Entire newbie and no one answers my questions!

[wormcity]

Hi
Apologies in any delay replying, if you look through the forum you can see that every question has been replied to.
We often rely on a mobile broadband connection which can be very unreliable sometimes - which is why a delay arises.

What I’m not sure about is how many trays I should be using at startup and can’t find anything specific in the instructions.

from instructions
2) Insert tap into the pre-drilled hole in sump (please screw into place, don’t push)
Build your wormery (Sump = tap on bottom), slide one bin inside (They nest inside each
other – not stack on top). A really good tip is to place a house brick in the sump, as this
allows any worms that fall into the sump to be able to climb back out
NB the other trays if purchased will be added later

As a default I’ve used top tray and sump tray only with the plastic netting in the top tray

correct

After top tray and sump tray, when do I need to use intermediate trays? There is only about 2” of space between the wet paper and the lid of the top tray

as the worms start to consume the food the volume will lessen, they will eat all the coir, paper - everything, which is why we say dont feed them as they have tons of food to start with.

as you start feeding them when the tray is almost full you can add the next tray so that it sits inside the 1st tray

Do I wait until all the paper has gone before starting to put in dog waste?

dog waste / food should always be under newspaper this stops flies from getting to the waste

Do I need to put plastic netting in the other trays as and when in use?

no - the worms wouldn't be able to climb upwards into the next tray if the mesh was there.
The mesh is there to stop them going downwards into the sump

Do you put soil/coir/compost in the intermediate trays?

When you have filled the 1st tray to just over half way, you can add the next layer and start to add your scraps.
Add some of the mixture from the lower tray into the upper tray to give them something familiar to move into and ensure you cover all food with paper. You will see that the worms will finish eating the food in the lower tray and slowly migrate into the next layer. Repeat this process until all your trays are half full.

Do you put waste always in the top tray and the worms bring it down into the intermediate trays?
I’m not sure about how to use the intermediate trays as the instructions aren’t very specific to a total novice like me. They assume that you have some basic knowledge of how the wormery works and I don’t!

no - you add trays above not below - worms move upwards
you have a sump at the bottom, then one tray, then add the other trays above.

worms will settle down - a new wormery is a sterile environment - that worms don't like which is why they try to leave,

they will settle down eventually.
some take longer than others

Ronnie

[wormcity]

Hi Sue

Yes the taping of the mesh is fine....

the mesh is there to stop the worms going into the sump, and although the holes are very small, they can still get through it.

Sorry checked our emails - can't seem to find anything from you - though we do have high spam blockers (as we do get tons otherwise), so it might have been moved

Ronnie