Worm Casting Tea Complete Kit
Kit comes with a 5 gallon bucket, an aquarium air pump, the bubbler stone, and five breathable bags with the proper amount of worm castings for a 5 gallon bucket. Each bag can be used twice making them each capable of producing 10 gallons of worm casting tea. This means the five bags in your kit can make a total of 50 gallons of worm tea.

One of the great benefits of having worm compost is being able to make worm compost tea. Worm compost tea is a wonderful product for your plants. Studies have clearly shown how beneficial it is for plants health (Edwards, Vermiculture Technology). Not only does it increase their vigor, but it also helps the plant’s natural defenses against diseases and insects. It’s also great to know that worm casting tea is very easy to make.

To make worm casting tea you’ll obviously need worm castings. The worm castings are added to water which is then aerated for 24 hours. A common way of aerating the water is with a fish aquarium bubbler pump and stone. Commonly the worm castings are contained in a cloth bag. This is so the particles will be separated from the liquid, and then the worm tea can be spread on the plant leaves much easier. On my webpage you will find worm castings sold already packaged in cloth breathable worm teabags. Or you can buy worm castings in bulk and use your own tea bags.

For a container I use a 5 gallon bucket. I fill the 5 gallon bucket 3/4 full with water, then I add a worm casting teabag. I then drop the aquarium bubbler stone into the bottom of the 5 gallon bucket and let it bubble for 24 hours. After the worm casting tea has aerated for 24 hours, it is ready for use. Use the worm tea to water your plants, but also be sure to get as much of it on the foliage of the plants as possible. It does not take long at all to see your plant’s health improve. Within 2 to 3 weeks any aphids should be gone. After 3 weeks most fungus spots on the plants will begin to disappear. On fruits and vegetable much higher yields will be obtained. I was skeptical myself and then I started using worm tea on my plants and the difference is astounding.

Even though we have had terrible weather, hot then cold, dry then soaking wet, the worms are multiplying well. Red wiggler worms are very tough and this just goes to prove it. Today it is over a hundred, but the worms are still eating away and multiplying even in the heat. Now the worms are in a shade and have adequate water. This water helps keep them cool as the water evaporates off of the top of the beds.

Summer time often brings lots of ants. I have had several people recenlty ask me what I do to keep ants out of the red worm beds. I really don’t do anything, the ants just don’t seem to like my worm beds. I think this is because I keep the top of the worm beds wet. Ants don’t really seem to like getting wet.

Red Worm Egg Capsules

Worms reproduce by a fascinating method which also helps ensure their future existence. Earthworms lay egg capsules in the soil usually near a good source of food. The neat thing about these egg capsules is their ability to survive harsh conditions that would kill adult earthworms. Earthworm egg capsules can survive freezing, and dry conditions for extended periods of time. The egg capsules will wait for more favorable conditions to hatch.

Adult worms in favorable conditions will lay between 2-4 egg capsules per month. Worms are hermaphrodites and must mate before laying. I have never seen a worm “blowing” an egg capsule, but a colleague of mine tells me it looks like someone blowing a bubble out their mouth. Each egg capsule can hatch from 3-7 worms (Eisenia fetida). The worm egg capsules are bright golden yellow when first laid and progressively turn brownish red before hatching. Eisenia fetida egg capsules will hatch in about 21 days under ideal conditions and at about 80 degrees. The eggs hatch faster at warmer temperatures than what adult worms prefer.

I am so excited, today I got a great deal on a green house. Can’t wait to construct it on the property, but I’m still finishing another greenhouse on the property as it is, but it was a good deal so I snatched it while I could. More room to grow worms in!

One simple and cheap way to grow worms and compost with them is a “sandpit” style worm farm. You just construct a structure that would be similar to a sandpit for children built on the ground. You simply need construct a sandpit, but don’t but sand in it, instead fill it with your compostable materials and then add the worms. As for building the sand pit, there are tons of different ways. Just search Google and you will find tons. Here is an example. Taking care of the worms is the same as in any other bin, like here.

If you live in a hot area be sure to build it where it will get some shade. Also be sure to keep it damp and fed well. A lip of some sort around the top will help keep worms from escaping. Be sure its deep enough to not freeze through during the winter. Check your frost depth and build accordingly.