Frequently Asked Questions

What do I do when I go away on holiday?

An established wormery will happily tick by for four weeks between feeding.  For new wormeries or just forgot to feed, place damp bread on the surface and the worms will happily feed on it.  Good idea to pour a pint of water over the surface to ensure the system will not dry out, even if the conditions seem damp.  Any excess water will drain off.  Before leaving, open the tap and allow fluid to be collected. Remember to turn the tap off. Asking a nice neighbor to check on things may be helpful to you and they may even feed your system for you!

I can't see the worms!

Not unusual! Try, gently moving the surface, especially at the edges and go down a few inches and there they will be. Worms feed and breed under the surface so you will only see a few hanging around in full view.  They avoid light and will either dig down to hide or wiggle in a frantic fashion, just cover them up.  If you do not discover any worms or very few, look around the area were the wormery is standing. They may have escaped by the lid not being closed properly.  If you discover any, just pop them back in.  If you cannot find any worms after looking around the area. Did you place garden waste that had been treated with insecticide or weed killer?  This is the commonest reason as to why worms die. We supply rescue kits complete with worms, feed, bedding blocks and full instructions.  The system will need to be emptied and cleaned prior to new worms going in. Clean water and clean cloth is sufficient.

Little white worms?

Needle, thred and newly hatched compost worms appear as white and around 1cm in length.  They are harmless and even contribute to composting. Worms that are not composting worms are a sign to show that your wormery has become a little acidic.  Simply mix in crushed egg shells or a handful of calcified lime supplied with the wormery.  They will migrate to the wormery after a few days.

When can I harvest liquid feed?

Liquid feed becomes available around four weeks from when the wormery was constructed.  It will start as clear and darken in colour as moisture builds up in the system and drains to the sump.  To harvest, open the tap and allow the liquid to flow without tipping the wormery forwards.  You can mix this to ten parts water for a ready to use plant and lawn feed. For every 1 liter collected, you have produced 10 liters of plant feed! Store in a cool dark place for up to three months.

What do I do when it goes cold or Winter?

The Original Wormery has a Winter Jacket that we can send to you.  Fits over the unit and will protect from the harshest conditions.  Moving your wormery indoors, like the shed or garage will help a lot.  The interior of the wormery needs to be 18c plus to operate effectively. Adding shredded paper on the surface helps to protect the feeding area of the wormery and is an additional source of food for your worms.  Too much card and paper will produce a lower quality compost which is lighter in colour. In mid March, your wormery can have the jacket removed or moved outdoors.

I think I've just put garden waste in the wormery that was treated recently with weed killer!

Remove the material straight away!  Place damp bread on the surface.  If there are any dead worms, remove them. This is the commonest reason as to why worms are killed.

I'm moving house

If you are a Home-Grow Scheme Member, please let us know your new details if you are taking the wormery with you.  If the system is full, it will be very heavy so consider with great care in moving it!  We can arrange to collect the unit and supply a new system to you at your new address.  If you are not a scheme member, we will be happy to purchase the system from you if you do not wish to take the wormery with you. You could give the wormery to a family member or neighbour?

How much do I feed my worms?

You were supplied 1kg of adult worms and that amount will consume up to the same weight in waste a day!  It is not possible to overfeed them and is quite difficult to starve them as they will either shut down and go into statis or try to escape if they sense a food source nearby. You can be confident in what amounts to feed just by increasing cereals, pet food and paper if you do not have enough waste material at hand.  Soil is a good food source for worms or taking mature compost works just as well.

I've read different instructions on other web sites. What do I believe?

So have we! I haven't come across any information on other web sites or suppliers of wormeries that would harm worms or prevent them from producing great compost. Sound judgment always works best and we will not be drawn in to argument's and differing opinion's expressed by other suppliers.  Though we will say this.  Wonder Wigglers Recycling operates successful worm farms. We breed, cultivate, hatch and supply healthy cleaned reared worms.  Other companies buy their worms.

My wormery smells!

Decaying food waste will produce odours.  Odours are controlled by the use of calcified lime and regular turning of the surface. Try this first. If the problem persists, add a few handfuls of clean sand and mix in. This will soak up excess moisture. Opening the sump tap to allow liquid to drain will help to circulate the air in the system. Try to avoid placing raw eggs, fish, meat and milky products in as these will produce strong unpleasant smells.

What do I look for to see if my wormery is working properly?

After a month dig down to were the worms are and they should be moving easily and freely. The area were they live will be darker in colour as they would have produced casting, which is black in colour. The area will be moist - not wet, and taking a handful, it will smell like wet grass.  The level of the material would have shrunk and you will find condensation along the inner wall and under the lid.  It will be warm. You will find an abundance of eggs and newly hatched worms.  You will find some in breeding stage, do not pull them apart! Worms would be found in the upper layers of the compost material. Your worms would have grown and the band would seem swollen. After a few months, the surface will be black and fine in consistancy, almost granular.  It will have a slight wet smell and the worms would be found at the edges of the wormery.

If you have any questions or concerns,

Please Contact Us

Tel 0845 299 6720 - 01327 220001

eFax 0845 280 6720