I've added worms to the system before, but it was at the beginning when there wasn't much for them to eat. They have plenty decaying roots and fish waste now. I purchased my red wigglers from
Texas Worm Ranch. Red wiggler worms are the best for composting, but are not the same as earth worms. Red wigglers are they same worms used in worm farms, and make superb fertilizer, composting tea, soil, etc.
I forgot to check the mail the other day, so right before heading to bed I opened the door to find my box of worms at my feet. I forgot all about them!
I opened the box to find them in this fabric bag so they can breath. I wanted to get them to their home before they dried out. I've read if you can't get to them, add some water so they stay moist.
I dumped them out in a cardboard tray from the nursery, because I don't want dirt in the aquaponics system. Or as little dirt as possible. I ordered one pound of worms, but seems like there are more.
Flashlight in hand, I picked through the dirt and laid them on the expanded clay. Worms do not like light, so they will make their way down to the food.
It was a little creepy doing this in the dark. Dark+Creepy crawlers in my hand= eww-
Yesterday, I was dealing with the basil I pulled because the roots were holding the clay balls. This was a pain and took longer than I expected. I put everything in a bucket and tried to remove the roots as much as possible before putting them back in the grow bed. While doing this, I found half a dozen worms from the first time I added. Yippee! While I organizing the grow bed, I found my new worms just under the surface without digging too much.
Wonder how they will survive in the water? They will live the same way the plants do. They both get oxygen to breath when the tank drains.
Random side note: This Hanuka paper was the packing they used. Funny huh?
Green Friday: I was reading one of my favorite
blogs who referred to Black Friday as Green Friday. It's because it's the day to buy a Christmas tree and put up decorations. I like Green Friday much better.
Labels: Aquaponics
