Compost falling into the sump

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swedboy
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Joined:Sat Jun 09, 2018 6:54 pm
Compost falling into the sump

Post by swedboy » Thu May 30, 2019 3:31 pm

What do people do to stop it from falling through the bottom tray and into the sump? The cardboard I put in as a barrier has gone and the compost is dropping through (it was very in excellent condition)
Was thinking of getting some kind of membrane from a garden centre to stop this from happening.

WillyWorm
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Joined:Sat Jun 06, 2015 9:10 am

Re: Compost falling into the sump

Post by WillyWorm » Thu May 30, 2019 6:38 pm

Hi Swedboy, you did not say how long your bin has been up and running nor how many trays you have in place.
If the cardboard has been consumed then it would indicate to me that you have a lot of good casting ready to be harvested. I have a 5 tray setup and remove the bottom tray and harvest it every month this means I give each tray five months to work.
Food items which the worms have not been to work on do not go through the grid and into the sump, only well worked casting end up in the sump.
The castings and worms ending up in the sump is an on going problems to which there is no definitive answer. You can put weed suppressant cloth in the bottom tray BUT if you put it in when the tray gets to the bottom position you will disturb your herd and could delay their work or worst still make them feel unsafe and start wondering. Or if you do it at the start when you put the new tray in place on the top then the worms won’t be able to travel between levels.
I suggest you keep your trays well filled with bedding, from the time you put a new tray in place, this will help compress the finished casting and prevent them going into the sump and harvest the castings from the sump from time to time or when you harvest the bottom tray.

Hope that helps
Willy

swedboy
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Joined:Sat Jun 09, 2018 6:54 pm

Re: Compost falling into the sump

Post by swedboy » Fri Jun 28, 2019 11:48 am

Hi Willy, Thanks for the reply

The wormery with one tray had been overwintering since late October last year (7 months!).

I realised why my idea wasn't that good as soon as I read your reply. No way the worms would be able to get through to the next level.

I might try to put a mesh of some sort under the bottom tray so it sits like sheet under the tray so it rests on it rather than inside it. I think that would work without disturbing the worms.

As for bedding, I didn't think you needed to add that to each new tray. I thought you just added food scraps.

WillyWorm
Senior Member
Posts:699
Joined:Sat Jun 06, 2015 9:10 am

Re: Compost falling into the sump

Post by WillyWorm » Fri Jun 28, 2019 9:23 pm

Hi Swedboy, you should find you do not need anything between the bottom tray and the sump now your bin is up and running. That said you will always get a few delinquent worms who like to go midnight swimming in the sump.
It is important to put more bedding in the new tray, this forms part of the worms diet, helps to provide the correct ratio of greens to browns (nitrogen to carbon), absorbs a lot of moisture and at this time of year should cover the food to prevent you bin being invaded by flys.

Willy

fatshark
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Joined:Tue Jun 02, 2020 8:13 pm

Re: Compost falling into the sump

Post by fatshark » Tue Jun 02, 2020 8:23 pm

My wormcity has been going since January and I've just realised that the sump is full (or filling) with, presumably, castings. There's only one tray on and it wasn't filling up much. The worms appear to be doing really well. Loads of them. Loads of baby worms. No smells or other issues. Really pleased with it, but would like to use some of the product!

Should I just dump the sump contents onto newspaper, sort the worms back into the tray and then add a second tray as soon as is practical?

The wormery is indoors, in a cool room. I've found that bulldog clips are a useful way to keep the roof in place.

WillyWorm
Senior Member
Posts:699
Joined:Sat Jun 06, 2015 9:10 am

Re: Compost falling into the sump

Post by WillyWorm » Wed Jun 03, 2020 7:31 am

Hi, it sounds like things are going well. I think you need to put a second tray in place. Collect the castings from the sump (they are top quality castings containing nothing but worm poo) and place a new tray on top of your old tray, fill with some bedding ie shredded paper, cardboard, leaves etc place a little food I with it and in a day or so the worms will move up and stop going down. Then feed as normal only in the new top tray.
Once the new tray is established you can harvest the first tray at anytime you need it. Aim to add a new tray every month or two until you have all your trays in use.

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