Perspectiva Ambiental 41 - Worms at work (2007)
Every day, our meals make us produce near 200g of organic waste, which means around 73kg at the end of the year. Obviously, we have to outsource the treatment of our residues, but having in mind that the organic fraction has an important value because we can turn it up into compost. At home, we can take advantage of the work of red worms in a vermicomposter and to be direct spectators of the cycle of the fertility in nature.
The vermicompost (from the Latin "vermis", meaning "worm") is the final product of the process of digestion of the organic waste that the worms eat and that other organisms keep degrading until they compost it. It is a substrate that looks like mud and that it is rich in nitrogenated substances and, for this reason, very useful as a natural fertilizer for plants compost.
Amidst all the species of earthworms, the one used the most in the domestic process of vermicomposting is Eisenia fetida usually known as tiger worm or californian worm. In nature, they can be found in compost piles. This monograph goes through all about worms and proposes the use of the domestic vermicomposter, such as the model Vermicasa designed by Terra Foundation and that's produced with recycled or reused materials that make it resistant, durable and easy to maintain.
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Index: Worms at work
The cycle of life from the first row
The organic fraction of the domestic rubbish
The magic of vermicomposting
The right species
Biology of the vermicompost worm
The worm as the transformer of organic matter into fertility
Characteristics of Eisenia fetida, the vermicompost worm
The house of the worms: systems for vermicomposting
The stool - vermicomposter
The domestic vermicomposter Vermicasa
In company: friends/other species in the vermicomposter
Starting up the process
How to feed the worms
Maintaining the system
Troubleshooting guide
The results: vermicompost
When to pick the vermicompost up
How to pick it up
How to apply the vermicompost
Ways to take advantage of the vermicompost
The "Worm-woman"
Reasons for vermicomposting
Bibliography and online resources
