How to Breed Redworms
- 1). Provide a container, either a simple wooden box with a lid or a plastic lidded container, for the redworms to reside within and breed. The box should measure at least 1 foot high by 2 feet deep by 3 feet wide, according to Texas A & M University.
- 2). Drill 15 to 20 holes in the bottom of the container to allow moisture to escape. Place the container on four bricks to elevate it from the floor and allow ample drainage to occur. Slide a tray under the container to capture excess moisture.
- 3). Fill the worm box with 10 pounds of shredded newspaper. Add 3 pounds of garden soil. Moisten the newspaper using 4 gallons of water. Mix the shredded newspaper, garden soil and water together thoroughly.
- 4). Wait two days and than add the worms by spreading them out across the newspaper-soil combination's surface. The worms will burrow into the soil substance. Fill the box with 2 pounds of worms for every 1 pound of food scraps that will be fed to the worms daily. If the worms do not receive adequate food they will not breed. One pound of worms usually contains 1,000 actively mature breeding worms, according to Washington State University.
- 5). Cover the worm bin with a lid. Worms do not like light and they will not breed if exposed to excessive light. Suspend a red light above the worms instead of a normal light bulb to use when observing the worms and looking for baby worms. The red light will not bother the worms.
- 6). Maintain a temperature within the bin of 55 degrees to 77 degrees Fahrenheit to encourage breeding. Never let the worms become chilled because they could perish.
- 7). Bury the food scraps 2 inches below the soil's surface in the bin. Bury the food scraps in a new location every day.
- 8). Harvest the worm castings weekly and add more moist shredded newspaper. Castings are the worm's abundant excrement, which makes excellent compost for the garden. Carefully separate the worms and the cocoons from the castings using your hands when harvesting. The worms, baby worms and cocoons usually congregate in the top six inches of the soil and paper mixture.
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