Why is my worm farm dying?
We've all been there. You have a worm farm, and feel super great that you're doing your part to save the planet. But pretty soon you end up with a dead worm farm, and big smelly disgusting mess to clean up.
The main reason your farm may be struggling is over feeding. If you are feeding your worms fresh waste from your kitchen (which is what most home worm farm operators do), it is important to realise that worms don't actually eat your waste. The waste needs to break down before the worms will consume the food. This means that they need time for the fresh waste to break down to a point where they will consume it.
When too much waste collects in your farm, it can become anaerobic, acidic, and . This creates all sorts of problems for your farm, and is the vast cause of most farm problems for small farmers.
Remember, the worms set the schedule on when they need feeding, not you. Inspect your farm before feeding. Ideally the food you last gave them should be consumed before you add more.
Also, be careful what you add. At a small scale, avoid Citrus, Dairy, Meat of any kind, Onions, Chillies, breads, Fats and oils. Think of your worms as very picky vegans!
The rest of the waste, you may be able to compost using different methods, however for feeding into your worm farms, follow the above rules. Worms can only consume around 30% of their body weight per day. So, a kilo of worms, will only consume around 300g of waste under perfect conditions.
