Feeding Worms - Tips

Red Worms - European Nightcrawlers - Worm Farm Manual

While we're on the subject of feeding worms grain, here's a tip that helps keep your worm bedding's pH correct (neutral).

Save all your egg shells (heck, have your friends and family save theirs, too).  Allow them to dry, crush them and add them to your worm bed.  If you are feeding grains, the egg shell's add a very "worm friendly" calcium to your worm bedding and help neutralize any acid conditions grains may cause.

The old timer's solution to an acid bed is to add calcium carbonate to the bedding.  This remedy may or may not work and may or may not actually cause harm to your worms.  Seems the calcium carbonate creates a carbon monoxide build up in the worm bedding.  If you do apply it, you must toss the bedding repeatedly to release this build up.

My solution to acid bedding?  Don't let it get acid in the first place.  More often than not, you'll have to completely change out the bedding and hope your worms recover.  How do you keep your worm bedding from going acid?

• Never feed more grain in a 24 hour period than the worms can eat. Remove any uneaten grain and apply less.
• Never turn grain into the bedding.  Remove any left overs before turning.
• Limit citrus.
• Don't overfeed coffee grounds.
• Feed your worms dried, crushed egg shells.
• Mist your worm food with a weak solution (80:1) of water and VermaPlex® (a liquid garden soil inoculate made from, get this, worm castings) when you add food and when you change out the bed with fresh bedding.
  
  Check out Worm Farm Tip #2 on EarthwormWorks.  Bottom line: Your adding microbes to your worm bed because worms need microbes to digest their food.

Worm Farm Resources:

Red Worms, European Nightcrawlers and VermaPlex®:  Worm Farm Combo
Worm Farm Manual: Step by Step Guide to Raising Earthworms