High protein food wastes like meat and dairy products produce heat that is fatal to earthworms. Oily foods, onion trimmings and citrus are also deadly to earthworms.
High protein materials must undergo a two-week thermophilic decomposition process before introduction into the bedding. This two-week thermophilic decomposition process is called pre-composting.
Pre-composting is simple. High protein materials are layered with high carbon materials and sprayed with compost accelerator, e.g. Biolant BM Concentrate*. The formula to be followed is 1 part high protein materials combined with 4 parts high carbon materials. Although less high carbon materials can be used, it should not be lower than 2 parts. Otherwise, strong odors may be produced by the pile.
Some materials high in carbon are dried tree leaves, coco coir dust and dried garden waste. When using dried tree leaves and garden waste, it is better to shred the materials first to facilitate decomposition. Shredding or chopping large kitchen waste is also preferable.
Pre-compost materials in a container like an earthen pot or rice sack for easier handling. At least two containers are needed for pre-composting. The size of the container depends on the waste generated from your kitchen.
I use two earthen pots of the same size. The pots are small enough to be filled in two weeks' time. The procedure for filling up the pots follows.
Put about two inches of shredded tree leaves at the bottom of the container. This is the first layer. Add your high protein wastes, oily foods, onion trimmings and citrus on top and spray with biolant solution (a compost accelerator). Add another layer of shredded leaves equivalent to the volume of the kitchen waste. Ensure that the leaves cover entirely the kitchen waste. Cover to prevent animals from disturbing the pot. Layer wastes and leaves daily until the pot is full.
Once the container is full, turn the materials completely making sure that the topmost and bottom layers end up in the middle of the pile. Spray with Biolant solution to maintain 40% to 60% moisture content for the entire pile. Add a thin layer of soil as the topmost layer. The pile will then heat up within 24 hours.
Allow the materials to decompose for two weeks, maintaining 40%-60% moisture content. If possible, completely turn the materials every three or four days. If not, turn the pile at least once. Always ensure that the topmost and bottom layers end up in the middle portion of the pile.
After two weeks, the volume of the materials should have been reduced by at least 20% and the temperature of the pile should have gone down. Reduction in volume indicates that the materials have undergone partial decomposition.
Spread out the materials to further lower the temperature of the pile and spray with chlorine-free water to reach 70%-90% moisture content.
The pre-composted materials can now be safely introduced to the worm bed. Spread out the materials thinly to prevent it from heating up further.
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*Biolant BM Concentrate has various uses. Some of its uses are organic deodorizer, soil conditioner, foliar spray for plants, compost accelerator and pond water treatment.
Since it is a liquid concentrate, Biolant BM should be diluted in chlorine-free water before use.
The minimum dilution rate recommended for odor control, soil conditioning, foliar spray and compost accelerator is 1 part Biolant BM Concentrate to 200 parts water. Use a fine mist sprayer OR sprinkler to apply solution.
Showing posts with label Biolant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Biolant. Show all posts
March 29, 2010
March 15, 2010
Raising earthworms as pets: moisture, aeration, temperature and pH
Appropriate moisture. Earthworms breathe through their skin. The moisture in the bedding should range from 70% to 90%. In a tropical country like the Philippines, watering of the bedding should be frequent - 2x or 3x weekly -, especially during summertime. Excessive watering should be avoided.
Aeration. Worms need air to breathe. They don't need plenty of air as humans do but still, they need air. The bedding material should be porous and loose enough to facilitate airflow, moist but not wet since excessive water cuts off airflow thereby creating anaerobic conditions. This will quickly kill off the earthworms.
The bedding should not be compacted to ensure that worms can move from one place to another. The earthworms' movement encourages aeration of the bedding. Compaction of the bedding hinder the worms' movement.
Temperature. African Nightcrawlers can handle temperature ranging from 4 degrees celsius to 35 degrees Celsius. The bedding should protect them from extreme temperature.
In the Philippines, scorching summers are deadly to African Nightcrawlers. Earthworm bins should be placed indoors or under the shade of a tree. Surrounding your worm bin with potted plants also help lower the temperature in the bin.
pH Earthworms prefer a neutral pH but can live in a pH range of 5 to 9. Beddings tend become acidic over time depending on the food source. Adding calcium carbonate remedies acidic beds. High pH beds are rare.
The next post discusses pre-composting of high protein food wastes using Biolant BM concentrate.
SOURCE:"Manual of On-Farm Vermicomposting and Vermiculture", by Glenn Munroe, Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada
Aeration. Worms need air to breathe. They don't need plenty of air as humans do but still, they need air. The bedding material should be porous and loose enough to facilitate airflow, moist but not wet since excessive water cuts off airflow thereby creating anaerobic conditions. This will quickly kill off the earthworms.
The bedding should not be compacted to ensure that worms can move from one place to another. The earthworms' movement encourages aeration of the bedding. Compaction of the bedding hinder the worms' movement.
Temperature. African Nightcrawlers can handle temperature ranging from 4 degrees celsius to 35 degrees Celsius. The bedding should protect them from extreme temperature.
In the Philippines, scorching summers are deadly to African Nightcrawlers. Earthworm bins should be placed indoors or under the shade of a tree. Surrounding your worm bin with potted plants also help lower the temperature in the bin.
pH Earthworms prefer a neutral pH but can live in a pH range of 5 to 9. Beddings tend become acidic over time depending on the food source. Adding calcium carbonate remedies acidic beds. High pH beds are rare.
The next post discusses pre-composting of high protein food wastes using Biolant BM concentrate.
SOURCE:"Manual of On-Farm Vermicomposting and Vermiculture", by Glenn Munroe, Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada
February 7, 2010
First vermiculture project
A friend from high school agreed to start a vermiculture project with me. This is our first time to take care of worms. The type of worms used is the African Night Crawler.
We prepared the vermiculture substrate from kitchen waste and garden waste.
Daily, we collected dried tree leaves that were chopped to small pieces (less than 5cm x 5cm) and placed in a sack for storage. In another sack, we layered the kitchen waste with the stored leaves. Chopped, dried leaves about 10cm thick were spread at the bottom of the sack. Kitchen waste was spread over it and sprayed with Biolant solution*. We added another layer of chopped leaves on top of the kitchen waste. We thoroughly covered the kitchen waste with chopped leaves.
The procedure was repeated until the sack was full. We covered the filled sack and allowed it to decompose for two more weeks.
After two weeks, we spread the substrate in an outdoor bin located under the shade of a tree, sprayed with Biolant solution up to 60% moisture content, and introduced half a kilo of worms. We covered the worm bin with chicken mesh and topped it with tarp.
The worm bin is watered every two days to maintain moisture.
We plan to harvest the worms in sixty days and use the castings for my friend's herb garden.
P.S. To claim my blog at Technorati, I have to post a short code. But why just the code? Feb 07, 2010. Technorati will need to verify that you are an author of the blog by looking for a unique code. Please put the following short code 6BMYYXHYFG66 within a new blog post and publish it. Once it is published, use the "Verify Claim Token" button to tell Technorati your blog is ready for verification.
We prepared the vermiculture substrate from kitchen waste and garden waste.
Daily, we collected dried tree leaves that were chopped to small pieces (less than 5cm x 5cm) and placed in a sack for storage. In another sack, we layered the kitchen waste with the stored leaves. Chopped, dried leaves about 10cm thick were spread at the bottom of the sack. Kitchen waste was spread over it and sprayed with Biolant solution*. We added another layer of chopped leaves on top of the kitchen waste. We thoroughly covered the kitchen waste with chopped leaves.
The procedure was repeated until the sack was full. We covered the filled sack and allowed it to decompose for two more weeks.
After two weeks, we spread the substrate in an outdoor bin located under the shade of a tree, sprayed with Biolant solution up to 60% moisture content, and introduced half a kilo of worms. We covered the worm bin with chicken mesh and topped it with tarp.
The worm bin is watered every two days to maintain moisture.
We plan to harvest the worms in sixty days and use the castings for my friend's herb garden.
* To prepare biolant solution, add 2 Tablespoons(30mL) of biolant bm concentrate to 1 gallon (approx. 4 liters) of chlorine-free water.
P.S. To claim my blog at Technorati, I have to post a short code. But why just the code? Feb 07, 2010. Technorati will need to verify that you are an author of the blog by looking for a unique code. Please put the following short code 6BMYYXHYFG66 within a new blog post and publish it. Once it is published, use the "Verify Claim Token" button to tell Technorati your blog is ready for verification.
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