What does a red wiggler look like?

I have been gardening in coastal NC for almost 6 years now. The first year of trying to start a garden I never even saw a worm. I have been mulching heavily since my yard is either rock hard with clay or sopping wet. This is the first year that I have found an increase in worms especially in my straw bales. These guys are shinny and sharply pointed at both ends and wiggle like the fury. Could this be a red wiggler? Can I use them for composting in a bin? Where would they have come from since everyone around me just sprays everything to death?

Thanks,
Helen

Hi Helen,

Red wigglers are small. They are found in composting leaves and other plant material. They don't burrow. These are on a 10" cardboard cake round so you can get a feel for their size. I think they all wiggle like crazy.

I bought a worm factory bin and a pound of red wigglers. Not much work, no smell, lots of worms and worm casings. They will compost your kitchen veggie waste. Couldn't be happier.

Sherri

Thank you, Sherri. I'm going to try to get a picture of these guys. They seem to stay close to the surface in the mulch and compost.

Helen

Hi Helen

Sounds like a red wiggler's environment. Good luck!

Sherri

htcoe, you have what locals would call nightcrawlers. I have them where ever I put shredded tree mulch last year and it's pretty much decomposed and stays moist from my watering. The nightcrawlers speed the decomposition process just like red wigglers do in house veggie refuse but they won't live in your compost because they like to go way underground to avoid dry or too hot soil. Everybody is a specialist!
Paul

Hi Helen, We can't be sure but you can take a look at this article that has a lot of pictures of Red Wigglers for reference to compare them from what you saw if they're Red Wigglers or Night Crawlers-

http://www.squidoo.com/A-Review-on-Eisenia-Foetida-or-Red-Wiggler

You can also take a look at these profiles full of informative articles with pictures of Red Wiggler worm composting and Organic Gardening

http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/frankwiggler

http://hubpages.com/profile/frankwiggler

It has a lot of descriptions/characteristics and pictures of Red Wiggler Worm (Eisenia Foetida) to compare from what you saw. Hopa that helps!




This message was edited Sep 10, 2009 5:22 AM

This message was edited Sep 10, 2009 5:24 AM

This message was edited Sep 10, 2009 5:26 AM

Bump

What does Bump mean? Is that a signal to stop talking about earthworms or what?

Anyhow, htcoe, be happy with your earthworms wherever you find them. They will aerate your clay soil and deposit their worm droppings to enrich the clay underneath which will become soil. The aeration also allows some drainage.

If you really want red wigglers you will, in my opinion, have to set up some kind of habitat for them as most of these postings will talk about. Red wigglers will turn kitchen waste as well as yard waste into compost which is wonderful stuff. Mine turned tomatoes, cellery, broccolli, apple cores and other veggie stuff into perfect soil in about a year. I also added cut up dead leaves mixed wit still green fescue grass, chopped up and bagged by my lawn mower. You have to mix this stuff no matter what kind of bin or pile you make. Read a lot of these Vermicomposting posts before you go buy something (I bought 6 bales of wheat straw from Lowes and used them to enclose my compost pile. Now, the straw is pretty decayed and is going to be part of the pile to be enclosed by new bales.

good luck,
Paul

Paul, when you type bump, it brings an old thread current. I did that because I have ordered my red wigglers and needed to refresh my information. I also opened the above links which had great info. My total goal of finished product is compost tea. I am going tomorrow to get my molasses from the feed store. I am also going to try some alfalfa pellets.