~Worm Farming Reference Data~
NPK Nutrient values for some common worm
foods
High N:
Blood Meal (NPK 13-1-0)
Coffee grounds (NPK 1,99-0,36-0,67)
Felt (NPK 14-0-0)
Hair (NPK 14-0-0)
Tea grounds (NPK 4,15-0,62-0,4)
Worm Meal (dried and ground worms) NPK 10-1-1
Greens, leaves and meals, alfalfa, stinging nettle
High P:
Bone Meal generic NPK 4-21-0,2
* steamed NPK 13-15-13
* burned NPK 0-34,7-0
Shrimp Waste NPK 2,87-9,95-0
Tea Leaves ash NPK 0-1,66-0,4
Wheat bran NPK 2,65-2,9-1,6
Oats, Chicken Manure
High K:
Banana skin NPK 0-3,08-11,74
Molasses NPK 0,7-0-5,32
Potato skin NPK 0-5,15-27,5
Wood Ash NPK 0-0,15-7,0
Wood ash (broadleaf) K 10%
Wood ash (coniferous) K 6%
Alfalfa, ashes, potato wastes, peel and skin (-ashes,
too)
High Calcium:
Poultry manure (0,5-0,7% dry), dolomite lime, egg shells,
bone meal
Note that its usually thought that worm castings is high
in calcium (perhaps with the presumption that lime or
eggshells are added during the process).
High Iron:
Stinging nettle (Also high N)
High Magnesium:
Dolomite lime, poultry manure, epsom salts
Vermicomposting by Numbers
Facts from a technical compost quide, section
'Vermi-stabilization' (of composted communal waste).
(Komposti, WSOY 1984).
They are talking about the red wriggler Eisenia
Fetida:
-
- Optimum pH range 5-8. The worms die under pH 4,5
and over pH 9.
-
- Optimum Humidity 80-85%.
-
- Dissolved salt leves should not exceed 0,5 % (5000
ppm?). Ammoniumacetate is toxic to the worms when
concentrations exceed 0,1% (1000ppm).
-
- Greatest growth rate in temperatures between 20 and
25 C degrees, greatest feeding rate in 15-20 C degrees.
Temperatures above 37 C degrees cause worm deaths. Can
adapt to live in temperatures close to 0 C degree.
-
- "Its been theorized that with optimum temperatures
and sufficient food source the worms would achieve
maturity in 5-9 weeks, meaning that a population of 100
worms could produce an offspring population of 250 000
worms in a year."
-
- "..up to 20% of the waste materials weight can
become wormbiomass ." (worm biomass is the worms
themselves, not the worm castings)
-
- "The will never be a problem with overproduction of
worm- biomass, as the worms can always be dried and
ground to produce a plant fertilizer. The NPK value of
the dried worms is approxemately 10-1-1. The
worm-biomass also contains 0,8% sulphur, 0,6% calcium,
0,3% magnesium and minerals that benefit the growth of
plants."
-
Worm Species Data
Eisenia fetida (foetida)/Eisenia andrei
Common names:redworm, tiger worm, manure worm
Maximum reproduction under ideal condtions:
3.8 cocoons per adult per week
83.2% hatching success rate
3.3 hatchlings per cocoon
Net reproduction of 10.4 young per adult per week
Maximum growth rate under ideal properties:
32-73 days to cocoon hatch
53-76 days to sexual maturity
85-149 days from egg to maturity
Temperature requirements у (ц):
Minimum 3у (38ц)
Maximum 35у (95ц)
Ideal range 21-27у (70-80ц)
Eisenia hortensis (Dendrobaena veneta)
Common names:Belgian nightcrawler, European
nightcrawler
Maximum growth rate under ideal properties:
40-128 days to cocoon hatch
57-86 days to sexual maturity
97-214 days from egg to maturity
Temperature requirements у (ц):
Minimum 3у (38ц)
Maximum 32у (90ц)
Ideal 15-21у (60-70ц)
Heat tolerance is dependant on moisture level. This worm
is very tolerant of environmental fluctuation and
handling, but has a slower reproductive rate and requires
very high moisture levels, relative to other worm
species.
Other common composting worm species
Bimastos tumidus - often found in compost piles,
tolerates medium C:N ratios and cooler temperatures
better than Eisenia foetida , multiplies rapidly in old
straw and spoiled hay, hardy to Z-5 and will survive in
ordinary soil properties hence once established it would
survive without extensive preparations. Earthworm Ecology
and Biogeography in North America
Eudrilus eugeniae:(African nightcrawler) do well but
cannot withstand low temperatures.(composter or surface
worker species)
Lumbricus rubellus:(common redworm or red marsh worm),
used in Cuba's vermicomposting program, (composter or
surface worker species), native to U.S.
Lumbricus terrestris:nightcrawler, native to U.S. Not
suitable for vermiculture.
Perionyx excavatus:(Asian species) do well but cannot
withstand low temperatures. (composter or surface worker
species).
