in a frost prone area, put your Reln Worm Factory in the warmest possible position, e.

If it is on a balcony or in the backyard, cover with some carpet, underfelt or blankets to retain the warmth. Give your worms extra food to encourage more activity. Page 16 What about maggots? If maggots appear, they will most likely be those of the soldier fly or vinegar fly larvae.

The soldier fly larvae grow to 2. Fishermen acclaim them as excellent bait. The vinegar fly larvae are small, about. If you want to remove them, apply lime liberally or place bread soaked in milk on the surface of the compost. Leave for days to attract the larvae, then remove and dispose.

How do I keep ants out of my Reln Worm Factory? Ants may enter your Reln Worm Factory if you let the bedding become too dry or acidic. Add water to raise the moisture level and add a liberal quantity of garden lime to where the ants are gathering to discourage them.

To prevent reinfestation either smear vaseline around the legs or stand each leg in a container of water to isolate the system. Will the Reln Worm Factory smell?

Surprisingly, there is no odour in spite of the feed they receive leftovers and decomposing scraps etc. A handful of worm castings held close to the nose smells like rich loamy, topsoil.



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