Fermentation

Greetings All, In early Sept i added about 3/4 cup of old raisens and in about 1-2 weeks the worms were climbing the sides and there was a fermentation like smell. Then a moderate population of fruit fles were present for about another 2 weeks. Now the fermentation smell is gone and the worms look like their really getting back to work again. I keep them in a plastic bin in the garage with temps in the 50-60's. I'm not a biologist or chemist but whatever happened seems to have metabolized and things look OK again.

rs

robslatt4567, not sure if there is a question in your thread, but I have several if you are looking for some answers: How large is your plastic bin, what is your media, how wet was your media after adding the raisins, and did you grind them up with some water before adding to the bin???

On occasion I get my media a little too moist and get that same fermentation smell. Could be a lack of oxygen that drives the worms to the top when this happens. What I do is add fresh media, about 10% by volume and mix it in thoroughly. I use presoaked peat moss and wring out the excess water with a nylon fish net. Once the new media is introduce to the bin it acts like a sponge and absorbs the excess mositure. I don't believe the fermentation process in itself is a bad thing in your worm bin. I use a blender to emulsify the various peelings I feed my worms. I now have an excess of scraps after harvesting my garden. I have been experimenting with fermenting these emulsion scraps in a plastic bucket with lid. I am careful about how much of this food I add to my four bins so as not to get them too moist, but it does happen from time to time and the above remedy works well for me. Another indicator of poor conditions in you bin is when worms build up in the corners of the bin. Keep in mind these critters are tough and can withstand a variety of poor conditions, however the trick is to keep them happy and they will last for years. My culture came from a leaf pile over 40 years ago!

m

Wow, Your really getting your moneys worth after 40 years! For bedding i have been using moist cardboard torn into little squares. I have a plastic tote type bin and i should put air holes into it but have not so far. The fermentation smell and the fruit flies are gone now and the worms are working in the bedding again. my garage temp has been around 50-60 degrees this week. i got these worms in Aug 08. i read "worms eat my garbage" and i'm not following the rules to the letter. i think they like the moist cardboard. and they survived some anerobic conditions last spring but they also have produced some pretty decent compost that my house plants are using.

rs

robslatt4567, looks like you are learning. There are lots of ways to raise red wigglers and not many ways you can go wrong. Even though I have been at this for some time, I still find new things to try and watching these DG vermicomposting threads has been helpful. Some ideas work and some don’t. However, red wigglers are most forgiving.

My attached garage maintains about a 50 F temperature even on the coldest days, however I do use old carpets under my four indoor bins to protect against temperature loss from the cold concrete floor.

As to drilling breather holes into your plastic bin I am not sure this is a good idea. Even under the best of conditions some worms will wander and the holes probably won’t make that much difference as far as eliminating the occasional anaerobic conditions. You may read in some old threads that worms don’t like to be disturbed, but I regularly mix the top 2/3’s of my bins when feeding and it doesn’t seem to bother the culture. And several times each year I completely turn the entire contents of the bins. Usually I do this early in the spring when I transfer worms to my three outdoor horse manure compost bins and again in the fall.

m

50 degrees in Helena is very good. i knew there was a reason i didn't drill some 1/2 inch air holes -now i know what it was! the top does not seal air tight, -its pretty loose fittting.
when i looked in there this morning, all looks well. clumps of worms on top and no anerobic smell. fruit flies gone. so they're catching up with everything i put in there.

with temps cooling off...the worms will slow down.

Yes i do mix like you say.

i need to learn how much is proper fertilizer amount. i have been putting plants in almost 100 percent worm compost. -although the compost might not have been totally finished.
ie recognizable egg shells. i fill up the whole planter. not good economy with the worm casts.

robslatt4567, I never use more than a third of the spent worm media for potting up, but I typically use more with my germination mixes, maybe half. I have used a hundred precent spent media which I collect off the top of the bins at each feeding. I don't have enough to go 100%, so I 'dilute' the mixes. For germination I use about 50% new peat moss which has been soaked overnight in hot water; excess moisture run out with an aquarium net; and grated through a 1/4-inch wire screen (last step is optional). For my potting up mixes I go about 1/3rd each of spent worm media, peat moss (prepared the same as my germination mix), and finely grated, well aged, horse manure compost. I collect about 30 gallons of spent worm media each year, so I am somewhat limited on its use. For larger pottings of tomatoes and peppers I add a good amount of garden soil to the 2.5 gallon pots. Probably more than the mix itself. I don't quantify my mix, I just toss everything into a wheel barrel and start turning. When it looks about right to me I start potting up.

As for the egg shells, mine are never completely broken down either, but I don't see any problem with that at all. Doesn't necessarily mean your compost is not finished. And even if it's not, so what. I get hundreds of tomato seedlings in my worm bins every time I toss a rotten tomato in the feed emulsion. That's a pretty sure sigh that the spent media is suitable for germination mixes or potting up mixes.