Here we will see about what and how much to feed the vermicompost worms
What to feed your worms :-
You have to feed the worms a balanced diet like that of the humans. Diet must be in the right proportion it should not be overdosed nor under dosed.
The earthworm eats most of the kitchen residues. They can eat the leftover fruits like banana peels, Orange peels, leftover bread, chapattis, some cooked products such as leftover rice, and other products that are soft.
The worms can even digest the acidic fruit pulps for the mixer juicers, the eggs, the rotten spinach leaves, the cooked meat. Some amount of garlic and also onions can be digested by the worms.
You can also feed the worm the leftover dairy products such as leftover curd, the spoiled milk, leftover tea leaves after making tea.
The worm can also eat the manure from your farm. You can also add cow dung to compost. You can also feed the worm with the leaves from your garden and the trash that is generated in the gardens.
The worm can also eat the papers, tissues, toilet paper rolls, etc but you should keep in mind that it will not give you a good compost.
The worms prefer the food that is soft to eat, so you should take care to feed them soft food.
What should not be given to worms:-
You should not give the worms a high amount of meat. Avoid feeding large quantities of citrus, onions, dairy products.
Don't feed you earthworms with the food which contains high amount of the preservatives in it. Don't feed them with the excreta of dogs and cats because this contains microbes that will be harmful to them. Largest quantity of the processed product like canned vegetables should not be given to the worms, because that will contain chemicals in it.
How much to feed the worms:-
In a day the earthworms eat nearly equal to their body weight. So according to their weight you have to feed them daily.
Only add the required amount to the compost bin, not overfill it.
Feed them in the small pieces of the food and always check the leftover food in the bin and analyse your dose accordingly.
You can add a 2-3 cm layer of the food daily to the bin, do not add more than this.
Only add the food as much as it is eaten by the worms because the worm eats the food that starts to decompose.
The worms avoid such food that gets rotten and smells foul.
The worms are the aerobic animals and they respire through their body. If the compost bin has rotten food it will create anaerobic environment and this will be detrimental to the health of worms and they may die.
You can increase the level of the food add as the population of the worms increases.
How to check the proper food level given to worms:-
To check that if you are giving a right amount of food to the worms dig the top layer of the bin to find the uneaten food by the worms. The uneaten food should not be more than 5cm from the top.
Below 5 cm it should be well finished casting.
If the uneaten food is building up in the bin then stop adding the food and wait till the previously add food to finish.
Remember hungry bin is not the same as a rubbish bin. A garbage truck does not magically empty it every week! The worms cannot eat the food as fast as it is possible for you to put it in, especially if the population is small when you start. It is better to underfeed your worms than overfeed them.
The eggs of the worms are found at the layer just below the food that you add. If the food layer gets added to overdose them the baby worms will become unable to come at the top and this will cause the bad effects on them leading to death.
In a well feeded bin you will be able to find the well prepared casting or the will eaten food at 20 cm below the top surface. The well finished casting has less smell than half decomposed one.
So this is all about what and how much to feed the vermicompost worms.
Proper maintenance and feeding will give you the best vermicompost.
