Red Wigglers And How To Get Started –
We recently gave a few tips on how to get started after you get your live red wigglers in the mail, on our other “blogging/update” site here. In case you were wondering ficarro.org is not only where we sometimes post helpful answers to common visitor questions, but also where we give updates we feel you should know about Ficarro Farms. We constantly are adding new articles on how to worm farm, vermicompost, and garden properly so make sure to check back regularly, whether here, or on any platform.
Our “Worm” guides, work for Red Wiggler worms, European Nightcrawlers, and even African Nightcrawlers, although each has slightly different needs, these guides are generally acceptable for all 3, although meant for Red Wigglers when written.
A Shorter TLDR guide –
Once you order your worms, it’s best to have a home ready for them as soon as delivered so prepare using this guide beforehand.
1. Start off with a bin of any size, keep in mind the size chosen will be your colonies main limiter. A large bin means big, fat, and healthy worms – and allows ample space for a huge colony.
2. Choose a bedding to provide and fill it halfway, we mainly use shredded recycled paper giving us privacy and healthy worms. But coco coir, peat moss, and many other products can be used for your worm’s new bedding. Remember to leave space for future scraps and worm food.
3. Moisten their new bedding, make sure it’s damp but not soaking, remember red wigglers can and will drown.
4. Add your red wigglers and let them acclimate for a few days, make sure their bin isn’t in direct sunlight and that they have suitable temperatures. After a few days have gone by you shouldn’t see any worms on the top layer, and you can now add food scrapes as food. Don’t overfeed them as it will attract flies and other undesirable critters.
5. Enjoy your new worm farm! Worm farming is necessary for a healthy organic garden or yard. Use their worm poop (worm castings) as fertilizer on your plants and to add beneficial microbes to the soil, you can also use the juice provided by them for the same benefits. Worm farming is easy, and most of the time they can be ignored, as long as they have moist bedding available as well as food feel free to go on vacation for a few weeks.
Red Wiggler Worm Fun Facts –
Red wiggler worms are also known as Eisenia fetida, are the most commonly used worms for vermicomposting (worm farming), the reason for this is because of the way they can survive in harmony (and thrive) in a very dense colony. Red wigglers can live in very populated bins, and thrive in them unlike night-crawlers and other worm species. This is specifically the main reason they are used in most worm farming situations.
Red wiggler worms can live 2-5 years on average, although this number can go higher, or lower, depending on their habitat, stresses, and environmental factors such as heat or cold.
Red wiggler worms thrive in temperatures between 75-85�F but can survive in temperatures as low as 36�F, and as high as 98�F. Be aware these numbers are harder to achieve in real-world situations as they have bedding, soil, and scraps insulating them from both the heat and cold.
Red wiggler worms breathe through their skin using moisture, although they can and will drown when underwater. Red wigglers are often used as bait (for small to medium fish) as the worms can survive up to 15 minutes below water, red wigglers are also known for”wiggling” underwater attracting fish hence their common name.
Pesticides, in-organic materials, and heavy metals can harm your worms and colony, that is why any new colony of live insects or invertebrates should be sourced from a reputable organic dealer.
Red wigglers can eat most bio-degradable foods with no issues, although be sure to keep foods with an extremely low PH out of your bin – things such as oranges, lemons, or limes, highly acidic food should be avoided. An extremely acidic environment can lead to a total worm colony collapse, cases such as these also occur when maggots are attracted to a worm bin from rotting un-eaten foods.
Red wiggler worms can eat up to 2 times their own weight a day, making red wigglers a worldwide trash solution. Red wiggler worms have the potential to be used to save the planet in countless ways.
Visit our short but sweet separate worm farming guide here, and don’t forget to subscribe to never miss a Ficarro Farms in-depth article again! Leave us a comment if you have any questions, or concerns about your worm farm, or live red wiggler package.
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