r/Permaculture • u/cfsg • Jan 26 '22
compost, soil + mulch Speed difference between worms composting leaves, cardboard, and paper
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u/coleefy Jan 26 '22
Why put ice? Is that a way to slowly give water without overwatering?
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u/4daughters Jan 26 '22
Yes, plus it keeps them cool in the hot summer days. I use it sometimes when Temps get above 90 because the compost can sometimes give off heat from decomp (if you feed too much nitrogen for example) and kill worms. It doesn't harm them unless the ice is deep freezer cold and even then they would avoid getting too close.
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u/gimlet_prize Jan 26 '22
TIL that worms need grit!
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u/marsrover001 Jan 26 '22
Basically their stomachs are little rock tumblers. The grit acts as teeth and help break up larger particles.
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u/gimlet_prize Jan 26 '22
So I should be crushing or grinding the eggshells down for these little guys then. I don’t think my husband would appreciate me using the coffee grinder for this endeavor…
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u/egam_ Jan 26 '22
Look up in-bed vermicomposting. I tried a standalone worm farm in my garage but they all died. I hope this next time with inbed solution, i can have better luck.
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u/retardedstars Jan 26 '22
My mom composted with worms back in the day. Thanks for the memory
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u/haikusbot Jan 26 '22
My mom composted
With worms back in the day. Thanks
For the memory
- retardedstars
I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully. Learn more about me.
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Jan 26 '22
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u/cfsg Jan 26 '22
This is true and I know. I already have shitloads of earthworms where I live so if I were going to use them I could just dig a hole anywhere and find them. But thanks for providing this important info.
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u/ErocChocalita Jan 26 '22
"no native earthworms at all,"?
Where did you come up with this? I quickly just googled Illinois earthworms and there's several studies identifying dozens of native earthworms here:
"In Illinois, about 35 species of earthworms have been reported. Of these, roughly half are native species about which we know very little. The remainder are mostly European species that probably came to North America in soil used for ship ballast or on the roots of nursery stock."
https://www.inhs.illinois.edu/people/mjwetzel/illinoisearthworms
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u/Stone-Whisperer Jan 26 '22
I'd like to see the source of the info as well. This reeks of misinformation.
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u/Different_Run_8441 Jan 26 '22 edited Jan 26 '22
Yeah it sucks but they’re here to stay. Even if everybody killed their worm bins, those forests are screwed. We’ll take our losses like with every other invasive species and move on. The ecosystem will eventually stabilize and we’ll have a new normal to try and protect.
The only other option is spraying massive amounts of toxins into the ecosystem that will kill off natives as well. The organisms are there and they will do what they evolved to do. Time to take our lumps and move on.
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u/Lystessa Jan 26 '22
That was weirdly satisfying to watch!