Re: NANFA-- Grindle worms

R. W. Wolff (choupiqu_at_wctc.net)
Sun, 14 Mar 2004 13:50:39 -0600

I did have some potting soil, but most of the good stuff come with stuff
added like ferilizer. No good. And the generic cheap stuff I bought actually
had bob wire, rocks and all sorts of junk in it. Sooo, I started recycleing
the bedding in worm containers from the bait shops I use as feeders and for
fishing. I just dump it in a shoe box, and keep crushing it down, letting it
dry out good at the mean time. I then pour this into smaller flat trays and
add water, until I get the right mixture. Then add worms. If it is still
lumpy, the worms eventually break it down into a smoother layer. I just
harvest worms off the surface of the mud.

Another note on what Moon might have going on in his cultures. That might be
a couple years worth of grindle worm castings. My oldest cultures are shiny
on top, and its like a rubber sheet. I don't mind it, though it does stink
sometimes, but if mites show up, a light flooding and they pour right off.

If you don't use enough worms from bait stores, you can order the worm mix,
and mix it half worm mix, one quarter peat ( dont' care what the worm sites
say, peat works fine as long as its not 100%), and the rest some baked top
soil. Find a corner of your yard with good black dirt. Spread this on a
cookie sheet and broil it in the oven for a couple hours. This will kill all
the seeds and other pests that might live in it. Being really dried, it can
be crumbled into a workable almost powder then ( don't breath in the dust!).
You can use all soil, or soil half and half with peat, or half and half with
the worm bedding. The thing is it needs to be not too acidic, hold moisture,
but breath ( no clay or sand only mixes) and be fine so that the worms can
work through it all.
Ray
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