Where do the grow bed worms come from?

[Bob Vento]

After reading about the red worms in peoples grow bed I wondered ... does this occur naturally or do you have to buy worms and add them to the grow bed?

Some seem to be growing their own, in a worm farm, which is also confusing to me 

I would appreciate some info.

Thanks,
Bob

[Keith Rowan]

i got my worms (red wigglers) from a bait shop near my house (you want to use composting worms, not nightcrawlers).. i only put a couple dozen in each bed,, they'll take care of themselves

[Bob Vento]

Keith,

I am still a little unclear.

Do the worms get down into the lava rock and stalite media?

How do they survive in rocks and what do they eat?

We used to use worms in our traditional garden comprised of soil.

Regards,
Bob

Keith Rowan said:

i got my worms (red wigglers) from a bait shop near my house (you want to use composting worms, not nightcrawlers).. i only put a couple dozen in each bed,, they'll take care of themselves

[Keith Rowan]

when you think about it, worms live in a "solid" world... they can fit through just about any opening.. they break down just about any solids that make it to the growbed..lots of folks use them, the media will not be a problem for them.. i had a few red wiggers wash into my fishtank, they lived just fine in the water (lots of aeration) until they were consumed by fish..

i cleaned out a couple swirl filters a while ago (5 gallon buckets full of scrubbie pads) and there were several fat worms both filters (this is an indoor system) - the only way they could have gotten there was if they washed into the ft, and were pumped into the filter..

[RW]

Yeah, sounds strange, but red wigglers do just fine in rock media. For me, they are doing better in my grow beds than in my worm composting bin.  If my grow beds are low on plant life because of a recent harvest, I'll just lay some old lettuce leaves or a watermelon rind on the top of the media to give them some extra food. They eat the leaves as it wilts.

Uncle Jim's worm farm is a popular website to get worms online.

[Converse]

Hi Bob,

  I run a commercial redworm farm (Eisenia fetida) in WA. state.  I am also an AP enthusiast.   I think I can answer a few of your questions.  I am alsways gald to help out a fellow AP enthusiast with vermiculture/vermicomposting questions. 

Your media beds are perfect for redworms.  This is the perfect environment.  They get to live in an aerated environment.  The get moisture they need on the skin to breathe and they get fish poo to work on.  There is a host of the symbiotic beneficial bacteria living there that they depend on to help consume the dead roots and other vegetative matter in the media beds. Redworms are secondary decomposers. They get controlled Ph and temp....In short, a paradise for a redworm.  Redworms can fit through the tiniest of places, through rock beds, through corrugation in card board ( a favorite for redworms), and even through some screening.

 

   The worms you put in soil beds or that occur there naturally are not redworms, the composting worms sought after for media beds and vermicomposting.  There are many kinds of worms.  Redworms, used for vermicomposting cannot live in a soil environment.  They need lots of organic matter to live in that they will consume and turn into worm castings  also known as gardener's gold). 

 

   You can buy redworms. I believe that Sylvia has redworms for sale in her online store here. You can also sometimes find them locally through the Master Gardeners Chapter in your area.  You can get them from me. Where ever you get them, I recommend you get them from someone who can tell you the scientific name of the redworms they have.  All redworms are not equal.  Some have a wandering habit.  Eisenia fetida do not, a plus for worm composting bins and AP media beds.  Eisenia fetida are also favored for their tolerance to a wide range of temperatures and pH.  They are also the fastest of the redworms for eating matter and reproducing.

  I do not recommend buying worms in the bait section of your local store.  These are usually night crawlers, and will not thrive in your media beds and typically cannot survive the higher temperatures of an AP system. Sometime you can find redworms sold in the bait section, but the price you will pay per worm will be pretty high.

   RW,    It may be that some of the conditions in your worm bin are not  just right, which may be why your vermicomposting bin population is not thriving as well as  the population in your media bed. If you will send me a private message, and I think I can help you out with your worm composting bin challenges.

 

- Converse

[Bob Vento]

Do you have a website?

Converse said:

Hi Bob,

  I run a commercial redworm farm (Eisenia fetida) in WA. state.  I am also an AP enthusiast.   I think I can answer a few of your questions.  I am alsways gald to help out a fellow AP enthusiast with vermiculture/vermicomposting questions. 

Your media beds are perfect for redworms.  This is the perfect environment.  They get to live in an aerated environment.  The get moisture they need on the skin to breathe and they get fish poo to work on.  There is a host of the symbiotic beneficial bacteria living there that they depend on to help consume the dead roots and other vegetative matter in the media beds. Redworms are secondary decomposers. They get controlled Ph and temp....In short, a paradise for a redworm.  Redworms can fit through the tiniest of places, through rock beds, through corrugation in card board ( a favorite for redworms), and even through some screening.

 

   The worms you put in soil beds or that occur there naturally are not redworms, the composting worms sought after for media beds and vermicomposting.  There are many kinds of worms.  Redworms, used for vermicomposting cannot live in a soil environment.  They need lots of organic matter to live in that they will consume and turn into worm castings  also known as gardener's gold). 

 

   You can buy redworms. I believe that Sylvia has redworms for sale in her online store here. You can also sometimes find them locally through the Master Gardeners Chapter in your area.  You can get them from me. Where ever you get them, I recommend you get them from someone who can tell you the scientific name of the redworms they have.  All redworms are not equal.  Some have a wandering habit.  Eisenia fetida do not, a plus for worm composting bins and AP media beds.  Eisenia fetida are also favored for their tolerance to a wide range of temperatures and pH.  They are also the fastest of the redworms for eating matter and reproducing.

  I do not recommend buying worms in the bait section of your local store.  These are usually night crawlers, and will not thrive in your media beds and typically cannot survive the higher temperatures of an AP system. Sometime you can find redworms sold in the bait section, but the price you will pay per worm will be pretty high.

   RW,    It may be that some of the conditions in your worm bin are not  just right, which may be why your vermicomposting bin population is not thriving as well as  the population in your media bed. If you will send me a private message, and I think I can help you out with your worm composting bin challenges.

 

- Converse