Vermicomposting Webinar

Learn more about the nutrient rich by-product of worm digestion that is super food for our soils as well as how to build a vermicompost box in this webinar hosted by former Horticulture Educator Austin Little.
Video highlights:
0:02:45 - Soil vs. organic matter
0:09:05 - What's in vermicompost
0:13:10 - Benefits of vermicompost
0:14:33 - Worm biology
0:18:00 - Red wigglers
0:20:18- Worm food
0:24:50 - Worm bins
0:28:15 - Worm bedding
0:35:15 - When to feed
0:37:40 - Harvest worm castings
- - - - - - - - - -
The University of Illinois Extension KZbin channel includes education content on topics such as agriculture and natural resources, food safety and security, and youth development. For more about Extension’s work in Franklin, Jackson, Perry, Randolph, and Williamson counties, visit: extension.illinois.edu​​/fjprw
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[@mrbreeze9116]

Finally straight forward instructions to construct a bin thank you

[@HurricaneHektor]

Three days and my worms are still alive! Guess I'm on the right track as a noob! LOL Will have to wait a few months and see how we do. Thank you for all the great tips!!!

[@-ChrisD]

How did you do? It looks like it's been a year+. Did your worms survive and multiply?

[@rikeyaustin88]

Thank you so much. Your webinars have been invaluable in our community food waste composting project. X

[@greatsewing6061]

Excellent presentation.

[@nancyfahey7518]

Before the internet I never fed my worms. They were laying eggs and turning sand and backwoods material into good dirt but I didn't realize they were so skinny until the food started. Now I feed them and they are fat and sassy. My wormbins were kiddy pools with 3 or 4 holes 2" from the bottom so rains won't drowned them. I also plant whatever I want kale, short carrots, herbs, turmeric, ginger, etc in these kiddie pools and get great products. It helps to be in Florida. And when we dip down to the 20° temps the worms leave behind their eggs and the eggs hatch when the soil warms up.

[@withnature--5670]

Thank you for the invaluable information shared in the webinar. Looking forward to more such webinars on similar and interesting topics.

[@williamkreth]

Thank you for this information

[@bernadettegorman9975]

Excellent podcast. Thanks for sharing this valuable information

[@UIExtensionFJPRW]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jorgemoramuoz8067]

Such a beautiful webinar! Thanks a lot !!!

[@fabioruiz7334]

🇧🇷🤠 Very good

[@micheldreler2512]

I found a lot of worms in horse manure, but I don't know the exact type. Should I buy compostworms to start a vermicompost or are the worms from the manure the same good to use in a vermicompost? Thanks

[@UIExtensionFJPRW]

Horticulture Educator Austin Little said, yes, if you can identify the worms as red wigglers (Eisenia fetida) or redworms (Lumbricus rubellus). However, if you are vermicomposting and need to source some worms from manure, earthworms are not the best bet. Most vermicomposters use red wigglers or redworms for a reason. The compost pile heats up much more than everyday soil would because of the microbes at work breaking down its ingredients. A compost heap can get so hot that it will kill regular earthworms, but red wigglers and redworms do better in the compost’s hot conditions. Red wigglers can tolerate temperatures that range from 32 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Another important consideration is that standard earthworms don’t feed on food and paper waste or the other components that make up the compost pile. They get their nutrition by soaking it up through their skin, from the soil they move through or if they’re rooting around in someone’s compost heap, from the substances in the compost. That means although earthworms will happily slink through your compost (as long as it isn’t too hot), they won’t be contributing to the process of decay that produces the final product.

[@prabhatranjan3525]

Hello Team, Can you please provide the list of large scale production companies of vermicompost in US.

[@UIExtensionFJPRW]

Horticulture Educator Austin Little shared a list of the largest worldwide companies, including some within the US. www.agriculture-xprt.com/companies/keyword-vermicomposting-2665 He also shared a link to guidance and resources on Vermicomposting for Business, Farms, Institutions & Municipalities from NC State Extension that you might find useful. composting.ces.ncsu.edu/vermicomposting-2/vermicomposting-for-business-farms-institutions-municipalities/ If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out to him at [e-mail].

[@prabhatranjan3525]

@@UIExtensionFJPRW thank you for help

[@ickerish]

I've read that the vermicompost tea/leachate isn't exactly the best fertilizer. A lot of mixed stuff online on leachate.. what're your thoughts?

[@UIExtensionFJPRW]

Vermicomposting tea is not a replacement for fertilizer. The vermicompost tea is packed full of beneficial microbes and enzymes that help jump-start and boost the nutrients released by increased microbial activity in the soil. Gardeners often add vermi-tea to soil or homemade compost to add an extra boost of beneficial resources. Also, when using an organic fertilizer such as fish meal, bone meal, or blood meal, the microbes in vermi-tea will help to unlock the slow release structures of major and micronutrients for plant uptake. If you have additional questions, feel free to reach out to Horticulture Educator Austin Little at [e-mail].

[@josephthomason447]

I think there is a miscommunication about the difference between tea and leachate that results in this mixed reputation. When people talk about how great worm tea is, I think they are usually referring to a brewed mixture of worm castings and water. You want to evaporate out the chlorine, or use citric acid to wipe out the chlorates, because the whole point of this stuff is all the good microbes. Then you aerate that mixture, usually with an air pump and some pipes, which also mixes it, and spray it on plants and soil. This stuff is good for soil but a lot of studies also show that these good microbes form a bacterial mat on leaves, which crowd out bad stuff like molds and fungi, so spraying leaves is common practice. This worm tea is diluted just to mix and distribute it, but castings even in this form are slow release, you can't burn any plants with them. Leachate on the other hand is a combination of worm urine (which is probably pretty good like most urines) but also anaerobic composting activity, which results in some acid. Leachate is still good stuff, but I think you need to dilute it in case it's a bit funky, or you could always water compost with it, I'm sure there's good stuff in there. In general you're probably better off getting as little leachate as possible and just using that moisture for the worms, otherwise it's an organic waste product I personally just compost.

[@Queserasera_LaLaLa]

Worm tea is aerated and brewed for a while. That's why it's called "tea". The stuff that leaks out is not tea, it's leachate.

[@alanmcdonald7496]

At the 9.40ish mark, did he say the numbers 3-3-3 stood for Nitrogen, Phosphorus and ACID?

[@UIExtensionFJPRW]

Hi Alan, the 3-3-3 referenced by the presenter is nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

[@marthadoelle7585]

Will you please add links to video.

[@UIExtensionFJPRW]

Hi Martha. Our Horticulture Educator Austin Little referenced an expansive list of resources and links during the presentation. He's happy to share that list with you. Feel free to reach out to him at [e-mail].

[@richardsidler]

I believe the point OP is making here is, it would be easier and more direct to add the URL’s to the video description, your educator did indeed mention many useful web resources, but they are not active clickable web links unless some one adds them to the video description.

[@siphomabusela]

Still in the beggining of the video but would you say wermicompost also acts as an inoculent? Introducing the bacteria and fungi into the soil to help breakdown unavailable nutrients in the soil?

[@UIExtensionFJPRW]

Vermicompost and other types of compost contain various microorganisms. They contribute to soil health and enhance the soil food web, which has a positive effect on plant health. So it is possible that vermicompost can help speed-up nutrient breakdown and encourage soil life. Providing adequate organic matter can also help prevent nitrogen being “tied-up” by soil microorganisms. Here is a link to a handout from The Center for Regenerative Ag at CSU Chico. www.csuchico.edu/regenerativeagriculture/_assets/documents/fact-sheets/compost-inoculants-fact-sheet.pdf

[@adamcnl1]

is there a perfect or ideal C:N ratio for the worm bin's setup materials.. somewhere I read picked up that VC materials should avg about 50:1... but someplace I picked up that it should be 70:1... thus it means I need to add sawdust or high volume of cardboard to get 70:1... what your opinion on this???

[@UIExtensionFJPRW]

Hi Jason. Our presenter said the ideal carbon to nitrogen ration for vermicomposting bins is around 50:1. This is because they need a high carbon substrate to live in, which they also eat slowly over time. If you have further questions, feel free to contact him at [e-mail].

[@adubs7607]

Please, please, please be sure to add some form of grit source. It is one of the most crucial components of a thriving worm bin that was not mentioned in this webinar. There are several options one can use like pulverized/ground-up egg shells (be sure to sterilize before use), rock dust, sand, and much more. Worms have gizzards, just like birds, that they use to process carbon materials and food scraps because they don't have teeth. If there isn't enough of a grit source available for the worms they could get protein poisoning (AKA string of pearls disease) which can be a long and painful death for your worms.

[@UIExtensionFJPRW]

Our presenter, Austin Little, said this is a great observation, and It’s something he didn’t cover in the video. That is correct that worms require some form of grit to digest their food. Grit can be provided by coffee grounds and crushed up eggshells which also helps regulate pH. Grit can also be introduced with non-medicated chick starter food, vermiculite, and small amounts of fine sand. Sand should be used sparingly, maybe a few tablespoons per bin, as it causes the bedding to compact. A few handfuls of good quality, light garden soil could also be added.

[@nathandonkin6705]

I never add grit to my bins and the worms thrive, with no issues.

[@mytech6779]

@@UIExtensionFJPRW Whoever is writing this doesn't understand what grit is. Coffee is not grit, it only looks like it, it is too soft and digestible to act as grit. Chick starter seldom contains grit as people supply it separate so they don't pay feed prices for crushed rocks, besides that bird grit(even for chicks) is way too coarse for any redworm to consume. Vermiculite is not a grit in any sense of the term, its flaky and squishy like bread. Fine sand(or dirt with a fair percentage of fine sand and coarse silt) is the only thing on that list which worms could use in their gizzards.

[@IjeomaThePlantMama]

@@mytech6779 maybe instead of vermiculite they meant perlite?

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

@@nathandonkin6705 it’s a monkey see monkey do mentality! 😖

[@fernandovanarcken7899]

Are you giving job application for raising worms?? I am a worm breeder

[@UIExtensionFJPRW]

Hi Fernando. The vermicomposting webinar is one of many educational programs offered by Illinois Extension. We do not have any full-time positions for worm breeding.

[@vince6800]

Why no manure? I have the understanding it's good source of food/bedding for vermicompost. Thanks

[@UIExtensionFJPRW]

Horticulture Educator Austin Little said it all connects back to the science behind aerobic or thermal composting. Certain animal manures can be a good source of bedding and food for vermicomposting like cow or horse manure, but those manures need to be dry and have time to age and breakdown. Fresh manure will likely cause the vermicomposting system to heat up due to microbes’ aerobic activity, to temperatures that are too high for the worms. With vermicomposting, as with thermal composting, the Carbon to Nitrogen ratio should be around 25:1 or 30:1. Fresh manures can have high Nitrogen levels, which will heat up the compost. Also, especially in winter, many people vermicompost indoors, so that is something to consider. Cow or horse manure is a good substrate if it is matured and used in combination with other higher carbon materials like paper or cardboard. If you have additional questions, feel free to reach out to him at [e-mail].

[@josephthomason447]

I know organic farming people are very wary of manure these days due to the pesticides and herbicides that potentially don't get broken down during the composting process, the typical advice is source your poop and hay carefully for composting.

[@kalifornijskeglisteapatin]

​@@UIExtensionFJPRW Do you know that too much paper and cardboard in the worm diet lowers the pH value of the final product?

[@UIExtensionFJPRW]

@@kalifornijskeglisteapatin Austin Little said the general rule of thumb for vermicompost ratios of Carbon to Nitrogen is around 30:1, so overfeeding unlamented shredded paper would not be the culprit for lowering or acidifying pH values. Worms do best in a range of about 6.5 to 7.5 pH, and the 30:1 ratio helps keep pH around those levels such worms are excreting nitrogen or acid-rich castings. Some foods that can increase acidity are too much coffee grounds, oranges, pineapple, and other citrus.

[@kalifornijskeglisteapatin]

@@UIExtensionFJPRW I feed them exclusively burnt manure and add a little cardboard occasionally. One year, I increased the amount of cardboard and the pH value was lower after the laboratory analysis.

[@JoshuaLevin]

Amazing information however I came upon this video via my deep dive into organic cannabis cultivation so I must mention you would NOT want to use perlite or vermiculite for a no till or reusable living soil blend. Those minerals break down or float to the top of soil over time! For aeration pumice, red/black lava rock or zeolite can be used as an inert mineral for long term aeration.

[@razer356]

Down here in the South, red worms are known as manure worms, and our dairies are flooded with them!

[@seanhennessey4443]

L is

[@MuskyLip11]

Resource list from 2003!?

[@UIExtensionFJPRW]

Thanks for your feedback. While some of the resources are from earlier years, a lot of the information referenced is evergreen and still relevant today. We have a new vermicomposting series hosted by Local Foods and Small Farms Educator Katie Bell that will include additional information with a more current resources. The first one posted in December on creating your own composting bin. Future videos will include worm bedding and food as well as solving common issues with vermicompost bins.

[@tanchewleong2078]

Is it safe to feed worms with wild mushrooms ?

[@UIExtensionFJPRW]

Thank you for your question on food sources for worms. Extension is unable to offer recommendations about wild mushrooms due to the potential safety hazards posed by wild mushroom species.

[@braneba3417]

I have tried it with mostly edible mushrooms leftover three months ago. My worms ate it all without any problems but I will not take a risk again.

[@katieburke6961]

I have mold. On cardboard also?

[@UIExtensionFJPRW]

Mold growth can be a common and natural occurrence in vermicomposting bins. Like the worms, many types of fungi work to break down food waste. Barring any allergies and depending on the exact type of mold, it is not typically harmful to you or the worms. The mold may indicate over-feeding the worms or not burying the food deeply enough in the bin. If you are experiencing problems because of the mold, I would recommend removing all molded products in the bin and disposing of them, reduce the amount of food given each week or increase the number of worms in your bin. Here is a great resource from our friends at University of Florida Extension. nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/category/vermicompost/

[@SunshineCountryChickens]

You could just feed them on one side for a week all the worms will move over to that side for easy harvesting.

[@UIExtensionFJPRW]

Thank you! That is a good method to sort out the vermicompost. This method also sounds similar to the “divide and sort” method covered in the video at the 40:50 time mark.

[@mytech6779]

Consider having somebody re-record this, it's 20-30 minutes of slides and good info stretched into an hour and a quarter of unrehearsed yammering. (Sorry if that is blunt, but a university should maintain some reasonable quality standards.)

[@naturnaut9093]

Pineapple is NOT Citrus

[@Queserasera_LaLaLa]

Peat moss is very acidic and worms don't like acidity

[@user-kc7hu4hx6v]

If you go to your local big box store and purchase peat moss and test the Ph it will test at 7.0 which is neutral, it is adjusted during the manufacturing process, always no matter the brand. They also bake it in an oven to kill microbes for shipping. If you use peat (reed sedge) then it is higher in acidity and has a PH ranging from 4.3 to 5.5, peat is also full of microbiology. Peat is sold by the yard and the PH has to be adjusted slightly by the worm grower. I have seen on KZbin many times people using peatmoss and state that it is high in acidity and add lime, I guarantee they never checked the PH. It is not bad to add the lime anyways for preventive maintenance, especially when feeding food scraps.

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

It’s also Antimicrobial and not a renewable product.

[@gcraigen78]

Lechiate imo is not good. It is worm urine and fluids that have just been sitting and would be anaerobic where as worm tea is actual castings sitting in a sock in clean chlorine free water and have a air pump run air bubbles through it as it sits. Then use this worm tea. The stuff that drips out of bottom of bins should be thrown out or maybe water it down and use on ornamental trees and shrubs etc. That's just my opinion

[@UIExtensionFJPRW]

That is correct, excess liquid from the compost bin should not be used as a fertilizer and could be a sign of problems in the bin; however compost tea is a great nutrient solution which can be added to the soil to help new plant roots get started. We talk about vermicompost tea briefly at the 47:27 time mark.

[@connorflynn1885]

@@UIExtensionFJPRW At 1:03:40 he mentions holes at the bottom of a bin would lose your tea. The liquid down there at the bottom of your bin is not tea.

[@UIExtensionFJPRW]

@@connorflynn1885 the drainage from the bottom is leachate. It does contain beneficial nutrients but it also can have anerobic microorganisms that can be problematic. Leachate is the liquid from the breakdown of fruits and vegetables in the bin. If you notice excess liquid in your bin reduce the amount of high moisture foods and add some shredded paper. Because leachate often sits at the bottom of the bin or in a catch bucket for extended periods of time, there is a risk of harmful bacteria growing in the liquid. Similar issues could arise if compost tea was stored and not used for an extended period of time. If you want to utilize all the outputs from your bin leachates can be diluted in water and used on non-edible crops. There are also several scientific studies that look at the effects of aerated versus non-aerated methods of worm tea. A study from the University of Hawai'i discusses the effects of various vermicompost tea extraction methods on Pak Choi yield and quality, and can be found at www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/huen/archana_paper.pdf

[@UIExtensionFJPRW]

@@connorflynn1885, thanks for your comment. I believe the presenter mixed up his words when he referenced this as tea. The drainage from the bottom is leachate. It does contain beneficial nutrients but it also can have anerobic microorganisms that can be problematic. Leachate is the liquid from the breakdown of fruits and vegetables in the bin. If you notice excess liquid in your bin reduce the amount of high moisture foods and add some shredded paper. Because leachate often sits at the bottom of the bin or in a catch bucket for extended periods of time, there is a risk of harmful bacteria growing in the liquid. Similar issues could arise if compost tea was stored and not used for an extended period of time. If you want to utilize all the outputs from your bin leachates can be diluted in water and used on non-edible crops. There are also several scientific studies that look at the effects of aerated versus non-aerated methods of worm tea. A study from the University of Hawai'i discusses the effects of various vermicompost tea extraction methods on Pak Choi yield and quality, and can be found at www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/huen/archana_paper.pdf

[@zackhapa6768]

There is another lady that talks about worms who says they feed on about 20% by weight a day not the claim he says and many others. I happen to find the 20% of food by weight a day is what I have been getting my entire worming experience. Anyone here has gotten 1lb of worms to feed on 1lb of food a day or more? I’m curious because I don’t know anyone that has reached this claim. If that’s the case then I’m doing something wrong. But my worms are reproducing fairly well.

[@jenniferg6818]

Definitely not the science I expected.

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

KZbin science 🔬 so it’s fact !!

[@intheshell35ify]

Good luck finding real worms.

[@jackshafto9123]

I have never heard of putting soil in the bin. That will throw off your castings.

[@Queserasera_LaLaLa]

This guy doesn't completely know what he's talking about.