Worms leaving cuz of too much moisture

[betho]

So I watered my bin the other day, it's a few weeks old now and I thought it needed a bit more moisture, but I checked today and worms are crawling towards the surface and trying to leave. I need to dry it out a bit, what's the best way to do it? Water's puddling in my drip tray, so I'm thinking about shredded newspaper and bury it at the very bottom of the bin without wetting it first so it will absorb the moisture that's settling on the bottom & seeping out - is that the right approach?

[JudyA]

That shredded paper will do the trick. I think in situations like this, I got better results from using NEWSPAPER, although I have put shredded junk mail and office paper into the bins as well. That's better left for the bin when it's rebalance, IMO.

If it will seem to be adding too much, others of us have rolled a newspaper up and either laid the roll on its side or stood it up as a wick for moisture, but not actually adding more bedding volume.

[Jay Blair]

To equalize moisture in a swampy bin only takes a bag of unscented, non odor control clay kitty litter.

I use the cheap stuff that wal mart sells for $2.24 per 20 pound bag.

I add it at a volume of 2 cup dry measure at a time until the bin is back to 70% saturation. Just as it absorbs kitty pee in a litter box, it will absorb the water in the bedding.

Be sure to mix it in uniformly in the bedding. You want to avoid clumping and provide maximum osmosis function.

A visual aid is to mix it in so that it resembles the anti-packing styro generally mixed into potting soil packed commercially.

An added benefit of adding a few cups of unscented clay kitty litter is that if you forget to water for a cycle, the worms can draw out moisture from the litter granules . Also as the moisture draw out is a form of reverse osmosis, the now compost tea darkened dry clay particles can be separated at compost harvest with appropriate sifter screens to be used as dried time released plant food pellets.

Hope this is of help to you.

[bendback50]

I like the idea of dried time release plant food pellets. I watch my moisture very closely and have read your posts before about kitty litter - will try it at the first oppertunity

bruce

[betho]

oh wow what a great idea

which brings me to another thought... I own a skincare comapny and so am pretty involved in skincare and aromatherapy and whatnot. One thing commonly used in fragrancing is these small gel crystals that absborb about 1000x their weight in water. I know offhand that some people add these crystals to their potting mix, I'm wondering if it would work to use those? Even if I made a fabric sleeve to contain them so I wouldn't have to sift them out, sit it on the bottom of the bin and they would absorb/provide moisture when needed.

My wheels are turning :lol:

[theinfamousj]

betho ... I may be a teacher, but I got my undergraduate degree in chemistry. Giving my "professional" opinion, those gels are made from plastic. Usually hydrateable plastic, like that coating the outside of a contact lense. Since worms don't eat the plastic windows from junk mail envelopes, I doubt they'd eat the crystals.

I really do want to find some of that florist's gel so that I can get to work on a self watering system for my worm bin.

[redhen]

betho..What kind of bin do you have your worms in? I have bins made from all kinds of materials and the only one that I ever have to consider "watering" is the one with no top. IMHO..If your bin has drainage, I would just let it keep draining and add some dryer bedding to the top, so your worms have some higher ground, if they want. I have some Can O Worms and find many happy worms lolling around in the sometimes mucky stuff in the collection tray. Go figure..

[JudyA]

One of my three bins is, by my lights, definitely too soupy, but the worms aren't complaining yet. I did fold some shredded paper down along one side yesterday to help control that.

By the time my shredded paper lid becomes bedding, it has been drizzled on, turned over, generally wet then dry, so it's pretty ugly compared to brand new shreds

[Jay Blair]

betho,
Try the planter crystals if you like , but do a few preliminary checks.

The crystal planting medium while being an effective water absorption item is also a fashion decorative item. While it may indeed absorb more liquid , it may also contain petroleum based fertilizers or other chemicals , that while not being an issue with non edible decorative plants , could contaminate food producing plants or negatively affect your worms.

The clay is a component of the worms natural environment so we know it wont negatively affect their health.

[betho]

ok so I thought it had dried out enough, my bin doesn't seem too moist to me but my worms still are crawling on the lid every time I open it and it seems like it's happening more and more. ANy other possible causes? ph, or something?

[theinfamousj]

Maybe they are curious. Also, do you open the lid at night and/or around the time of a rain? If they aren't making a mad exodous then, at least in my opinion, you've got nothing to worry about.

I find that my adolescents like to go "out on the town" on my bin lid at night.

And worms are naturally drawn to the surface during a rain. They can sense the pressure change. Mating and all that.

[betho]

oooo weird. that makes sense... the weather's been more rainy and colder here, transitioning into Fall weather. they are'n't all making the exodus, just some of them... that makes me feel better

[jwalker]

Re: Worms leaving cuz of too much moisturein my bin i found severe condensation on the bin cover now I have drilled 3 holes on one side 1 1/4 inch dia with fly screen hot glued to the inside. moisture is now gone[i check moisture every day