Composting worms - Aquaponic Gardening2024-03-29T06:24:03Zhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/forum/topics/composting-worms?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A336165&feed=yes&xn_auth=noCould be , on both counts. bu…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-06-14:4778851:Comment:3499552012-06-14T03:00:12.762ZSteve Bradburyhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/SteveBradbury
<p>Could be , on both counts. but the root structure didn't look slimy or moldy......it definetly wasn't root bound....</p>
<p>The tomato was doing well one day......the next day it looked horrible. this is an adult tomato plant setting flowers etc.</p>
<p>What it looked like, was that it was dehydrated....horrible leaf wilt, and droopiness.dug down into the gravel to make sure it was getting water up to the root structure ( I've been doing new stuff all over the greenhouse so I hadda check)…</p>
<p>Could be , on both counts. but the root structure didn't look slimy or moldy......it definetly wasn't root bound....</p>
<p>The tomato was doing well one day......the next day it looked horrible. this is an adult tomato plant setting flowers etc.</p>
<p>What it looked like, was that it was dehydrated....horrible leaf wilt, and droopiness.dug down into the gravel to make sure it was getting water up to the root structure ( I've been doing new stuff all over the greenhouse so I hadda check) everything was good. You could see the water had been coming to within 3" of the top of the bed, then draining.</p>
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<p>So, I was gunna pull the tomato, and put something else in there....when I popped it out...the whole root system was alive with red worms.....like a bad movie... I shook off as many worms as a I could, then rinsed the rest off in the return trough to the fishtank...........decided it may have been the worms, and replanted it into the gravel again, in a different location....well, a week later and its doing fine...maybe there was crud on the roots the worms were eating.I have no idea........maybe the rinsing washed away whatever that crud could have been.I don't know....</p>
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<p>I had a similar thing happen in a container tomato (in dirt) last year, and it happened after adding castings I knew were full of eggs and some immature worms...so I kinda did the 2+2 thing on it being the worms causing it</p>
<p>S</p> I agree with converse.
Perha…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-06-14:4778851:Comment:3500302012-06-14T01:41:03.509ZTCLynxhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/TCLynx
<p>I agree with converse.</p>
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<p>Perhaps the location the tomatoes were in had become too root bound or was staying too wet for the tomatoes or something like that but the worms themselves wouldn't be causing the plants to do poorly, the worms were probably only there slurping up the slime around the roots, dead and decaying roots attract worms.</p>
<p>I agree with converse.</p>
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<p>Perhaps the location the tomatoes were in had become too root bound or was staying too wet for the tomatoes or something like that but the worms themselves wouldn't be causing the plants to do poorly, the worms were probably only there slurping up the slime around the roots, dead and decaying roots attract worms.</p> Greetings,
I think lest…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-06-13:4778851:Comment:3498532012-06-13T15:44:09.643ZConversehttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/Converse
<p> Greetings,</p>
<p> I think lest anyone think that they may be adding a problem to their mediabeds by adding redworms, we need to clear up a few things.</p>
<p> Redworms are secondary decomposers. They do not have teeth. Not capable of chomping anything. They rely on symbiotic microorganisms to first work on whatever they are going to eat. The redworms will then consume matter. They can only consume dead or dying/decaying matter.</p>
<p> In short, my conclusion is that yes,…</p>
<p> Greetings,</p>
<p> I think lest anyone think that they may be adding a problem to their mediabeds by adding redworms, we need to clear up a few things.</p>
<p> Redworms are secondary decomposers. They do not have teeth. Not capable of chomping anything. They rely on symbiotic microorganisms to first work on whatever they are going to eat. The redworms will then consume matter. They can only consume dead or dying/decaying matter.</p>
<p> In short, my conclusion is that yes, the redworm probably really 'enjoyed' the treat you gave them. Like giving kids open house at a candy shop. But it would be important for you to look at the health of the root systems of your tomato plants. What did they look like before you washed them off? Something is going on there. It may be that you have some sort of mold, bacteria,slime, or the like that is first moving in on the root systems, which will cause plant health problems. The worms are just moving in to eat away the problem, and the dead/decaying roots.</p>
<p> I am glad your plants perked up.</p>
<p>- Converse</p> G'morning Ya'll,
I have been…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-06-13:4778851:Comment:3495862012-06-13T13:44:12.213ZSteve Bradburyhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/SteveBradbury
<p>G'morning Ya'll,</p>
<p>I have been using worms in my system for a while now....after changing things around recently I noticed 2 tomato plants in the gravel that had been thriving suddenly get all droopy and lousy looking.....while several other directly adjacent were fine........I scraped back gravel carefully to examine the roots.......there were a zillion redworms apparently munching on the roots of these 2 specific tomato plants.</p>
<p>Apparently the worms needed more food than they…</p>
<p>G'morning Ya'll,</p>
<p>I have been using worms in my system for a while now....after changing things around recently I noticed 2 tomato plants in the gravel that had been thriving suddenly get all droopy and lousy looking.....while several other directly adjacent were fine........I scraped back gravel carefully to examine the roots.......there were a zillion redworms apparently munching on the roots of these 2 specific tomato plants.</p>
<p>Apparently the worms needed more food than they were getting from the fish waste solids. I drilled holes in a snap lid Folgers 2lb coffee can ( plastic) buried it 3/4 of its height into the gravel,filled it with coffee grounds and some scrap veggies........popped the plastic lid back on it........and waited.</p>
<p>I also uprooted the problematic tomatoes, washed the worms off the root structures and moved them to a slightly different area of the grow bed .( the washed off worms went into the folgers can on top of the coffee grounds) </p>
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<p>Long short, the problem is fixed, the plants all perked up, and the folgers can is filled with worms......they basically found their all you can eat buffet........the snap lid keeps the other evil bugs from getting the worm food</p>
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<p>Supplemental feeding is a good thing to keep them from chewing the roots off your plants if they are hungry......but each flood and drain cycle also floods your system with worm tea, adding nutrients to the whole thing...</p> Worms can live very happily i…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-06-04:4778851:Comment:3461542012-06-04T21:46:58.548ZTCLynxhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/TCLynx
<p>Worms can live very happily in hydroton or gravel or plastic mesh and plastic drink caps and bits of cut off PVC even. They need it moist and as Vlad says, worms can even live under water as long as there is good aeration of the water. I've found worms living in my pump trap even.</p>
<p>Worms can live very happily in hydroton or gravel or plastic mesh and plastic drink caps and bits of cut off PVC even. They need it moist and as Vlad says, worms can even live under water as long as there is good aeration of the water. I've found worms living in my pump trap even.</p> You need to make sure the wat…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-06-04:4778851:Comment:3458872012-06-04T11:04:54.601ZVlad Jovanovichttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/VladJovanovic
<p>You need to make sure the water level doesn't reach the top of the hydroton...not because of the worms, but because of the algea growth that would ensue (and because of the plants...water logged stems can usually be bad, pythium loves that kind of stuff). Worms will do just fine under water as long as there's some dissolved oxygen in their.</p>
<p>You need to make sure the water level doesn't reach the top of the hydroton...not because of the worms, but because of the algea growth that would ensue (and because of the plants...water logged stems can usually be bad, pythium loves that kind of stuff). Worms will do just fine under water as long as there's some dissolved oxygen in their.</p> So red worms can live in hydr…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-06-04:4778851:Comment:3458822012-06-04T06:43:46.140Zmario colehttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/mariocole
<p>So red worms can live in hydroton? Do I need to make sure the water level doesn't reach the top of the media? Or can I waterlog those suckers in a flood and drain?</p>
<p>So red worms can live in hydroton? Do I need to make sure the water level doesn't reach the top of the media? Or can I waterlog those suckers in a flood and drain?</p> I wasn't suggesting an all wo…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-05-31:4778851:Comment:3440682012-05-31T22:22:36.326Zjim mckeehttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/jimmckee
<p>I wasn't suggesting an all worm diet.</p>
<p>jim</p>
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<p><br></br><br></br><cite>Vlad Jovanovic said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://aquaponicscommunity.com/forum/topics/composting-worms?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A343957&xg_source=msg_com_forum#4778851Comment343865"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>Hi Jim. I'm pretty sure the fat content of an all worm diet would not work out well for fish...Maybe as a snack, or part of a better balanced formulated whole, home-made…</p>
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<p>I wasn't suggesting an all worm diet.</p>
<p>jim</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><br/><br/><cite>Vlad Jovanovic said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://aquaponicscommunity.com/forum/topics/composting-worms?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A343957&xg_source=msg_com_forum#4778851Comment343865"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>Hi Jim. I'm pretty sure the fat content of an all worm diet would not work out well for fish...Maybe as a snack, or part of a better balanced formulated whole, home-made fish feed...</p>
<p>The only thing I plan on feeding the worms in my AP system is fish poop. The composting pile, or the worm trench on the other hand...</p>
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</blockquote> Well, I've been renovating th…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-05-31:4778851:Comment:3437002012-05-31T15:42:09.992ZVlad Jovanovichttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/VladJovanovic
<p>Well, I've been renovating this house and property and have done a lot of digging and planting here this last year, and this isn't the fist time I've seen one this size (or close to it at least)...I imagine that it's normal (or a result of one of the missiles filled with depleted uranium that are lying around here in these parts...one missed it's target and landed across the creek a couple metres from the the edge of one of my parcels of forest...but that's over a mile away from where I've…</p>
<p>Well, I've been renovating this house and property and have done a lot of digging and planting here this last year, and this isn't the fist time I've seen one this size (or close to it at least)...I imagine that it's normal (or a result of one of the missiles filled with depleted uranium that are lying around here in these parts...one missed it's target and landed across the creek a couple metres from the the edge of one of my parcels of forest...but that's over a mile away from where I've been digging). It's probably just a healthy, somewhat older worm of a type that tends to get big in size. The couple of times I've seen similar ones they tended to be down sort of deep-ish in the soil. I've mostly come across them while planting trees, but this guy came out all by himself after many days of straight rain...</p>
<p><br/> <cite>Jeremy Wheaton said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://aquaponicscommunity.com/forum/topics/composting-worms?page=2&commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A343865&x=1#4778851Comment343693"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>We call that rope in Montana. I've never seen a worm that big ever. Is that normal by any stretch of the imagination or is that some freak of nature? Great idea to have your wife's hand in there for size perspective. <br/> <br/> <cite>Vlad Jovanovic said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://aquaponicscommunity.com/forum/topics/composting-worms?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A343768&xg_source=msg_com_forum#4778851Comment342201"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>Hi Converse,</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772213571?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="721" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772213571?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" class="align-full" width="721"/></a> These are the guys I found living in the compost pile turned garbage potato patch (though I've since added some cucumbers). The tip of the worm is definitely is a different color than the body, and the best I could tell ,the clitellum starts at segment 24 or 25...which along with the striping would seem to point to E.foetida after all? (according to the links you posted...btw, the kansas state link doesn't appear to be functional anymore) At any rate, whatever they are, I am glad that they are there. Looks like some of those cocoons probably survived <img src="http://www.bkserv.net/images/Grin.gif"/></p>
<p>And then there's this guy!!!</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772213722?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="721" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772213722?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" class="align-full" width="721"/></a></p>
<p>I happened to run across this buck next to the door of my workshop (that's my wife's hand in the foto. That is one big worm...I added him to the compost pile as well, even though he seems like a strong burrowing worm (as I've recently learned are called Anecic worms).</p>
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</blockquote> It's A snake worm!!!! lol
V…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2012-05-31:4778851:Comment:3439572012-05-31T15:32:52.392ZDeborah Susan Berryhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/DeborahSusanBerry
<p>It's A snake worm!!!! lol</p>
<p><br></br> <br></br> <cite>Vlad Jovanovic said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://aquaponicscommunity.com/forum/topics/composting-worms?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A343764&xg_source=msg_com_forum#4778851Comment342201"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>Hi Converse,</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772213571?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772213571?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="721"></img></a> These are the guys I found living in the compost pile turned garbage…</p>
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<p>It's A snake worm!!!! lol</p>
<p><br/> <br/> <cite>Vlad Jovanovic said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://aquaponicscommunity.com/forum/topics/composting-worms?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A343764&xg_source=msg_com_forum#4778851Comment342201"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>Hi Converse,</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772213571?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="721" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772213571?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="721" class="align-full"/></a> These are the guys I found living in the compost pile turned garbage potato patch (though I've since added some cucumbers). The tip of the worm is definitely is a different color than the body, and the best I could tell ,the clitellum starts at segment 24 or 25...which along with the striping would seem to point to E.foetida after all? (according to the links you posted...btw, the kansas state link doesn't appear to be functional anymore) At any rate, whatever they are, I am glad that they are there. Looks like some of those cocoons probably survived <img src="http://www.bkserv.net/images/Grin.gif"/></p>
<p>And then there's this guy!!!</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772213722?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="721" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772213722?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="721" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>I happened to run across this buck next to the door of my workshop (that's my wife's hand in the foto. That is one big worm...I added him to the compost pile as well, even though he seems like a strong burrowing worm (as I've recently learned are called Anecic worms).</p>
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