Question 1

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.

Question 2

What to do if there’s white mould growing in my bokashi bin?

Accepted Answer

This is good news. The white mould is actually a fungi and shows that the food waste is fermenting rather than putrefying. Fermentation is precisely what you want in your bokashi bucket. So, if you see white mould on your bokashi food waste, you can be confident that all is well in your bokashi bucket.

Question 3

What to do if my Bokashi Liquid smells?

Accepted Answer

This liquid is a very potent fertiliser or drain cleaner and it can have a really strong smell so the best way to avoid this is to drain it regularly and use it. Pour bokashi tea directly into toilets, sinks and drain to disinfect these areas. To use as a fertiliser dilute 2 teaspoons of Bokashi tea with 1.5 Litres of water, apply it to the soil of your plants once a week, avoid touching the leaves as it could cause burning.

Question 4

Which worms are best for composting?

Accepted Answer

Our composting worms are mixture of species (mainly reds and dendras) selected for their composting ability. Available with or without bedding. These types of worms are productive at consuming organic leftovers. Common garden earthworms don't perform as well in the same conditions.

Question 5

Why am I not getting any worm juice?

Accepted Answer

Usually a lack of worm juice is one thing… You are not adding enough waste into your wormery. After all 96% of vegetable waste is water and so if you are adding waste there will be liquid draining. It’s not good to add a glut of waste at once for your worms – they need regular feeding so adding waste every couple of days will work best for your worm and your liquid feed production.

Question 6

What Happens If I Cut A Worm In Half - Does It End Up As Two?

Accepted Answer

If you cut a worm in half you do not end up with two surviving worms – but the section with the head and the saddle back (the fatter pink part) will survive and actually grow another tail!

Question 7

What to do if there are maggots or insects in my Bokashi Bin.

Accepted Answer

Obviously these must have entered on your food waste in some form so the first step is to add your food waste more regularly to avoid this issue. If they are there the best option is to bury the whole lot in your soil and restart.

Question 8

My worm bin has fruit flies - what should I do?

Accepted Answer

Composting is indeed a complete ecosystem but flies don’t need to be tolerated.

The best product for dealing with them is our DE powder

or to sort it inhouse

Make your own fly trap. This can be as simple as setting a little jar containing a mixture of red wine vinegar and dish soap on your counter. Within a day or two, you will start to notice a collection of dead little flies floating on top. If you’d like to try other trap methods, consider making a paper funnel that will invite fruit flies down into the vinegar but make it nearly impossible to fly back out.

Question 9

How do I harvest my worm compost without the worms?

Accepted Answer

There are a few methods to harvest worm compost without the worms:

The "bottom tray" method: This method involves removing the bottom tray of the wormery and placing it on top of the top tray and removing the lid. This will allow the worms to migrate downwards. The compost in the bottom tray can then be harvested without disturbing the worms.
The "windrow" method: This method involves creating a "windrow" (a long, narrow pile) of the worm compost on top of a piece of plastic sheeting. The worms will migrate to one end of the windrow, leaving the compost at the other end ready for harvest.
The "casting" method: This method involves allowing the worms to work the compost for a longer period of time, until the castings (the worm manure) have dropped to the bottom of the tray, where they can be harvested without worms.
The "screen" method: This method involves using a screen or sifter to separate the compost from the worms. The worms are placed in a new container with fresh bedding and food scraps, while the compost can be collected and used.

Question 10

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!