How earthworms can help your soil

[Organic Sinse]

Haven’t got the Karanja or Comfy yet but I picked up some kelp at feed store and malted barley, need meal and alfalfa, plus rock dust and have been feeding to the worms and they LOVE IT ..... can’t wait to grow some comfy and score some Karanja ..... I’m also mining some near black leafs and have horse manure composting for 1 1/2 year now and adding more manure to pile soon ..... layering the compost, leaves and sprinkling mix on top of layers and then soaking some cotton flour sack towels in old compost teat and laying on the pile, the worms eat it up and they are getting much bigger than with the food scrapes and occasional compost, horse manure and leaves we were giving them, remarkable what the grains do..... I also layering soak plain cardboard between as well. I have several flow thru bins I’m using and have three varieties of worms, reds, Euro and Africans night crawlers.

I JSU started about month ago with the grains and results are very encouraging- I want super high quality castings .

View attachment 1012809

Comfrey for the win!! I have 13 or so plants. I harvest whole leaves, lay them as flat as I can and freeze them for later. They break down super fast. I like to chop them up into little pieces while they are still frozen, and top dress my no till containers. I also like to add the chopped comfrey right into a soil mix. It breaks down fast, and doesn't require 'cycling or cook time' when used this way.
Leaf mold is my favorite grow medium. It holds so much more water than peat, and still remains fluffy. It is also my go to, for bedding mixes with the worms.
Last winter I did an auto grow with leaf mold only, just to see how it would perform by itself. It was a little lean on N (lighter colored leaves), but with a couple teas, was one of the best yielding plants I have ever grown.
cheers
os

 

[MrOldBoy]

Comfrey for the win!! I have 13 or so plants. I harvest whole leaves, lay them as flat as I can and freeze them for later. They break down super fast. I like to chop them up into little pieces while they are still frozen, and top dress my no till containers. I also like to add the chopped comfrey right into a soil mix. It breaks down fast, and doesn't require 'cycling or cook time' when used this way.
Leaf mold is my favorite grow medium. It holds so much more water than peat, and still remains fluffy. It is also my go to, for bedding mixes with the worms.
Last winter I did an auto grow with leaf mold only, just to see how it would perform by itself. It was a little lean on N (lighter colored leaves), but with a couple teas, was one of the best yielding plants I have ever grown.
cheers
os

Got my Karanja and boy oh boy do the worms love it .... picked up a 44 lb. bag for $64, deal I thought.

 

[Organic Sinse]

Got my Karanja and boy oh boy do the worms love it .... picked up a 44 lb. bag for $64, deal I thought.
View attachment 1021841

I bet they come to the surface and just roll in that stuff like they do neem! Nice score for $64!
cheers
os

 

[MrOldBoy]

I bet they come to the surface and just roll in that stuff like they do neem! Nice score for $64!
cheers
os

For sure, the neem, barley, Karanja, alfalfa they like it all .... Karanja they claim will make them larger as well, and I think I’m seeing increase in size but to early to tell ..... I dusted some neem on the compost cover and the worms went up there to eat, yea they love the stuff.

 

[Organic Sinse]

For sure, the neem, barley, Karanja, alfalfa they like it all .... Karanja they claim will make them larger as well, and I think I’m seeing increase in size but to early to tell ..... I dusted some neem on the compost cover and the worms went up there to eat, yea they love the stuff.

You probably already do this, but just in case, do you give the 'toppings' a good mist of water, and then a good mist on whatever you cover the topping with (I use wet newspaper or cardboard). It seems like they work the topping even faster if they are moist. My thinking is they don't have to dive down to re-wet their skin.
I love your style MrOldBoy!
cheers
os

 

[MrOldBoy]

You probably already do this, but just in case, do you give the 'toppings' a good mist of water, and then a good mist on whatever you cover the topping with (I use wet newspaper or cardboard). It seems like they work the topping even faster if they are moist. My thinking is they don't have to dive down to re-wet their skin.
I love your style MrOldBoy!
cheers
os

Way thank ya .... I like to keep it simple, if possible, my shovel never breaks down but your back-how does, kinda thing .....

I do mist or used to, now I take a flour sack towel, and soak first, then layover the food .... I found it to be mich quicker and since it’s cotton worms eat it eventually but not before rinse / repeat ....

Cardboard, yep do that too but try the towel soaked, may surprise you .... I also will take second towel and soak, lightly wring and lay the balled up mess in the middle, water wicks down and I usually can get enough worms from the second towel to go fishing for the day .....

Did lots of outdoor gardening and then last Fall decided to try indoors and started with OF, boy oh boy I goofed that up but then discovered KIS, thru suggestion of member here, AFN and that post was a game changer for me ....

Thnaks again for all the info you’ve share, you make me smarter - Peace!

 

[Organic Sinse]

Way thank ya .... I like to keep it simple, if possible, my shovel never breaks down but your back-how does, kinda thing .....

I do mist or used to, now I take a flour sack towel, and soak first, then layover the food .... I found it to be mich quicker and since it’s cotton worms eat it eventually but not before rinse / repeat ....

Cardboard, yep do that too but try the towel soaked, may surprise you .... I also will take second towel and soak, lightly wring and lay the balled up mess in the middle, water wicks down and I usually can get enough worms from the second towel to go fishing for the day .....

Did lots of outdoor gardening and then last Fall decided to try indoors and started with OF, boy oh boy I goofed that up but then discovered KIS, thru suggestion of member here, AFN and that post was a game changer for me ....

Thnaks again for all the info you’ve share, you make me smarter - Peace!

Us old boys gotta stick together!
The sack trick is a great one. My friend does that and wets it in a 'roller tray' for painting, works easy, no spray bottle to mess with.
Can you still buy flour in real sacks? Or have you been saving them for a while? I haven't seen a fabric flour sack since I was kid. (Except when I buy 'special stone ground' flour, but that comes in real small bags).
cheers
os

 

[MrOldBoy]

I hear ya bro .... I’ll get a pic of a bin and post, oh yea they make them ..... amazon or Walmart has ... picked some up there and cheaper I think ..... we use the around house all the time so stained go to the bin .... @Organic Sinse

Amazon product ASIN B00XK69NRW

 

[Organic Sinse]

I hear ya bro .... I’ll get a pic of a bin and post, oh yea they make them ..... amazon or Walmart has ... picked some up there and cheaper I think ..... we use the around house all the time so stained go to the bin .... @Organic Sinse

Amazon product ASIN B00XK69NRW
View attachment 1023127

That's brilliant use and reuse. I love it. Gonna have to get some of those!
cheers
os

 

[MrOldBoy]

That's brilliant use and reuse. I love it. Gonna have to get some of those!
cheers
os

Don’t forget to check Walmart, wife just today picked up pack of flour sack and bar mop towels, cheaper than amazon.