what to feed my worms

^{Things to feed your worms include:}

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Paper
• Squash and Pumpkin
• Eggshells
• Coffee
• Bread
Pasta
Tea Bags
Grains
Hair
Lawn Clippings (aged, fresh clippings may heat up and kill the worms)
Animal Manure (not dog or cat)

What is the best food for worms?

Worm Food / What Worms Eat

• Greens, like kitchen scraps, are a great source of worm food and should always be something that grows from the ground. ...
• Composting worms are very resilient and can go a long time without food. ...
• This will help break down the cells of the plant, turning it into mush. ...
• Worm Food Using Manure. ...

More items...

What do you feed worms to keep them alive?

the average night crawler diet consists of:

• Decomposing veggies
• Decomposing fruit
• Decomposing plant matter
• Fungi
• Other microorganisms
• Lard & Cornmeal

What is your worms favorite food?

Try to limit or avoid these foods entirely:

• Onions and onion skins
• Potatoes and potato peels
• Citrus fruits and their rinds
• Animal feces
• Meat
• Fats or fatty foods
• Dairy foods

What should you feed vermicomposting worms?

• Pumpkin
• Leftover corn cobs
• Melon rinds
• Banana peels
• Fruit and veggie detritus

What is the best thing to feed worms?

The Best Worm Foods for Your SoilFruit peels (not citrus)Melon rinds.Carrots.Coffee grounds.Teabags (check if biodegradable)Bread.Cereal (unsweetened)Pasta (plain)More items...•

What should you not feed worms?

Avoid feeding the worms large quantities of meat, citrus, onions and dairy foods. Some processed food also contains preservatives, which discourage the worms from eating it. These foods won't harm your worms, but they will avoid them and those scraps will break down and rot in the bin.

What to feed worms to make them grow?

One of the surest ways to not only grow big worms, but also keep your worms healthy, is to spray you worm bedding and added food with a weak mixture of VermaPlex® (a liquid soil inoculant fertilizer made from worm castings) and water (80 parts water to 1 part VermaPlex®).

What do normal worms eat?

Worms eat organic matter. Anything that has been living eventually becomes worm food. That includes dead plant material, fruits, vegetables, and microbes, both dead and alive.

How do you make homemade worm food?

0:322:43Worm Chow - Make your own! - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipBut a little bit of sugar is really good for the microorganisms. And the bacteria that's inside yourMoreBut a little bit of sugar is really good for the microorganisms. And the bacteria that's inside your web and it helps break down the food a lot quicker when there's more microorganisms.

Will worms eat grass clippings?

Grass clippings are a great addition to a traditional compost pile and worms will eat these as well in their natural setting, but in your vermicomposting system, they will heat up the soil and can kill all of your worms.

Can I feed my worms banana peels?

Bananas are a great and inexpensive snack for both us and our worms. Those peels are desirable to compost worms no matter what shape they're in. They'll make short work of what otherwise would have taken up space in your trash.

Can you feed worms rolled oats?

The rolled oats, cornmeal, and alfalfa work together to plump up your worms quickly. The finer this mix is powdered, the quicker your worms will eat it up and fatten up. Moisten your worm bedding and then sprinkle it over the bedding surface.

Can you feed worms oatmeal?

Fruits and vegetables (uncooked or peels) – you can feed your worms any variation as long as it's not citrus based (you'll have to stay way from lemons, oranges, pineapples and all that since it has high acidity levels) Starchy food wastes – these can be in the form of bread, oatmeal, and pasta.

Should I stir my worm bin?

There is definitely no need to completely mix up your worm bin contents. The worms themselves – along with various other critters do a lot of mixing on their own.

How often to feed your worms?

Depending on the size of your bin, feed the worms from once a week to every two days with about a cup (240 ml.) of food. You may want to keep a journal regarding how quickly your worms consume certain things so you can adjust timings, amounts, and varieties. A stinky worm bin may be an indicator of overfeeding.

Do worms drink water?

Worms do not drink water through their mouths, but they do need water to live. How much water is enough? To understand this answer, you need to know how worms breathe. Worms use their skin for breathing and not a set of lungs.

What to feed worms to compost?

Citrus. Spicy Foods. Oils. Foods with preservatives. meat. dairy. There are a few other things to keep in mind when feeding your worms. The smaller the matter the easier and faster for the worms to compost. Chopping large chunks of food to feed worms is recommended but not necessary.

How much waste can worms eat?

So, if you have 1 pound of worms in your bin or composter you can technically feed them up to 1 pound of waste a day.

What to do with browns and greens in worm bin?

Make sure that food has returned to room temperature before adding it to your worm bin. Try to keep a balance of browns and greens. Browns and greens are nicknames for different types of organic matter to use in composting. Browns are high in carbon or carbohydrates, thus they are organic carbon sources.

What to feed worms in worm farm?

Egg shells are high in calcium as well which is beneficial to the worm farm. Feeding worms a lot of fruit will increase the acidity in the bin due to its the high sugar content. Add carbon for worm bin bedding including shredded paper, egg cartons and cardboard. When in doubt, add more paper.

What foods kill worms?

Canned sauces, peanut butter and other processed food. Citrus foods like lemons, limes and oranges. Pineapple contains an enzyme that will kill your worms.

What to put in worm bin bedding?

Add carbon for worm bin bedding including shredded paper, egg cartons and cardboard. When in doubt, add more paper. Paper and cardboard should be shredded and soaked in water first. Avoid feeding worms meat, dairy, and oils. While worms will eat meat and dairy products, these foods will create a bad odor and attract pests.

Why is my worm bin so moist?

You should also consider the water content of foods that you add. Feeding too many high moisture foods such as zucchini and watermelon can cause a worm bin to become too moist.

Why do worms rot in the bin?

Overfeeding worms is the single biggest cause of problems in a worm bin. If the bin contains too much food, the food scraps will begin to rot before the worms can digest them. In addition, this can lead to a toxic environment. It is better to underfeed your worms than overfeed them.

How do worms survive?

Worms thrive on a balanced diet and prefer to eat their food as it begins to decompose. Keep a balance of green and brown foods. Feed your worms fresh fruit and vegetable scraps. Limit foods high in acidity. Worms also don’t like strong flavors, such as citrus, garlic and onion.

Why cut up worm food?

This means they need to wait until the food begins to rot or break down so that it is soft and wet enough for them to eat. So it’s good to cut up your food scraps into small pieces so that they can digest it faster. There are a couple of other ways you can prepare food and make it easier for worms to consume.

How much food can worms eat?

Worms can eat up to half their weight in food per day in a fully established, well managed vermicomposter. Make sure that worms are actively engaged in eating the food you added most recently in the top feeding tray before adding more food. If they are not, this is a sign of overfeeding.

How to make worm compost faster?

1. The smaller the better. Smaller pieces of food will break down faster, thus speeding up the composting process. Chopping large chunks of food to feed worms is recommended but not necessary. You can puree, freeze, or microwave food scraps before adding them to your worm composter to help break down material.

How long does it take for worms to fill a tray?

If they are not, this is a sign of overfeeding. On average, most people can fill a tray in about one month. It may take shorter or longer than that depending on how much kitchen waste you generate. Make sure your worms are engaged with the last food you added before adding more.

Can you chop worms?

You can chop your worm’s food to speed up the composting process. 2. The frequency and volume that you feed worms will depend on you and your family. You can add new food to the feeding tray at any time. Worms can eat up to half their weight in food per day in a fully established, well managed vermicomposter.

How long should I feed worms?

The best way to feed your worms is to add small amounts and do not add more until it is gone. I typically recommend that you feed, then check in 3 days, if it is not all gone, then you fed too much, leave it, but don't feed again until it is gone. For your next feeding reduce the amount.

Why is it important to have good bedding for worms?

If you do not use the right bedding or enough of the right bedding your worms will struggle, not thrive, and they may even die. It really is that important. Good bedding helps provide the proper moisture level and oxygen level in the bin. It helps with their freedom of movement and it makes managing their environment easier on you, the worm farmer. Because bedding is high in carbon and low in nitrogen, it helps absorb any offensive odors that may bother you, even if it doesn't bother the worms. Also, certain kinds of bedding even act as a mild buffer for the worm's environment if the food you feed them increases the acidity level more than they like. Bedding is also a food source for them, they eat the richer foods than they eat some bedding, kind of like our meat and potatoes. They need both. So don’t be skimpy on the bedding. I have often heard that you cannot have too much bedding, and the longer I work with these amazing composting worms, the more I believe it.

What foods have nitrogen?

Foods that typically have higher quantities of nitrogen. Fruits and Vegetables, especially banana peels and zucchini. Used Coffee grounds and tea bags (make sure and get any staples out of the tea bag strings) Farm (herbivore) manures - after all, they are called manure worms.

Do worms need bedding?

Also, certain kinds of bedding even act as a mild buffer for the worm's environment if the food you feed them increases the acidity level more than they like. Bedding is also a food source for them, they eat the richer foods than they eat some bedding, kind of like our meat and potatoes. They need both.

What foods are good for worms?

Meat or other animal products. Cooked foods (due to oil and salt content) Citrus fruits. "Spicy" foods like peppers, onions, garlic, and ginger. Tomatoes or tomato sauce (it's too acidic for worms) Foods cooked with oils. Foods high in salt content.

What to feed compost worms?

The "Go" List of items you should feed compost worms includes most raw/uncooked fruits and vegetables as well as the following items: 1 Worms have a sweet tooth so most fruits are a great idea (just not citrus). Compost worms love bananas and banana peels, grapes, melon, pears, berries, peaches, apples, and avocado (but not the pit or rinds) 2 Green leafy vegetables (e.g., romaine) 3 Pumpkin and squash 4 Pulp from juicers (avoid citrus) 5 Crushed egg shells 6 Coffee and tea grounds in small quantities (too many can lead to an acidic bed which can harm the worms) 7 Shredded cardboard, egg cartons, and paper towels 8 Most leaves (as long as they haven't been treated with pesticides or herbicides)

How to know if compost worms are processed?

You'll know the compost worms have fully processed the prior feeding when 1) the food is no longer visible on the surface of the worm bin and 2) the worms are not grouped together in a ball where you fed them. Rule #4: Don't bury the food!

What do compost worms eat?

Compost worms love bananas and banana peels, grapes, melon, pears, berries, peaches, apples, and avocado (but not the pit or rinds) Green leafy vegetables (e.g., romaine) Pumpkin and squash. Pulp from juicers (avoid citrus) Crushed egg shells. Coffee and tea grounds in small quantities (too many can lead to an acidic bed which can harm the worms) ...

How to kill worms?

This is especially true with feeding your worms. Over-feeding, along with temperature, is one of the easiest ways to quickly kill your worm population. Think of feeding your worms like drinking a bottle of wine - you don't usually drink the entire bottle in 1 glass or gulp. You enjoy it in moderation over several glasses or days.

Do worms eat food?

Worms actually eat microorganisms that are feeding on the food waste, so they like soft food or food that has been cut into small pieces (this helps accelerate the decomposition process and increases the number of microorganisms for worms to eat).

Can you sprinkle worms over food?

It is ok to sprinkle a little of their original bedding (which should already be in the bin) over the food, but the food should never be buried and should be visible to your eye. Rule #5: See rule #1! Rule #6: After the first feeding, feed the worms 1/3 to 1/2 of their weight. So if you purchased 2 pounds of worms, ...

What do worms eat?

Do feed your worms organic fruit and vegetable waste, including the rinds, cores, and peelings of your favorite fruits and vegetables. Feed them crushed eggshells, coffee grounds, and coffee filters (as long as the filters are unbleached), teabags, and aged manure from vegetable-eating animals, such as rabbits, horses, and cows.

Where do worms get their nutrition?

In fact, your worms’ main source of nutrition comes from the microorganisms that grow in abundance on organic fruit and vegetable waste. That’s why instead of devouring the scraps that you throw in to the soil immediately, your worms will wait around until microbes begin to flourish on the surface of the food scraps.

What is worm compost?

Worm composting, also called vermicomposting, is a great way to use kitchen scraps to create a nutrient-rich compost to feed your garden and keep it producing year-round. In a large container, simply shred some newspaper and leaves from your yard to create a nice loose base, then add in red wiggler worms, officially known as Eisenia fetida, ...

What are worm castings?

Worm castings are full of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and humic acids that help improve soil structure. After you gather your supplies: a bin, shredded newspaper or leaves, and red wiggler worms, all you need to do is start saving food scraps to feed them.

How often do red worms multiply?

In fact, red worms are known to double their population size every 90 days. If you started with far too few, it’s okay to purchase more and add them to the mix.

Can you put old kitchen scraps in the compost bin?

A word of caution, however— don’t just throw any old kitchen scraps into the compost bin and hope for the best. Keep reading, and let’s dive into what you don’t want to feed them. Do not feed your worms fatty or processed foods, such as meat or dairy products. These types of kitchen scraps will cause strong odors when they decompose ...

Can you put salt in a compost bin?

Avoid adding salt, or any salty foods, to the compost bin. Salt is really bad for worms and can kill them if it’s present in large amounts in the compost container. Onions are another kitchen scrap that you may want to consider just throwing away instead of adding to the compost bin to be consumed.