Vermiculture CFSA Conference 2016
Rhonda Sherman Horticultural Science Department Vermiculture • Raising earthworms for resale • Focus: ideal conditions for worm growth, reproduction, and health • Usually purchase and haul feedstock or pay for feedstock to be delivered • Make money from sales of earthworms • Sometimes sell vermicompost • Some sell related products: shipping boxes, worm bins, harvesters, soil mixes, books, videos Vermicomposting • Earthworms and microorganisms convert organic debris into vermicompost • Focus: processing waste (not increasing reproduction) • Earthworm size and reproductive rates often lower than in vermiculture systems • Large vermicomposting facility income – tipping fees for waste materials – vermicompost sales – sales of earthworms Vermicomposting Definition
Vermicomposting is a process that relies on earthworms and microorganisms to help stabilize active organic materials and convert them to a valuable soil amendment and source of plant nutrients.
Not!
Vermicomposting is Not Composting
Vermicompost is Not Compost
Vermicompost Tea is Not liquid from worm bin Vermicomposting is Not Composting
• 30 days • 6 – 9 months
• Ambient temperature • Pile must heat up
• Passive aeration • Must aerate or turn pile
– No turning!
Vermicompost is Not Compost
• Has passed through worms • Microbes broke it down
• Contains multitude of microbes • Microbe species and due to stable ambient temp. quantities changed by heat
• Sells for $400-$1800 cubic yard • Sells for $0-$35 cubic yard Vermicompost Tea…NOT!
• LEACHATE: dark liquid that leaks out of bin • Passed through undigested, anaerobic areas of worm bin • May contain pathogens & anaerobic microbes harmful to people, animals, or plants • Could have sulfides, acids, or high salts • Not recommended for indoor or sensitive plants • Do not use on food crops More “Nots”
• “I use red worms not earthworms.”
• “We sell 100% pure castings.”
• “Some landfill diversion sites are using thousands of pounds of worms to convert tons of waste into vermicompost.”
Earthworm Basics
• Cold-blooded animal
• Hermaphroditic
• No lungs: breathes through skin
• Dies if skin dries out
• Light causes paralysis in ~1 hour
Aren’t All Earthworms Alike?
• ~9,000 species of earthworms
• Half-inch to 22 feet long
Three Earthworm Ecological Groups
Anecic Live in soil (vertical burrows) Eat soil & litter
Endogeic Live in soil (horizontal burrows) Eat soil
Epigeic Live in litter (no burrows) Eat litter Use Eisenia fetida for Vermicomposting
• Adapts well to living in a bin
• Tolerates wide range of environmental conditions
• Won’t invade the natural environment They Make More Worms • Cocoon laid 2 days after copulation • Incubation period 18 – 26 days • ~3 hatchlings • Sexually mature in 21 – 30 days • Life expectancy 4.5 – 5 years Conditions for Vermicomposting
• Temperature: 59 - 77F (limits 32 – 95F)
• Moisture: 80% (limits 60 - 90%)
• Oxygen requirement: Aerobic
• pH: 7 (limits >5 and <9)
• Ammonia and Salt: Low What Will Your Worms Eat?
– Kitchen scraps, plate scrapings – Coffee grounds – Livestock manure – Agricultural crop residues – Leaves – Paper, cardboard – Organic byproducts from industries
Actually, They Eat…
…microorganisms and tiny organic particles Vermicomposting Process
• Earthworms ingest microbes • Some are digested, others pass through gut unharmed • E. fetida has indigenous microflora in gut that contributes to microbial community in castings • Grinding action of gizzard promotes microbial activity in wastes as pass through gut • Mucus from intestinal tract covers castings – Provides carbon source for soil microbes – Leads to flush of microbial activity in fresh casts
Who is Vermicomposting? • Farms • Households • Prisons • Hospitals • Universities & colleges • Office buildings • Schools & daycare • Military bases • Entrepreneurs • Community gardens
Vermicomposting Basics
• Start with ~6 inches (15.24cm) bedding
• Add composting earthworms
• 1-lb (.45 kg) per sq ft (929 sq cm)
• Apply 1 inch (2.5 cm) layer of feedstock
• Wait until feedstock is eaten before adding more
• Cover food scraps with shredded paper, cardboard, cloth, plastic, tarp, etc.
How to Vermicompost
• Build or buy a bin
• Prepare bedding
• Add earthworms
• Bury food scraps
• Harvest and use vermicompost
Space Needed
• Collect/store feedstock
• Worm bins up to 8-ft (2.44-m) wide
• Length: depends on your limits
• Area to chop/grind food
• Place to pre-compost?
Utility Needs • Water – Keep worm beds moist (see next)
• Electricity – Fans and heating systems – Lights to discourage worms from leaving bins
Factors in Choosing Systems
• Available on-site area • Quantity of feedstocks • Funding available • Existing buildings • Labor needs & availability • Climate • Predators • State composting regulations • Local zoning and health rules Wooden or Plastic Bin with Lid
Bedding for Household Bins
• Newspapers
• Office paper
• Dried leaves
• Cardboard
• Coir (coconut fiber)
• Compost Bedding helps keep bin moist,
dark, and discourages fruit flies
Pre-Moisten Bedding
• Soak 10 minutes in water
• Wring out like sponge
• Fill bin half way
• Add more as it disappears
• Spritz with plant mister
Bedding for Larger Scale
• Stable compost not high in soluble salts • Aged horse manure • Aged leaf mold or shredded brown leaves • Shredded paper, cardboard • Coconut coir
Add Eisenia fetida
• Start with 1 pound (~1,000)
• 1 pound worms to 1 square foot surface of bin
• Eat 25-35% of body weight daily
• Do not get from yard or bait shop
– Would need 33 - 40 bait cups
• Buy from a worm grower
• Prices vary widely ($22 - $50 lb)
Gently Add Worms Add Food Scraps to Small Bin
• Use 3-prong garden tool • Pull back bedding • Put in food • Cover w/ bedding • Do not bury food in vermicompost • Wait until food is gone Cover well to prevent before adding more fruit flies and odor Feeding Worms: Larger Scale
• Overfeeding is common problem • Add more after last feeding consumed • Nitrogen and mineral content (protein and food value) varies for different feedstocks – Fruit/veggies, manures, grains – VC will differ (effects on plant growth and use rates) • Do not cover top of bed with food; leave room on sides Larger Scale Feedstock Issues
• Particle size • Homogeneity • Pathogens • De-worming medicine • Persistent herbicides • Heating up • Pre-composting
Pre-Composting • Reduce volume • Destroy pathogens • Kill seeds If gets hot enough! • Reduce heat in feedstock
Courtesy: Patrick McNelly Persistent Herbicide Effects on Plants
• Stunted growth (main growth tip stops Herbicide Carryover in Hay, Manure, growing and lateral buds begin to grow) Compost, and Grass • Reduced fruit set Clippings: Caution to Hay Producers, • Cupping of leaves Livestock Owners, Farmers and Home • Failure of secondary leaves to grow after Gardeners (Jeanine seed leaves emerge Davis, Katie Jennings) http://content.ces.nc • In legumes, compound leaves stay single su.edu/herbicide- carryover Healthy Worm Bin Traits
• Bin smells earthy like forest • Few earthworms are on sides, lid of bin • Bedding is fluffy (has air spaces) • Contents of bin damp not soggy • Earthworms have moist, glistening skin • Small quantities of other critters in bin • Vermicompost accumulating on bottom
Be Safe!
• Protect yourself and others • Pathogens (e.coli, salmonella, etc.) • Wash hands after handling feedstocks, worms, products • Watch for snakes, things that bite or sting • Mold allergies • Products may contain pathogens, plant diseases, herbicide residues, etc.
Harvesting Vermicompost: Small Scale Harvest Vermicompost Method #1: Light Separation Harvesting Vermicompost Method #2: Sideways Separation Harvesting Vermicompost Method #3: Vertical Separation Harvesting Vermicompost: Larger Scale Harvesting Vermicompost: Larger Scale Method #1
• Remove top 4 inches of worm bed – Use a pitchfork – Most worms will be in this layer • Set on top of new bed • Use shovel to remove VC from bed • Draw remaining worms out of VC by laying screen or mesh cloth on top with food on it
Harvesting Vermicompost Method #2: Sideways Separation • Start new bed next to working worm bed • Apply food to entice worms to move to new bed • Only feed new bed • After a few weeks, most of the worms should be in the new bed
Harvesting Vermicompost Method #3: Vertical Separation
• Set tray on top of working worm bed • Tray has screen on bottom or holes that worms can move through • Only feed top tray, ignore bottom tray • Eventually most worms will move up into new tray
Harvesting Vermicompost Method #4: Continuous-flow System Harvesting Vermicompost Method #5: Trommel Screen
• Remove top 4-6 inches of worm pile with pitchfork • Pitch into rotary trommel screener • Vermicompost comes out through 1/2-inch or ¼ inch screen, worms come out of end • Use shovel for rest of pile
What Vermicompost Does For Soil
• Improves soil structure
• Increases moisture infiltration
• Improves & stabilizes soil pH
• Increases moisture-holding capacity Courtesy of Tom Herlihy
VC Effects on Plant Growth, Disease & Pest Suppression • Increased rates of germination, growth, flowering and fruiting
• Improved root development and stress tolerance
• Decreased transplant shock
• Increased plant vitality and flavor profile
• Decreased attacks by plant pathogens, parasitic nematodes, and insect pests Turnips Grown w/ 0%, 10%, 20% Swine Manure Vermicompost Pythium Suppression
4.0 Control Sterilized VC Unsterilized VC a 3.5 ab b b 3.0
2.5
2.0 c 1.5 c c
1.0 Disease SuppressionDiseaseRating SMM SMM + SMM + SMM + SMM + SMM + SMM + 10% 20% 40% 10% 20% 40% SVC SVC SVC VC VC VC
Pythium symptom suppression in cucumber seedlings planted in a soil-less medium (MM360) substituted with vermicompost, inoculated with Pythium (mean ± SE). SMM is sterilized MM360, VC is vermicompost and SVC is sterilized vermicompost. Plants received all needed nutrients. Courtesy of Dr. Norman Arancon Effects of Vermicomposts on Mealy Bug Infestations on Peppers
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10 Number of mealy bugs per plant per bugs mealy of Number
0 0 20 40 Percentage Vermicompost
100 80 60 Percentage MM360
Courtesy of Dr. Norman Arancon Storing Vermicompost
• Dark, warm place
• Inside bag or bin with lid
• Aerated yet retains moisture – Tiny pinprick holes
More Information
• Worms Can Recycle Your Garbage
• Raising Earthworms Successfully
• Vermiculture Technology: Earthworms, Organic Wastes, and Environmental Management NCSU Compost Learning Lab (CL2) NC State 18th Vermiculture Conference - 2017
– Benefits & uses of vermicompost – Vermicomposting technologies – Vermicompost research studies – Marketing products – Testing vermicompost, soil and feedstocks – Brewing and using vermicompost tea
https://composting.ces.ncsu.edu/vermiculture-conference/
Slide Set Created By:
Rhonda Sherman Horticultural Science Department North Carolina State University E-mail: [email protected] https://composting.ces.ncsu.edu/
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