3 Ways Using Newspaper on Top of A Worm Bin Helps You Manage Your Bins - Plus Bonus BREEDER BIN TIP

Summary

In this informative video, Jayne from RockinWorms demonstrates three distinct situations where using newspaper in worm bins can effectively indicate the health and needs of the worms. She covers the use of newspaper in nursery cocoon bins to monitor food consumption, in drying down bins to facilitate horizontal migration, and in regular grow bins to assess the necessity for action. Jayne also shares her method of using leftover food scraps and breeder feed to maintain a healthy worm ecosystem, encouraging viewers to consider incorporating newspaper in their worm management practices.

Takeaways

• 📰 The video discusses three ways to use newspaper coverings in worm bins to monitor and manage worm health and conditions.
• 🔍 Newspaper coverings help in making quick assessments of the worm bin's status without disturbing the worms.
• 🌱 In a nursery cocoon bin, the disappearance of newspaper indicates the need for feeding as it suggests the presence of hungry worms.
• 🍽️ The breeder feed consists of worm chow, veggie powder, and eggshell or oyster shell powder for grit and calcium.
• 👶 For very young worms, it's important to feed lightly and often to avoid overfeeding and to maintain a healthy environment.
• 📦 In a drying-down bin, the reduction of newspaper signifies that the food supply is dwindling and worms need to be encouraged to move to a new section.
• 🌾 Horizontal migration is a technique used to move worms to a new area of the bin with fresh food and conditions.
• 🌽 The use of corn on the cob and breeder feed as an experiment to attract and retain worms in a specific section of the bin.
• 🗂️ Regular grow bins can be managed by assessing the newspaper status to determine if immediate action is required or not.
• 📝 Keeping labels updated is crucial for tracking the feeding and condition of different worm bins.
• 📈 The status of the newspaper at the end of a breeder cycle can inform the amount of food needed for future cycles to maintain healthy worms.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of using newspaper in worm bins as described by Jayne?

The main purpose of using newspaper in worm bins, as described by Jayne, is to provide a quick way to assess the condition of the bin and determine whether immediate action is needed or if it can be left for later.

What does Jayne suggest using newspaper for in a nursery cocoon bin?

In a nursery cocoon bin, Jayne suggests using newspaper to monitor the disappearance of the newspaper, which indicates that the cocoons are hatching and the worms are feeding, signaling the need for additional feeding.

What does the disappearance of newspaper in a worm bin indicate according to Jayne?

According to Jayne, the disappearance of newspaper in a worm bin indicates that the worms are actively eating, which suggests that they are hungry and need to be fed.

What is Jayne's breeder feed recipe, and why is it used?

Jayne's breeder feed recipe consists of worm chow, veggie powder, and eggshells or oyster shell powder for grit and calcium. It is used to provide a balanced diet for the worms, promoting their health and growth.

How does Jayne decide when to feed her young worms in the nursery bin?

Jayne decides to feed her young worms when she notices that the newspaper has been consumed, indicating that the worms are ready for more food.

What is the purpose of adding pre-compost mixed with sifted cow manure to the worm bin?

The purpose of adding pre-compost mixed with sifted cow manure is to introduce biota, which includes microorganisms that make up the ecosystem in a worm bin and serve as food sources for the worms.

How does Jayne use corn on the cob in her worm bin?

Jayne uses corn on the cob as a food source to lure the worms to the working end of the bin and to encourage them to stay there, aiding in the process of horizontal migration.

What is the significance of the status of the newspaper in a drying-down bin?

In a drying-down bin, the status of the newspaper indicates the level of food remaining. If the newspaper is almost gone, it suggests that the food is nearly depleted, and it's time to move the worms and replenish the food supply.

How does Jayne manage the horizontal migration of worms in her bins?

Jayne manages horizontal migration by moving the worms to the working end of the bin and setting up a new feeding zone with fresh food sources, such as corn on the cob and breeder feed, to encourage the worms to stay in the desired area.

What is the bonus tip Jayne provides regarding the use of newspaper in breeder bins?

The bonus tip Jayne provides is that at the end of the breeder cycle, the status of the newspaper can indicate whether enough food was provided. If the newspaper is gone, more food may be needed for the next cycle; if it's still mostly intact, the food amount may have been sufficient or even excessive.

What alternative sources of newspaper can Jayne suggest for those who want to try this method?

Jayne suggests that people can obtain newspaper from public libraries, which often have paper forms of newspapers, or from local stores that may have sale circulars that can be used in worm bins.

Outlines

00:00

📰 Using Newspaper in Worm Bins for Monitoring

In this paragraph, Jayne from RockinWorms introduces the concept of using newspaper in worm bins as a tool for monitoring the health and needs of the worm population. She explains that the presence or disappearance of newspaper can indicate whether immediate action is required or if the bins can be left undisturbed. Jayne shares three different scenarios where newspaper is particularly useful, starting with a nursery cocoon bin. She demonstrates how the state of the newspaper can signal the need for feeding, as hungry worms will consume the paper, and emphasizes the importance of quick assessment to determine the next steps in bin management.

05:01

🌱 Managing a Drying Down Bin with Newspaper

In the second paragraph, Jayne discusses a different situation involving a drying down bin with mixed-aged worms. She uses the newspaper to monitor the progress of horizontal migration, a technique used to move worms to a new section of the bin. The disappearance of the newspaper indicates that the food in the bin is almost gone, prompting Jayne to add more food to encourage the remaining worms to migrate. Jayne also introduces an experiment using corn on the cob and breeder feed to attract worms to the working end of the bin, demonstrating a practical application of newspaper in managing worm bin ecosystems.

10:05

🐛 Regular Growout Bin Management with Newspaper

The third paragraph focuses on a regular growout bin, where Jayne uses the newspaper to assess the status of the bin without disturbing the worms. She notes the presence of castings and the need for horizontal migration, then proceeds to move the worms to one end of the bin to prepare for more castings. Jayne also discusses the use of pre-composted materials and biota to enrich the bin's ecosystem. Additionally, she provides a bonus tip on using the newspaper's condition at the end of a breeder cycle to determine the adequacy of food provided to the worms, offering insights into adjusting feeding strategies for future cycles.

15:11

📋 Final Thoughts on Newspaper Topping in Worm Bins

In the final paragraph, Jayne wraps up her discussion by encouraging viewers to consider using newspaper toppings in their worm bins if they aren't already doing so. She provides a quick overview of the benefits and the types of bins she has covered, including cocoon nursery, drying down, and growout bins. Jayne also suggests alternative sources for newspaper, such as public libraries or local stores, and invites viewers to share their experiences with newspaper in the comments. She concludes by reminding viewers to check their worm bins and consider incorporating newspaper as a management tool.

Keywords

💡Newspaper covering

Newspaper covering refers to the use of newspaper sheets as a layer in worm bins to monitor and manage the worm population. In the video, Jayne explains how the state of the newspaper can indicate the health and needs of the worm bin, such as when to feed the worms or when to initiate actions like horizontal migration. For instance, when the newspaper is almost gone, it suggests that the worms have consumed it, indicating the need for additional feeding.

💡Worm bins

Worm bins, also known as worm farms or composting bins, are containers where worms are kept to process organic waste into worm castings, a nutrient-rich compost. The video's theme revolves around the management of these bins using newspaper coverings. Jayne demonstrates different strategies for assessing and maintaining worm bins, such as checking the newspaper to determine if immediate action is needed.

💡Cocoon Nursery bins

Cocoon Nursery bins are specialized worm bins designed to house worm cocoons and provide an environment for them to hatch into new worms. In the script, Jayne uses newspaper in these bins to determine if the cocoons need feeding, as the disappearance of the newspaper indicates the presence of hungry, hatching worms.

💡Breeder feed

Breeder feed is a specific type of food mixture provided to worms to encourage breeding and healthy growth. Jayne mentions a blend of worm chow, veggie powder, and eggshell or oyster shell powder for grit and calcium as her breeder feed. This feed is crucial for maintaining a healthy worm population in the bins.

💡Horizontal migration

Horizontal migration is a technique used in worm bin management where worms are encouraged to move to a new section of the bin. This is done to separate the worms from the castings (worm manure) and to refresh the food source. In the video, Jayne uses the state of the newspaper to decide when to initiate horizontal migration in a drying-down bin.

💡Casting

Casting, also known as worm castings or worm manure, is the excrement of worms, rich in nutrients and beneficial microorganisms. It is a sought-after soil amendment in gardening. In the script, Jayne discusses the presence of castings in the bins and how the newspaper covering helps her determine when to sift them out.

💡Biota

Biota refers to the sum of all living organisms in a given area or ecosystem. In the context of worm bins, biota includes bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms that help break down the organic matter. Jayne mentions adding pre-compost mixed with sifted cow manure to enrich the bin's biota, providing a natural food source for the worms.

💡Grow bin

A grow bin is a type of worm bin where the worms are kept for the primary purpose of producing worm castings. It is part of the regular worm bin management process. Jayne discusses the use of newspaper in grow bins to monitor the condition of the worms and the need for feeding or other interventions.

💡Breeder bin

A breeder bin is a special type of worm bin designed to maximize worm reproduction. It is managed differently from other bins to ensure a conducive environment for breeding. Jayne uses the newspaper covering in breeder bins to assess whether the worms have been provided with enough food during their breeding cycle.

💡Sifted cow manure

Sifted cow manure is a type of pre-compost material that has been processed to remove large particles and is used as a bedding material in worm bins. It is rich in nutrients and microorganisms, beneficial for worm health. Jayne uses sifted cow manure in her bins to enhance the biota and provide a natural food source for the worms.

💡Pre-compost

Pre-compost refers to partially decomposed organic matter that is used as a bedding material in worm bins. It is not fully composted but has started the decomposition process. In the video, Jayne uses pre-compost to enrich the worm bin environment, providing a source of biota and a substrate for the worms to thrive on.

Highlights

Jayne from RockinWorms shares three ways to use newspaper coverings in worm bins for immediate action decisions.

Newspaper coverings help in managing worm bins by providing quick assessments without disturbing the worms.

In a nursery cocoon bin, the disappearance of newspaper indicates the need for feeding due to hungry worms.

Cocoon Nursery bins should be lightly fed to avoid overfeeding small, young worms.

Breeder feed is a mixture of worm chow, veggie powder, and eggshell or oyster shell powder for grit and calcium.

Horizontal migration is used to move worms to a new section with fresh food and newspaper.

The status of newspaper in a drying-down bin can signal when to initiate horizontal migration.

Using corn on the cob as an experiment to attract worms to the feeding zone in a drying-down bin.

Sale circulars from grocery stores can be repurposed as newspaper coverings for worm bins.

In a regular grow-out bin, the presence of newspaper indicates that the worms still have food and no immediate action is required.

Setting up horizontal migration in a grow-out bin prepares it for increased worm activity and castings production.

Newspaper status at the end of a breeder cycle can inform adjustments in food quantity for future cycles.

Breeder bins should be monitored to ensure worms are well-fed and healthy for successful breeding.

Newspaper coverings are a simple and efficient method to manage worm bins without needing to disturb the worms.

Libraries and local stores can be sources for free newspaper materials to use in worm bins.

Jayne encourages viewers to consider using newspaper coverings to improve worm bin management.

Transcripts

hi everyone I'm Jayne at RockinWorms welcome what I'm going to be sharing

with you tonight are three ways I use the newspaper covering I use on my

regular worm bins to inform me to tell me where the bins are and whether or not

I need to take basically immediate action or not now I know some people

don't use a newspaper topic you know again what works for you and your worms

is what's most important but maybe at the end of this video you'll think about

giving newspaper a try and seeing if it helps you manage your worm bins all

right so let's get into it um these three situations I'm going to talk about

are entirely different from each other as well but newspaper helps okay the

first I'm going to show is a nursery cocoon bin okay and and the whole point

of using the newspaper is to be able to peek into your bin make a quick

assessment and decide whether you need to do something or you can put it back

and come back to it later so again this is a nursery bin and what I'm showing

here is the newspaper is in really good shape you can see I have some smaller

Wiss here but they're they're small so there's a lot of cocoons in here yet

that haven't hatched cocoons don't eat so I don't have to feed them and one way

I can tell if I need to start feeding my cocoon Nursery bins is if the newspaper

starts disappearing right that means hungry little mouths are eating the

newspaper so this bin is in good shape I don't need to do anything but I come

over to this bin pull it back no newspaper so it's been eaten so let's

pull this spin out you know again a quick look I need I need to do

something so let's just pull it onto the work table here and if I look

at my Lia even though it says young worms it's

very young worms it tells me that I last fed this some pre- compost basic bedding

mix and some breeder uh breeder feed so leten me

continue that process right cuz again these are very young worms I'm not even

going to disturb them because again they're so tiny I don't want to you know

get them all riled up you know what I was going to I was going to do the

breeder feed first let me do this sorry this is what I call my breeder feed okay

it's worm Chow veggie powder and eggshell or oyster shell powder for grit

and calcium and I'm showing them you know broken out like this so you can see

the three main ingredients in my breeder feed but here is a little container

where I've mixed them all up okay so I'm just going to give them a light feed

ignore that got ahead of myself again just a light

feed cuz uh you know whisps are small they have tiny mouths and they don't you

know eat a lot individually and I'd rather come back and feed them a little

bit more often than take the chance of overfeeding them

when they're so young and small okay so that's all I'm going to do this I'm

putting on top is the pre compost mixed with the sifted cow manure

so this addition here is chalk full of biota which biota means all the little

microorganisms that make up an ecosystem in a worm B that could be

bacteria virus um little tiny you know animals fungi you know those kind of

things those are all food sources for your tiny little

worms but it has zero chance or almost zero chance of going Anor robic right so

or heating up so I can just add it in oops I I do want to put on newspaper

right I want to replace that

newspaper so these guys are now handled one bin

down and this is mainly again driven my action is driven by the status of that

newspaper being gone all right so let's put it back on the Shelf I'll update my

labels which are very important to me um after okay so that's kind of how

you can use newspaper to tell where you are with a cocoon or Nursery or very

young worm bin now let's go to an entirely different situation of a bin

hey nice socks oh you like them right I'm just going to wear high heels and

Pearls but you know I was thinking the socks might do it I'm feeling kind of

50s right so um yeah so this is a drying

down then all right so this is a regular grow bin has mixed ages in it and it's

full of castings and what I need to do is I'm actually going to bring this out

put it on the work table um and and talk about it it's a

little bit easier on camera man if I work on the table as opposed to on the

shelves so um yeah so it's on the shelf right I peek back and what do I see the

newspaper is almost gone this is again a drying down bin so that

means I am using horizontal migration to move the worms out of this section

there's still a few left here let me uh turn them over you can see there's still

a few worms that haven't quite got the memo to move down to the working end of

the bin and you can see why there's you know still lots of little bits of food

here and I'm not in a rush to have them move down to the the working end of the

bin cuz I have a lot of castings right now but I still do want to move them

down because eventually they're going to eat this up and I want them down on the

working end so I can easily sift these castings out okay so the stus of the

newspaper it's almost gone that indicates to me that the food in this

Zone that I'm using as the lure to to lure the worms down and also keep the

worms that are in this side of the bin in this side of the bin might be almost

gone right so let's just do a little real quick look see and you can see a

lot of worms did get the memo and they're down here in this end of the bin

where I want them to stay while they're lazy compatriots you know move on down

so and you can also see that there's not a lot of food here so I want to reup the

food a little bit without disturbing the bin so these guys will stay here and

then you know hopefully it'll be yummy enough that the uh stragglers will come

along so I'm also fun fun fun going to set this up as a little experiment at

the same time so what I'm going to do is put in my required napkin and again

these paper towel napkin aren't anything special it's just a way for me to use

them you know when we use them for lunch or dinner cuz I don't want to throw them

out so I just use them in my worm bin this one's a little sticky here we go

okay so I'm going to put that in now what yummy food am I going to use to

keep these worms down here and lure the other guys down I'm going to see how

corn on the cob does we literally had this corn on the CB for dinner tonight

um this is mine and I'm going to put a corn cob in here and there was quite a

few worms so I'm actually going to put in two corn cups set that aside and I'm

going to use some of that breeder feed to up the antee here and just put it in

and I can sprinkle beyond the napkin cuz again the napkins just there to be

eaten and now I've repped the feeding Zone and I'm

just going to cover it back up with these guys because I want these guys to

stay here all right there we go okay and then once

again okay this is just pretty much where my newspaper was to delineate the

dry down section and see how the the newspaper and this these are sale

circulars I get from a local grocery store so you know they have a gazillion

out on the I like it the other way I like with the fold so the worms don't go

in between the paper so much um they have a gazillion of these out every day

I don't go to the grocery store that often to be honest with you but they

change their ads um this grocery store happens to be

on uh Thursday so on Wednesday you know if I'm at the store I

can grab a little handful and that gives me plenty of new

newspaper or Sal circular to get me through you know several several weeks

of wormery okay so now these guys are ready

to go back on the Shelf waiting for the rest of the horizontal migration to

happen again this action I took because I saw what the status of their newspaper

was in a drying down bit now let's go to just your plain old r regular growout

bin I'm not doing anything special with these worms just you know keeping them

ticking along so I pull out a bin I peel it back I see you know lots of uh

newspaper so I really don't have to do anything with this bin right now okay I

don't have to I could if I wanted to but I don't have to that's indicating me

they still have food indicating two na I should say so now let's pull out this

bin and oh here it is there's just a little newspaper around the edge this

bin needs some action so let's take it out take it over

here and open it up let me grab a

little bin to put that in okay all right so now I'm going to see what the status

of this bin is again lots of castings I've got a lot of horizontal migration

to set up it looks like and I need um you know to get ready for a lot of more

castings coming my way so what I'm doing here is I'm just doing a quick ation and

I'm moving the worms down

to this end of the bin so I can take the opportunity to set up a horizontal

migration and these little strips of news paper can just go into the working

end of the bin because I do want to keep let me pull some of these

out anything that is uh you know more food like for these worms down in the

working end of the bin sorry cameraman he hates it when I put my hand in front

of the uh lens here but I'm just smoothing that out okay let me get some

of these worms off my hand okay so I'm just going to do a quick fee now while I

work on this I'm going to give you uh a bonus right because I already did

three I did cocoon Nursery I did drying down and now I'm doing a grow up bin so

the bonus prize is breeder bin I can use the same

analysis of the status of newspaper covering at the end of my breeder cycle

to tell me whether or not I gave my breeders enough

food during their breeder cycle to keep them you know growing and chunky all

right so if I go into my breeder bin at the end of uh the 21

days and all the newspaper is gone I know for next time for that breeder bin

with that amount of breeders I'm going to want to add add a little bit more

breeder feed okay and

alternatively if I go into a breeder bin at the end of the cycle and the

newspaper is you know pretty much pristin except being damp then I know

that my food amount was either good or perhaps a little on the heavy

side okay and if I think it might have been the heavy side then I can just back

off on the next cycle a little bit for that amount of worms all right so again

here we're setting up that little experiment with the uh corn

cob and we're going to see how they do little uh breeder feed on top and some

pre compost which again is chalk full of natural foods for them with the uh biota

let me get that newspaper to refresh them

and I'm going to get this bin right back on the

Shelf here we go and again maybe you know you're not

using a newspaper topping and again it can be newspaper like you know go to

your Li Library if you have a public library a lot of them um do get the uh

paper form of newspapers and if you ask nicely at the circulation desk you can

and find out if they'll you know give you a couple sections all right or hit

up your your local store to see if they have Sal circulars that uh you can Avail

yourself of all right so this is just a real

quick way to use newspaper toppings and again if you're not using them you might

want to think about giving it a try right so I would just go on with the

rest of my bins this this one's in good shape look at we got some decent size

worms in here okay um but it's in good shape so I can you know put them back

and then move on to a bin that may need more immediate help let me see what this

one looks like see so this one needs more immediate help so I'm going to

actually work on this bin and I'm going to let you guys go so you can go look at

your W worm dens and see if you know using newspaper might help you manage

your worm situation more efficiently all right so hit me up in the comments let

me know if you're using newspaper not using newspaper what you think about

this method of again helping you manage your worm bits all right otherwise I

will see you on the next video and I remain yours in the dirt Jayne