Compost & Earthworms?

Julie says...
wazz, that's very odd. As far as I know, you can't 'farm' earthworms, so I wonder why they are in there. They need quite different conditions to compost worms.

I have no idea what will happen, but earthworms usually live deeper down in the soil, and compost worms in the top layers that have high amounts of organic matter. I think in a worm farm the compost worms will win out, as the system is designed for them.

Edit: just had a thought. Maybe the other worms are not earthworms at all, but another type that will live in compost conditions. Perhaps ask the person who sold you the worm farm?

wazzamcg says...
I contacted the lady who sold me the worm farm, she said she would get material out her compost bin to feed the wormfarm. She also said that some worms may have got transported over.

Maybe they are a variety of worm that can go higher up the compost heap/bin compared to an earthworm? I don't know.

The following pictures show a distinct band I saw on numerous worms, though the ones in the wormfarm were more greyish in colour (still very lively). The other picture shows the type of substrate the worms are in - on the bottom of the tray it was well rotted and on the muddy side. Lots of lawn clippings were evident. These pictures are not mine, I just grabbed them off the web to show examples.

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1	Picture: 2

Julie says...
The band is commonly known as a saddle, and is part of the reproductive system.

I think the most common type of worm sold for worm farms is the red wriggler.

snottiegobble says...
Ever seen the true aussie earthworm called a scrubworm? They grow up to 30cm & really like it rough in sandy bush soil. In fact there are some giants that grow in an area of Gippsland that reach a metre I am told.
I remember seeing a worm museum there shaped like one!

amanda says...
I was told by a worm grower that the saddle/band is actually the egg sac and it works it's way down the worms 'body' and comes off as about 4 eggs at the end..!

Pauline says...
If anyone is REALLY interested in worms, there is a great newsletter send out by http://www.WormFarmingSecrets.com
Loads of info at all different depths of understanding. :)

Julie says...
I'd say the first pic are red wrigglers. Don't know the second one, though they look longer than the usual earthworm.

Brendan says...
About 30 years ago, I bought 'bait' worms, they were: Red Wrigglers, Night Crawlers & Tigers. I think they were imported from USA.

They were also known as compost worms.

MaryT says...
I don't know what brand of worms I have but I just scooped them up from underneath my pot plants (they sit on concrete) and the worms feed and breed happily in my worm farm. Worms are worms; no? I read that you MUST buy compost worms but I question everything I read, particularly if the advice came from people who can make money out of it. :)