Red Wiggler Worms Reproduction Bins

Short discussion of how to make a reproductive bin for red wiggler worms.
#worms #redwigglers #reproduction #reproductionbins #wormfarm #tiggerswigglers #tigger #concretemixingtray

[@marlenen6130]

I have great luck having my coco coir absorb warm water in a 5 gallon bucket. Maybe try that with the peat moss, cuz the vertical space makes a big difference for me. I don’t aim strictly for reproduction, but to create worm castings and dispose of food scraps and cardboard. I make the coco coir really wet, like a soupy mess and add grit, spent coffee, humachar, Azomite, mycorrhizae starter, blackstrap molasses and kelp or alfalfa meal and mix well. Then I fill the wheelbarrow with shredded paper and cardboard, as well as, dried leaves, ripped cardboard and any remaining aged bedding from the last batch--then I scoop the wet coco coir mixture onto the carbons and it seems to absorb pretty well when I use warm water. If I have some fresh cut grass I might throw that in also. I try to make 40 gallons or more at a time so I have some for the garage systems and for the worm shed. I think having a larger operation would be fun, but I don’t like pressure of doing sales. Lol

[@tiggerswigglersmagickwormc843]

I think coco coir is great I just get the peat moss for way cheaper where I am. Keep up the good work!!!

[@soupspoon9554]

Those mix pans are awesome for worms!!💯

[@tiggerswigglersmagickwormc843]

They are cheap too. "Concrete mixing tray" from Lowe's or Home Depot.

[@scottstockle1andonly]

Nice video! I saw someone else add their worm food to the top of the bin so the worms would mingle and breed more because they all had to congregate together to eat. I'm not saying that's better, but it made sense to me.

[@marlenen6130]

I add worm chow to the top of my bins to prevent it from heating up or just clumping up. When you add whole food to the top of the bin, it will prevent the bin from getting too wet too. The more a food is cut in size, the faster the moisture is released quickly. So putting it as top feeding is great if you bin is running too wet.

[@dana102083]

Worms do that anyway. Top of bin encourages bugs.. Can have the same effect putting in a heap in the middle or middle.trench then covered. Play around with it.. I still am too.✌

[@tiggerswigglersmagickwormc843]

I have seen this too and it makes some sense. I just don't like my chow being clumped up.

[@RockinWorms]

What I’m surprised at is what seems to me to be such a little amount of worm chow with not other food sources available (how you’re using the peat moss doesn’t seem like it would have biota in it) for so many many worms in a rather small space for them. I use worm chow in my breeder bins too. But the bedding is sifted cow manure and pre-compost (cardboard shred, coffee grounds, vegetable matter in liquid form) that’s cooked for several weeks. It’s full of bacteria and fungi. It’s all food along with the worm chow. I do ‘over populate’ as well, but not nearly as much as you do and of course I have a ton more food available for the breeders. Have you counted the number of cocoons you get per breeding cycle? Not per worm but per square foot as that’s your goal - to maximize cocoons per space used. I’m asking, not to challenge you, but because I’m very open to modifying what I do to include best practices from others! I am using cheapo clear bins right now. I’ll definitely upgrade them if cracking becomes an issue. Honestly I never gave that a thought! Maybe it won’t be an issue because I use less weight in the bins. But if I’m losing reproduction capability then that would move me to a bin upgrade too. Which circles me back to how many cocoons in one bin do you get on average per cycle…? Thanks so much for the video!!

[@tiggerswigglersmagickwormc843]

I probably should have explained how we add food as we go. I have found that too much food off the start does not work as well as feeding once per week. After our initial chowing, we start feeding food scraps and more chow slow and steady. I am honestly always tweaking this part of the operation and learning all of the time. Lately I have been thinking about copying Meme's approach to cut down on the labor involved with feeding. I really appreciate your comment and hope to hear more from you.

[@mikeduernberger]

I sift my peat moss and wet it with rain water mixed with fish fertilizer. I add powdered limestone and composted leaf matter, the fungi and bacteria in leaves helps the peat moss break down to a food source. I then cover my bin with wet cardboard soaked in worm tea.

[@surfcitybusybee]

Excellent video! Thanks so much for sharing. This would have been very helpful when I first started worm farming. I haven't tried pete moss yet, but I can see why the worms like it. I've been using shredded cardboard & coco choir and the worms seem to eat it all up along with their feedings. I'll have to try your method soon.

[@tiggerswigglersmagickwormc843]

There is nothing wrong with coco coir. I just think the peat is cheaper and sifts of really well when it is time to harvest. Thank you very much for watching! See you soon!

[@dana102083]

@@tiggerswigglersmagickwormc843 Hey fyi Ive seen a few ppl in gardening groups talk about the unsustainability and carbon footprint of peat from the boggy systems.. I need to read more on it myself.

[@doraw7766]

I will definitely be adding peat to my 2 worm bins. I had also not been keeping them wet enough and I will be more careful to treat the garden hose water with Vit C first. I was getting lazy and I was losing worms. They disappeared out the bottom I think.. hahaha "Live and learn". Thanks.

[@tiggerswigglersmagickwormc843]

Water is key. Not only vitamin c but letting it sit for a day or two is good for water. Best is to get a strong filter. Can't overstate the importance of water. Good luck!!

[@LarryWileyWormFarm-ey8lp]

Love these bins. In a few weeks i plan to do a video on how to build a rack like Meme uses. Meme is less than an hour from me.

[@LarryWileyWormFarm-ey8lp]

These are available at Lowes or Home Depot at about 8.00 each. I use the smaller one.

[@joeohalloran9309]

I'm sorry, but I think this video makes worm farming seem very complicated like using water osmosis ect. I only use normal water left outside in a bucket for a few days. I use coco core at start of the bin plus food and bedding paper and carboard with no problems.

[@diakanos]

keep at it. work on your volume sound to low.

[@herkulesrockefeler8731]

Hello. I understand that I need to maintain moisture. But should I feed the worms during reproduction?

[@TrapperBV]

Great video. I just started my very first bins about 6 months ago and probably in the process of making a lot of the mistakes you’ve mentioned here lol! I was surprised at how many worms you put in your breeder bin. Your reasoning makes sense, but I’ve also heard that these worms need space to initiate their breeding response as well. I I just so happened to start with a very tiny population of worms in a large bin and that’s worked out quite well for me, but I have no intention of separating them and sifting them out of their bedding like you are, so our expected outcomes aren’t the same. I’m curious what kind of population will you have from these 2000 worms and in how long? Or perhaps the right question is how many cocoons do you expect from a bin like this? Thanks!

[@NanasWorms]

Captain Matt recommends 200 adult breeder worms per square foot of surface area of the bin. There's also something to be said for worms bumping into each other a lot! ~ Sandra

[@firemanflash4164]

Due you got to make sure your sound level is up it's a little low during this video the video camera has to be on a high level in order to record sounds other than that it was great.

[@tiggerswigglersmagickwormc843]

There is a lot of debate about how many worms per square foot. I may make a follow up video to this explaining why I use 2 pounds per tray. The short version is that for our business it is space and room that are at a premium. I honestly have too many worms right now. So the real question for us is at what point does adding more worms become a negative. We are worm rich and space poor. If I had all the space in the world I may use less worms per square foot. I have gone back and forth on this issue a few times.

[@tiggerswigglersmagickwormc843]

@@NanasWorms Captain Matt is a more experienced man than me and i would never say he is wrong. However, see my comment above regarding space being at a premium.

[@tiggerswigglersmagickwormc843]

@@firemanflash4164 I am open to any and all suggestions as to what equipment I can buy or how I can do things better for these videos. I was previously using an external mic with my iphone but that actually seemed to work less well. Please give me any good advice you may have on this topic. I am an old man and not good with the tech.

[@nancyfargo4209]

No lime or egg shell?

[@Donnie_M.]

Hot water is your best friend when wetting dry peat moss. You just have to let the peat cool down to room temp before proceeding with the next steps.

[@tiggerswigglersmagickwormc843]

That sounds like something I will try.

[@forced4motorsports]

Why not invest in a cheap cement mixer from HF?

[@tiggerswigglersmagickwormc843]

Because I am one of those knuckle heads who doesn't buy anything until I my hands start bleeding. Yes, a cement mixer is on the short list for next equipment purchase. Thank you!

[@randallwithee2189]

They do make small ones as well. I just picked one up from Goodwill for $40.

[@skipprince7169]

Can’t hardly hear you

[@tiggerswigglersmagickwormc843]

I am working on getting better at this. Definitely need to get some better equipment. Thank you for the feedback.

[@I.am.Mumma.Bear.1]

Peat moss isn’t an environmentally friendly option. Peat bogs are depleting at an alarming rate. Even Meme grows all her worms in a compost manure mix because that what worms need. She then only puts them in a coir when they are getting ready for sale. Only a coup of handfulls of moss or coir should be used to help keep the moisture.. it’s an “additive” to their bedding .. you shouldn’t raise them in it !! Your missing the microorganisms that worms need to be truly healthy worms. Go back to your paper, cardboard and compost and they’ll breed a lot more 😊👍🏽

[@tiggerswigglersmagickwormc843]

I am going to be honest with you..... I think you may have a good point here. I have had alot of success doing my reproductive bins w just peat moss but I think you are right that the worms would prefer some more biology. I am going to do some experimenting and revisit this issue. I really appreciate your thoughts.