They can also be collected from compost and manure piles. Ĭomposting worms are available to order online, from nursery mail-order suppliers or angling shops where they are sold as bait. Some species are considered invasive in some areas, so they should be avoided (see earthworms as invasive species for a list). As they are shallow-dwelling and feed on decomposing plant matter in the soil, they adapt easily to live on food or plant waste in the confines of a worm bin. These species commonly are found in organic-rich soils throughout Europe and North America and live in rotting vegetation, compost, and manure piles. Lampito mauritii (Southern Asia), used locally.May be used in the tropics and subtropics. Perionyx excavatus (South and East Asia), blueworms.Eudrilus eugeniae (West Africa), African Nightcrawlers.Eisenia hortensis (Europe), European nightcrawlers, prefers high C:N material.Closely related to Eisenia andrei, which is also usable. Eisenia fetida (Europe), the red wiggler or tiger worm.Species most often used for composting include: Vermicompost worms are generally epigean. Design considerations Suitable worm species Īll worms make compost but some species are not suitable for this purpose. Vermicomposting is a common practice in permaculture. The fraction of soil which has gone through the digestive tract of earthworms is called the drilosphere. The worms' digestive systems create environments that allow certain species of microbes to thrive to help create a "living" soil environment for plants. Because the earthworms grind and uniformly mix minerals in simple forms, plants need only minimal effort to obtain them. Worm castings are sometimes used as an organic fertilizer. Users refer to European nightcrawlers by a variety of other names, including dendrobaenas, dendras, Dutch nightcrawlers, and Belgian nightcrawlers.Ĭontaining water-soluble nutrients, vermicompost is a nutrient-rich organic fertilizer and soil conditioner in a form that is relatively easy for plants to absorb. Red wigglers are recommended by most vermicomposting experts, as they have some of the best appetites and breed very quickly. The earthworm species (or composting worms) most often used are red wigglers ( Eisenia fetida or Eisenia andrei), though European nightcrawlers ( Eisenia hortensis, synonym Dendrobaena veneta) and red earthworm ( Lumbricus rubellus) could also be used. In manure composting, it also generates products that have lower salinity levels. Vermicomposting has gained popularity in both industrial and domestic settings because, as compared with conventional composting, it provides a way to treat organic wastes more quickly. A variation of the process is vermifiltration (or vermidigestion) which is used to remove organic matter, pathogens, and oxygen demand from wastewater or directly from blackwater of flush toilets. Vermicomposting can also be applied for treatment of sewage. It is used in gardening and sustainable, organic farming. Vermicompost contains water-soluble nutrients and is an excellent, nutrient-rich organic fertilizer and soil conditioner. These excreta have been shown to contain reduced levels of contaminants and a higher saturation of nutrients than the organic materials before vermicomposting. Vermicast (also called worm castings, worm humus, worm poop, worm manure, or worm faeces) is the end-product of the breakdown of organic matter by earthworms. This process is called vermicomposting, with the rearing of worms for this purpose is called vermiculture. Vermicompost ( vermi-compost) is the product of the decomposition process using various species of worms, usually red wigglers, white worms, and other earthworms, to create a mixture of decomposing vegetable or food waste, bedding materials, and vermicast. Vermicomposting uses worms to decompose waste and make nutrient-rich "worm manure".
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