Growing Wheatgrass Pads for Worms

[@cblair8501]

I'm getting ready to farm worms. I discovered worm castings 2 years ago & I can't even explain how much easier gardening is because of them. They're expensive to buy. I'm asking my grown children for worm castings for my upcoming bday! 🤣🤣🤣 I'm so glad I found your channel. Invaluable information & inspiration! Thank you!

[@jefflester4979]

I had a few learning problems following Captain Matt's instructions.... What I can now say is that the grass (wheat and parrot mix) WORKS!!!! I half-bury the pads in the worm trays and top the pad with some food and voila! No discernable heat from the pad either which is great. Thanks Captain!

[@ericcarver7465]

nice vid Captain! Ever since I saw your vid on giving those root pads to the worms, I've been getting them from my local juicer - as they just toss them anyways. The worms love them! Keep up the great suggestions!!

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

That's a great connection and diversion from the landfill. Way to go, Eric!

[@ShanesWorld777]

I started feeding my worms wheat grass just last week and let me tell you something, MY WORMS JUST LOVE IT!! So super easy to grow! I use plant saucers to grow! Very good stuff for your worms! I have some HUGE worms!

[@ShanesWorld777]

I use sphagnum peat moss as my starter for the wheat berries!

[@ericcarver7465]

@@ShanesWorld777 how much peat moss are you using approximately?

[@ShanesWorld777]

@@ericcarver7465 only fill the saucers about half inch of just wet peat moss not soaked.

[@ShanesWorld777]

@@ericcarver7465 also do not pack it down just spread it out and after the berries have soaked for 24hrs just evenly spread them out on top of the peat moss and cover for few days after they started to sprout and reach about half inch to 1 inch in length then go ahead and expose them to the light.

[@ericcarver7465]

@@ShanesWorld777 Awesome idea!

[@laurelpickens3364]

Cannot tell you how this made the light bulb go off in my head! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! We'd grown fodder for our chickens when we lived in Texas, the amount of water used was not feasible at our place in Montana but then I watched your video. My chickens 🐔 would hug you if they could. Found my trays, started the system and found my first egg since October yesterday in the coop. Thank you so much!

[@stephenheffer805]

Love it. have grown my first crop.. so easy Thankyou. So Informative. From Australia

[@deha345]

Thank you captain I've moved to the first step of getting 4 buckets and 1 polystyrene box as an initiation to the worm world Form the river Nile land Egypt. 🇪🇬

[@redamohamed407]

That’s awesome but how did you bring them here in states?

[@deha345]

@@redamohamed407 I'm not in the states but in Egypt

[@michaeldvorak8140]

Captain, your idea is wonderful idea for those of us who are attempting to make a business possible. Easy, relatively low cost way to supply food for composting worms. Thanks for this video and may God bless you and your family.

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

You're welcome, Michael! God bless you and yours as well!

[@Bongwell420]

Thank you sir! From that smile on your face I know your very sincere and I took your challenge. I'm just a small guy who wants to give my worms the best I can give them. I bought a 3lb bag and felt at home when it arrived in a cotton bag instead of plastic, win win! The seeds are soaking and getting ready for my new adventure in Wheatgrass!! Do you have any content on juicing? Just survived a light stroke and changing my life to get my life back. I subscribed and thank you again will report back in a few days

[@kawai99100]

I have very rich soil and put down some St. Augustine squares. My yard is all St. Aug. So I started flipping the squares over in this 8x10 area... now in a month, I have over 900 worms, some 6 inches long and fat!!! My worm farm is now going strong!

[@ericcarver7465]

Last few questions: 1) what makes a good juicing wheat berry? Organic seems important, anything else? or are you getting whatever is cheapest per lb? 2) looks like the cost per batch is under $0.50 (your link shows $2.40/lb). Is it about right that you would get 5 batches out of a pound of seed? 3) did you get out of juicing? How come? Seems a nice deal getting the juice first and then sharing the rest with the worms. Win-Win! :) Thanks for all you do with your vids!

[@KarelLeFevre]

Again many thanks from across the pond (Holland). We love to follow your worm farm.

[@moldbuilder2000]

i am very much more productive with my worm farms since watching your videos. i do have a specific question to ask you Captain Matt. Do worms eat cut wheatgrass or does it need to be still with the root and in the soil? thank you and am eager to learn more from all the worm people out there, happy farming. AP Coop from LAs Vegas Nv.

[@cherylhobbs1091]

Step by step - I love it!! Thank you for sharing!! Yes - we are Worm People!!!😁🪱🪱🪱

[@SheilaG971]

I use coconut coir for starting my wheatgrass for my granddaughters rabbit and it doesn’t have the tendency to mold like it has done in compost before. I use it in my worm bins too so it will go hand in hand with feeding the pads to my worms. 👍

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Great tip. Thanks for sharing, Sheila!

[@peggyhelblingsgardenwhatyo7920]

Gee Matt, you have the best ideas!

[@TrehanCreekOutdoors]

Great system, Captain. Wheat grass is a seed we keep year round here on my 20 acre homestead. I've fed it to worms in my bins and yes, they enjoyed it. Since I plant larger food plots full of wheat grass for my deer and turkey, I just cut as much as a need from my plots and give it to my worms. Even my cat loves chewing on the wheat grass. Occasionally, I'll clip a little of it to chop into a green salad. Wheat grass is just an all around useful item to grow! I may try growing some trays of wheat grass specifically for worm food. Looks like less work overall than what I am doing now.

[@stevefromthegarden1135]

Nicely done Matt. I have some soft wheat berries that I will be planting this spring. I use a bit of that to experiment with this method.

[@MrArturodjdc]

I am very grateful for sharing these great ideas. I am always waiting for all your information since it is helping me to support my small project. I am grateful.

[@montegrounds7364]

They LOVE it, I use your molasses water, and they love me😂😂😂

[@cheryltavares2757]

Watching this encourages me...I use the leftovers from my microgreens in my worm bins... thank you.

[@katipohl2431]

Genius level idea with red winter wheat. The worms are probably feeding on the microorganisms living in the rhizosphere.

[@PierreDuhamel-lj1vb]

The Earthship has a captain! Thank you for being so truly effective and competent, you really mean quality. Live long and prospert!

[@rico99586]

Thanks Captain. Appreciate your enthusiasm.

[@elpapaupa838]

I started to farm worms the red wigglers a month ago and now I'm going to add wheat grass to them ty sir so much

[@bobadams8818]

Your training videos are awesome!!!

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Glad you like them, Bob!

[@catherineblair550]

I just found you. Love it!! I can't wait to watch your other videos.

[@alexkunz3882]

Hi Captain, I just discovered your channel and I am flabbergasted at how you have made this system so effective. I am curious if you have ever considered duckweed as a food source for your worms. It is something I have been thinking about trying on my own very tiny operation. I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on it.

[@BioVermicompost]

I’m on day 5-6 of my 1st wheat grass growth. Looking forward to seeing this work!

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Awesome… would love to see pics over at community.wormpeople.com

[@BioVermicompost]

My KZbin is Biovermicompost. I’ll have a video of it loaded when I feed today. Keep up the good work!

[@kcb3rd]

VERY WELL DONE video! I've grown and juiced wheat grass but not for my worms. Glad I came across your video. Plus, you help by showing me a clean simple method for growing wheat grass.

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Hey kcb3rd! Thank you. Great to hear it was valuable.

[@pommisuoja]

Thanks for video from finland. You love what you are doing!

[@WestTexasRancher]

Captain Matt is the man.... You my friend are Awesome

[@birvie]

Thanks!

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Thanks for your generosity, @birvie

[@tarikg9939]

Great information. Thanks. Could you please also show how you make your bedding from scratch? Thanks.

[@colleens.lapello2069]

I'm concerned about the fresh green wheat grass heating up the bin. I am using the worm 360 trays as individual trays in the tower. I no longer have access to food from the grocery store to feed the wormies. My family does not have enough waste to feed the worms. I also use a worm chow and used coffee grains. My bedding is shredded paper and torn up egg cartons/cardboard.

[@jonathanbuford1793]

Building greenhouse Weiss lake wigglers love it thx again captain and crew👍👍😁🇺🇸😎🙏

[@peggystevens-wj1dz]

I have a friend that trucks the worms to the east coast and brings the castings back to the west coast. All the worms eat is cow manure. The live in the manure, eat it and thrive well.

[@gmo3686]

Dude, this is seriously a game changer, wow

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Hey G MO... glad you found it useful! Would love to hear how it works for you at wormpeople.com/contact/

[@icculus7989]

Hey dude, you are amazing. Thanks for the information. I promise you I will use it to enrich my garden and my life!

[@SmashDab]

I just got an urban worm bin & I’m having a lil trouble with it. I need to learn more

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Keep watching and learning… you’ll get the hang of it. If you’re ready to dive in deep, check out the “Learn to Worm” course at learn.wormpeople.com/course/learn-to-worm

[@t0mt0mt0m]

Great info. Thanks ! Have you worked with and fed comfrey to the worms ?

[@OddWoz]

I like this dude! Great info on your channel. And I’m glad you voted ;)

[@jimfitzgibbon5492]

Thank you Capt Matt

[@randalmoroski1184]

Simply genius! Love it!

[@terri6425]

Thank you ! I’m starting wheat grass tomorrow!

[@SheilaG971]

I love this! And I love your channel! I have 9 bins at present and like yourself, I incorporate my children and grandchildren into helping me and they love it! My question is, when I feed watermelon or cantelope rind the worms love it but then I’ll see little watermelon sprouts from the seeds. They don’t eat those which is not a problem but I was under the impression that they don’t eat living matter. Why is the wheatgrass different? I LOVE the idea because I’m already growing it for my granddaughters bunny rabbit so I’d really love to experiment with it! Thank you for such awesome videos!

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Hi Sheila, We turn it upside down in the bin, it stops growing and dies within days. Then the worms make use of it. Matt

[@SheilaG971]

@@CaptainMattsWorms , thank you for your response! Makes sense!

[@nesarag9546]

Amazing information. Thank you so much. This would solve my worm 🪱 food problem

[@kapdolkim1914]

Wow, Matt is such a clear presenter. Amazing. I grew night crawlers when I was young. And sold them to bait shops. Unfortunately I didn't have any information - just what I could observe. I had no idea what they ate. I did put newspapers on the top of the bins but that was to bring the worms up so I could grab them without digging. I had no idea they were there to consume the newspaper. Now my kids are growing worms - for food (for their pets, not for their own consumption : ) Amazingly, my daughter's science teacher has a Master's Degree in worms. Yes, two years of studying only worms.

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Hey KapDol, that's a great story. I'd love to have a conversation with a worm scientist! I bet we'd all have some questions for them.

[@intentionaltom9447]

Great video! Can’t wait to try this.

[@davidbock201]

HOT DOG! Now this sound fun. Thanks for putting this vid together.

[@freddelarosa5748]

This video rocks!

[@michaelmello9510]

Great video thanks

[@guylewis3982]

Hello Captain Matt, I am really enjoying the ' Learn to Worm ' course I recently joined. I am learning so much about how to care for my wormery. I grew some wheatgrass to feed to my worms and will look in a few days to see if they have enjoyed the treat! Could you please tell me if feeding the wheatgrass be classed as a Nitrogen food? and as the worms are eager to eat the Wheatgrass would I also have to add as a Carbon food to maintain the correct balance of Carbon to Nitrogen? Wishing you happy times caring for your worms, Thank you for the course and videos! Guy

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Yes… wheatgrass would be a “green” high in nitrogen.

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Yes… be sure to add enough browns to balance.

[@guylewis3982]

@@CaptainMattsWorms Aye,Aye, Thankyou Captain Matt

[@jonathanmoorcroft8042]

You should do a video on your work chow!

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Adding to the idea list!

[@turnerfamily7570]

I was skeptical but I grew some wheat grass and I’ll be darned if you aren’t 100% right - my worms are all over it. Thanks for the tip!

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Great to hear, Turner Family. As always - an experiment and hands-on proves things in reality. Sometimes we need to move past our ideas of how life works and interact directly with life to understand it best.

[@jaychet]

do you still have to add browns (carbon) and if so, how much please? gonna give this a go 🙂

[@turnerfamily7570]

@@jaychet I had a good amount of browns in my bin when I added the wheatgrass, but I also grew the wheatgrass in compost, so the worms got a little more.

[@michaelmorris1451]

Great informative video, thanks Captain. I started using Wheatgrass after watching your first video. I have made several mistakes, thanks for the video. Be safe and happy. Mike.

[@sherilaugh]

I found it useful to take the bird seed leftovers my bird didn’t eat, toss that in the worm bin, and then flip anything that sprouts. I’m not too worried about bird seed sprouting in the garden, it feeds the birds.

[@brodysmorningsidemushrooms9867]

This guy is great!! So much knowledge. Thank you!!

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Glad you found it helpful, Brody!

[@anwarahmad9477]

Many thanks for sharing your hard work experience!

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

You're welcome, Anwar!

[@JeffMarsee-ox8zb]

Another awesome informative video, thank you for sharing Sir

[@dominiqueperney3058]

Merci beaucoup pour cette vidéo très intéressante ! 👍👍👍

[@connecticutwormsgardens]

Now that the warm weather is here, my yard is full of weeds. What are weeds, green leafy plants with leaves full of nitrogen and other nutrients. I pluck them out whole and add them to the tops of my worm bins in very thick layers. The worms devour them. No need to grow wheatgrass when there are so many weeds for me. It also helps hold in the moisture. My Urban worm bag which is full of large African nightcrawlers is living off weeds and only weeds and they are thriving! It's amazing how people would say worms don't eat wheatgrass but then not hesitate to throw in lettuce or spinach or any green vegetable of any type. Wheatgrass or weeds, it's just another green yummy treat for them

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Thanks so much for your input, together (all those who add valid information like yourself) we can be a great source of info. for the worm community.

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Are you presently in Connecticut

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Are you presently in Connecticut

[@connecticutwormsgardens]

@@CaptainMattsWorms yes I am. Have been here for 56 years

[@colleens.lapello2069]

Love that you say "critters" .. hubby laughs at me when I say it. Is it possible you use castings as the base for the wheat grass? It is only for my worms.

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Hi Colleen… sure, you could use castings - but really most of the nutrition the sprouts need are in the seed - so I personally like to save my castings for plants that will have a longer lifespan.

[@colleens.lapello2069]

@Captain Matt and the Worm People thank you very much .. forced retirement since covid so thinking composting worms as small business, wish me luck

[@diranu605]

Very interesting! Thanks!

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Solid information

[@morganbarnyard]

love your videos cap! getting ready to set up shop!

[@jeffweldon1087]

Thank you sir!

[@grnbough]

Excellent video. Great practical advise. Love your enthusiasm and generous sharing of knowledge.

[@jonathanbuford1793]

Captain we appreciate your content good karma do you keep your shop close to the same temperature all year? Electrical heat and air? We’re building a worm shop was going to be wood shop but Weiss lake wigglers insisted so here we go lots of insulation properly so low bills just wondering a lot of folks just left thier worms outside and that didn’t sit well with me I want them happy and busy all year. Thx for all y’all do👍✌️😎🇺🇸

[@haskapalaska3988]

Thank you Cap’n for your great vids. One question, what is the material you use as your top cover on your large bins. Can you use landscape fabric or weed barrier?

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Landscape fabric, yes!

[@ericcarver7465]

so the 3 minutes of microwave of the compost basically boils the compost? Couldn't you just use your castings from the bin to let the wheat grass grow?

[@terrafarmer48]

I actually figured this out by accident when I scattered some wheat screenings on the top of my bin! It grew the mats in the bin. The worms don't harm living plants but they are loving the root structures of these mats! Lots of worms! 🙂

[@cuznclive2236]

"Couldn't you just use your castings from the bin to let the wheat grass grow?" That was my thought as well. However, he uses "compost", which I assume is not vermicast and will provide more substance for the worms to process along with the grass. I'm not big on the microwave aspect of his technique because I do not see a need to kill everything to grow something; that's best left to those using tillage and chemically produced products. I would rather use living biology throughout this process and worry about rouge sprouts as they appear. However, we do not know the efficacy of the compost; it may contain stuff that needs to die. Otherwise, it may kill the bin.

[@neilmckechnie6638]

@@terrafarmer48 My understanding is that the worms feed on the bacteria that feed on the fungi that grows on the decaying plant matter. Maybe the root system of the wheatgrass is a host to beneficial bacteria that the worms enjoy, maybe enzymes too.

[@townbell2248]

Would other types of grass seed be beneficial for the worms?

[@lloydrobertson9590]

Thank you for what you do

[@chrism1452]

WORMTASTIC!

[@SharonDelmendo]

16:24 2 questions. Where do you buy the wheat seed? Also, after you soak your seeds for 24 hours, you let them sit for another day. Are the seeds sitting in all the water or do you drain the water out?

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Feed store or Amazon... drained on second day.

[@tic857]

Funny enough I've been growing microgreens in worm castings for myself for the last few months, each time I harvest, I just shake off the casts from the root mass, toss the mass into the bin, and they love it. And I just plant another round of seeds into the left over castings. This cycle will probably keep going until my pot is out of castings.

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

That is awesome!

[@redamohamed407]

Thank you sir

[@tonysu8860]

That's an interesting idea, to grow your own patches of grass. Grass clippings have always been known to be a favorite for both worm composting and hot composting. I don't know of much heat your grass pads produce as they decompose, but maybe not much... The grass are live until they are eaten so decomposition is gradual. In any case, your pads don't cover the entire surface of your bin so worms are allowed to move toward, away or even through the grass on their own so it looks like your worms aren't being forced to live in an unhappy environment. I wonder if your idea could be taken a step further and by pacing your grass pads right side up and with some grow lights, create a self perpetuating environment by growing your grass on top of your worms. The lights should emulate nature by being turned off during night time hours and on during the day, allowing the worms to surface and burrow as they prefer. Or, maybe this idea just doesn't meet objectives of pure feeding the worms and nothing else... Sterilizing your worm compost eliminates unwanteds, but is that really the best thing to do? Typically bins can be kept pest free by covering the surface with paper to isolate from egg laying pests and once your bin is pest free I'm not sure how pests would invade if they have no access. It's a shame to kill the good microbes in the microwave oven, but I guess new colonies of beneficial microbes will start to rebuild the ecology when the temperature cools down.

[@shaulgrantz9077]

Check out Papa Blue Shirt (KZbin). He grows microgreens with redworms in the growing trays.

[@presentlyhappy]

Do you harvest some of wheatgrass for juicing first and then let grow a few more days and then give it to the worms?

[@michigancody467]

I have an urban worm bag, can’t wait to get your advice and experience with it

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Our next video is sharing our Experiece with the urban worm bin

[@michigancody467]

@@CaptainMattsWorms awesome, excited to see. Got the bell turned on for your page. 😁

[@SheilaG971]

I have grown wheat grass for my granddaughters rabbit several times. I always seem to have mold issues. I sprinkle cinnamon and it clears it up. I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t work for my worm bins? Also, can I grow wheat grass and if I don’t use it right away, can I refrigerate or freeze it? Thank you so much for all your information!

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Fascination how problems can be solved without chemicals, Sheila. Thanks for sharing. Sounds like an interesting experiment... keep me posted. I would imagine freezing would work fine and even help it break down faster when thawed.

[@markhiggins3054]

Do you leave the seed in water for 24hrs and then drain and leave it for another 24hrs

[@shaulgrantz9077]

Captain Matt, Thanks for the great video series. One thing I'm confused about. In the beginning of the seed mat explanation you say that you have a cup that holds three cups of seed (6:30) and you're dividing it in half so that each jar receives one and a half cups, but then right after that (6:50) you say that each jar receives three quarters of a cup of seed. So which is right?

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Hey Shaul! I may have confused myself - actually does not make much difference... With a bit of experimentation, you'll fine the right ratio for the trays you're using.

[@philmets2967]

Excellent video Captain, I just received by Amazon my Hard Red Winter wheat 5 lbs bag, it seems that either the Canadian Customs or the transportation from Palouse, WA or Amazon Canada is way over charging CA$29.95. If you compare with the US price of US$59.00 for a 50lbs bag it is a bit out of comparation, I fully understand that you have nothing to do with such a difference in price, you are helping out a supplier. My question would be this, even when you first started in the worm business have your had feeding them food scrap? I have had many trials to pick up food scrap from groceries in my area, but had no success, so growing wheat grass may solve my problem. I'm in the north part of Toronto, thanks for your video teaching.

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Hey Phil METS! Right... pricing can be steep. Perhaps experiment with sprouting cheaper seeds. I've heard of people sprouting oats or even bird seed - though I have not tried it yet. If you can find a grain that works that you can source in bulk locally for cheaper, it may be part of the solution.

[@devinpurcell6012]

I have some worms at home and run out of food as well. Is the wheat grass seed that you use agriculture use seed or for microgreens?

[@niceglass6484]

You put this under grow lights or green house?

[@daleparks6781]

I'm curious if you mix regular yard grass seed with wheat grass say a 50-50 mix and see if it works as well guess I will try and experiment 🤔✌️

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Would love to see results of that experiment. Would enjoy seeing photos and description if you do at discuss.wormpeople.com/

[@lorenstalker7586]

How do you build the big worm bins

[@gabrielgreen9883]

Thx for the vids Matt. What lighting for the wheat pads? Just from the workshop? THX

[@michaelpetersen4005]

I grew two pads, put in upside down and left home for a week. A few worms up in grass but it appears that the wheat grass continued to mature with little evidence of worms utilizing. Did I Have a surplus of available food? I precompost my bedding with apple puree. I'll leave it for another week and see if it is utilized. In urban worm bags. Any ideas??

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Sprinkle some castings and worm chow on top of the pad and water it… Castings will inoculate the pad and jumpstart the decay process while the worm chow willl draw the worms up and through the pad. Our pads are devoured in days.

[@troydunn6228]

Thank you! So you made me wonder if you microwave all the compost you add to the CFT help keep out vermin?

[@AJ-jl5eo]

Hi Capt. Matt & worm people, I was wondering if anyone had a suggestion as to if one doesn’t have a microwave oven to put the compost into for 3 mins? I do have an air fryer & ceramic cooktop.

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Hey AJ… cover and heat to 180 for 30 min if possible in air fryer. Cooktop is also possible - but search for techniques… most involve water and a second container to keep temp of soil from getting too high.

[@AJ-jl5eo]

Thank you - I’ll give the 180 for 30mins a try@@CaptainMattsWorms

[@jameswarnack4280]

fixing to get a worm business started so I'm thankful you got this online video was very interesting.

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Cool, James. You can do it!

[@ivaknezevic6752]

Very nice

[@markzajac9993]

I have another experiment if you or anyone would like to take on; growing duckweed and/or azolla for worm food.

[@AnnieH-1]

My chickens love azolla . I haven't seen any fish in the pond for ages but I keep the pump going just to keep the azolla happy.

[@giterdunpete]

How do you seperate the worms from the castings, in order to sell.?

[@shadybanks8625]

I think I got some bad seeds. I'm not getting any germination like you did. My seed bed looks like Charlie Browns head of hair.

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Sorry to hear that, Shady Banks. Definitely return it if you can and try a different supplier. Good seed will sprout fast just like in the videos.

[@teresapisanello5464]

That happened to me and I realized that I forgot to cover them for 24 hours or until I saw some green shoots... The other two times that I grew the wheatgrass and did not forget this step, the pads were nice and full and fine 👍

[@CarolNZ22]

I have kept an outdoor multi tower worm farm for 7 years now. My worms may be overpopulated. Lots of babies in there. They look happy and healthy but is it possible to have too many in one?

[@SingedAndZoeGaming]

What temperature is required to do this?

[@WholeFoodPlantPeople]

If mice get in, can they contaminate the compost?