Question 1

What’s the difference between worm leachate and worm tea?

Accepted Answer

We often refer to the liquid that you get out of your worm composter as worm tea but technically it’s leachate – the run off from making your worm casts. Obviously it will have drained through the casts so it’s a great product but technically it’s a bit different to actual worm tea which is made from suspending the worm casts in highly oxygenated water (like when brewing tea.
Definitions
Worm Leachate - The liquid run off (or seepage) that settles in or below the vermicompost or worm castings. Check for accumulated leachate in your vermicomposter frequently (when you feed, or weekly).

Worm tea - The end result of suspending worm castings in highly oxygenated water (brewing).

Every wormery has good and bad microbes. This is ok of course, as long as the good ones outnumber bad. Leachate is made when the excess water seeps down through the worm composter into the collection area. The leachate should be drained regularly and if you are getting more than a few cupfuls a week, the composter is probably too wet!
Leachate can have real value as a liquid fertiliser – just make sure you dilute is 1 part liquid to 10 parts water
Worm Tea
Worm compost tea is known mostly for its ability to boost microbiological activity in soil by adding bacteria, fungi, and protozoa to the soil. You can make it by either soaking a porous bag full of worm castings in water or simply popping your finished castings into a container of clean chemical free water. Add Molasses (a food source) to the water as a catalyst to stimulate growth of the microbes. Then last, an add air by an air pumping system to increase an aerobic (oxygenated) environment for the inoculation of the microorganisms
Worm tea is beneficial in so many ways. The microbes delivered in worm tea help plants by out-competing anaerobic and other pathogenic organisms and by occupying infection sites on plants' root and leaf surfaces
The purpose behind creating worm tea is to speed up the growth rate of microbes such as bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes, and to multiply their numbers exponentially. One reason for applying the tea to your plants is that it is absorbed more rapidly by the plant than castings, which are released over time.

Not only are you feeding the plant, but you increase the number of beneficial microbes in the soil, thus crowding out the bad. It has been proven that the tea, along with the castings, can significantly increase plant growth, as well as crop yields, in the short term (a season) and especially the long term over a period of seasons
Along with these great benefits come a boost in the plant’s own immune system to be able to resist parasites.

Question 2

Where do I put my wormery? Indoors or outdoors? Which temperatures are optimum for my worms?

Accepted Answer

Composting with worms operates year-around. You can place your wormery either **indoors** or **outdoors**. It is important to always ensure that the earthworms have an **optimal temperature of approximately 20 C/ 68 F as well as a correct level of moisture** in the substrate.

During winter you shouldn't leave your wormery without insulation, so it doesn't freeze through. In the summer it shouldn't be exposed to direct sunlight, to prevent water evaporation and overheating. **The temperature in your wormery should not drop below 5 C or exceed 25 C.**

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Question 3

I Have Some Tiny, White Worms In My Bin, Are They Babies Or A Problem?

Accepted Answer

They are not baby composting worms as these are the same colour as the worms, only smaller. Instead, they are a harmless parasite called entrachyadid. Most worm composting systems have them.

However,they are more able to withstand wet and acid conditions than your standard Wigglers so, if they seem to be growing in numbers, check that the bin is not waterlogged and mix in a little Lime Mix to increase the pH. They can often be lured onto a piece of moist bread for easy removal.

They make a great treat for your garden birds!

Question 4

What should I do about mites in my worm bin?

Accepted Answer

There are a few types of mite that love a worm composting kit and this is all normal and part of the ecosystem. However, as with most things if they start to take over the kit this can become a problem. There are two main types – a reddish brown mite and a white shiny round mite. Both are tiny and if numbers become huge they eat the food and your worms will tend to burrow deeper into the kit and this in turn stops the worms from reproducing as effectively.

If you have a problem with a population of mites which seems to have gone mad the things to look at in your Urbalive or Worm Composter are:

Could it be too wet? Feeding lots of really watery waste (cucumbers melons etc) can cause this or is there a lot of water getting in (wormeries usually let some water in and this is fine but some shelter is very useful. The wormery needs to be damp but not soaking wet.
Poor  drainage. If you have made your own composter ensure that there are adequate drainage holes at the bottom of your housing.
Getting the balance back in your wormery:

Leave the lid off on dry days or undercover and expose the kit to the sun where possible to help dry it up.
Cut back on the food waste
Add extra shredded paper, cardboard or coir bedding to absorb extra moisture.
Add a good sprinkling of lime mix.
Ensure the liquid is drained from the sump.
Popping a piece of damp bread in your kit attracts the mites and then you can pop this out onto the birdfeeder the next day.
Adding some DE Powder or Rock Dust will help when dealing with an excess of mites.

Once conditions are back to a good balance for your worms then of course they will be less favourable for the production of the mites so normal worm service will be resumed.

Question 5

What should and shouldn't I put into my wormery?

Accepted Answer

Your wormery composter is particularly suitable for peelings and leftovers of fruit and vegetables, such as potato peels, apple cores, green tops of vegetables, etc. Don't forget tea-bags, as worms often reproduce in them. Just be careful not to put in the plastic types (usually in pyramid shape sold with more expensive teas). Coffee grounds and paper coffee filters are also suitable. So are left overs of cooked vegetables, crushed egg shells, paper napkins, dampened cardboard, dry baked goods and remainders of indoor and outdoor plants. Do not put intensely spicy foods into your wormery, such as ginger or an excessive amount of citruses, as well as milk products, meat products, bones, oils, lard and other fats.

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Question 6

What Is The Average Life Expectancy Of Composting Worms?

Accepted Answer

Without predators to chomp them in the wormery worms will live for upwards of three years! Compare that to most creatures of their size and you can start to understand why Mr Charles Darwin found them so fascinating! PS Worms show no visible signs of aging either, I understand they have done trials in face creams!

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Question 7

How To Look After My Worms

Accepted Answer

Worms need nurturing just like all of us. There are a few basic requirements that will ensure they eat and breed and therefore make compost for you. 1: They need food. As with most of us worms like a varied diet, lots of different foods are great for worms and a few of their favourites are veggie waste, coffee ground and banana skins. They aren’t too fussy but it the waste is too wet there tends to be a lack of air. 2: They need moisture. This is usually not worth thinking about as most of your kitchen waste is actually water so unless you live in Alice Springs you have no need to concern yourself about adding water. Do keep your moisture mat or similar on top of the freshest waste as this helps to maintain moisture and soak up excess. 3: Air – Your worm bin isn’t airtight so as long as the waste doesn’t get too wet there will be air circulating. If there is any doubt every now and again it’s worth adding a layer of shredded cardboard which really helps airflow. 4: A neutral pH level… Most waste is acidic and if there is too much acidity this can affect your worms. You can tell if there is a problem if the kit smells or there are flies attracted to it. Adding a handful of the lime mix that came with your kit will sort this out and adding crushed eggshells will also help the balance. Worm kits are pretty simple – as long as the conditions are beneficial to your worms they will stay and compost for you. Remember your worm composting kit isn’t a waste disposal machine, it’s a complete ecosystem that turns kitchen waste into the best compost and liquid feed in the World! Watch this short video on how to look after your worms. *TIP: Click on the YouTube icon in the video to watch full screen*

Question 8

I'm looking for extra spare trays for my Can-O-Worms - do you have some?

Accepted Answer

I’m sorry we stopped stocking Can-O-Worms in 2013 so have sold out several of spare trays (although we still stock moisture mats, lime mix, worm treat and complete rescue kits. The best way to source hardware parts including trays is usually ebay or gumtree.

Question 9

Monthly Competition

Accepted Answer

Enter our monthly competition below 
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Question 10

How does DE Powder (Diatomaceous Earth) work?

Accepted Answer

https://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/products/diatomaceous-earth?_pos=1&_sid=fdc3360f1&_ss=r

It works by absorption of oils, waxes and lipids on the coat of insects, to which it is applied, whereby they lose water and of dehydration. It is harmless to earthworms as they do not have a chitinous waxy coat. It could dehydrate other useful insects though, if applied in large enough dry quantities in the garden, but mixed into compost /soil or growing media which then gets watered frequently, in the quantities recommended does not pose a problem.

Our product labels comply with recent legislation and do not claim to control insects the DE CLEAN & DRY product is a Dessicant, Absorbent and Deodoriser.
In fact in the soil or compost certain diatomaceous earth with high plant available silica, has many benefits for plant growth- Proven in trials we have done here in Wales, with our Diature product 'SimplyGrow'. Other companies have done large field trials in Australia and India with a similar diatomaceous earth which has to have specific high plant available silica(PAS). Not all DE (diatomaceous earths) have this high PAS.
Benefits:
Faster seed germination, improved mineral uptake and hence flavour, more viable pollen and improved flower/fruit set, stronger stems and leaves, Improved yield and more efficient use of applied fertiliser, stimulates plant self defence aginst fungal and insect attack, holds and releases water as needed. suitable for organic compost soils and growing media. Proven results from seed to harvest. (This is mostly due to the physical properties, cation exchange and very high surface area of the DE).

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