🧰 What’s in the Kit

• Composting Worms + Bedding Block
  A proven mix of Tiger Worms (Eisenia fetida) and Dendrobaena veneta — the correct surface-dwelling (epigeic) species for composting — plus a coir bedding block to give them a safe, neutral start.

• 2 kg Anti-Acid Lime Mix
  Keeps pH near neutral, prevents “sour” conditions and odours, and helps deter flies.

Choose Your Size

• Mini (≈250 g worms): Soil-factories, in-ground wormeries, micro-bins

• Small (≈500 g worms): Compact “Dalek” or beehive-style bins (≈150–200 L).

• Medium (≈1 kg worms): Standard compost heaps (~1 m³).

• Large (≈2 kg worms): Large bays (around 2 m × 2 m).

• Extra-Large (≈5 kg worms): Muck heaps and manure piles (stable/farm use).

Rule of thumb: start with about 0.5–1 kg of worms per cubic metre of material. Populations will grow naturally once conditions are right.

🌱 How to Use (Heaps, Bins, Soil-Factories & Muck Heaps)

1. Site it right: Place your bin/heap on soil or grass (not concrete) so excess moisture can drain and soil biology can join the party.

2. Bedding first: Soak the coir block (about 1 hour). Spread a 3–5 cm layer where you’ll add worms — this buffers temperature and moisture.

3. Add the worms: Tip gently onto the bedding and cover with a thin layer of moist compost/cardboard to keep dark and damp.

4. Layer the feed: Alternate greens (veg peelings, Bokashi waste, grass clippings, fresh manure) with browns (straw, shredded cardboard/leaves). Aim for a 2:1 brown:green balance to avoid slimy compaction.

5. Keep it Goldilocks-moist: Damp as a wrung-out sponge. Too wet? Mix in more browns and fluff for air. Too dry? Lightly water.

6. Balance the pH: Sprinkle Lime Mix every couple of weeks (a good handful per wheelbarrow of fresh feed) to keep things neutral and odour-free.

7. Air matters: Turn or fluff every 2–4 weeks. Oxygen = speed, no smells, happy worms.

8. Seasonal sense: Shade in hot spells; insulate with a breathable cover in winter.

🐴 A Note for Horse Owners (and other livestock keepers)

• After worming: Some equine wormers can pass through in manure and may harm composting invertebrates. As a simple precaution, exclude freshly wormed manure for 3–7 days (follow your wormer’s datasheet). Start the worm colony on older, weathered manure or bedding-manure that’s had a few days to cool and mellow.

• Perfect pairings: Mixed stable bedding (straw/shavings + manure) is ideal. For chicken litter (very nitrogen-rich), blend with straw/leaves/cardboard first to avoid overheating.

🧪 Johnson-Su Bioreactors & Regen Ag Use

• When to add worms: Once the initial thermophilic (hot) phase subsides and the core temperature is consistently below ~30 °C, introduce worms to the upper layers. They’ll accelerate fine-particle formation and help shift biology toward a fungal-rich, stable compost.

• On farm: We deploy worms in Johnson-Su units to stabilise nitrogen, build aggregation, and create outstanding compost extracts and teas for seed treatments and foliar/soil dips.

🌎 The Bigger Picture: Methane, Carbon & Why It Matters

Food and garden waste dumped in landfill breaks down anaerobically, producing methane — a powerful greenhouse gas. Worm-driven composting keeps the process aerobic, turning carbon into stable humus in your soil instead of emissions in the air. You cut waste miles, keep nutrients local, lock carbon into living soil, and grow healthier plants without synthetic crutches.

Darwin & today: In 1881, Charles Darwin showed how worms quietly build our topsoil. Modern intensive practices, bare soils, and chemistry-heavy regimes have reduced worm numbers in many places. Re-introducing composting worms where they’re most effective (in organic-rich litter) helps rebuild soil life from the top down.