I’ve been composting for about 26 years, and vermicomposting has been one of the methods. Even with all that experience, including occasional worm population disasters and lessons learned, I still learned a lot from this discussion. It’s inspiring and motivating to hear your advice.
We have no desire to going Mid- to -Large Scale Vermicomposting. We have studied and watched and and and. We have watched some of your videos and we consider you the most trustworthy. Now guess who is going to purchase your book and reading it and rereading it until we get our worming down pat!
Worms eat the fungi and bacteria that breakdown the food waste, they don't eat the waste directly. Heat composting kills the bad stuff and when it rests, fungi colonize the pile. Careful of your pile ratios and ingredients. General rule is it takes approx 1 cubic yard (27 cubic ft) to get it going hot. However, I've had as little as 2 cubic feet of ground up acorns go thermal within a couple hours (heavy on fat that's why). If you want balance in your castings, create balance in the feed stock.
I give chicken manure to my worms, you just have to find the right dosage. I mix it with wheat bran (1 volume of manure for 2 volumes of wheat bran) and I let it sit for about 1 month so that there is no ammonia problem. I specify that I pass the dry manure through a flour mill so that it is pulverized and mixes well. Also I don't put straw in my chicken coop. I made a conveyor belt that allows me to collect pure manure.
Rhonda you have immensely added to my knowledge which helped me find solutions to the problems I faced in mid scale VC farming in a hot part of Pakistan. I want to clarify one aspect of pre composting, hope you will oblige. As per different specialists in the field in precomposting the pile temp is raised and maintained above 131°F or 55°C for three days (NOP compliance) and then the pile is allowed to cool down and cure, max for a couple of weeks before feeding to worms etc. In you Vlog you advocate cooling and curing for months, which one is correct? The former process is convenient and time saving.
Tahir Eshan, the 1 month/6 week cooling off period Rhonda is referencing is in regard if the composting material is to be used directly towards a surface compost/fertiliser. The heating process pre/composting method is used to hold a temperature of 130°F to maximum 160°F to kill off pathogenic microbes so disease cannot propagate prior to usage. The 3 days mentioned are an approximate time period as a minimum to gain the increase temperature in compost pile. The core of the pile itself shall be the hottest in most instances due to oxygen content being less,known as an (Anaerobic) zone. This anaerobic zone hosts more pathogenic microbes that are at this point toxic with pathogenic life, once the temperature diminishes from this zone @130°F+ to 160°F to a lower temperature it shows the pathogenic microbial life has began die off. These conditions of heat only occur in this range when in a large volume of decaying matter, nature does (worms & microbes) still do consume waste even without this process although this process of precomposting does speed up the overall time to break down matter and also ferments sugars and cures the compost. Best thought of as a condition similar to fermenting an alcohol fluid which is very similar! I hope this helps or answers your question!? You are on the right path our dear friend ❤️👍
Do worms have eyes? For the precomposted stuff to all look the same? 😆 Let me just say, worm farming seems very scientific and there so much to learn!!! Im constantly learning more. I am going to do testing this summer..some plants with it some without. Im gonna look for your worm book!!!
Rhonda, i"ve been work at paper company and there was a huge amount of sludge every day they produce but as I know it has a chemical substance that really danger. Is it ok to give sludge to earthworm ?
Wonderful interview presentation Rhonda! Thankyou so much for doing what you do and sharing this knowledge throughout the world which inturn makes the world a much better place overall for everything without the chemical toxicity that is highly present throughout most countries and farming situations that in the end ultimately grow food that's missing vital elements that get consumed and health depletes when it shouldn't if the products consumed are correct in nutrients as nature intended, which it itself nature has already equated the exacting ingredients for sustainability! 😘❤️👍 Thankyou again ❤
I have seen your book and several videos, but pure E. fedita is no longer available in Europe (the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and France). I have received E. hortensis from several commercial companies, depending on their story. Also an excellent compost worm, but with a completely different breeding program. The problem is (among other things) that breeding and/or manure feeding takes place outdoors. The hortensis (also in the mix) appears to be the winner here. If you can help me with an address for pure E. fedita, please do!!! In the meantime, we have to search for these one by one in the 💩
My understanding is that humic and fulvic acid are chelators that act independently in relation to the current ph? With humic acid chelating at acidic levels and fulvic chelating at alkaline levels... ?? Anyone have an opinion on this?
I made the mistake of charging my biochar with Ammonia.. Now I'm concerned about putting my castings in with that soil !! Is there anything I can do to rectify the situation???
Curious why you would charge your biochar with ammonia ? I’ve never heard of anyone recommending that process ? I’m not trying to be disrespectful- I am truly curious
I hear you talk a lot about Dairy manure . goat manure never once did I hear you say anything about rabbit. you can find that one or a lot faster you can find sheep or goat
I’ve been composting for about 26 years, and vermicomposting has been one of the methods. Even with all that experience, including occasional worm population disasters and lessons learned, I still learned a lot from this discussion. It’s inspiring and motivating to hear your advice.
This woman is a gold mine of vermicomposting information. North Carolina University also has loads of information on their website.
What a Treasure Rhonda is for NC University....and the world 👍
Exceptional knowledge explained simply by the Guru herself - invaluable, thank you for sharing!
Love this book - Worm Farmers Unite! 💗
We have no desire to going Mid- to -Large Scale Vermicomposting. We have studied and watched and and and. We have watched some of your videos and we consider you the most trustworthy. Now guess who is going to purchase your book and reading it and rereading it until we get our worming down pat!
Juno,You Are So Brilliant,Thank You All The Way From Great Britain Co Durham 👏👏👏👏❤️❤️❤️
Wow so much incredible information and you presented it so warmly. God bless you and Cheers from Ottawa, Canada 🍁
THANK YOU RHONDA
Juno You Are So Educated On This Vermicomposting 👏👏👏👏❤️❤️❤️❤️
It makes complete sense to me. Create thermophilic first to kill seeds and contaminates then feed it to your worms. Perfect!
Worms eat the fungi and bacteria that breakdown the food waste, they don't eat the waste directly. Heat composting kills the bad stuff and when it rests, fungi colonize the pile.
Careful of your pile ratios and ingredients. General rule is it takes approx 1 cubic yard (27 cubic ft) to get it going hot. However, I've had as little as 2 cubic feet of ground up acorns go thermal within a couple hours (heavy on fat that's why).
If you want balance in your castings, create balance in the feed stock.
Sometimes the worms eat the food directly, for example zucchini when it is cut into slices.
Thanks Ronda..
Got your book.. been doing wormy things for under a year.. got plans…;-)
J.M.
Director
🇨🇷🇨🇷🇨🇷👍
Thank you for sharing this great worm farming information. 🙂
I give chicken manure to my worms, you just have to find the right dosage. I mix it with wheat bran (1 volume of manure for 2 volumes of wheat bran) and I let it sit for about 1 month so that there is no ammonia problem. I specify that I pass the dry manure through a flour mill so that it is pulverized and mixes well. Also I don't put straw in my chicken coop. I made a conveyor belt that allows me to collect pure manure.
Awesome information. Thank you.
Thank you. I enjoyed your book.
Rhonda you have immensely added to my knowledge which helped me find solutions to the problems I faced in mid scale VC farming in a hot part of Pakistan. I want to clarify one aspect of pre composting, hope you will oblige.
As per different specialists in the field in precomposting the pile temp is raised and maintained above 131°F or 55°C for three days (NOP compliance) and then the pile is allowed to cool down and cure, max for a couple of weeks before feeding to worms etc. In you Vlog you advocate cooling and curing for months, which one is correct? The former process is convenient and time saving.
Tahir Eshan, the 1 month/6 week cooling off period Rhonda is referencing is in regard if the composting material is to be used directly towards a surface compost/fertiliser.
The heating process pre/composting method is used to hold a temperature of 130°F to maximum 160°F to kill off pathogenic microbes so disease cannot propagate prior to usage.
The 3 days mentioned are an approximate time period as a minimum to gain the increase temperature in compost pile.
The core of the pile itself shall be the hottest in most instances due to oxygen content being less,known as an (Anaerobic) zone. This anaerobic zone hosts more pathogenic microbes that are at this point toxic with pathogenic life, once the temperature diminishes from this zone @130°F+ to 160°F to a lower temperature it shows the pathogenic microbial life has began die off.
These conditions of heat only occur in this range when in a large volume of decaying matter, nature does (worms & microbes) still do consume waste even without this process although this process of precomposting does speed up the overall time to break down matter and also ferments sugars and cures the compost.
Best thought of as a condition similar to fermenting an alcohol fluid which is very similar!
I hope this helps or answers your question!?
You are on the right path our dear friend ❤️👍
Such great information thank you for sharing your knowledge
Керемет 👍👍👍дами беріңдер, сосын бізге айтып тұрыңдар, бөлісіп!!!
Do worms have eyes? For the precomposted stuff to all look the same? 😆
Let me just say, worm farming seems very scientific and there so much to learn!!! Im constantly learning more. I am going to do testing this summer..some plants with it some without. Im gonna look for your worm book!!!
Rhonda, i"ve been work at paper company and there was a huge amount of sludge every day they produce but as I know it has a chemical substance that really danger. Is it ok to give sludge to earthworm ?
Wonderful interview presentation Rhonda!
Thankyou so much for doing what you do and sharing this knowledge throughout the world which inturn makes the world a much better place overall for everything without the chemical toxicity that is highly present throughout most countries and farming situations that in the end ultimately grow food that's missing vital elements that get consumed and health depletes when it shouldn't if the products consumed are correct in nutrients as nature intended, which it itself nature has already equated the exacting ingredients for sustainability!
😘❤️👍
Thankyou again ❤
All hail the Shermanator
I have seen your book and several videos, but pure E. fedita is no longer available in Europe (the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and France). I have received E. hortensis from several commercial companies, depending on their story. Also an excellent compost worm, but with a completely different breeding program. The problem is (among other things) that breeding and/or manure feeding takes place outdoors. The hortensis (also in the mix) appears to be the winner here. If you can help me with an address for pure E. fedita, please do!!! In the meantime, we have to search for these one by one in the 💩
Seeking information on different kinds of animal compost rated best to worst before adding to worm bin.
To Rhonda or anyone else willing to chime in: I have access to horse manure but am concerned about the wormer used in some equine farms. Any insight?
My understanding is that humic and fulvic acid are chelators that act independently in relation to the current ph? With humic acid chelating at acidic levels and fulvic chelating at alkaline levels... ?? Anyone have an opinion on this?
Those people from Antarctica 🇦🇶 really need to step it up 😂 🐛
nice
I made the mistake of charging my biochar with Ammonia.. Now I'm concerned about putting my castings in with that soil !! Is there anything I can do to rectify the situation???
Vinegar.
Curious why you would charge your biochar with ammonia ? I’ve never heard of anyone recommending that process ?
I’m not trying to be disrespectful- I am truly curious
@@michaelripperger5674 google "How to charge biochar."
I hear you talk a lot about Dairy manure . goat manure never once did I hear you say anything about rabbit. you can find that one or a lot faster you can find sheep or goat
You are stepping down a long, slipper road. Never once did you mention Guinea pig feces. Is there bias? Perhaps.