Compost is decomposed organic material, made up of materials like leaves, shredded twigs, and plant-based kitchen scraps.* But it takes more than organic material to create quality compost. We need decomposers as well.
While many composts rely on decomposers like fungus, bacteria, and various invertebrates, there are many different composting methods. Compositing with worms, also known as vermicompost, is one such type. It relies on worms, in addition to decomposers found in other composts, to turn organic waste into high-quality compost.
The Composting Process
The composting process involves four main components: organic matter, moisture, oxygen, and decomposers. Fungus, bacteria, and some invertebrates, including worms, are all decomposers.
First, bacteria and other microbes get the process going. By supplying organic materials, water, and oxygen, the already-present bacteria will break down the plant material. Then, fungus and invertebrates move in to finish things up.
As the decomposers break down the materials, they create and release heat, which is concentrated in the center of the pile. While vermicompost maintains a fairly low temperature, some home methods can produce quite a bit of heat. While you can feel this heat yourself if you stick your hand deep into a compost pile, you’ll want to be careful! You can even see it if you turn the pile on a chilly day.
Composting with Worms: What Is Vermicompost?
Vermicompost is unique because it specifically relies on worms to create high-quality compost. It consists mostly of worm casts (droppings), in addition to decayed organic matter. In ideal conditions worms can eat at least their own weight of organic matter in a day. Their casts contain eight times as many microorganisms as their feed!
Worms are important decomposers because they break down old dead matter found in the soil allowing new plants to grow. In the garden, worms also move about, letting air into the ground, mixing up minerals, and helping the soil drain water.
Three types of worms
- Epigeic worms live in the organic layer on top of the soil or along streams where detritus accumulates
- Endogeic worms live within the mineral soils beneath the organic layer about an inch or two below the surface
- Diageic worms burrow deep into the soil and their long term habitat might be near parent rock several feet deep
Did You Know…?
- California red wiggler wormers are the most efficient type of worm for vermicompost. They are able to live in close quarters with one another and are thus able to break down materials much faster than other worms.
- Worms can consume their weight daily. They eat half bedding (carbon) and half food scraps (nitrogen). So approximately 2 lbs. of red wiggler worms will compost 1 lb. of organic matter in 24 hours.
- Worms are hermaphrodites, meaning they have both male & female parts. It takes 2 worms to mate but both worms produce a cocoon. Each cocoon or egg contains up to 20 babies (average 3 – 4, depending on species).
- A mature worm (3 months old) can produce 2-3 cocoons per week. Cocoons take up to 11 weeks to mature and hatch and each cocoon averages 3 hatchlings – 1 worm x 3 cocoons/wk x 3 hatchlings/cocoon = 9 hatchlings/wk
- Worms don’t have eyes. However, they are very sensitive to light, and try to hide as soon as they are exposed to light.
- Worms do not have teeth and cannot chew their food. Some worms grind their food in their gizzard using muscle action and small bits of soil. Other worms rely heavily on bacteria and fungus to break the food down into mush.
Why Should We Harvest Vermicompost?
There are so many reasons why composting is beneficial to us and the environment we live in.
First, compost is recycling. Food and yard waste make up approximately 29.8% of the waste in our landfills. If wood and paper is included, organic waste comprises over 50% of landfills. Composting is nature’s way of recycling or decomposing.
Second, compost is free plant food. It adds organic matter to the soil to help improve plant growth and health without using chemical fertilizer, which can be harmful to our and the environment’s health.
Finally, compost retains water and improves and increases the water-holding capacity of soil, which in turn helps plants grow faster and healthier.
In addition to the overall benefits of composting, vermicomposting in particular is one of the more high quality composts because it makes nutrients more readily available to plants than other kinds of composting do.
Want to learn more about composting in Austin and how to get started? Click here to read more.
*While there are some compost systems that can process meat and other animal products, this article focuses on compost systems that are plant-based waste focused.
Mbolea ni vitu vilivyoharibika, vilivyotengenezwa kwa majani, matawi yaliyokatwa-katwa, na mabaki ya jikoni yanayotokana na mimea. Lakini inahitaji mengi zaidi ya viungo vya kikaboni ili kutengeneza mbolea bora. Tunahitaji wavunjaji pia. Ingawa mbolea nyingi hutegemea vichanganyiko kama vile kuvu, bakteria, na wanyama wasio na uti wa mgongo mbalimbali, kuna mbinu nyingi tofauti za kutengeneza mbolea. Kufanyiza mchanganyiko kwa kutumia minyoo, unaojulikana pia kama vermicompost, ni aina moja kama hiyo. Inategemea minyoo, pamoja na vichanganyiko vinavyopatikana katika mbolea nyingine, ili kugeuza taka za kikaboni kuwa mbolea ya hali ya juu. Utaratibu wa kutengeneza mbolea ya mawe unajumuisha mambo manne muhimu: kemikali, maji, oksijeni, na vifaa vya kuharibu. Uyoga, bakteria, na baadhi ya viumbe wasio na uti wa mgongo, kutia ndani minyoo, wote ni viumbe wanaovunjika. Kwanza, bakteria na viini vingine huanzisha utaratibu huo. Kwa kutoa vitu vya kikaboni, maji, na oksijeni, bakteria zilizopo tayari zitavunja vitu vya mimea. Kisha, kuvu na viumbe wasio na uti wa mgongo huingia ili kumaliza kazi. Vifaa hivyo vinapovunja vitu hivyo, hutokeza na kutoa joto, ambalo hukusanywa katikati ya rundo hilo. Ingawa vermicompost huhifadhi joto la chini, mbinu fulani za nyumbani zaweza kutokeza joto kubwa sana. Ingawa unaweza kuhisi joto hili mwenyewe ikiwa utaweka mkono wako ndani ya rundo la mbolea, utataka kuwa mwangalifu! Unaweza hata kuiona ikiwa utageuza rundo hilo siku ya baridi kali. Kutengeneza Mbolea kwa kutumia Minyoo: Mbolea ya Minyoo Ni Nini? Vermicompost ni ya kipekee kwa sababu inategemea hasa minyoo ili kutengeneza mbolea ya hali ya juu. Inatia ndani hasa vipande vya minyoo (mchanga), pamoja na vitu vilivyoharibika vya kikaboni. Katika hali nzuri minyoo wanaweza kula angalau uzito wao wenyewe wa vitu vya kikaboni kwa siku moja. Vipande vyao vina viumbe wadogo-wadogo wengi mara nane kuliko chakula chao! Mimea ni muhimu kwa sababu huvunja vitu vya zamani vilivyokufa vilivyopatikana katika udongo na kuruhusu mimea mipya kukua. Katika bustani, minyoo pia husafiri, wakiruhusu hewa iingie ardhini, wakichanganya madini, na kusaidia udongo kutiririka maji. Aina tatu za minyoo: Epigeic worms huishi katika tabaka la kikaboni juu ya udongo au kando ya mito ambapo detritus hukusanyika; Endogeic worms huishi ndani ya udongo wa madini chini ya tabaka la kikaboni karibu inchi moja au mbili chini ya uso; Diageic worms burrow kina ndani ya udongo na makazi yao ya muda mrefu inaweza kuwa karibu na mwamba mzazi mita kadhaa kina. - California nyekundu wiggler worms ni aina ya ufanisi zaidi ya minyoo kwa vermicompost. Wanaweza kuishi karibu na kila mmoja wao na hivyo wanaweza kuvunja vitu kwa kasi zaidi kuliko minyoo wengine. - Minyoo wanaweza kula uzito wao kila siku. Wao hula nusu ya vitanda (kaboni) na nusu ya mabaki ya chakula (nitrojeni). Kwa hivyo, karibu na kilo 2. Worms Wiggler nyekundu ni aina ya wadudu ambao huchanganya na kuunganisha na kuunganisha. Mimea ya kikaboni katika masaa 24 - Minyoo ni hermaphrodites, maana yao ni wote wa kiume na wa kike sehemu. Inachukua minyoo miwili kuoa lakini minyoo wote wawili hutokeza kiota. Kila kifuniko cha mayai huandaa watoto 20 (kwa wastani 3 hadi 4 kulingana na spishi). - Mdudu aliyekomaa (mwenye umri wa miezi mitatu) anaweza kuzalisha vifurushi 2-3 kwa wiki. Kwa mfano, kwa kila kipenzi kinachokua, kinaweza kuchukua hadi wiki 11 na kila kipenzi kinaweza kuzaa watoto watatu, yaani, kipenzi kimoja, kipenzi kimoja, kipenzi kimoja, kipenzi kimoja, kipenzi kimoja, kipenzi kimoja, kipenzi kimoja, kipenzi kimoja. Hata hivyo, wao ni nyeti sana kwa nuru, na hujaribu kujificha mara tu wanapowekwa mbele ya nuru. - Minyoo hawana meno na hawawezi kutafuna chakula chao. Baadhi ya minyoo hupasua chakula chao ndani ya tumbo lao kwa kutumia misuli na udongo mdogo. Mimea mingine hutegemea sana bakteria na kuvu ili kuvunja chakula na kukifanya kiwe mchanganyiko. Kwa Nini Tunapaswa Kuvuna Mbolea ya Mimea? Kuna sababu nyingi kwa nini kutengeneza mbolea ni muhimu kwa mazingira yetu. Kwanza, mbolea ni kuchakata. Matumizi ya chakula na taka za bustani hufanyiza karibu 29.8% ya taka katika majumba yetu ya taka. Ikiwa mbao na karatasi ni pamoja na, taka za kikaboni zinajumuisha zaidi ya 50% ya majumba ya taka. Utoaji wa mbolea ni njia ya asili ya kuchakata au kuharibika. Kwa upande mwingine, mbolea ni chakula cha mimea. Inatoa mchanganyiko wa kemikali katika udongo ili kusaidia kuboresha ukuaji wa mimea na afya bila kutumia mbolea za kemikali, ambazo zinaweza kuwa na madhara kwa afya yetu na mazingira. Mwishowe, mbolea huhifadhi maji na kuboresha na kuongeza uwezo wa udongo wa kuhifadhi maji, ambayo husaidia mimea kukua haraka na kwa afya. Kwa sababu ya faida za jumla za mbolea, mbolea ya vermicomposting ni moja ya mbolea bora zaidi kwa sababu inafanya virutubisho vipatikane kwa urahisi kwa mimea kuliko aina zingine za mbolea. Je, unataka kujifunza zaidi kuhusu composting katika Austin na jinsi ya kuanza? Bonyeza hapa ili usome zaidi. Ingawa kuna mifumo ya mbolea ambayo inaweza kusindika nyama na bidhaa nyingine za wanyama, makala hii inazingatia mifumo ya mbolea ambayo ni ya msingi wa mimea.