You might be interested in raising earthworms to be used in making compost for your garden. Making worm bedding is easy and you can use organic waste from your property. When is the best time to change worm bedding? What are the different types of worm beddings? When should you empty the worm bin? These are some of the questions that we will discuss. Check out the rest of the article below for more tips and ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n
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When is the Best Time to Change the Worm Bedding?<\/h2>\n
The best time to change the worm bedding is when it gets too concentrated because of worm castings. How often you need to change the bedding will have to depend on the number of worms and bedding that you have.<\/strong> If you have a lot of worms, you need to frequently change the bedding. Moreover, you need to consider the type of bedding that you have. For beddings made of peat moss, you need to change it about every 2 weeks.<\/p>\n You need to empty the worm bin if there are insects and eggs in the bedding.<\/strong> Before emptying the bin, you first need to remove the castings. Once you have emptied the bin, clean it to remove any unwanted smell. Place new bedding into the bin and return the worms.<\/p>\n The two types of worm bedding are the raised worm bed and the dug-in worm bed.<\/strong> Each type has its pros and cons. Before starting a worm farm, you need to consider what the best type of worm bed is for you. Let us learn more about each type of worm bed below.<\/p>\n This type of worm bed is the best option if you want an easy DIY worm bed project. For this, you need to create a raised garden bed. Wood is the best material for the raised bed. Build a simple box that measures about 3 feet by 6 feet. Make sure to build the raised worm bed in a shaded spot in your garden.<\/p>\n Avoid too much sun exposure because it can dry the bedding. On the other hand, if there is no shaded area in your garden, you can build a frame around the raised bed that you can use to drape a cloth to provide shade.<\/p>\n This type of worm bed is dug in the ground. To create a dug-in worm bed, you need to dig a hole in your garden. Then, line the sides of the hole with bricks, cinder blocks, or boards. Use cardboard to line the bottom part of the hole. The good thing about this type of worm bed is that you can choose whatever size you want. If you have a lot of space in our garden, you can build a large dug-in worm bed.<\/p>\n The different types of worm bedding materials to choose from include cardboard, crushed dried leaves, peat moss, shredded newspaper, and aged compost. You can choose whatever bedding material you have in your home.<\/strong> On the other hand, you can combine different types of materials for the worm bed rather than using one type of material.<\/p>\n Choose the materials that create the right balance for the bedding. By doing this, you can provide the best conditions where the worms can survive and easily reproduce. Below are some of the different bedding materials for worms.<\/p>\n One of the materials that you can use for worm bedding is shredded newspaper. It makes good bedding for worms and is a good way to recycle old newspapers. Tear the newspaper into long strips and add it to the worm bed.<\/p>\n Another material that you can use for the bedding is cardboard. It is a good material because it can absorb moisture and also have a lot of air pockets. When using cardboard, see to it that you shred it into small pieces. This will enhance the airflow and makes it easier for the worms to eat.<\/p>\n You can also use peat moss for the worm bedding. This is an excellent material because it has a great water-absorbent feature. On the other hand, you need to be careful with the amount of peat moss that you use. Too much peat moss is also bad for the worms because of its acidic nature.<\/p>\n If you have aged compost in your garden, you can use it for the worm bedding. You can mix it with other materials. When using manure, it should be at least six months old to be considered safe for the worms. Use whatever type of manure is available. On the other hand, horse manure<\/a> is a popular option because it has an ideal nitrogen level as compared to poultry manure.<\/p>\n If you have a lot of dried leaves lying around your backyard, do not burn them because they can be used as worm bedding. This is also an ideal way to recycle dried leaves.<\/p>\n When starting on a worm farm, you need to add a few worms to the bedding to find out how if the worms are thriving or not. By doing this, you will not kill all of the worms in case the condition or the bedding is not ideal.<\/strong> Make sure to change the bedding frequently. A common sign that the bedding needs to be changed is when it becomes too concentrated with castings from the worms. The more worms that you have, the more frequent you have to change the bedding.<\/p>\n Plant Abundance shared the video below on YouTube. It discusses how to harvest worm castings. In the video, the step-by-step guide on how to separate the worms from the castings is discussed. Watch the video to learn more about the process.<\/p>\n\n\nWhen to Empty and Clean the Worm Bin?<\/h2>\n
What are the Two Types of Worm Bedding?<\/h2>\n
Raised Worm Bed<\/h3>\n
Dug-in Worm Bed<\/h3>\n
What are the Different Types of Worm Bedding Materials to Choose From?<\/h2>\n
Shredded Newspaper<\/h3>\n
Cardboard<\/h3>\n
Peat Moss<\/h3>\n
Aged Compost<\/h3>\n
Crushed Dried Leaves<\/h3>\n
Tips for Making the Ideal Worm Bedding<\/h2>\n
\u2705 Video – Harvesting Worm Castings<\/h3>\n