Question 1

What Do Worms Need To Survive And Thrive?

Accepted Answer

Basically worms need food, air, and moisture – all of which are pretty easy to provide. Once you’ve understood that your wormery is not a waste disposal machine but a living, working ecosystem you will find it provides a service as well as providing some great worm compost and liquid feed.

Question 2

Should I Rake My Wormery Compost Regularly?

Accepted Answer

Not at all. The nosy among you beware and also make your children understand this - it's not useful to disturb the compost, particularly during the initial breeding. Add the food to the top. This prevents you from disturbing the worms and disrupting their homes, they only lay eggs in specific places. You can carefully rake the compost if it appears too wet or lacking air.

Question 3

Can I Add Cardboard To My Wormery?

Accepted Answer

Cardboard is great for your worm composter (as is a sprinkling of lime mix) A ratio of 25-30% volume of cardboard or equivalent will ensure speedier worm composting. Avoid the really shiny boxes like soap powder and go for newsprint, egg boxes etc.

Question 4

How do I separate my worms from the compost?

Accepted Answer

Harvesting your compost

If you are using a tray system and are feeding at a speed the worms can cope with, then the bottom tray should be ready to harvest when the top one is really close to full (not before).

You can dump the entire tray into your compost heap or border if you like but if you want to retain every single worm take the lid off and and put the bottom tray on top of the top tray and leave open to the air. Gently remove the top layer of compost until the worms are uncovered and they will bury deeper as they move away from the light.

Repeat until there is no compost in the tray and the worms will have wiggled through to the layer below. If some worms do go out with your compost into the garden this is no problem - red worms, tiger worms, dendras and composting worms are one of the 27 species of UK native Earthworms.

Question 5

What to do if...... There’s blue and black mould in my Bokashi Bin bin.

Accepted Answer

The best way to deal with this is to throw the whole batch away. The problem is caused by one of three things:

You have added really mouldy food into your kit.
You haven’t added enough Bokashi Bran.
There is too much moisture in the bin so the liquid needs draining.

Question 6

What temperature works best for a worm composting kit?

Accepted Answer

The ideal temperature range for a worm composting kit is between 55-77°F 13-25°C (55-77°F). This temperature range allows the worms to most efficiently process the organic matter, reproduce, and thrive.

If the temperature is too low, the worms will become less active and the decomposition process will slow down. If the temperature is too high, the worms will become stressed and may die.

It's important to keep an eye on the temperature in your worm composting kit, especially during extreme weather conditions. In warm weather, you can place the worm bin in a shaded area or add a layer of insulation to help keep it cool. In cold weather, you can place the bin in a warmer area or add a heating pad or lamp to keep it warm.

It's also important to mention that the temperature can also be affected by the amount of waste in the bin, the moisture levels, and the ventilation. It's crucial to keep a balance of all these factors to keep a healthy environment for the worms.

For more help with your wormery and frequently asked questions pop on over to https://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/pages/wormery-faqs. Or if you’re keen to get started or order a wormery please visit https://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/collections/worm-composting

Question 7

What foods do worms prefer in a compost bin?

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.

Question 8

Can we leave the Subpod if we go away on holidays?

Accepted Answer

To keep the worms happy while you’re away, buy a pumpkin (or use one that is starting to rot), cut it in half and lay the open sides face down on the top of the bedding of the Subpod.

Then add a generous layer of dry carbon, either shredded newspaper, coir (coconut husk), wood shavings, crushed dried leaves or dried (brown) grass clippings on top of the pumpkin, and place the worm blankets over everything.

Question 9

How much do I need to dilute my Bokashi Liquid?

Accepted Answer

The recommended dilution ratio for bokashi liquid is 1 part bokashi liquid to 100 parts water. This means that for every unit of bokashi liquid, you should add 100 units of water. For instance, if you have 1 cup of bokashi liquid, you would dilute it with 100 cups of water. This dilution ratio ensures that the nutrients and beneficial microorganisms present in the bokashi liquid are delivered in a manageable concentration for plants, preventing any potential harm from over-fertilisation or acidity.

Question 10

Does Subpod attract pests and rodents?

Accepted Answer

No it shouldn’t. Subpod’s built-in ventilation panels have small holes that keep out bugs, pests and rodents, whilst allowing air to flow in. Just make sure the ‘worm holes’ in the sides of the Subpod are covered with soil so nothing can sneak in.

Some pests are attracted to the smell of rotting food. By keeping a healthy Subpod, your food won't rot, it will instead be composted by your worms and microbes.

Keep your food scraps in a sealed container/caddy to make sure bugs don’t lay eggs in your waste before you transfer it to the Subpod.