Seminar for Saving Trees

Great event coming up on Saturday at the River Bend Nature Center here in Wichita Falls.  From the city press release:

Wichita Falls, Texas- Everyone is invited to join representatives from the City’s Parks Department and Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service for a FREE “Saving Our Trees” seminar, Saturday, March 1st, at the River Bend Nature Center, 2200 3rd St (next to the entrance of Lucy Park). Registration begins at 8:30am and the program at 9:00am.
 
 “The drought continues to negatively impact our trees, and the AgriLife Horticulture Committee felt some education was essential to help people learn what they can do to save our trees,” said David Graf, AgriLife Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent for Wichita County. “It takes years to replace trees, and anything we can do to save them is a huge benefit,”
Said Graf.
 
The seminar will feature:
1. Gregory David, certified arborist from Muenster, Texas, presenting “Evaluating Trees and Tips to Save Them”
2. Charlie Carr, certified arborist from Wichita Falls, discussing “Day-to-Day Issues – Insects, Disease, Pruning”
3. Paul Dowlearn, professional nurseryman from Wichita Falls, presenting “Stretching Soil Moisture to the Max”

 Following a question and answer session with the panel, participants are invited to take a tree tour of the center. For more information please call 940-716-8610.

What's killing Jimbo's worms?!?

As I mentioned previously, I am reading Wendy Vincent's wonderful work, The Complete Guide to Working with Worms.  In Chapter 6, "Common Concerns in the Worm Bin," Vincent covers a lot of frequently asked questions, including the all-important "Why are my worms dying?"

And as I also mentioned previous, Jimbo's worms are dying.  Well, we're trying to figure out what has extinguished the spark of life that once burned so brightly in his legless, dirt-loving friends.  I think his compost may have gotten too high in his bin (Jimbo, like me, is vermicomposting in a 5 gal. utility bucket), and they may have asphyxiated.  Jimbo regrets not having provided enough grit to enable his worms to digest their food and thinks this may have been their undoing.  I suppose, in my still very inexperienced opinion, that either theory may be right.

Well, what does Ms. Vincent say?  Before she gets to the chart, she introduces the first, very important question about dead worms - what happens to them???  "The dead worms will decompose and be eaten by their friends."  (Uh...  I don't know if I feel safe around my worms anymore.)  "If this is the case, you will need to act quickly before all of your worms are gone."  Egads!!!  So what do we do?

1. Move your worms to a new bin FAST.  (She suggests keeping an emergency bin ready.  Good idea!)
2. Check your vermicomposting system for theses problems (now the chart, as paraphrased by me):

• Problem: Bin is too wet, worms are drowning (sad).
• Solution: Soak up water, replace bedding with dry bedding, ensure drainage holes aren't blocked.
• Problem: Bin is too dry, worms cannot absorb proper oxygen.
• Solution: Add water - but not chlorinated water!
• Problem: Not enough food, worms eating their own poo.  Eww!!  Also...FATAL! (not surprising)
• Solution: Remove castings, harvest worms, start additional bins AND FEED YOUR WORMS.
• Problem: Too cold/hot.
• Solution: Bring your worm bin inside, but don't tell your guests!
• Problem: Too much light.
• Solution: Yes, they can die from light - they're like vampires.  Just keep 'em in the dark.
• Problem: pH level in soil is incorrect.
• Solution: Check pH levels and adjust - peat moss or coffee grounds to lower, lime or hardwood ash to raise.
• Problem: Worms given chlorinated water.
• Solution: Bottled spring water

Good advice!  It seems to me that there may be other potential problems, though.  I wonder what other sources might have other information on what ails your worms.

In the meantime, Jimbo and I will keep investigating.

Jimbo's worms, R.I.P.

Jimbo told me today that most of worms have died.  My deepest condolences, Jimbo.  We're still trying to figure out how they died.  My suspicion is that asphyxiation is the culprit.  I haven't been able to confirm this, though, since I have yet to visit the site of their demise.  Jimbo's bin was a bit on the full side, he said (hey, it happens to the best of us).  I ran across mention of this condition somewhere, but can't remember where.  Don't worry, though, I'll find it.  I am a historian, after all.

Book Notes: "The Complete Guide to Working with Worms" - Part 1

I offer here some initial notes on The Complete Guide to Working with Worms, by Wendy Vincent.  I checked it out from the library on Saturday.  It's great!  Mary Appelhof's Worms Eat My Garbage is often cited as the classic text on vermicomposting.  I haven't read it yet, but hope to soon.  Working with Worms came out last year, yet looks pretty classic to me.  Here I will touch on just a few points.

1. Chapters: A quick overview - Detailed info on worms themselves - Setting up a worm composting bin - Bin maintenance - Common concerns/FAQs - Harvesting and using worm compost - Setting up and running your own worm composting business.  Several appendices and a bibliography.

2. Your own worm composting business!  Yes, two whole chapters dedicated to it.  That in itself makes this book unique and valuable, going the extra step of encouraging the reader not just to do vermicomposting, but to start his own business.  Appendix B actually consists of a sample business plan.

3. Case studies.  Vincent doesn't just give you raw facts, common wisdom, or abstract thoughts.  She connects the concepts and principles in the book to the real world through a series of case studies on different facets of vermicomposting.  These include:

• Vermicomposting on a Grander Scale: Middletown, CT, city-managed VC program
• Learning About Worms through a Child's Eyes: A mother and daughter's VC educational project
• Expert Home Composter: Dan Coulton, home gardener, Arlington, MS (with contact info)
• Opening a Successful Worm Business: Dirty Worms, Ocklawaha, FL - www.dirtyworms.com

4. Dirty Worms.  This is sad.  The above site for the Dirty Worms company no longer exists.  I guess they went out of business.  too bad, because, from the info in this case study, it looked like an amazing set-up.  Probably not sustainable by itself, at least in a small market.  More on this later.

5. Family Projects.  My family is still warming to the idea of playing with worms in a bucket of rotting organic matter...

Lots of nitty-gritty details in this book.  I probably won't be able to study this book in depth, but there are a few topics, like those mentioned above, that I'd like to take note of and discuss in upcoming posts.  One thing I've learned very quickly just glancing through this is that it's a miracle I haven't killed my worms yet.

More to come in future posts.

US Composting Council

New discovery: the US Composting Council.  Looks like they've got some great composting resources!  Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less.  More on this resource later.

Uncle Jim's Worm Farm

I was telling Jimbo today that you can buy worms online.  He couldn't believe it!  What a wonderful age in which we live.  I saw some on Amazon and did a quick search.  Uncle Jim's Worm Farm (any relation, Jimbo?) seems to be the most prevalent vermimerchant, so I decided to check out Uncle Jim's home page. Looks pretty awesome to me.  Amazon has some sweet deals on Uncle Jim's worms, so that may be the way to go.  Not that I need any right now.  My worms are doing just fine.  Yes, I have worms.  More on those later. 

Popular Mechanics and compost

This blog is getting off to a slow start.  So it goes.  I discovered recently that Popular Mechanics has a number of helpful articles/blog posts dealing with compost.  Who knew?  I have never followed the Popular Mechanics website, though I read many a PM issue way back before the Internet.  Guess I need to add it to the digital rounds.  Here is an incomplete, unscientifically gathered list of compostulations from Popular Mechanics:

• How to build a rotating compost bin
• Create your own worm compost box
• Two ways to compost smart
• See-through compost container (awesome!)
• ...and getting downright esoteric: How to make compost tea

We covered compost tea in the Master Composter course.  I have not yet had an opportunity to try it out (may be a while, most notably due to current drought conditions), but I'll have to compare my class notes with the PM post and give it a shot.

My friend Jimbo will no doubt be especially interested in the building projects.  Ahem, ahem.  (I know you're reading this, Jimbo!)

Glad to see the mainstreaming of compost under the engineer's gaze at Popular Mechanics!