Redworm Factory Setup Directions
1. Set your redworm factory where you be will useing it the most, then place the black screen on the inside bottom tray, this helps to keep the starter bedding in the bottom tray. Place your drip tray under the bottom wooden tray. Then dump the starter bedding into the bottom try with the legs and moisten untill as wet as a spounge.
2. Next add any kitchen scraps> fruits, vegetables, coffee grounds, tea bags, eggshells, and any vegetable matter and bury the wastes in the bedding then add the redworms. Then put on the lid.
3. When the bottom try is full add the next tray on top and repeat step 1. If you run out of the starter bedding you can make your own. Get some newspaper black & white sheets only no glossy inks. You can tear the sheets in about 1 inch strips, are use a paper shredder.
Worm composting is an incredibly efficient way to convert kitchen waste into nutrient-rich compost for your garden. The RedWorm Factory design allows food waste to be put into upper trays separating it from finished compost in the lower trays. Simply fill the bottom tray with red wiggler worms, bedding and food scraps. As the worms finish digesting, they will migrate upward into the tray above, leaving rich castings behind.
Where to Put It
Consider the needs of redworms and needs of the owner. Redworms need controlled temperature, controlled moisture content, controlled aeration and proper pH.
Temperature: Redworms tolerate a wide range of temperatures, however, the ideal temperature is between 55 – 77 degrees F. Bedding with a temperature above 84 degrees F. is harmful, sometimes fatal, to redworm populations. The temperature should be measured inside the box, because the temperature in the moist bedding is usually lower than the outside air. Redworms should be protected from freezing temperatures. Temperatures below 50 degrees F. slow down worm activity.
Moisture Content: Redworms need a moist environment. Worms breathe through their skin. Skin must be moist in order to breathe.
Aeration: Redworms need oxygen to live. They produce carbon dioxide. Air circulation is a must in and around a worm box.
pH level: Redworms do best if the pH is around 7.0, however, they can tolerate levels from 4.2 to 8.0 or higher. Lime (calcium carbonate) may be mixed with the bedding material to correct acidity or to maintain a more favorable pH. Pulverized edd shells also correct acidity. (Warning! Use only limestone and never hydrated lime. The wrong kind of lime will kill the worms!)
Food: Most kitchen waste or table scraps, any vegetables, grapefruits, orange rinds, apple peels, lettuce and cabbage, celery ends, spoiled food from the refrigerator, coffee grounds, tea bags, egg shells are all suitable worm meals. (Remember, no meat or dairy products belong in a worm bin.) Don’t use meat or milk products in the worm bin. Mice and rats could be attracted to the odors! Also, non-biodegradable materials don’t belong in a worm box.
Cat litter should not be used, either. The odor of cat urine is intolerable to worms, plus the ammonia in the urine could kill the worms! Cats can carry the disease Taxoplasma gondii. This can transfer to humans. For example, a pregnant woman could inhale some of the protozoan and pass the disease on to her fetus, causing birth defects.
Harvesting castings and changing bedding: After weeks of adding food wastes the bedding goes down. This is a combination of worm activity and the microorganism activities. Decomposition and composting are taking place. The color of bedding becomes darker. The favorable environment for the worms decreases. The large amounts of castings might become harmful to the worms. Castings of one worm are toxic to another worm. When to change the bedding depends on the bedding used, the quantity of the earthworms in the box, temperature and moisture conditions. Three to four months is a good guess for keeping the same bedding, if the worm boxes are correctly maintained.
Divide and dump technique: To divide the worms from the old bedding, dump the contents of the worm box on a sheet of plastic or a table. The worms will go down in the pile if you expose them to light. After a short time remove the top layer of the bedding up to the point you encounter worms. Wait a short time, and continue removing the bedding. You will end up with lots of worms in a small pile. If too many worms are left, some could be supplied for starting another box.