Suburban Aquaponics Using Compost Worms to Break Down Solid Waste

Check out this video to learn more about using compost worms in an indoor aquaponics system. I have been waiting for quite a long time to have enough worms and the right conditions to start adding my red wigglers to the aquaponics grow beds. Today is that day! I started a very basic worm bin almost a year ago and have although it started out pretty rough it has really started to be a constant source of worms and worm castings for various gardening projects around the homestead. I have learned to pace feeding the worms to a minimum until the population is big enough to consume everything you are throwing in the bin. So, with the bin working well and the worms multiplying like, well, like worms, it is time to start taking some out and taking them to the water park AKA the aquaponics system.

I am just going to be adding small amounts of worms to the grow beds each month. This will give the worm population in the worm bin a chance to recover and for more organic "stuff" to build up in the beds for them to feed on. I am excited to get the worms going in the beds as I have heard nothing but great things about this additional symbiotic relationship. The worms are going to help plants grow even better and work as an additional cleaner for the water and grow beds.

The idea with the compost worms and aquaponics is that you are always going to have uneaten fish food, dead roots, fish waste, and other organic material that build up over time in the grow beds. Over time this can cause quite a mess and cause you to have to empty the entire bed and clean things up. With the worm in there doing their work the time in between cleanups should be much greater and in the meantime the worms are breaking down that extra waste into more nutrients for the plants.

Many people have suggested that the worms should be used in place of a swirl or radial flow filter and that is something that I do not agree with. There is just too much waste that would get into the grow beds too quickly for the worms to keep up. I think that the ultimate solution to the solids waste problem in a flood and drain system is to utilize both some kind of settlement filter and the worms together. I have demonstrated in several videos just how much waste builds up in the beds in just a short amount of time and I just dont think that worms alone, as awesome as they are, can keep up with the cleanup duties.

 

 

Check out the Simple Suburban Living General Store

for more products used and recommend by the SSL Family

 

 

The worms can be ordered here:

250 worms:  http://amzn.to/1wRsKuP
500 worms:  http://amzn.to/13FJR9m
2000 worms:  http://amzn.to/1sN6NyX

 

 

 

Read More..

Self Fertilizing Compost Worm Clementine Tree

Check out this video to learn how we are enlisting the aid of some of natures most awesome soil makers to assist us with our Clementine Tree. My wife and I always like to buy each other some type of fruiting tree of plant for our anniversary and this year it was this awesome clementine tree. We have had it for about six months at this point and it is growing very well. Since we live here in Michigan we bring it inside for the winter and then put it out on the pool deck in the summer. It has been growing very well so far and almost produced some fruit the first year we had it!


The tree was loaded with flowers a couple of months ago but I think it is not established enough in the pot and dropped all of the tiny clementine starts. It is loaded with new growth and we are looking forward to this next season to get some fruit.


We ordered this tree from Amazon early this summer and we were surprised at how big it was when we got it. This is not the first live product we have purchased on Amazon and been very happy with the results (also ordered worms). This is a 4 year old clementine tree that is of the dwarf variety suited for indoor/outdoor potted growing. I will keep you updated on the growth this year and post when we get some fruit!


I am not a very big fan of using fertilizers and to be honest we have never even bought any for our gardens, trees, or fruit buses/vines. Not that we have a huge garden but I have just found the aquaponics waste from the swirl filter to be all the fertilizer we have needed. We also use a compost pile to amend the soil and use household products like Epson salt and crushes eggs shells to add nutrients. We also have a small worm bin in the basement that has been cranking along for almost a year. We started off pretty rough with the worms and made some big mistakes but they bounced back and now the bin is loaded with the little soil makers. The worm castings are an awesome source of nutrients and a great addition to regular compost to make the best soil!

The idea that I am testing here is a way to combine the worms with our potted tree. I am using a method that is similar to those larger growing containers (55 gallon drums usually), you know, the ones with the tube down the center that you can fill with food scraps. The idea here is that the worms can come in through the holes in the pipe and chow down on some yummy rotting food and then take off into the soil around the tree to drop off some awesome castings. They will also work the soil and eat any root matter and other organic matter and turn it into useful nutrients for the tree. We are hoping that this new symbiotic relationship will allow us to get away from ever having to fertilize the tree, we will see........

            

 

 

This post has been shared at:  Homestead Barn Hop

Read More..