The Ranch

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kansabis

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Yeah that's big part of why I haven't started one yet cuz I don't want to get it going good then here comes the cold and f it all up,used to do compost piles in ground when I was a kid,that's only experience I've had with that type of stuff,we would dig out a bed and compost it for 2-3 years then run a garden in it and compost in the previous garden next 2-3 years.
 
Organikz

Organikz

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Yeah that's big part of why I haven't started one yet cuz I don't want to get it going good then here comes the cold and f it all up,used to do compost piles in ground when I was a kid,that's only experience I've had with that type of stuff,we would dig out a bed and compost it for 2-3 years then run a garden in it and compost in the previous garden next 2-3 years.
Lmao...there is 2" of snow on top of my bin and I'm not worried...have you seen a pile of compost when you turn it in the winter...it steams brotha...you can sleep under s pile of leaves and stay warm. Get a 200g smart pot. Worms will migrate to warm spots
 
Rcubed

Rcubed

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I'm gunna start a worm bin this spring but I think instead of buying worms im just gunna find them in the ground locally and add them to the bins,should help reduce emissions and price of delivery. New age hippy power lol
I'm with you on that one. I've got tons of worms and nightcrawlers in my back yard. No need to buy those high falootin compost worms.:cool:
 
Organikz

Organikz

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I'm with you on that one. I've got tons of worms and nightcrawlers in my back yard. No need to buy those high falootin compost worms.:cool:
What you should do is get a compost pile going. I scoop it all into a 300g smart pot after about a 6 month compost of double shred leaves. Earthworms and composting worms are 2 different things. I do purchase European night crawlers. They stay very deep. They get as large as 6" long.

They help work the material over once more to finish off. You need those composting worms to break down the top 5".
 
brazel

brazel

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I think there might be some confusion here...an active compost pile produces heat, worm farm does not...
And it could be me confused

Edit
It's me cause I just realized we're talking about both!
 
R

RanchoDeluxe

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Would you agree that watering method is made more important when top dressing?
I'm thinking that the roots are relying on nutrients leached from the dressing space, so watering needs to travel through this space.

I share your appreciation of the worm.
I like to think of them as microbial regulators.
Once they fully occupy a space, diversity seems to narrow to what the worms like.

Love the "no till" idea, as much as I loath humping "soil" about.
Cation exchange capacity (CEC) and soil solution are where a majority of nutrients are stored. In the top 2-4" there is quite a bit of biological activity taking place. I usually go no more than 3 days without applying enough water to keep this zone moist.
What I mostly see in my new beds are springtails. My old bed that had worms in it for 4 years was full of all kinds of different critters. Pill bugs, beneficial mites, centipedes, millipedes, all sorts of things. It has now become my worm bin along with a half dozen smart pots and will be used to innoculate my new grow. Like I've been saying these beds only get better with time.
RD
 
brazel

brazel

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You remember when I bought this tlo kit like at least four years ago?
Well it's still sitting here! Ahaha
20180108 233130
 
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RanchoDeluxe

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If I do have my worm bin outside and temps get real cold,lets say below freezing,should I worry about worms or will they survive?
It depends how big your worm bin is, how cold it gets, and if you want to maintain it during this period. A soil heating cable works too. I put a 125w lamp under my 2x4 vertical flow through thats in the chicken shed. I blocked off the bottom so only the chickens had enough space to warm up. Working well and I've seen -10F a few times. Remember also the cocoons survive -40F...so you will have worms in the spring regardless.
 
Rcubed

Rcubed

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What you should do is get a compost pile going. I scoop it all into a 300g smart pot after about a 6 month compost of double shred leaves. Earthworms and composting worms are 2 different things. I do purchase European night crawlers. They stay very deep. They get as large as 6" long.

They help work the material over once more to finish off. You need those composting worms to break down the top 5".
Yeah, that's right. Here's where I get my worms. They're right under the top layer of my compost pile. Right now it's all the leaves from my maple tree and some lawn clippings. I think the worms are compost worms because they hang out right where the leaves meet the more condensed compost.
IMG 20180105 112630
 
K

kansabis

1,427
263
What you should do is get a compost pile going. I scoop it all into a 300g smart pot after about a 6 month compost of double shred leaves. Earthworms and composting worms are 2 different things. I do purchase European night crawlers. They stay very deep. They get as large as 6" long.

They help work the material over once more to finish off. You need those composting worms to break down the top 5".
I plan to have a few dif types of worms and also have a compost and a separate worm bin possibly,idk yet,also been thinkin about a bokashi bucket too.
 
K

kansabis

1,427
263
It depends how big your worm bin is, how cold it gets, and if you want to maintain it during this period. A soil heating cable works too. I put a 125w lamp under my 2x4 vertical flow through thats in the chicken shed. I blocked off the bottom so only the chickens had enough space to warm up. Working well and I've seen -10F a few times. Remember also the cocoons survive -40F...so you will have worms in the spring regardless.
Awesome info,thanks,cleared up alot for me.
 
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RanchoDeluxe

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I plan to have a few dif types of worms and also have a compost and a separate worm bin possibly,idk yet,also been thinkin about a bokashi bucket too.
Try and find Vermiculture Technologies by Clive Edwards. Vertical flow through bins are incredibly efficient compared to other methods. Google OSCR worm bins. I wouldn't run anything but wigglers or Malaysians in them though.
 
Rcubed

Rcubed

767
243
Question, since there are different worms for different soil levels, should we mix different worm types in our no tills? Ex. Nightcrawlers for deep soil, earthworms for mid level, and compost worms for just under the mulch, or is this overkill?
 
Organikz

Organikz

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263
Rancho!?

@Rcubed
I can help. Some no till growers use 3 different worms...african crawlers cruise across the top. Red wrigglers 1-6" deep. European night crawlers stay deep and finish off. They also good aerators.
 
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