The California red worm is a new breed of the Eisenia foetida earthworm. It was obtained at the University of California by hybridizing different earthworm breeds in 1959. It is used in agriculture to produce a valuable fertilizer - vermicompost.
It is necessary
California red worm, substrate, container
Instructions
Step 1
Make a container or dig a hole from 70 to 100 cm deep. Tamp the bottom and line the walls with natural material so that the worms do not crawl away. Place a soil mixture with worms in the hole and level the soil. The substrate can be rotten leaves, rotted manure, kitchen waste and other available organic matter, it should be soft, moist and nutritious. First create a layer of about 30 cm, then add more as needed. Processing organic matter, the worms leave the inedible space and pass into the added feed. Make each next layer up to 10 cm.
Step 2
Add organic about once a week, during which time the Californian worms will be able to process the previous batch. After reaching a height of 70-80 cm, you can select the resulting vermicompost, more precisely, the intermediate product detritus. To do this, gently loosen the top layer where the worms are, and then transfer it to another container or pit. Repeat the procedure 2-3 times at weekly intervals to remove all the worms. After that, the remaining humus can be removed and used for any needs - pour into the planting holes, store, dilute with water for irrigation.
Step 3
Keep an eye on the temperature of the fresh compost, it should not exceed +40 degrees. Use last year's burnt manure. In addition, maintain a moisture content of 60-70% in the compost. To do this, water the substrate in the summer and during the hot season of other seasons. You should also know that direct sunlight is harmful for California worms, so compost pits or containers should be placed in shaded places. The favorable temperature for the performance of California worms lies in the range from +4 to + 35-40 degrees, the best is +25 degrees. They do not tolerate winter conditions, since they do not dig deep into the soil, so they should be transplanted to a warm place or a compost heap, container or pit should be insulated. It is impossible to use a film with a layer of manure, as it does not allow the worms to "breathe".
