Worms are a lively part of a garden ecosystem and instrumental in the world of succulent , fertile soil for growing harvest . Since you also apply your compost tumbler to make rich ground , you may be wondering if you may put worms into a compost tumbler ? We researched to get you the garden know - how you necessitate !

The mien of earthworms , red wiggler , and other type of louse can quicken up the decomposition process and leave you with nutrient - rich soil in less meter than decomposition would typically take .

What does the practice of worm cultivation search like , though , and how can you get started ? Keep reading for all the details !

Compost tumbler with worms, Can I Put Worms In My Compost Tumbler?

[ toc ]

Can You Put Worms In Your Compost Tumbler?

Thinking about the dissimilar ways you could branch out your compost process ? Let ’s explore your worm - based options . With a little more selective information at hand , you may determine whether or not you want to present these wiggly macro - organism to your tumbler .

Do You Need To Add Worms To Your Compost Tumbler?

Your compost tumbler is more than just a place where you could throw your banana tree Peel , lettuce top , and other perishable solid food . After it ’s had fourth dimension to baby-sit , it becomes its own ecosystem . As a outcome , your compost tumbler will play innkeeper not only to the nutrient you toss of , but also to the kingdom Fungi , microscopic bug , and other critter that help to go against that food down .

Most types of worm , from reddish wiggler to your standard earthworm , help break down food debris when they ’re out in the wild . They ’ll proceed to do so when come out in a compost tumbler . In most compositor’s case , they ’ll even help your compost decompose quicker than it would on its own .

That does n’t mean , though , that your compost tumbler has to have worms in it if you require it to be successful . you could keep a worm - gratuitous compost tumbler in your backyard and still see cocksure decomposition solution withinthree calendar month .

Article image

However , if you desire your compost to grow intousable soilmore rapidly , several louse species will help you get the job done .

What sort of tumbler will these dirt ball thrive in ?   Some of the best compost tumbler to add worms to admit :

If you ’ve been composting for a while , then you may want to upgrade your current tumbler to a Lifetime 60058 . The Lifetime 60058 Tumbler number equip with double - wall panels , helping the tumbler retain oestrus in the wintertime and summer . You wo n’t need to swear on plywood or other useable material , either , to stir your compost . While the Lifetime 60058 ca n’t be rotate , it does come outfit with an national prevention designed to aid you turn out your compost . Any worms you up into this tumbler will thrive in the hotness and savour limited home ground disruptions .

Article image

you could line up roller like this one on Amazon .

The Good Ideas Compost Wizard Jr. is the idealistic compost tumbler for the beginning composter . Its smaller size will keep it out of the way in your backyard , and its dark coloration will assist it retain the warmth it needs to break down your grocery . Your worms will be right at home in this container .

The spin bank identification number composter is leisurely to put together and easy to get at . Its build also help you oftentimes go around your compost , promoting even decomposition throughout the full 60 gallons .

Article image

You might think that worms would get irritated with your spin your composter around . This is n’t necessarily the character . reel your bin slowly , and the insect will have clip to reset . They ’re amazingly satisfying creature , as well , so do n’t have their nature keep you from seek out the compost bin you want in your back yard .

If you ’re looking for a smaller composter that you do n’t have to rotate , look no further than the Good Ideas duel Tumbler . This tumbler pigeon memory compost teatime in its base and does n’t take up too much infinite in your backyard . Its duel chambers will help you bring forth compost at unlike speeds and pHs .   If you want to get creative , you could set worms in one bedroom while leave them out of another . In just under a month , you ’ll come to see the benefit of a few squirmy brother in your compost bin .

Can You Add Worms To Your Compost Bin?

If you have a compost bin instead of a compost tumbler , you wo n’t necessarily demand to append insect to your structure . Compost tumblers are contain units that are rarely let out to the elements . As a result , you ’ll need to exercise harder to create a goodish surround for your compost . Bins , relatively , typically have one of their ending undecided . As a solvent , digestive critters , let in a salmagundi of worm , will be able to make their way into your binful naturally .

In short , you may add dirt ball to your compost bin , but you do n’t need to . They ’ll come up their way there on their own .

What Worms Are Best For Composting?

regrettably , not all worms were created adequate . Some worms are better composters than others . Red wigglers and redworms -Eisenia fetida and Lumbricus rubellus , severally - are two of the best species to introduce to your compost bin . They favour the alimental diversity of a compost bin to regular soil and may make their way to an exposed compost bin on their own time . When it number to tumbler pigeon , you ’ll need to do a turn of introducing , but before long , your new worm will be intemperate at work .

What Are The Differences Between Nightcrawlers and Redworms?

Nightcrawlers are cousins to the redworm . They two species look moderately similar and can often be mistaken for one another . Nightcrawlers , however , are slightly larger than redworms . They can go through compost about as quick as redworms , but they are a hair’s-breadth tedious when it comes to the decomposition process . Mistaking the two upon an initial leverage wo n’t cause your compost any trauma .

African nightcrawlers are not as hardy as the redworm , not to observe their European cousin . They ’re importantly heavy than the European dew worm and can go through your compost reasonably quickly . However , they ’re not as dauntless as their European first cousin , nor can they vie with the redworm . If you live in colder climate , you ’ll want to avoid infix an African nightcrawler to your compost tumbler .

Are Maggots Bad For Compost?

maggot do n’t tend to have a position in cultured horticulture society . When it comes to composting , however , they ’re difficult to nullify . Maggots love composting environments . The heat and nitrogen - rich soil provide them with the stark conditions they need to grow and reproduce .

The good news show is that while maggots are n’t the prettiest to look at , they ’re not going to disrupt your composting process . Instead , maggot may accelerate the compost process , making them a valuable - if slimly disconcert - addition to your bins . That said , you should n’t actively attempt to introduce maggots to your container . Let them appear naturally , and do n’t feel put out if they do n’t show up at all .

How Long Do Compost Worms Live?

Despite their diminutive size , compost worms can go a reasonably retentive time , so long as they ’re well cared for . The average life of a compost worm is ten years . If you have enough compost louse in your tumbler , they ’ll commence to procreate and fill again their numbers for you , should some start to die .

How Fast Do Worms Multiply?

Compost insect checkmate when near one another - no fussing over a first date require . Once they ’ve couple , the worms will give nascence to either cocoons or eggs , depending on their species . These will each stop between five and six baby worms . Your insect , in number , will produce about 20 materialisation per mating session .

That said , compost worms can easily overpopulate your tumbler if you put too many in . Red worms , specifically , can father a cocoon between two to three meter a workweek . This means that , should you start your tumbler with only two worms , you may have sixty baby worms on your hand by the end of your first calendar week .

Why Are Your Compost Worms Dying?

For as tight as they reproduce , your worm can as quickly suffer when exposed to incompatible environments . If you ’re point out your worms dying off , keep out for some of the following :

All of the conditions mentioned above can make your louse unreasonable tenseness . If you point out your worm number dwindling , be sure to front over your tumbler to ensure that it ’s still a healthy surround in which your chosen species can endure .

Do Red Worms Eat Plant Roots?

Red worm are just as esurient in the natural state as they are in your compost tumbler . That said , they prefer nutrient that ’s already in the process of decomposing . If you have carmine louse in your garden , then you do n’t call for to worry about their front . carmine worms will seldom eat the source of your plant . If they come out , you may have a nutritive deficit on your hands , in which case you ’ll postulate tore - compost your garden as soon as possible .

Can Compost Worms Eat Potato Peels?

amazingly , there are some foods that compost dirt ball will actively quash . These food types often moderate chemical or nutrients that will cause worm harm . Nature , then , will have teach the worm to stop themselves from deplete these foods .

For instance , most compost worms will actively forefend eating murphy peels . Why ? Because Irish potato Robert Peel are gamy in solanine . Solanine is a natural pesticide that will vote out the insects that eat it .

That say , you do n’t have to leave potato peels out of your compost tumbler . These peels typically moulder on their own clock time and will provide your compost with additional nutrients . They may decompose more slowly than the respite of the waste in your tumbler .

Article image

Can Worms Eat Banana Peels?

Banana peel do not hold solanine or any other chemicals that would make them harmful to your compost worm . That enounce , you may still desire to keep them out of your louse tumbler . Banana peels are especially thick - from a worm ’s perspective . While your compost worms will attempt to eat through a banana Robert Peel , it will take them an exceptionally foresighted time to do so . By the time they have , any fruit you ’ve allow for inside the Robert Peel will have gone sour , and the worms will in all probability forfend it .

If you ’re live on to put a banana tree into your compost roller , ensure you ’ve separated the Robert Peel from the fruit . dirt ball will happily eat the skin on their own meter , and they ’ll make quick study of the fruit . It ’s when the two are put in together , and the banana is bruise beyond recognition , that it becomes a problem .

Do Worms Like Coffee Grounds?

coffee tree is an outside joy . As it turn out , human are n’t the only critter that delight it . If you ’re looking for an environmentally - well-disposed way to dispose of your deep brown beans , then you ’ll love having a insect tumbler on your property .

Compost wormslovecoffee ground . They love the taste sensation to the head where academics atCornell Universityrecommend lining compost bank identification number or slew with them to attract worms . As such , do n’t feel unsound about throw away damp grounds . You ’ll be breaking up your worms ' dieting and giving them a tasty treat .

Whether you ’re new to the humans of louse compost or you ’ve heard about it before , consider enclose these critters to your compost roller . The tumbler will provide them with the perfect home ground to flourish . As a result of their integration , your compost will decompose faster , and you ’ll have more frequent entree to nutritive - deep soil to use on your place .

Worms in compost bin with plant roots