FAQ

Here are answers to our frequently asked questions - if you have a question that isn't answered on this list, feel free to send us an email at admin@cleverorganics.com.au

 

What can I feed my worms?

Basically everything in moderation is ok, but until you get the knack of it, avoid citrus peel, onion, pasta, diary and meat.

Favourite foods are sweet fruits particularly melons, any type of vegetable peel from your meal preparation, coffee grinds, expired eggs, (ripped) tea bags, cooked rice, anything forgotten and wilted in your fridge.

The smaller the pieces of food, the quicker it breaks down, and the faster worms can process it. That’s why anything that you’ve peeled works well.

There is a comprehensive answer to this question at the very bottom of this page. Scroll down.

 

How do I know when to feed my worms?

Put more food in the worm farm when the last batch of food appears to be being buried by the worms. Place the new food in a different location to the last batch.

 

What kinds of compost worms do you deliver?

The worms we deliver are a combination of:

• Eisenia fetida (common name: tiger worms)
• Eisenia Andrei (common name: red worms)
• Eudrilus eugeniae (common name: African night crawler) 
• Perionyx excavates (common name: blue worms)

The predominant worms are tigers and reds.

To find out more about the different types of compost worms, just head over to our “Learn More” sections.

 

What happens if I order live compost worms but that isn’t the case when they arrive?

That hasn’t happened for quite a few years (and we deliver compost worms everywhere in Australia including remote and rural areas) 

At Clever Organics, we guarantee safe delivery of healthy compost worms. Our compost worms are packaged in professionally prepared bedding and ready for long journeys.

If there is a problem just let us know, including a photo of the problem, and we’ll sort it out with a replacement or refund.

 

Do you only ship on Mondays or in certain seasons? How quickly do you ship?

We ship on every working day that Australia Post is open. It doesn’t matter what season or temperature it is.

We ship your compost worms on the day after the order is received. Often, we ship on the same day if your order is received by 11.00am AEST.

 

Should I put water in my worm farm?

If you are using a worm farm with a lid, the answer is no.

There is plenty of liquid in the food you’re adding, particularly things like watermelon rind. Think of it this way: If you cut up some vegetables and put them in a zip lock bag outside for a few days, it turns to liquid sludge. Hence the food contains plenty of liquid for the worm farm.

A simple tip: If there is condensation on the inside of the worm farm when you open the lid, then the worm farm has sufficient moisture throughout (because worms are very good at blending and homogenising their environment)

 

Do I need to stir the compost in my worm farm each week or before/after I add new food?

You don’t need to keep mixing up your vermicompost once "conditions are right". Just alternate layers of dry material with layers of food which decays down into the dry material. The worms will do the rest of the mixing for you.

You will know when “conditions are right” when the top of your worm farm is perfectly flat and looks like brown crumbly sand. If you’ve added too much food, you may need to wait for a period of time until this happens.

 

I opened my worm farm and the compost worms were on the lid trying to escape yet there has been no rain. Why?

Compost worms on the lid doesn’t necessarily mean they’re trying to escape. For example, if there is condensation on the inside of the lid they will go for a wander to consume the microbes living in the condensation. However, it could also mean that conditions in the worm farm are not ideal, and they are trying to get away from it for a while.

 

 How long can I go without feeding them? (for example, I want to go on a holiday)

Firstly, enjoy your holiday because it can be a very long one.

Depending on the depth of vermicast in your farm, they can last for months without food. Also, the vermicast takes months to dry out in an enclosed farm, so they won’t run out of moisture either.

Taking it to the extreme: If you relocate overseas for a year, the farm will eventually dry out and the worms will die. However, the farm will be full of unhatched eggs, lying dormant in the dry vermicast. Just add some food, wait 10 days, and the eggs will start hatching. There are two to four worms in each egg. In another 28 days, the worms will be mature and laying more eggs.

Another way of looking at this process: In nature, the eggs could lay dormant in soil until cow manure lands on them. They hatch, eat the manure, lay more eggs, the eggs don’t hatch because they realise there isn’t enough food, the worms die off, and the eggs lie dormant in the soil again.

 

Are there any plants that I should avoid putting the vermicompost on?

No. Mature vermicompost is ph neutral (7) and is an astonishingly beneficial soil enhancement.

 

Is there anything I should know about mixing vermicompost into my garden?

 Vermicompost is an amazing soil enhancement that makes everything grow better.

However, a word of caution: The process of vermicomposting leaves the seeds viable of any food you put in the worm farm. For example, if your worm feed included pumpkin, tomatoes and basil, then when you spread vermicompost in your garden, you’ll get lots of pumpkin, tomatoes and basil springing up everywhere.

This is not much of an issue if you want this, for example, a mixed vegetable garden; and it’s not much of an issue if you’re putting the vermicompost in pot plants because they’re relatively easy to weed.

But if you want to avoid this issue, make yourself a “worm tea bag” Just put  vermicompost in an old stocking, sock or calico bag, and hang that bag inside a full watering can overnight. The next day you have “worm tea”, then just water the soil and also the foliage.

(Worm tea is not made by pouring heaps of water into your worm farm and collecting the liquid that flows out from the worm farm tap. This liquid is called “leachate” not “worm tea”. There is another FAQ that explains the difference.

 

What is the difference between leachate and worm tea?

Leachate and worm tea are two very different liquids that come from worm composting.

Leachate is the liquid that drains from the bottom of your worm farm. It is a mix of decomposed organic matter and various microorganisms, as well as possibly unwanted contaminants and pathogens. Its composition can vary widely and may include substances that are not beneficial for plants or soil.

Because of this, it's a good idea to dilute leachate before using it on plants or to be cautious about where you apply it. Don’t use it in your vege garden or on other edible plants.

Worm tea is a brewed liquid made from worm castings. To make worm tea, just steep worm castings in water for a period of time. For example, fill an old sock or a jute bag with vermicast and soak it in a bucket of water overnight. This process encourages beneficial microorganisms to multiply. (It can also be enhanced by aerating the water while soaking)

Worm tea is rich in nutrients and beneficial microbes. If produced properly, it has a pretty amazing effect on soil health and plant growth. It is a very high-quality fertilizer or soil amendment.

Worm tea can be used in your vege garden or used as a foliar spray to enhance plant health. It’s valued for its microbial content and nutrient availability.

They are aerobic microbes, so don’t store worm tea in a bottle with a closed lid. Basically, either use it straightway or just leave the vermicast to soak longer in the water.

In summary, leachate is a byproduct that may need to be handled carefully, and worm tea is an amazingly beneficial product that can be used everywhere.

 

Where is the ideal place in my yard/house for my worm farm?

Anywhere cool. If outside, it’s shaded for most of the day. Avoid afternoon sun.

A well run worm farm does not smell. Hence our bucket worm farms are designed to fit under the kitchen sink for convenience when preparing meals.

 

Do worm farms smell? And what do I do if it starts to?

No, a well run worm farm does not smell. However, if too much food is added or if water is added and it becomes water-logged then it can start to smell.

If you’ve added too much food, just stop feeding for a few days.

 If you’ve added way too much food and created a layer of sludge, the best recovery method is to keep mixing cross-shredded corrugated cardboard through the worm farm until there is enough cardboard to have soaked up all the moisture and provided sufficient bulk to allow the worms to regain access to the farm.

If you’ve added water, read the FAQ “Should I put water in my worm farm”, then proceed with the cardboard recovery method; alternatively you can use ripped up newspaper for the moisture, plus crunched up dried leaves for the bulk.

 

Can I put compost worms in a tumbling compost bin?

A tumbling compost bin isn’t really suited to compost worms.

Tumbling bins are designed to get hot (i.e. thermophilic composting) and physically mix the compost. Whereas vermicomposting is a type of mesophilic composting (i.e. not hot), where the worm do the physical mixing for you.

 

What should I do with the packaging received with my worm delivery?

All of our packaging is biodegradable and can be fed to the worms.

The cardboard box, paper-based masking tape and instructions can be shredded (or torn up) and mixed into the bedding. If you do not own a cross shredder - we recommend this one from Big W - you can find it here. 

The calico bag can be used as either a worm blanket or also cut up and mixed into the bedding. 

 

Can I put compost worms straight into my vege garden?

Normally you would use a worm farm to turn your kitchen scraps into vermicompost, then incorporate that vermicompost into your vege garden. It takes a little bit of extra skill to manage the compost worms in the vege garden. This is how to go about it:

Start with choosing one small corner to effectively be your worm farm. Fill that area with “bedding material” such as a mixture of crushed old (brown) leaves, shredded (or torn-up) corrugated cardboard, peat or coconut coir.

Basically the “bedding” retains moisture really well so the worms have somewhere to escape if the garden bed gets too dry. Add compost worms to that corner.

Over time, bury finely-cut food scraps from your kitchen slightly out from the corner. The worms will venture out to the food after the local microbes have broken it down sufficiently. Sprinkling used coffee grinds on the surface is also useful.

If you manage this process well, the worms will eventually find their way around your entire garden bed. If some areas are inhospitable, they will retreat to areas that are ok (and in particular, the corner which is set-up like a worm farm)

Compost worms need a constant supply of food to maintain their population. You can be a little more heavy-handed with adding food to an "outdoor vege garden worm farm" as opposed to a tray type of worm farm.

It’s important to keep the garden moist but if you forget the worms can retreat to the permanently moist bedding corner, or down close to the water reservoir in the base of the bed.

 

Are fruit flies in a worm farm bad for the worms or the farm? 

Fruit flies aren’t inherently bad in themselves, other than they are annoying. They’re more a sign that the farm is starting to become too acidic and potentially anerobic. This is definitely the case if the farm starts to smell. In this event, stop feeding for a few days and add dry material (eg shredded cardboard), then in future bury food when feeding to dissuade them coming back.

 

There are Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) in my compost worm farm, do I need to handpick them to get them out?

Yes, hand picking them out is an option. Their lifecycle has four stages (egg, larva, pupae, fly), totalling 45 days, with the final stage of them being a fly only lasting 9 days, so it’s easy to break the breeding cycle by picking out the relatively dormant pupae stage.

Another more creative (and interesting) way of doing it is by letting them self-harvest. An unusual BSFL phenomenon. The pupae will crawl out of the worm farm by themselves if given a ramp, which ends with a vertical drop. Gardening Australia had a video of how to make this type of self-harvesting fly farm. It is easy to incorporate a feature like this into a worm farm. The compost worms will also crawl up the pipe to have a look around, but they won’t fall down the vertical tube at the end.

Here is the Garden Australia video: …..    https://youtu.be/SbzedftrQJw

Generally, BSFL find their way into a worm farm if it’s too wet. For example, adding rotting fruit and vege without covering with some vermicast, or soil, etc. Another way of minimising the appeal of your organic waste is to sprinkle crushed dried leaves and cross-shredded corrugated cardboard before adding the organic waste, eg as the waste liquifies it is absorbed by the dry layer below it. (If you have the inclination, it’s best to implement both of these techniques, eg dry layer below your waste, then odour blocking layer on top)

Another (interesting) BSFL characteristic to be aware of is that they don’t lay their eggs in the waste. They have to lay their eggs above the waste, such that when their eggs hatch (after four days) then the larva drops down into the waste. A problem with some commercial compost worm farms (Worm Café is an example) is that their ventilation holes perfectly facilitate this process. For example, the holes are too small to allow entry of a fly, but they are the perfect size to be a receptacle of black soldier fly eggs, which hatch while still in the holes and then drop down into the compost worm farm.  (By the way, the Worm Café is otherwise an excellent worm farm)

 

How long does it take for my compost worms to start breeding or do they need to mature and settle in first? 

We deliver a mixture of ages of worms, so many would already be laying cocoons, including in the bag on the way to your place.

 

and finally ..... lot's of people ask variations of this question : What food can compost worms eat and what food should not be fed to compost worms?

So this is a very long answer and as thorough as I can be on the subject:

 

The short answer to your question is that compost worms “eat” pretty much everything.

A common adage is that they will eat anything that was once living. However, the catch is how you control the bedding conditions, e.g. moisture level, bulk/porosity, and ph.

Some feedstocks are easier to control than others, so feeding instructions will generally groups these into “what compost worms can or can’t eat”.

 So, in this context, compost worms can eat:

• fruit and vegetable scraps;
• tea bags;
• coffee grounds (a favourite);
• aged grass clippings and leaves;
• hair
• grains
• bread and pasta in moderation
• crushed egg shells
• shredded cardboard and paper
• animal manure (not from dogs or cats)

 and what compost worms can’t eat:

• acidic fruit / citrus fruit and citrus peels 
• spicy foods
• oils and oily food
• onions and garlic
• meat
• dairy foods

However, this grouping is not actually true, it just makes it easier while you’re learning how to finesse the vermicomposting process.

The vermicomposting (further detail) section on our website explains how microbes do most of the decomposition and compost worms do the grinding and aeration which facilitates even larger populations of microbes. There are microbes that can decompose everything that is listed above as “what compost worms can’t eat”.

What you need to practice is getting the conditions right for the compost worms. This is basically three things:

1. Moisture level
2. C/N ratio (bulk/porosity)
3. Ph (6 to 7)

The most common mistake is too much moisture creating anaerobic conditions and drowning the compost worms. There is a lot of moisture in decaying fruit/vege scraps, hence you need to add dry things like shredded cardboard, dried leaves etc, to prevent it becoming boggy.

The best C/N ratio is in the range of 25-30 : 1.  You can Google C/N ratios for various feedstocks and then average them to get to the desired range. Too much N (nitrogen) heats up, e.g. a good example is fresh grass clippings after a couple of days. Too much C (carbon) isn’t as big problem, it just means there isn’t much to eat. The practical objective is that the mixture has good porosity so that it can drain and not get boggy.

On a side point, many suggest pouring water on a worm farm to get worm tea (this is actually leachate not worm tea). This is ok if the bedding has very stable bulk, e.g. sticks or woodchip, so the water flowing through doesn’t create a waterlogged condition. Otherwise, it’s best to rarely add water. Generally, you need to mix in shredded cardboard after too much food has been added.

Ph levels are reasonably easy to maintain. Many sites suggest using a “worm farm conditioner” to stop conditions becoming too acidic. (This is marketing jargon to sell dolomite at a very high price). Crushed eggshells are a good ph buffer, they dissolve when conditions become too acidic and otherwise remain there when conditions are alkaline. You can buy a ph meter from Bunning if you want (and also much cheaper dolomite)

 

 

As you may be able to tell, these are real email answers to real questions received. Feel free to ask a question (and to tell your friends where to buy compost worms :)