Featured Customer Questions – Michelle C.
Hi Jerry,
I do have a 2 questions for you. The bottom of my worm bin always seems really wet but the paper on top seems too dry. I’ve tried taking the top paper out and just misting it a bit and then putting it back in the bin. That way no water drips down to the bottom. And I’ve tried leaving the cover off the bin for a few days. But I basically still have the same problem. Any suggestions?
The other problem I have is I don’t get castings in the bottom of my bin. It looks more like ground up wet gray paper bits. Someone suggested I wasn’t feeding the worms enough and they were eating mostly paper. I’ve tried feeding them more and the stuff on the bottom is turning darker in color but still doesn’t look like castings. Am I doing something wrong?
Hi Michelle,
Question #1
There is nothing wrong with the paper being dry on top. If you keep a lid on your bin, it should start to wick up excess moisture and eventually become damp, good bedding. In the meantime, the dry paper on top helps to keep the worms from roaming. If the bottom of your bin is excessively wet, you either do not have enough drainage, or you may be watering with something other than a mister. It’s hard to overwater if you just mist the top and let the water filter down.
Question #2
If your castings are gray in color, that is the worms eating the bedding. Nothing wrong with that, since that stuff has been through the worms gut, I’m sure it has plenty of value. If after feeding them more, the stuff starts turning black….yet you say it doesn’t look like castings, what does it look like? Unscreened castings can look various ways depending on type of worm and moisture content of the bin.