A Simple Method To Avoid Overfeeding and Problems With Feeding Your Composting Worms!

Understanding All About Vermiculture, Vermicomposting , Composting Worms
Information about raising worms that will help you get off to a great start! Get the Real facts about raising worms and making vermicompost! / understanding-all-abou...

[@brianstone4531]

Who knew feeding worms would be more complicated then feed ourselves.

[@deadfred821]

If we fed ourselves right, this wouldn't seem complicated at all....

[@tbluemel]

Larry, I have watched your videos for quite some time (years) and this is one of your best videos! For several years, I followed your advice here and I can attest this is THE best way to feed worms. I got better vermicompost MUCH quicker! Thank you, Worm Guru Larry Hall!!

[@busybody1474]

just my 2 cents, skip the cube trays. i use cardboard egg cartons with the empty broken up shells still inside, pour the blended wondergoo in and freeze.. then i slice them up into individual treats and bag them, back in freezer..ready to go! great way to add egg shells and cartons to the worm-o- rama, i do advise setting the cartons inside a second carton in case it drips before becoming frozen

[@larrylhall]

Thank you very much for your idea!

[@PapillonOne]

Busybody1, how do you slice them up when they are frozen? Do you cut them by the sections like each egg holder section?

[@MyChilepepper]

I like your idea. Thank you for sharing.

[@whatintarnation4983]

That...is an AWESOME idea...thank you

[@orcuttnyc]

@@PapillonOne Large sharp chef knife over a cutting board would do it.

[@thuffman44]

Awesome idea using ice cube trays !! Thank you so much for uploading this video back in 2013 ... great information

[@larrylhall]

Thanks

[@PinkPoo]

Its 2017

[@larrylhall]

I don’t know if it would be fine enough but it sure would help in the breaking down of the food so it will be available for the worms to consume! Great idea! I will be trying that also in some of my back to Eden gardens!

[@Beansie]

For anyone stumbling upon this 5 years later such as myself, it is not technically the food that the worms are eating, but the bacteria that eats (breaks down/rots) the food. Worms eat the bacteria and feces left behind by the bacteria (that's actually the rotting smell most commonly associated with rotting vegetables, bacteria poo). I have tried aerobic and anaerobic food and in my experience, they FAR prefer the anaerobic as it is already rich in micro bacteria ready for their consumption. Feeding Frenzy!! Anaerobic food emits fractionary amounts of methane gas which is an attractant to worms. For the same reason they favor bananas and onions, both those things emit methane for ripening purposes. I keep an airtight bucket that I put chopped up scraps in, pop the top every 2 or 3 days so it doesn't pop itself from the buildup, give it a stir (with gloved hand), and feed. I do not stir, however, if it is feeding day (once every week and a half) and the food has a bunch of 'fuzzy' mold on it. I keep that unstirred and place it gently in their feeding trench I've made. They ADORE fuzzy mold! Nomnomnom is what they think.

[@michaelowens6533]

Great video, thanks for uploading and thanks for the comments. I like the egg carton idea so I'm going with it. I've only had my wormery for 10 days so this, for me, is perfect timing.

[@ImASurvivorNThriver]

Great information! Larry, you're the only person I. Know of here on youtube who is teaching this method of feeding the worms. YOU ROCK!!!

[@logan3456]

What a great way idea Thank you

[@thedanishwormeryandgardenl5038]

THANKS LARRY, this have improved my worms eating so much, and when I think about it, it makes a lot of sense because the worms don’t have teeth 😁😁 they can just scoop the food in with no problems👍👍👍👍👍❤️

[@Schallerotto]

Excelent tip! Thank you! Super inteligent, super smart! I love the concept! I will apply it with my worms! Salute from Brazil!

[@larrylhall]

Yes!

[@seove1]

I just started and also guilty of overfeeding but I do use your technique. After the cubes freeze, I put the cubes back in the zip lock bag, freeing up the ice trays.

[@KeystoneJul]

Hello, I like your way of teaching and I think youre kind of a trend setter with the Bucket system you introduced on youtube. I just got 2000 red wigglers supply to my 4 buckets (about 60 L ) system, filled with catched worms. This summer they started multiplying like pest (it's amazing) and I want to give them the best I can. But I had a desaster bevor with a whole bunch of Tau würmer (the big ones Lumbricus terrestris), I got them in a foggy night on the street and I brought them inside the warm flat, put them together with the other worms and was realy happy about this. Next thing happend, I found almost all of them dead on the surface and stinky (like amonia) I was really sad... Ok, I knew from you there are some worms really sensitive to climatical changes but I was sure I would do them good when I was taking them inside. Another try with them went well and I just released those in the garden a few days ago. They make a lot bigger eggs where one can see the embrio against the light. I like to feed eggshells a lot but I found that even compost worms can not handle the yolk and the custard remains. Even when its cooked up. Often I would find some worms limb, without power or degrading on the surface. Or is it because of the lack of oxigen? The small worms seem not to be affectet. Another thing I want to do now is to sew cylindrical bags from fleez to let air come onto the earth. That is a good idea I think, but I'm not sure if the small baby worms not going to leave. I also used cuttlefish bones as a supplement but I'm also not sure about that too. I'm living next a horse riding school and may should get some manure form there. The house we live in is a south orintated house with a lot of sun during the day (in spain) Can you give me some advice about the parameters and my ideas. Or can you recommend me some literature about please! Maybe I start an own channel to show you ;)

[@larrylhall]

Thanks!

[@rk6319]

Wow, what a great idea.

[@jeffbrowder258]

Thanks so much Larry for all your efforts and the info you have provided us who are new to worms. By chance do you have a clip that shows how to prepare a new bin. I have ENC's coming in a week and need to be ready when they get here.

[@MrGilcano]

Larry as usual great information; I like the idea of blending everything up, but I have one question: That about the ice cubes depends on the amount of worms you have of course. Lets say you have 1000 red wrigglers in a bin, you might have to experiment to find out how fast they consume one ice cube. But if you have 5,000 then you might have to trow in a lot more ice cubes. In general I dislike those videos in which they put all the kitchen scraps in big chunks I think that blending everything will make the food very accessible to the worms. Thanks for that information.

[@larrylhall]

You will have much more control over how much your worms eat and they will do much better!

[@onexpressocafe1821]

Oh, I'd thought about chopping finely, but will now try the blender method you suggested here. Thanks

[@matapegheata7257]

Very helpful!

[@jimfitzgibbon5492]

great idea larry!

[@escapefromny2012]

I do this for my regular compost pile also. It makes compost so much faster.

[@barrywinters1471]

Larry, first, thanks for all the videos you have produced...I have learned so much(and was entertained too) Problem-I dont have any ice cube trays to put my "worm mushies" in. Solution-Put the pureed mush into the bottom of a paper egg carton, bag, freeze. Break of a frozen chunk and toss into bin-paper and all. BTW, I add ground egg shells, lime or sand to the mix before I freeze it. thx again

[@moehtown5126]

Smart man 👍👍👍👍 much luv all the way from Houston texas

[@SevenSproutsFarmstead]

Great info! Thanks!

[@larrylhall]

Thanks Much I appreciate it!

[@kevinperry4551]

I agree with most everyone here. Great information, thank you.

[@larrylhall]

Check out Rain Gutter Grow System Magazine by Larry Hall See Lots Od Cutting Edge Container Gardening flip.it/FzI8UK Check Out Our Face Book Rain Gutter Grow System group Page! Over 32,000 members from all over the world! Learn All Kinds Of Cutting Edge Container Gardening! facebook.com/groups/14474... Check out Our Web Site! We Have The Worlds Largest Selection Of Genuine Root Pouch Grow Bags, The Worlds Only Tested To Approved FDA Guidelines For Growing Food! Also Everything You need To Build Your Own systems Complete Kits and all the Accessories! www.growbaggardensystems.com/ Ckeck out my you tube channel kzbin.info

[@cristenesico6664]

Thank you so much, I was wondering why the watermelon I put in the bin wasn't getting touch. New to vermicomposing 😁

[@r.e.m2676]

IF you have a large enough (4x4x1.5) worm bin, you can feed them a blender full of scraps each week. I love doing this in the winter here in San Diego. I add a couple scoops of bokashi grains and some mealworm frass and it heats my bin up nicely on the cold nights here. After a day or so it is time to let the feeding frenzy begin. The food never goes rancid because the bokashi's lactobacillus bacteria keep it from spoiling.

[@larrylhall]

Thanks So Much For Watching The Video! See All My Most Popular Video's By Category On Pinterest! www.pinterest.com/larryhall50/boards/

[@sgtcannaboid]

Good stuff!

[@r.e.m2676]

Ruin88, I have red wigglers also. But I am experimenting with black soldier fly larvae, fig eater beetle grubs, night crawlers in an in ground pit, and some other composting methods.

[@r.e.m2676]

Oops I mean ryin88.

[@commonconservative7551]

awesome...consider using old vitamins in the mixture

[@calypso4597]

Thanks for good info. If I want to add coffee grounds and powdered egg shell to a 6 cup blender of food how much should I use?

[@mrcarot5004]

Good video..

[@WhatInTheFlagnod]

I have worm towers in my garden beds. They come in through little holes to feed. Is there less chance of over feeding doing it that way? Also I am getting a garbage disposal to make a food grinder system in the garden to chop up the scraps, do you think that will chop them fine enough?

[@izabellalynn2244]

Liz at Big Tex Worms also teaches this method.

[@hazelblair6634]

Hi Larry. just a quick question. are you putting the ice cube feed in the bin for the worms frozen.?

[@cathyplantlover2862]

How often do the worms breed? How long does it take for them to mature? I just got a bin with babies in it they were worm form but very tiny.

[@duncaninnature]

Creative system, and I’m a huge fan of the freezer method, BUT... isn’t the purée/ice cube stuff overkill? Shouldn’t bacteria and molds have some work left for them?

[@AstroGremlinAmerican]

Great idea. I blend and freeze in egg cartons. Tear off of whole chunk, cardboard and all.

[@cheerubebayonettaholopaine2638]

thats an epic idea! 👌

[@josanders1428]

Where do you get the plastic little square binds.

[@cherylkelley1970]

I buy pumpkins during this time of the year, cut them up an put them in pint freezer bags. Saving it for the future when I don't have scraps.

[@larrylhall]

Yes they love it!

[@larrylhall]

Thanks! See all my Most Popular Video's on Pinterest! www.pinterest.com/larryhall50/

[@patriciaramsey5306]

Does it hurt to feed red wiggles tomatos

[@adolphjanssen6580]

Hi there Larry, great vid. Can you give worms too much coffee grounds, is too much bad for them. Have a nice day

[@helenaragon6539]

doesn't it heat the worm bin, when you puree it?

[@MeddyNYC]

can you take the juice/water from the mixing and use as juice for the plants? can i add this to soil and or my water systems?

[@larrylhall]

Meddy Med yes

[@larrylhall]

But not too much citrus

[@patElfpat]

Who regulates the food for wild worms? Part of what is great about worm castings is the worms incorporate microbes into their waste. This is what we want incorporated into our soil. If fruit flies become a problem put a sheet of newspaper on top of the bedding and food. Fruit flies will have a hard time getting to the foods they like. You may be growing the little pests in your sink drains and elbow joints under your sinks. Pour boiling water down your kitchen sink/s once a week. You may also have fungus gnats due to high moisture in the worm bedding. Newspaper or paper bags keep the adult fungus gnats from getting into the dirt/coco coir, whatever is in the worm bin. Adults can’t get in and the young gnat that used to be a larvae can’t get out. This works on plants too, although I use sand there instead of brown paper bags. I also know I am over watering my plants. Worms need the moisture.

[@davestumpf9235]

great info---yes overfeeding is a no-no,food left in or on the suface will spoil/rot which will infect or even killyour worms.

[@Beansie]

I feed my worms dominantly anaerobic food. They love it FAR more than aerobic food they have to wait for.

[@02dondaa]

i've rather decompose my excess food waste outside my house. once done(or partially done), use it as a feed for your worms. it would saves you all the trouble. but great idea though.

[@ronmccord8866]

02dondaa I use his method too

[@deadfred821]

I think the key thing I've learned is that worms consume half their body weight in the course of a day. What I'm looking for is the proper formula to use in a flow through container that always has bedding to gauge how much I'm able to add in a day.... So a pound of worms in the container, about two pounds of bedding & I guess no more than 8 ounces a day? IDK.... but brother Larry is right about overfeeding the pile; your stuff can end up rotting out before your worms can get around to it....

[@FrancisRoyCA]

This pulp-paste-freeze method certainly seems to be a good idea, but as someone that imports an average of 100lbs of perished produce a day in the summer months, it seems very time and energy intensive for someone with a full-time job and life. I have found that freezing them and storing them in your typical cheap 5-cent grocery bag works well as an intermediate stage.

[@larrylhall]

Thanks for watching the video I really appreciate it! See all my videos on Pinterest by category! www.pinterest.com/larryhall50/

[@learning2resell744]

That is a lot of produce, You may want to start a black soldier fly compost bin.

[@FrancisRoyCA]

Learning2Farm I've toyed with the idea. I do in fact freeze some of the produce, bananas, melons, and various other "soft" products, and I used them over the winter. The rest becomes part of a typical thermophillic compost pile. Why do you recommend this method, is it faster? Does it produce superior compost to the basic thermophyllic pile? Doesn't black fly composting require special bins? Can you recommend something that would handle this volume, super-cheaply? I will soon be raising chickens (when I'm ready) and I think this would be a great idea. Can you recommend a very definitive source that discusses black-fly composting from beginning to end?

[@larrylhall]

It might not work for everyone but most people do not have a large operation!

[@FrancisRoyCA]

***** I agree that for the Average Joe or Jane that wants enough compost for a smaller garden and/or container planting that this can be a good option. The part about freezing is still a great idea. I find that it kills fruit-fly eggs and makes the food more accessible

[@snoopylyn9065]

How about mites in the worms bin? My night crawlers only stay on the surface they don’t burying themselves inside

[@shawngabriel7397]

Add meat and onions and garlic to the blender mixture as well. Worms are omnivores. This will prevent the smell.

[@Arouth249]

That’s pretty damn smart

[@rialtaf2239]

This is great and probably the best way to do it, but it’s not that fun haha. It’s cooler to break up the food and throw it right in! To each his own though👌🏽

[@Laborkei]

Try Cricket Food, they go crazy with it... Better than the Corn Cobs.

[@aiyvon]

Is grass something I can use as a filler when I am low on produce.

[@ExPhantomHD]

Follay grass is something you should constantly use

[@phaedrebombastic9434]

hi larry thanks so much for all the information! i have only had access to the internet for a couple months,so i just found you this week. i am so excited to apply what i have learned from you to my garden this spring. im a zone 4 so i still have a while to plan. my question is, i have tones of big fat worms in my yard. they also come up in my greenhouse! can i gather and raise my common yard worms like you do the fancy ones?

[@larrylhall]

Those are garden worms you want to raise composting worms! www.growbaggardensystems.com/

[@phaedrebombastic9434]

cool thanks! why pay for strangers when the ones i grew up with will work!

[@phaedrebombastic9434]

wait a minute, i read that wrong. what is the difference??

[@phaedrebombastic9434]

i went to the web site you recommended but i didnt find any info on why i cant use garden worms for composting. if european garden worms will work why wont american worms??

[@larrylhall]

Many people assume that you can use any type of worm for worm composting. This is in fact not the case. Effective vermicomposting requires the use of specialized earthworms - species that are adapted for life in and amongst rich organic waste materials, and warmer, crowded conditions. Just as regular soil worms won’t do all that well in a worm composting system (although they certainly can be found in the lower reaches of outdoor sytems), composting worms don’t generally do very well in normal garden soil, unless of course a considerable amount of organic waste has been added

[@psychobunny32]

what fruits and veggies are no-no for worm bins?

[@larrylhall]

Onions citrus

[@ianwynne5483]

Hi Larry, It says simple in the title

[@larrylhall]

Yes it is simple!

[@greenbackzo6003]

Can I put avocado peel in worm food? Pit?

[@PapillonOne]

Yes but they won't eat it but they will get every bit of avocado traces that were in the peel.

[@juneshannon8074]

Larry, why don’t you respond to viewers questions? Do you even read the comments?

[@lukebanwell]

Make simple work farming very difficult with this method.

[@yes_man_lol]

why put it inside a freezer, the cell will expand? I understand the blender part.

[@miltonzambrana4838]

when cells freeze...they end up expanding and the cell wall ends up breaking open. Once you thaw it out again...it has a head start on breaking down since you no longer have intact cells but a bunch of mush

[@whatintarnation4983]

Gonna need a second blender...not gunna want peat moss in my smoothies. 😄

[@coleken6649]

Hi Larry, Since the food cube is from the freezer, wont the freezing temperature kill the worms?

[@larrylhall]

No when you put it in the worm bedding they will stay away until it thaws! Thanks So Much For Watching The Video! See All My Most Popular Video's By Category On Pinterest! www.pinterest.com/larryhall50/boards/

[@lay.z9201]

I keep hearing him saying freezer

[@deekshasharma4462]

I have only 30 earthworms

[@cheerubebayonettaholopaine2638]

my worms: eeew lettuche

[@GardenYourHeartOut]

Oh no, I just threw in 64 oz of purée kitchen scraps to my worms! I think I killed them wth too much food now!!!

[@larrylhall]

purpleNhappy I would try and remove some of it

[@moehtown5126]

??? Did you graduate from work compsting college ... lol smart man

[@graypistachio4141]

O yeah, just use Spaghnum moss. Nevermind all the nature being destroyed...

[@nickduggan3084]

Wayyyy too much effort! Just Chuck it all in the bins and cover with carbonaceous material lole leaves straw or cardboard!

[@juneshannon8074]

nick duggan agreed. Larry’s method takes too much time and effort, however I think that leaves and cardboard take too long to break down.