Worm Farm FAQ.

ASK ME A QUESTION?

All questions are welcome and i will endeavour to answer asap.

Feeding a worm farm when going on holidays.

What If  I Want To Go Away For A Few Weeks?

This will be fine.  The worms will simply eat and re-eat their bedding material. Just give them some food and some water before you go and everything should be ok. The main concern is the moisture levels in the worm farm.  if the worm dry out he will die.  If you have you gardens on an automated dripper system you could incorporate a  dripper into the media of your worm farm and adjust the flow to only allow a small amount of water to enter the farm each day.  An alternate option is set up a 2L drink container to which you have poked a hole into the lid.  Fill the bottle up with water and turn upside down and bury a little way into the worm farm.  This will slowly drip water into the farm.  This will certainly not be enough for a few weeks, but it may just save the farm for a few days in summer.  The trick is to “think outside the box”.  If any one has any suggestions in regards to this topic id love to hear them!

I just heard of another handy trick in regards to feeding the worms.  An option is to freeze the food to use at a later stage.  This could come in handy if you are planning a trip away but still have some one look after your home and pets.  You will know exactly what has been feed to the worms and in what proportion, thus eliminating over feeding the farm.  When the food defrosts it will become softer, moister  and more manageable  for the worms to digest.  Just remember to defrost the food first and to allow it to become room temperature before feeding the worms.  Remember to ask your worm sitter to water the worms as well as the plants!  just show them the required amount before you go as to not drowned te worms and make the worm farm to wet.

How Do I Raise Earthworms?

Now when you ask yourself the question of “how do  I start raising earthworms?” are you meaning the type of worm that you can feed your vegetable scraps to?  Or,  are you meaning the kind of worm you can put back into your garden beds?   This is a very important question to consider as each type of worm does a different type of job.  Now if your wanting to start raising earthworms to either : Go fishing with, or, to release them back to your garden beds then earthworms could be the choice for you.

Now if you’re planning on going fishing with the worms, take a moment and check out my article on “Bait worms” , it may just clear the subject up for you.  But, if you’re planning on releasing the earthworms back into your garden, then please read on..

Earthworms like a completely different environment to composting worms.  When preparing the beds for the earthworms try using a soil mixed with decomposing leaves.  Refrain from using leaves that once belonged to Eucalyptus or chilli species as the essential oils present will be too strong.  Also avoid leaves that once contained a milky sap as these are poisonous.  If the soil is too “heavy” or “puggy” try adding some course washed river sand to the mix to aid in aeration and drainage.

In “Worm Farming for Beginners” the E- Book (only $17.97) there is a housing structure called the “Bathtub Method”.

Simply follow the steps for this type of housing but use the bedding material I have just described instead of the mix indicated in the book.  The same principles apply with environmental conditions, pests, and feeding.

Can I Use Worms for Fishing?

Please  DO NOT collect worms from the bush.  This places a heavy toll on the environment including  your farming and bushland soils.  Buy them from a reputable fishing shop!!

Most fisherman have a certain way of thinking: The bigger the bait worm the bigger the fish. This is of course is certainly not true. In fact, The best bait worms are the ones you find in the vicinity of your local fishing site.

There are many different types of worms that can be used as bait worms.  Here in Australia the African nightcrawler worm is the most popular bait worm. BUT……

The African nightcrawler worm is extremely hard to raise and requires a lot of effort on behalf of the grower. They are a tropical worm and the worm beds need to be maintained at the correct moisture and temperature levels at all times. These worms can climb brick walls, and worm farms must be designed to prevent an escape!

Some growers are currently converting away from African Night Crawlers to Cod Worms (Coddies), as they believe African Night Crawlers are now too susceptible to a disease and can no longer be economically bred.

Types of fish that can be caught with COD worms.

Freshwater: Australian Bass, Blackfish (Slimeys), Carp, Murray Cod, Sleepy Cod,  Mary River Cod,  Jade Perch/Barcoo Grunter, Silver, Golden and Jungle Spangled Perch, Trout, Tarpon, Redfin, Catfish/Jewfish, Eels, etc.

COD Worms are different to other bait worms:

1:    Cod worms are larger than your everyday compost worms and bigger than the African Night Crawlers.  Cod worms can grow to over 200mm in length and can be as thick as your pinkie finger.

2: Cod worms are believed to be a native worm from Australia.   This means that all Australian freshwater fish and many saltwater estuary fish have a penchant for Cod Worms. In other words, Cod worms catch Australian fish!

3: The Cod Worms have a tough skin and consequently stay on the hook longer than other types of bait worms.

In Scotland:  Dendrobaena worms are being recognised as the worm to use for fishing bait. Fishermen appreciate that they are tougher and hardier than any other worm and can survive longer even in the coldest of Scottish waters.

Soon there will be a release of a new budget bait worm called the Bluey.