I have had a worm bin for a couple of years now and have drained off what I thought was worm tea from the bottom compartment of my worm bin and fed it to my plants including my vegies. However, I have come across a couple of articles recently which describe this part of the process as leachate (www.organic-raised-bed-gardening.com) and it is the castings soaked in water and then aerated which is actually the worm tea. Also this particular article suggests that the 'leachate' should not be put on the vegie garden. Am a bit confused.....
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Anne, I have been told the same that it is 'leachate' which is washed out by excess moisture. This moisture could come from several sources, rain for instance if the containers are exposed to the weather and also from the food scraps that are added, or if you add water, which you should not have to do. If it is any help I have had a worm farm going for over a year and no leachate has gathered in the bottom to speak of, yet there are still worms working away.
Having said that I recently attended a workshop on the subject and I have made a few changes to the WF which hopefully will make it more worm friendly. For one thing the bedding material had been exhausted which I have now fixed up. It's where they go to lay their eggs so it needs to be right.
If you want to make the 'worm tea' or 'leachate' then you can put some casting into a muslin bag and hang it into a bucket of water for a day or so. This material can then be used on your plants.
Moisture levels in the WF need to be maintained so that the material when you take a handful and squeeze it should be the same dampness as a wrung out sponge. The food scraps that are added should be enough to maintain the moisture level.
Thanks Mark. I don't add any extra water but my worm farm is outside so some rain would get into it. However, I seem to get liquid in the bottom of my container even during long periods of dry weather. I guess if the liquid is more of a by-product of the food scraps rather than genuine worm tea maybe I don't need to dilute (the leachate) so much. I think my moisture levels are ok as I always have plenty of worms and then never look as they are trying to escape. Thanks for the tip about adding more bedding as the stuff I put in some time ago would have long gone, although I do throw in the odd paper bag that the vegies have come in and some kitchen towel.
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Anne, I have been told the same that it is 'leachate' which is washed out by excess moisture. This moisture could come from several sources, rain for instance if the containers are exposed to the weather and also from the food scraps that are added, or if you add water, which you should not have to do. If it is any help I have had a worm farm going for over a year and no leachate has gathered in the bottom to speak of, yet there are still worms working away.
Having said that I recently attended a workshop on the subject and I have made a few changes to the WF which hopefully will make it more worm friendly. For one thing the bedding material had been exhausted which I have now fixed up. It's where they go to lay their eggs so it needs to be right.
If you want to make the 'worm tea' or 'leachate' then you can put some casting into a muslin bag and hang it into a bucket of water for a day or so. This material can then be used on your plants.
Moisture levels in the WF need to be maintained so that the material when you take a handful and squeeze it should be the same dampness as a wrung out sponge. The food scraps that are added should be enough to maintain the moisture level.
I hope this helps.
Regards Mark.
Thanks Mark. I don't add any extra water but my worm farm is outside so some rain would get into it. However, I seem to get liquid in the bottom of my container even during long periods of dry weather. I guess if the liquid is more of a by-product of the food scraps rather than genuine worm tea maybe I don't need to dilute (the leachate) so much. I think my moisture levels are ok as I always have plenty of worms and then never look as they are trying to escape. Thanks for the tip about adding more bedding as the stuff I put in some time ago would have long gone, although I do throw in the odd paper bag that the vegies have come in and some kitchen towel.