Compost Worms vs. Soil Worms

If your like most people you probably never knew that not all worms live in the soil. Below is a question we received on the subject:

I’m desperate. I’ve read you can and you can’t put red worms into flower beds. I’m needing help with some landscaping I had done on my home back in May. My landscaper used TERRIBLE soil. I have a ‘gillion’ red worms on my compost pile. I’m also collecting five gallon buckets of coffee grounds from a local coffe shop. If I add food to the area can I add red worms to my shrub beds and expect the worms to survive? I’ve read that red worms have to be ‘grown’ for their casts AND I’ve read that you can put them in flower beds. I’m confused, but I don’t want to put the worms in my shrub beds only to have them die. Thank you-in advance-so much for taking the time to answer my question. Keva

Worms fall into a couple categories: Soil worms and Compost worms. Red worms are compost worms. Well what does it mean to be a compost worm? A compost worm requires a high concentration of organic material in their habitat to survive. As a matter of fact they can eat up to half of their weight in food every day. Also, compost worms are epigeal or top feeders. They live in the top 6 inches of the organic material where they feast.

Soil worms have different needs from compost worms. Soil worms don’t need as much food / organic material to survive. Also soil worms like to burrow deeper into the soil. Soil worms don’t produce as much vermicompost, but they do provide aeration for the soil.

So to get back to the question at hand: Can you add red worms to your flower beds? The answer is that it depends. If you provide an ample amount of organic / compost-able material then the worms will survive. Often times it is just easier to maintain a single compost pile or compost bin, and then add the vermicompost to your plants as needed.

If you do choose to use worms in you yard or garden you do not need to worry about them eating the roots of your plants, worms only eat decaying organic matter. Compost worms including red worms, European Nightcrawlers, and African Nightcrawlers all need sufficient organic material to survive. Soil worms such as Alabama Jumpers, and Canadian Nightcrawlers don’t need the high concentrations of organic material, although they still need some.

The soil worms will provide aeration for your soil, while the compost worms offer the benefit of more vermicompost. Knowing a little bit more about these worms should help you make an informed decision about which will work best for you. If you still have questions please post your comment below or send us an email.

*Photo by beemsicle

Common Composting Problems

Today I want to take some time to discuss some of the common problems that most people new to vermicomposting run into.  Also, I will explain how to fix the problem and better yet how to avoid them altogether.  If you encountered something that I left out of this article please share (we can try to help you work through it or perhaps you already have corrected it and can help someone else who has the same problem).

• Problem:  Worms Trying to Escape
• Solution:  This is a very common problem especially at the beginning.  * If you have just added worms to your bin then there is no big cause for concern, the worms are probably just getting settled in.  Try leaving a light on over the bin (worms don’t like light and should burrow into the bedding).  * If you have had the worms in the same bin for awhile and they start trying to escape you have a problem in the bin.  One of several things could be the problem: too much food, too much water, not enough water, not enough food, too hot, or some other problem.  Try to dig around a little while trying not to disturb the bin and figure out what is going on.

• Problem:  A Smelly Worm Bin
• Solution:  The root cause of a smelly worm bin is anaerobic bacteria.  This bacteria growth is due in part to a lack of air flow through your bin / bedding material.  A lack of air flow is usually due to the bin being too wet, which causes the material to clump.  To fix the problem try leaving the lid off the bin and mixing in some dry cardboard or coconut coir.

• Problem:  Fruit Flies in the Worm Bin
• Solution:  I found a great article here for getting rid of fruit flies.

• Problem:  Mold in the Worm Bin
• Solution:  While the mold is not harmful to the worms you probably don’t want it in your bin (it could be unhealthy to humans particularly puffballs – which is a type of fungus).  Anyway this problem is usually caused by overfeeding.  So either remove some of the excess food or let the worms catch up before adding more food and don’t put so much in there next time.

Again these are common problems to most people when they first start vermicomposting, so don’t get upset.  Try to find out what is going on in your worm bin whenever you encounter a problem.  Some time or another, you encounter some of these problems and now you should be informed and prepared to fix them.  If you have any questions about your worms or worm bin post your comment or send me an email and I will try to help you work through it.

Shrinking Vermicompost

We have another reader question:

Hi – I have had a wormery for 11 months now. I was careful in researching what to feed the worms beforehand, and think that I have done this. My concern however, is that the vermicompost seems to be compacting as opposed getting bigger in volume. I mean in 11 months, my worms are not even 1/2 way up the bottom bin yet (and I am wondering how long it will actually take to fill a bin). Should I be aerating the vermicompost in the bin with my hands, or is this “normal”?

Thank you – I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks, Samantha

Samantha,

The short answer to your question is YES!

Your composted material will seem to shrink overtime for several reasons. One of which is that when you put in your foodscraps, they are usually large and funny shaped. When you pile them on top there is a lot of gaps and holes. Once the worms eat all this material, they turn it into tiny castings. Castings are very small and they don’t leave these gaps.

Another reason why the compost seems to shrink before your eyes is that most of the material you are putting in your bin is probably water! All of your fruits and veggies are probably over 70% water. Once they start to break down, a lot of these juices will evaporate. This also leads to much less compost.

I know it can be very frustrating if you are really excited to use your castings in your garden and you feel like you are making very few castings. But the good news is that a little can go a long way. You really wouldn’t want to use 100% castings on your plants as it might burn the roots, and would just be a waste of good castings. Castings will do great for your plants with just a 5% mixture of compost. Any more and you are just wasting your castings since the increased benefit is marginal.

Good luck with your vermicomposting Samantha. Keep the questions coming guys.

Ideal temperature range for Red Worms

Question from a reader:

Hi, I live in sunny Arizona,
where the temps can get upwards of115 F during summer,
What would be the max temp the worms could survive?
Thanks, Sandra

I don’t think you will have to worry about that in the winter, but its good you’re thinking ahead to next summer. The red worms can handle a wide range of temperatures but are most active when kept at their ideal temperature range 70-90 degrees Fahrenheit.

As for the extremes:

You can successfully keep worms in temperatures in excess of 100 degrees F, but special care is needed. Most importantly, the worms will need to be kept in the shade. During the really hot days, I recommend that you keep the worm bedding extra moist to allow for evaporation. This will help cool off the worms. Some people even freeze water bottles and put them in plastic bags on top of their worm bins during the heat of the day, then re-freeze the bottles overnight and place them out again the next day. These measures only need to be taken when the temperatures are well above 100 F.

On the other hand, we are now entering winter and keeping the worms warm is essential to keeping them alive.  The red worms can handle temperatures near freezing and still survive.  During the winter months the worm bedding should be dryer than normal and an extra layer of bedding and food should cover them.  Keeping the worm bed dry will help prevent the worms from freezing and the extra food/bedding will provide insulation and heat.  If you are raising your worms in a moveable container, I would recommend bringing them inside to a basement or garage.

The red worms are a very resiliant breed of worms and should be able to survive most weather conditions if proper care is taken.  Even if you are unable to save your worms from the trechourous weather in your area, don’t dispare just yet.  The coocons from your worms are even better suited for surviving tough conditions and may come back to life in the spring.