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(adapted from RELN Plastics) How much do worms eat? This depends on how many worms you have. Mature worms (which can be identified by the ring shaped swelling around their body), can eat up to half their own body weight every day (approx. 250 grams of scraps). How can I help the worms to eat more? - Mash, blend, or food process scraps - Maintain temperature to around 24 degrees Celsius - Avoid acidic foods. What should I not feed the worms? - Manures - Acidic foods (onions, citrus, garlic, shallots) - Garden waste - Dairy products - Meat. Should I add water to the farm? Watering will enhance the production of liquid fertiliser. Food wastes are about 80% water, which is released as the worms break them down. If you pour some water over the system every couple of weeks you will have a constant supply of liquid fertiliser. Will I get many worms? No, you can never have too many worms. Worms self regulate their population according to available space and the amount of food you give them. Can I put worm farm worms in the garden? Worm farm worms require moist conditions all year round, and do not tunnel deep to find moisture. They can only be useful in the garden if you have a thick layer of mulch. It's raining and the worms are gathering in the lid - what do I do? This is a response to the change in the weather. Worms move up into the lid before it rains to avoid drowning. Move the system out of the rain and replace the worms in the bedding. Why are the worms not moving from the lower levels to the top working tray? You may have added new food before the worms have eaten the previous food. This leaves uneaten food through the system and causes a reluctance by the worms to migrate upwards whilst they can still access food in the lower layers. Before adding new trays stop feeding the worms for at least a week to ensure all existing food has been eaten. Also, the level of castings in the working tray needs to be high enough for the worms to pass easily up to the next tray. Do severe temperatures harm the worms? Worms will tolerate a wide temperature range from approximately 10-30 degrees Celsius. If it gets much hotter than this, move the system into a shady, cool position. Take the lid off and hose down the system (making sure the tap is turned on to allow the liquid to drain out). In very cold temperatures, cover the system with some old carpet, underfelt, blankets, and hessian to keep warmth in. Feed the worms more food, which will create some warmth as they decompose. How do I keep ants out of the worm farm? Ants will enter the system if it is too dry or acidic. Add water to raise the moisture levels and some garden lime to where the ants are gathering. To stop them from getting into the system, place the legs of the system in a container of water or rub Vaseline on the legs. Will the worm farm attract flies? Sometimes small vinegar flies get into the system, however they will not do any harm. If larger flies are present slow the rate of feeding. How can I get rid of maggots? Maggots appear due to decomposing meat being present in the worm farm. Avoid meat in your worm farm. To remove maggots place bread soaked in milk on the surface. The maggots will be attracted to it and you can remove them after a couple of days. Will the worm farm smell? Your worm farm should only smell if there is a lot of uneaten food built up in the system. Stop feeding the worms, add some garden lime and stir the top tray lightly to aerate the mixture. This will allow the worms to move through it more easily. Start feeding again when all smells are gone.
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