Worm questions
Is the liquid collected from Subpod worm tea or leachate?
The liquid collected from your Subpod is worm tea. This worm tea becomes leachate once you flush water through the castings to increase the liquid collected from the outlet.
I followed the tips in your FAQs, and used banana peel to lure my worms back to my Subpod, and it didn’t work. What else can I do?
Do not be alarmed If you used banana peels to lure your worms back to your Subpod and it was not successful. Remember that your worms are not far away. There are some other foods to try that will help to welcome your little friends back from their ...
Why do I have to wait 1 week before I feed my worms?
After your worms get introduced to their new Subpod, please wait one week before feeding them. They have been on a bit of a journey and are all "wormed out," so they need a BIG rest! Normally the worms do not feed for a few days when they have been ...
Where are my worms? My worms have disappeared.
It can be a bit of a surprise to pop open your Subpod, ready to give your worms their first meal, and discover that they’re gone! If this has happened to you, don’t panic. Even if your Subpod is installed directly into the ground, your worms won’t ...
How do I care for composting worms in extreme heat?
Composting worms that fare the best in hot conditions are Esenia Fetidas (aka red wrigglers or red tigers). Shade and maintaining a moist worm blanket are helpful. I would also make sure the soil of the raised garden bed is moist if the Subpod is ...
Can I use your worms from your website for my composting bin (not Subpod)?
Unless your composting bin is designed with an air flow mesh that allows easy air entry while excluding flies, we don't recommend using composting worms in an ordinary composting bin.
What is the worm tea/juice/liquid gold/ and what can you use it for? (we know that it is great for fertilisation, but what exactly is 'worm pee'?
The vermiculture liquid that drips from the bottom of the Subpod is rich in microbes and chemical metabolites and can be diluted 1:10 ( 1 pt liquid to 9 parts water) and sprayed on plant foliage (foliar feeding) to provide a mild fertilizer. ...
What sort of max planting area can you sensibly have around a Subpod in a raised planting bed? How far do the worms move through the soil?
We've noticed the worms travelling out to a maximum garden bed size of 1.2 m x 1.8. But this would take some time for the worms to fertilize a bed that size (6-12 months) To speed up this process, you could use your finished compost in your Subpod ...
Are composting worms suitable to be used for fishing?
From our research it looks like compost worms are fine to use for fishing. You can read more here: https://www.tenkarabum.com/composting-worms-for-fishing.html You are also welcome to post your query on out Grow Hub for more information :) ...
Native Australian worms? Do the compost worms outcompete the native earthworms? And do they allow the native earthworms in if they choose to enter the subpod?
One native Australian composting worm, perionyx excavatus, also known as spenceralia, is commonly called Indian Blue or blueys. This worm species happens to be the fastest breeding worm in general composting use (1 worm produces 18 worms per week in ...
We use pumped ground water - are worms fussy with the water they get exposed to?
Pump water is fine. However, in some extreme cases, the salinity of pump water can be above normal. If this was the case, then no, the worms won’t like the water.
I was told that compost worms can’t live in soil. How do the worms aerate and get nutrients to the soil around the subpod if they can’t survive there?
In nature composting worms live in the top layer of a forest floor, which is high in organic matter. In other words, they need high amounts of organic matter (your food scraps) to thrive. Subpod creates this environment, and in the beginning, your ...
Can I keep my worms in a bucket for 2-3 months before the Subod arrives?
Yes, your worms will survive in a bucket if you need to get your worms ASAP. Because the worms will be above ground in your bucket while you’re waiting for the Subpod to arrive you’ll need to keep your bucket of worms out of temperature extremes, ...
If I have a number of garden beds, separated by lawn etc, will the worms spread out underground to benefit beds other than the one I have put my Subpod in?
This is unlikely as the composting worms live in the uppermost layers of leaf litter decomposing on the soil surface, so unless you covered the lawn with a mulch layer, the composting worms would not travel the lawn between beds. There is an easier ...
Do you have to re introduce new worms after you empty the compost?
When you empty your castings and compost, the worms will not be with the castings, but where the food is (on the other side of the Subpod divider. When the system is getting full, stop feeding one side of Subpod. After 2 weeks, most of the worms ...
We use mosquito repellent in our lawn and garden sprinkler system - Riptide (pyrethrin). Will that hurt the worms?
Pyrethrin compounds are broad spectrum agents against insects in general and affect their sodium channels. They are not expected to be directly toxic to the compost worms, but as a precaution, avoid adding the wet or dried grass of your lawn into ...
When the Subpod is full, how do I remove the finished compost, without harming the many worms within?
Compost worms struggle to live in the soil, as they need high levels of organic matter (your food scraps ;) ) so they will always return to their Subpod home. We have thought long and hard about HOW to collect your compost without hurting our worm ...
What is a worm blanket? What is it used for?
Worm blankets are made of a water-absorbing, air-permeable and light blocking fabric. They are placed on top of the worm bedding and have multiple functions: (1) they minimize the light reaching the worms, allowing them to feed right up to the ...
Is there a time of day when compost worms are more active? It would be nice to know so we don't disturb them too much while they do the great work that they do!
Some species only come up to the surface at night, but others stay in the top layer above the soil. All worms do avoid light, and are very sensitive to uv frequencies and need to stay moist, so a feed in the morning or late afternoon will minimize ...
Can we leave the Subpod when we go away on holidays? What do we do if we leave for a few months? Can the Subpod be left alone for long periods of time? (what is the maximum time?)
You can leave the Subpod unattended for up to a maximum of three months while you are away on vacation. To keep the worms happy and fed while you are away, a good plan is to buy a pumpkin (or use one that is starting to rot), cut it in half and lay ...
How many worms does 1 Subpod make?
With regular feeding over time, the Subpod can support 30,000 worms or more. At the start, you will have 1000 worms (or more, depending on how many you order). In time, your worm family will grow and you will have an abundant supply of worms. You ...
How many worms do I need per Subpod?
You will need approximately 1000 worms, but 2000 is better. When you order worms your supplier will most likely be selling worms in lots of 1000. If you are talking to your worm supplier and they are not sure of the size of the Subpod, you can let ...
Where do I get worms from? Can I buy/purchase worms off you?
I’m sorry but we are not selling worms at the moment. You can purchase from worm suppliers. Generally, compost worms can be bought from community gardens, nurseries, worm farmers or home hardware stores. There are also worm suppliers online. You ...
How much worm castings are produced per Subpod? / What is the volume of worm castings per Subpod?
The amount of worm castings will vary depending on your food scrap wastage. If you add 30 litres of food to the Subpod weekly, then it will take approximately 6 months to generate 80 liters/21 US gallons of worm castings. During the initial setup ...