Manufacturing technology production of pure ecological fertilizer (biohumus).
Preparing the environment for technological worms.
Biohumus production technology provides that technological worms can be fed only in decayed compost or manure. To do this, you should first agree with the suppliers of cattle manure and food waste so that this raw material is deposited for some time. Also in the conditions home production vermicompost reach the level of the raw material mass and at the same time prepare wooden boxes for worms.
Stage of compost ripening in a box.
The compost is placed in wooden box after which it is necessary to thoroughly mix the fermented cattle manure, food waste and decaying leaves. For in-situ support required level humidity and temperature from above it is covered with straw and then periodically watered warm water and mix thoroughly for several days. During the fermentation of raw materials, the temperature level inside the box reaches 40-50 ° C, after the process is completed, it decreases to fixed values.
vermicultivation process.
The placement of technological worms is carried out only in a well-prepared environment, for which it is recommended to test the quality of the compost on a small number of worms, and after positive results launch the rest. Acclimatization of technological worms in a new environment occurs within a few months, after which they begin to fulfill their intended purpose, in this case, to produce vermicompost. The humidity level in the compost should be at least 70-80%, the pH level should be within 6-8 with the obligatory loosening of the substrate, since proper aeration and breathing of technological worms depend on this. Biohumus production technology is completely built on worms and completely dependent on them, so if you decide to do this unappetizing business, then the first thing you should be concerned about is the state of these not-too-pleasant creatures.
Worms are fed every 10 days, for which the vermicultivated substrate should be prepared in advance. For the lifespan of worms in winter time year, it is necessary to maintain a temperature level of at least + 19 ° C, for which the compost is covered with a layer of straw, poured with warm water and placed in a heated room. The population of technological worms is counted every 3 months, for which a sample is taken from a 10x10 area and then the number of worms in the sample area is multiplied by 100. In case of an excessive number of worms, the excess is sold to fishermen, fisheries, poultry farms, producers bone meal and other interested parties.
Collection of biohumus and worms.
The procedure for separating humus from the substrate is carried out using a conventional sieve equipped with 2 mm cells, with preliminary relocation of technological worms into a new wooden box. In addition, the separation of worms from the compost can be carried out by delaying feeding, after which the feed is placed on the surface of the compost. For several days, all the worms rise to the feed, where it is convenient to remove them and thereby separate them from the humus.
Biohumus packaging.
Biohumus is packed in plastic bags with preliminary weighing of the product. After the process of formation and development of production, the range of products offered is expanded by collecting concentrated liquid humus or preparing already mixed bio-earth. At present, practically no one, with the exception of a narrow circle of gardening specialists, knows what biohumus is.
Since even among summer residents with vast experience, few people know about this fertilizer, which is organic matter obtained during the life of a huge population of earthworms. Biohumus is a mass of worms and excrement of their vital activity that is very useful for the soil.
Organizing your own business.
Biohumus production technology under artificial conditions was developed in the USA. Myself technological process does not require any major financial costs. But on the other hand, it brings quite a considerable and, more importantly, stable profit, thereby making the organization own business for the production of vermicompost more than appropriate.
The first thing that is necessary for organizing this kind of business is a room, which can be used as any building or garage located on a summer cottage. To organize a large enterprise, you can rent old abandoned farms, workshops and other similar buildings. In most cases, boxes made from wood and, in some cases, brick counterparts are used to breed worms.
Biohumus production technology.
Biohumus production technology is based on two components: substrate and worms. The substrate is the manure of domestic animals and birds, most of which is formed on farms specializing in breeding livestock, willingly selling or in most cases donating this product to vermicompost producers, and in some cases also paying extra for the removal of manure from the production area.
On the territory of our country, Californian earthworms are used for the production of vermicompost, as they are characterized high level fertility. Their population in just one year can increase 500 times! The main disadvantage of worms is that even when the soil temperature drops to + 4 ° C, they die and thus can live in our conditions in the garden in the country for only one year.
Well proven earthworms prospector Vladimir, which not only tolerate cold well, but are also distinguished by fertility. The optimal conditions for the vital activity of worms are the temperature of the substrate in the range of 18-20 ° C with a humidity level of at least 70-80%.
To completely eat and digest one cubic meter of substrate, the worms need no more than 5 months, during which, to avoid drying out, it is periodically watered from above with warm water.
Ready vermicompost is a large adult worms, which are selected along with humus. As the main advantages of biohumus over other fertilizers, we can mention the 100% environmental friendliness of the product, which is the most effective and safe fertilizer for growing fruits and vegetables, flowers and other things.
However, the question has always arisen with such bold statements by manufacturers: “Why is even the most disgusting way of producing fertilizer considered better than small chemical additives?” Is it possible that someone's excrement mixed with worms will give a better result than a fertilizer developed in a modern laboratory? Sometimes everything that is natural is so ugly that it ceases to be natural for human nature. And it’s scary to imagine that we eat foods that someone has the courage to grow on such a “fertilizer”!
Worms processed stems, leaves and others organic waste quickly turn into humus, which can be added to the ground for indoor plants, to be applied to the soil summer cottages to increase its fertility, use for the preparation of liquid fertilizers.
Worms fully use organic residues, as a result of their activity, high-quality biohumus, exceeding in all respects the quality of compost obtained in the usual way.
Reservation for worms
It would be tempting to release Californian worms directly into the garden, but this event will be useless. Worms will not find enough food for themselves and will simply leave in search of new satisfying places or die of hunger and cold, since in addition they are also thermophilic. California worms are efficient at temperatures from +5 to +40 ° C. In addition, the compost must be maintained optimal humidity 60-70 % . Therefore, in hot weather, be sure to water a bunch. Detrimental to Californian worms and straight sunlight , so fertilizer should be placed in shaded areas.
To use California worms, prepare a hole (or container) 70-100 cm deep. Seal the bottom and cover the walls natural material to keep the worms from crawling away. Place the soil mixture with worms in the pit and level it. Sprinkle plant residues (not soil) 6-10 cm thick on top. Add organic matter about once a week, during this time the worms will process the previous portion (productivity depends on temperature).
When the biomass reaches a height of 70-80 cm, you can pick up the resulting product. Carefully loosen the top layer containing the worms and transfer it to another pit or container. Repeat the procedure 2-3 times at weekly intervals to remove the remaining worms. The remaining humus can be removed and used for any needs. So that worms are not taken out with a portion of humus, they can be distracted by putting banana skins or rotten apples, and only then take out the finished humus from the other side
Care all year round
Red Californian worms won't survive the winter in open field . For the winter, they are transplanted from the compost bin into ordinary fruit or vegetable boxes. The bottom and walls of the containers are covered with a film. Part of the finished humus from the compost box is mixed with peat, rotted manure and poured into prepared boxes. Carefully sorting through the humus, all the worms are selected and transplanted into a new home. Boxes for the winter are placed in the basement or on an insulated balcony. Darkness will not harm the worms, but they will have to be fed in winter.
Complete feeding of worms includes manure. True, before he gets to the "worm factory", he must ferment. To do this, it is soaked in a tank of water. At good nutrition and leaving the first batch of vermicompost can be obtained after 3 months. Completely eliminate bad smell fail. It does not come from worms, but from decaying organic matter. The smell intensifies if the food for the worms is too wet, the rotting residues are caked, the contents are too sour (to reduce the smell, add citrus peels, onion peels).
How to get biohumus?
Ready humus can be used for preparation of liquid fertilizer. 1 part of the finished humus is poured with 10 parts of water and infused for several days. The resulting infusion is used as a liquid top dressing for flowers, vegetables, indoor plants, as well as bushes and trees. During the growing season, such top dressing can be done once a week.
When I took dead land many years ago for building a house in the city and for growing vegetables in the village, I did not meet a single one in this land. earthworm. All subsequent years I regularly contributed, and now in the city in my soil I find four types of earthworms, and in a field that has not known a plow for many years and to which I bring 200 bags every year, there are six types of earthworms.
When we dig with a pitchfork, the grandchildren play a game of who will find more potatoes and who will find more worms. Now they find up to 20 tubers per hole and thirty earthworms different color.
Beginners should buy biohumus
If a beginner asks me what to spend money on in order to quickly get a crop on the killed land, I will say: “Buy ready-made from a reliable manufacturer and apply it to the soil, into the holes before planting.”
- Only biohumus quickly heals soils, and manure on poor soils intensifies diseases in the early years.
- Only biohumus will properly feed the plants, and manure will increase the nutritional imbalance and cause the inhibition of soil fungi.
- Only biohumus and vermicoff quickly increase soil fertility, form soil biodiversity and increase the percentage of soil humus, improve its structure, and various just temporarily boost plant growth.
As many worms as rotting organic matter
Earthworm won't eat living plant. It does not damage (like) a living root and (like) a living leaf. The leaf should fall and rot, and the spine should grow old and rot. And when it is prepared by fungi and bacteria, the worm begins to eat. How many types of decaying organic matter, so many types of soil worms.
In Australia, worms weigh a kilogram, aquarists breed small enchitraes on a rotting bun, and microscopic ones eat small roots.
Their difference is only in size and taste preferences, but the essence is the same: bacteria and fungi begin to process the organic matter that enters the soil and into the soil, then it is swallowed by worms. Worms, like the stomach of a cow, create conditions for good work for microorganisms, because in the cavity of the worm, organic matter is crushed, turned over, saturated with oxygen, moisture, amino acids and sugars from the secrets of the worm, and therefore is processed a thousand times faster.
The worm is a miniature compost heap
We loosen the compost (we give oxygen), moisten it, monitor the composition, temperature, we give 1 part of nitrogen for 25 parts of carbon. The same goes for a worm: it takes the sweetest leaf, drags it into a burrow where it is warm and humid, chews it, covers it with mucus, absorbs available substances for building its body (and these substances are given to it by symbiotic fungi and bacteria) and releases ballast in the form of coprolites.
We need this ballast from the worm - coprolites. After all, over millions of years of evolution of worms and plants, the latter have learned to give worms litter in the form of root secretions and foliage, and they - to supply plants with coprolites, a storehouse of thousands of mineral and organic substances necessary for the plant in an accessible form.
What do creeps and plow worms eat
We see only large earthworms - crawling out. Or in manure - red dung worms. All of us were fond of fishing in childhood and we think that these are the main worms. But for the soil there are no main and secondary, there are millions of forms of life and commonwealth.- There are worms living in the forest floor, they do not build holes;
- there are burrow worms: at night he grabbed a leaf and carried it into a mink;
- eat arable worms, live deep in chernozem soil, they are not even afraid of the plow.
And what do such plowed worms eat? After all, there are no leaves in the depths. Everything is simple. From above, the cow gave manure, which is eaten by dung worms and excreted by coprolites. The grass died, the foliage fell, it is eaten by litter worms and gives coprolites. Deposits of coprolites not only of large worms, but also of small enchitreans and nematodes - this is the black earth.
It is unprofitable for a cow to absorb all the substances from the grass, it will have enough available sugars and proteins. Therefore, the remains of organic matter after the cow are eaten by dung beetles. In the same way, coprolites of dung beetles eat arable worms. They eat the soil, eat it, process it further, deeper and release their coprolites. If the minerals in the humus of the soil are difficult to reach for the roots, then after the work of plowed fields, the plants receive excellent fresh biohumus. Humus disappears, and the crop grows - the carbon cycle in nature does not stop.
How people are friends with worms
This is the wisdom of evolution: in the steppe regions, the humus layer in the soil reaches two meters, and in broad-leaved forests, the layer of litter in the form of foliage and grass also breaks records for organic matter reserves. Each of these zones has its own worms, its own processors of organic matter.A person can move this organic matter to a place convenient for himself in order to grow cultivated plants, and there it is processed by new eaters, new worms, if they are not disturbed and poisoned.
I have always been amazed by the fact that Terra Pretta was created on the shores of the Amazon. On poor clay, with constant tropical showers, organic matter did not accumulate in the soil. But the Indians for years brought to the beds, waste from the table and leaves palm trees. And in this organic matter, a giant worm appeared, which grinded coal, and palm fiber, and nitrogenous organic matter of toilets, formed coprolites that were not washed away by rain. A self-healing soil community has formed. The percentage of stable humus in such soils is still breaking records.
My Californians are running wild
When I started, on the advice of my neighbors, to make manure under, there were no worms, and I purchased Californian worms - 40 years ago they began to come into fashion. Of course, they did not take root in the beds, but they became wild and still live in the old barn, where the sheep lived for a long time. It is worth leaning sacks of manure near the barn in the spring, as by autumn they are teeming with red dung worms, and in the sack there is ready-made loose biohumus.I don't care if they're Californian hybrids or if they're local red earthworms. He got accustomed, works - and well done. "Mice" catches. But I stopped making manure for digging, and the soil with various organic matter from above.
If I take the bags out into the garden or put them in the thickets, creeps of different colors and sizes start up in them, but there are no dung worms. I take these sacks out into the field, scatter them under potatoes and vegetables or in the garden under trees, but I understand: in every soil, not those worms that I want to breed will take root, but those that themselves want to breed in new conditions and new food. I just give them freedom of choice. And here I can add the worms I need to the compost heap:
- If I need high nitrogen compost, I add more to the pile, and food waste, sometimes compound feed, and pour out a bag of red dung worms.
- If I need high carbon organic for the garden, I add hay, straw, bedding from animals to the compost heap and pour out a bag with soil-litter and burrow worms. In both cases, compost is obtained faster and of better quality.
Worms coprolites - ideal compost
Compost with worms is better than worm-free recycled compost. Worms create soil aggregates in the form of lumps. They are water-resistant, consist of a carcass of plant fibers connected by a bridge of lime and glued together with mucus. It is an ideal long-term fertilizer.
But if the worm processes organics in place, closer to the roots of the plant, then the effect is tripled: fresh coprolites for the plant are better than those created in a heap. Microorganisms from the cavity of the worm and enzymes still continue to work in them, active ones continue to form. They include not only organic fibers, but also crushed clay and silt particles. This is no longer compost, but black earth.
Worms loosen the soil
Worms make holes up to 1-2 meters. Not every root will make its own way to such a depth, but it goes through the tunnels calmly, because with rain, soil rich in humus is brought into these tunnels with upper layers, and there are a lot of coprolites in them, and the air goes to great depths.
Coprolites of worms saturate the soil with humic acids, and these are the centers of soil-forming processes. It is in humates that there are active centers, minerals, cations and anions, rare, but very active microelements, cling to them. So, humates, getting into the soil, turn into very active catalysts that accelerate soil formation hundreds of times. Therefore, we see how plants come to life, watered with extracts from biohumus. And if fresh biohumus is introduced into the soil, then it will work for a long time. Both micro-organisms and enzymes will continue to convert organic matter into humus, feed plant roots, and improve soil structure.
Humus is soft and fibrous
dung worms, processing food waste and nitrogenous grass, give soft humus. This is a very accessible food for the roots, they consume it almost completely and leave little long-lasting humus.BUT soil litter worms provide fibrous humus, its plants consume slowly, but it improves soil fertility in the long term.
But we must remember that if there is little organic matter in the soil, then the worms will not help, they themselves will feed on the remains of organic matter and quickly die. It may be difficult, but without understanding these mechanisms, it is impossible to correctly revive the dead soils.
Worms harbor beneficial fungi and bacteria
The worm lives in heaps of rotting organic matter, it is organic matter itself, and thousands of putrefactive bacteria and fungi must rot and eat it. Who helps him survive? and . Semi-fungi, semi-bacteria live in its cavity - actinomycetes. Thanks to actinomycetes that produce antibiotic substances, earthworms do not get sick, and fresh coprolites or extracts from them treat soil from bacterial infections.In the cavity of the worm live not only useful mushrooms that fight harmful bacteria, there are also beneficial bacteria - pseudomonas, which protect the worm and soil by producing natural, suppressing putrefactive fungi. Fungi and bacteria fight each other, worms use it, we should use it too.
I am a doctor and use penicillin isolated from mold to treat streptococcal infection and nystatin isolated from streptomycetes, for the treatment of fungal infections.
Vermicompost stored for a long time, perfectly nourishes plants and structures the soil, but does not have an antibiotic property, therefore only worms working near the plant are root doctors.
In the cavity of the worms there are thousands of species of microorganisms, the most important role is played by nitrogen fixers. The worm, having isolated the coprolites, has already saturated them with nitrogen salts, but further nitrogen fixers continue to work, take nitrogen from the air and turn it into salts available to plants.
The gardener can use this knowledge: use less that kills all living things, and use worms and their products to protect plants from.
How to attract beneficial worms to your site?
Yes, just like a smart gardener attracts beneficial bacteria and beneficial fungi to the site.He does not listen to the advice of the “guru” - they say, it is necessary to plant a rare fungus like a veselka under apple trees using “sawdust technology”, but simply annually brings more leaves and dry grass to the garden, and mushrooms will definitely grow. Mushrooms do not grow where we planted them, but where they themselves want.
A smart gardener mulches his beds with manure, compost, wood chips, digs less and brings in mineral water. Does not seek to buy and use more EM drugs. And the right bacteria will definitely form their own ecosystem and enter into symbiosis with the roots of plants. There will be a stable supply of organic matter, and beneficial bacteria will protect the roots from rot.
So are worms! There will be a stable mulching of the garden with organic matter (the more diverse, the better), and after fungi and bacteria, new eaters of this organic matter will appear - worms of all types and sizes. They will fill all the food niches, bring useful actinomycetes and pseudomonads in their intestines and restore the fertility of your soils.
Your grandchildren will begin to find ten earthworms in each potato hole - it means that you are a reasonable gardener.
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Hello dear friends!
Enthusiasm for various chemical fertilizers among gardeners has long passed, now natural and environmentally friendly products are held in high esteem. Perhaps one of the most effective fertilizers can be considered vermicompost: a waste product of ordinary earthworms.
The worm is a whole factory for the reproduction of soil fertility. Together with the soil, it absorbs plant residues, decay products, the simplest nematodes and microbes, digests them and excretes them in the form of a mass saturated with its own microflora, vitamins, enzymes and biologically active substances. Biohumus disinfects the soil, prevents the development of pathogens and increases its fertility. This fertilizer is superior nutritional value horse dung 20 times!
Breeding rain vermicompost worms scientists took it seriously at the beginning of the 20th century. American selection worms give amazing results, but do not survive in harsh winters. Our breeders are also not far behind: worms 
Prospector breeds, bred by Professor A. M. Igonin, are perfectly adapted to our climate. They differ not only in rapid reproduction, but also in the content of humus in their feces. It exceeds that of ordinary worms by almost 4 times.
yield different cultures when using biohumus, it increases by 4-8 times. Importantly, the ripening of the crop is also accelerated by 10-15 days. The soil that has passed through the digestive tract of selection worms contains all necessary for plants complex compounds with .
One worm easily processes about 25 g of soil in one day. For a year, each individual can reproduce up to 1000 of its own kind, so it is not difficult to imagine at what pace the production of the most valuable fertilizer will go. Worms of this breed winter well on garden plot and are not afraid of the most severe frosts. It is enough to cover the compost pit with burlap or other insulating material. However, they need air access, so polyethylene cannot be used.
An important point is to protect your biohumus factory from 
mice and who will not miss the opportunity to eat worms. A fine-mesh net should be laid at the bottom of the compost pit to prevent undermining.
Breeding worms are launched into a prepared compost pit spring (end of April - beginning of May). From above, the pit is covered with plant debris and moistened with water. To rain vermicompost worms multiplied faster, they can be fed with infusion and dandelion. Plants are soaked for three days, and then poured onto a compost heap. This also includes cut grass, cut branches and all food waste. Very soon compost heap sag, turning into loose biohumus.
The most valuable fertilizer is ready! See you soon!
For the production of biohumus, it is quite possible to use local red dung worms. Of course, they are somewhat inferior to the red California counterparts in terms of fertility, but they are more frost-resistant and can eat at more low temperatures nutrient substrate.
For the production of biohumus, many methods have been developed, of which for country or personal plot I would recommend one of the three most simple ones: in containers, in heaps, in pits.
Features of the lifestyle of worms
For those who seriously decide to breed worms, it is important to know the following main features of their lifestyle:
the worm lives in aerobic (air-accessible) conditions;
for nutrition requires 70-80 percent moist, smearing, pulpy medium that has undergone preliminary fermentation with self-heating and decomposition;
the acidity of the habitat should be neutral (рН=6-8.2);
the optimal temperature of the habitat should be: for feeding - 20-25oC, for reproduction - 12-17oC;
at temperatures above + 32 ° C, the worms stop eating, and above + 35 ° C they die;
cellulose-decomposing bacteria live in the intestines of dung worms, so they are very fond of the presence of wet paper, straw, etc. in the feed;
the body of an adult sexually mature worm has a length of 5-8 cm, a diameter of 3-5 mm, a mass of 0.5-1.5 g;
the amount of food eaten by the worm per day is equal to its mass;
the surface of his body is moist, covered with mucus. In a dry environment, worms die quickly, but due to skin respiration and in water, they cannot live for a long time;
ultraviolet rays are detrimental to worms, so during the day they go to a depth of up to 25 cm, and at night they rise to the surface;
a mature worm lives 3-4 years (according to some sources - up to 15 years);
at optimal conditions humidity, nutrition and temperature, the population of worms doubles approximately every 40 days, and dung worms breed most intensively in spring and autumn.
If dung worms in a jar of earth are placed in the refrigerator, then by morning next day they will die. But in vivo when cold weather sets in, they sink deep into the soil and fall into a passive state - they stop eating, curl up into a ball, all their vital functions stop. And those that did not sink deep enough may even freeze along with the ground, but not die. This is due to the fact that the transition to a state of rest is accompanied by the loss of most (up to 78 percent) of the water in the body of the animal. The average survival time of a worm after thawing is two days. Therefore, in the spring, after the snow has melted from the dunghills, a two-day thaw is enough for the worms to become active. At this time, you can accumulate enough a large number of worms for the worm.
After we have learned the characteristics of the life of worms, it is necessary to calculate our needs for biohumus.
Method for calculating the amount of biohumus and worms
Let's say we need biohumus to apply under the root when planting 300 tomato roots, 100 pepper roots, 50 cabbage roots and 50 cucumber roots. Under each root, you need to put 150 g of biohumus. Then the required amount is determined by the formula:
(300 + 100 + 50 + 50) x 150 g = 75 kg. And taking into account the stock, we will round this figure to 100 kg.
Knowing that from each 1 g of food eaten by one worm, 0.6 g of biohumus is obtained, we determine the amount of substrate (feed) needed to produce 100 kg of biohumus:
100 kg: 0.6 = 166.6 kg (rounded up to 170 kg).
For 100 days of active feeding of worms, in order to obtain 100 kg of biohumus from 170 kg of nutrient substrate or compost, it is necessary to have 1.75 kg of worms - approximately 2500 pieces.
Choice of place and method of biohumus production
Of the three methods recommended at the beginning of the article for breeding worms and producing vermicompost, I chose containers. In heaps, it is more difficult to ensure the preservation of uniform moisture of the substrate and they “spread”, and on hot days they always dry out along the edges. In the pits, it is difficult to warm up the substrate, especially in the first months of the spring-summer period, which means that active feeding and reproduction of worms occurs later.
When choosing a capacity option, consider the following requirements. Excess moisture should not accumulate in it, and air, on the contrary, should easily enter the nutrient substrate. The container should be convenient for work when laying and adding a substrate, periodically loosening the contents, when adding worms and separating them from the finished biohumus. All these requirements are met by a box (a box without a bottom) rectangular shape. The box size can be calculated based on the amount of substrate to be processed in one season. In our example, 170 kg of nutrient substrate will gradually be placed in the box. Since when laying the substrate, it loosens and wets to about 50% moisture, it is enough to weigh a 10-liter bucket with loose substrate. I have in such a bucket (with rotted cow dung) turned out to be 7.5 kg. I made a box with dimensions of 1.2 x 0.6 x 0.6 m and I get about 200 kg of biohumus from April to September.
The best material for making a box is flat slate. It is easy to cut out all 4 walls from it, they turn out to be quite rigid, do not rot and are easily strengthened by driving in pegs at the corners of the box. Can be collected from wooden shields, but so that they do not quickly rot, with inside boxes must be protected with waterproof material (roofing material, polyethylene film, old linoleum etc.).
To determine the location of the box, you need to know if there are moles in your area (having penetrated the box, they can destroy the entire population of worms in a short time) and in which direction the winds most often blow. To protect against moles, it is necessary to lay under the box metal mesh with small cells and cover it with a piece of old linoleum, a thick film, or put a piece under the box flat slate. Since the worms are very afraid of the wind, the box should be placed in a place protected from the wind, with the long side facing the wind. In addition, it is necessary to arrange it so that at noon it is shaded from overheating by the sun's rays with a shadow from any buildings or plants.
It is very important to ensure the free removal of excess water from the box. If the soil is clayey, at the location of the box, an elevation should be made from the soil with a slight slope in one direction. On sandy ground, the box can be installed on level ground or even in a small depression.
Laying a nutrient substrate and settling it with worms
In April, when the snow melts in places and exposes a pile of rotted manure or compost, you can start laying the first portion of the nutrient substrate.
Carefully remove upper part thawed substrate, put it in a box with a layer of 20-30 cm and moisten to 70-80% humidity. How to define it? Take a handful of moistened substrate and squeeze it in a fist. If a drop of water appears and hangs on the bottom of the fist, and the contents of the fist have a distinct shape and do not fall apart, such a substrate can be considered sufficiently wet.
Before moistening, it is desirable to apply powder of slaked lime or chalk on the substrate at the rate of 5-10 g per 1 kg of substrate. After moistening, it must be allowed to stand for 10 days, and then additionally moistened with heated water, slightly dug up and inhabited by worms. They can be dialed in top layer thawed manure heaps.
It is desirable to populate worms in warm weather. Spread the worms in small groups on the surface of the substrate, cover with a small amount of soil in which they were dug up, and cover with a sheet of roofing material on top. It must be cut to the size of the box and “perforated” in several places. In spring, the roofing material will contribute to a better heating of the substrate during the day and keep warm at night. When the hot summer sets in, you need to worry about protecting the worms from overheating. To do this, I recommend replacing the roofing material with a sheet of foam rubber up to 2 cm thick. The foam rubber will provide protection against moisture evaporation and nutrient soil can be watered through it.
Worms laid on the substrate will gradually burrow deep into the soil and will master it for about five days. After that, the nutrient substrate can begin to be watered, gradually bringing the humidity up to 70-80 percent.
Some Helpful Cautions
Animal manure that has not undergone self-heating and fermentation (with the exception of rabbit manure) cannot be used, since worms can die from an excess of protein in it. For the same reason, you can not put in a worm in large quantities food waste.
You can not use manure that has lain for more than two years after the completion of fermentation - at this stage of maturation, it almost completely lacks protein, sugars and vitamins.
In no case should manure from farms of intensive breeding of chickens, geese, turkeys and other birds be used due to its strong acidity.
Whatever organic matter you can use to feed the worms, it should contain cellulose in the form of straw, paper, cardboard, etc. in an amount of at least 20-25 percent.
Worms can leave the nutrient soil and crawl out of the box for two reasons. The first is when the amount of nutrient soil becomes insufficient. In this case, sexually mature individuals crawl out first, since they naturally have the instinct to preserve offspring. The second reason for migration is before a very big bad weather. The worms feel the imminent flooding of the nutrient soil in advance, so they crawl out and can leave the box. Seeing their behavior, one can predict the impending great bad weather.
Autumn completion of work with worms
In the autumn, when the production of vermicompost is completed, we begin to separate the bulk of the worms from it. To do this, you need to pick up two boxes of such a size that they can simultaneously fit inside the box on the surface of biohumus. You can make boxes yourself, or you can pick up ready-made ones from under vegetables or fruits. The bottom of the boxes must be removed, and a synthetic mesh should be stretched instead. As such, I use mesh bags from onions or other vegetables, they can be found in vegetable stores.
10-15 days before the start of the separation of worms, no food should be added. Then put a fresh portion of the nutrient substrate into boxes with a mesh bottom, evenly distributing its layer over the entire area of the box (15 cm thick). Set the boxes inside the box and pour plenty of water. Cover the box with boxes with roofing material, and from above, from straight sun rays- boards or shields. In 5-6 days, half of the worms will crawl from the box into boxes with fresh food. They are removed and dumped into a pre-prepared and moistened pile of rotted compost or manure, in which they can overwinter. Fresh substrate is again placed in the boxes and placed in the box. After 5-6 days, another 30 percent of the worms will be in the boxes. They are also transferred to compost or manure, and a third portion of the substrate is placed in the boxes. This time, the boxes need to be kept on biohumus for 10 days, during which time another 15 percent of the worms will leave the box. The amount remaining in the box (5 percent) can be left in biohumus.
If for some reason you cannot use the method described above, you can do it differently. Fold biohumus with worms into large plastic bags and lower them into the cellar (if there is one), or into a pre-prepared hole 20 cm deep more than the height of the largest bag. The pit is closed from above with boards and covered with dry grass, foliage, straw and other garden waste. When filling the pit, the heap should be 0.5 m larger in diameter than the pit on each side. A layer of compost or rotted manure 1 m high should be poured on top of the foliage and grass. In both the first and second cases, the worms will safely overwinter and in the spring they can be “put into work” again. Required amount biohumus, which you will need to grow seedlings, must be sorted out by separating the worms, put in bags and taken home.
Useful properties of worms are not limited to the production of biohumus. These unique earthworkers find amazing uses in other areas. Agriculture and also in medicine.
