Mephisto Genetics Simoigets SIP grow ..all time favorites of the mephisto variety

[simoiget]

Do you have a picture? I am just trying to visualize the trays..obviously they are perforated on the bottom?

Where did you source them? Sounds like a great system

I just use a tote and use the "pile" method to harvest castings, meaning a make a pile and hang a light over top..I wait for the worms to dive down and then scrape off the top layer and repeat untill I am left with a big mass of worms

I really like your bedding recipie and the mixing in of the amendments with the castings as well as the rock dust and manure with the leaf mould

Great stuff as always @Organic Sinse

 

[WildBill]

Do you have a picture? I am just trying to visualize the trays..obviously they are perforated on the bottom?

Where did you source them? Sounds like a great system

I just use a tote and use the "pile" method to harvest castings, meaning a make a pile and hang a light over top..I wait for the worms to dive down and then scrape off the top layer and repeat untill I am left with a big mass of worms

I really like your bedding recipie and the mixing in of the amendments with the castings as well as the rock dust and manure with the leaf mould

Great stuff as always @Organic Sinse

Worm Factory 360 – Worm Composting Headquarters

www.wormcompostinghq.com

 

[Organic Sinse]

Do you have a picture? I am just trying to visualize the trays..obviously they are perforated on the bottom?

Where did you source them? Sounds like a great system

I just use a tote and use the "pile" method to harvest castings, meaning a make a pile and hang a light over top..I wait for the worms to dive down and then scrape off the top layer and repeat untill I am left with a big mass of worms

I really like your bedding recipie and the mixing in of the amendments with the castings as well as the rock dust and manure with the leaf mould

Great stuff as always @Organic Sinse

My worm bedding recipe is almost identical to my soil mix. Basically all the same stuff, it only makes sense too me. Plus I don’t need anything special for the worms.
In order to get and keep the soil life banging, you need to have great fungal life. That’s where using bark nuggets comes into play. It’s also a long term carbon source, which is often overlooked. The other thing that’s nice about having a decent amount of bark in the mix is this. When you top dress my mix of vermicompost and water it in. The castings quickly work their way down into the soil, leaving a nice layer of bark nuggets on top as mulch. In other words it’s a self mulching top dress. Subsequent top dresses just go over the top and the process continues leaving a thicker mulch every time. The bark being partially broken down in the bins, and fully inoculated makes the best mulch.
Another thing I do out of need, due to long winters, is fill totes with either leafmold or compost, and bring them inside before winter to serve as food stocks for building bedding till spring. My piles outside turn to frozen bricks in October. In these totes I often add some extras that are nice to have but not needed. I like to add fish meal or soybean meal, or alfalfa meal to these. The native worms that hitch a ride in these totes start working the bedding ingredients before I even make a bedding mix. It’s pretty slick.
I have run a lot of tote bins over the years. They work good but it’s more challenging to get consistent finished product. Often the bottom will be either over or under worked depending on which type of worms are used. I will pass on this trick for running totes. Start with 4” of bedding. At a month or whatever interval, add two more inches of bedding mix. And so on. It makes way better more uniform castings-top to bottom than just filling a tote pretty full, and burying food on a regular schedule.
cheers
os

 

[WildBill]

My worm bedding recipe is almost identical to my soil mix. Basically all the same stuff, it only makes sense too me. Plus I don’t need anything special for the worms.
In order to get and keep the soil life banging, you need to have great fungal life. That’s where using bark nuggets comes into play. It’s also a long term carbon source, which is often overlooked. The other thing that’s nice about having a decent amount of bark in the mix is this. When you top dress my mix of vermicompost and water it in. The castings quickly work their way down into the soil, leaving a nice layer of bark nuggets on top as mulch. In other words it’s a self mulching top dress. Subsequent top dresses just go over the top and the process continues leaving a thicker mulch every time. The bark being partially broken down in the bins, and fully inoculated makes the best mulch.
Another thing I do out of need, due to long winters, is fill totes with either leafmold or compost, and bring them inside before winter to serve as food stocks for building bedding till spring. My piles outside turn to frozen bricks in October. In these totes I often add some extras that are nice to have but not needed. I like to add fish meal or soybean meal, or alfalfa meal to these. The native worms that hitch a ride in these totes start working the bedding ingredients before I even make a bedding mix. It’s pretty slick.
I have run a lot of tote bins over the years. They work good but it’s more challenging to get consistent finished product. Often the bottom will be either over or under worked depending on which type of worms are used. I will pass on this trick for running totes. Start with 4” of bedding. At a month or whatever interval, add two more inches of bedding mix. And so on. It makes way better more uniform castings-top to bottom than just filling a tote pretty full, and burying food on a regular schedule.
cheers
os

I really like that addition and way of thinking.

edit.............what is your starting size of the material you first put in your worm bin?

 

[Organic Sinse]

My recipe makes about 4 gallons. A tray takes about 5 to fill.
I can talk about worms all day! Anybody out there, feel free to ask me any worm/ vermicompost questions ya got. Mr. Old Boy was about the only one I ever chatted up worms with over here. Now that he’s passed on, the worm talk is pretty few and far between.
cheers
os

 

[WildBill]

My recipe makes about 4 gallons. A tray takes about 5 to fill.
I can talk about worms all day! Anybody out there, feel free to ask me any worm/ vermicompost questions ya got. Mr. Old Boy was about the only one I ever chatted up worms with over here. Now that he’s passed on, the worm talk is pretty few and far between.
cheers
os

I didn't make myself clear. What is the size of the pine bark chunks you add to your mix. I have quite a few pine trees.

 

[Organic Sinse]

I didn't make myself clear. What is the size of the pine bark chunks you add to your mix. I have quite a few pine trees.

The small size all passes easily through a 1/2” screen. I get 2 cu ft bags for under $10 at Lowe’s. I would use the “fines” size which is way smaller, but it’s usually not available way up here.
cheers
os

 

[WildBill]

The small size all passes easily through a 1/2” screen. I get 2 cu ft bags for under $10 at Lowe’s. I would use the “fines” size which is way smaller, but it’s usually not available way up here.
cheers
os

I kinda like the 1/2 screen size. Fer $10 a bag, I think I'll get that for most of my pine bark. I'm still gonna use some of my own for local flora and fauna.
Found some nice fluffy white fuzzy mold in the pine needles. Put in my problem tote from my Earthboxes.material.

 

[Organic Sinse]

I kinda like the 1/2 screen size. Fer $10 a bag, I think I'll get that for most of my pine bark. I'm still gonna use some of my own for local flora and fauna.
Found some nice fluffy white fuzzy mold in the pine needles. Put in my problem tote from my Earthboxes.material.

Your local stuff will probably be in big pieces. Save that stuff for mulching in the yard and garden. It looks great and works great...and it’s free.
cheers
os

 

[simoiget]

Your local stuff will probably be in big pieces. Save that stuff for mulching in the yard and garden. It looks great and works great...and it’s free.
cheers
os

any reason for pine specifically? I wonder if the species of tree the bark comes from is important?

I have heard reference to certain tree bark having anti-fungal properties, or anti bacterial? but I don't have anything evidence based for that and I may in fact be out to lunch