Soil-less Instructions
Materials Needed:
Plastic opaque container AND lid (The container that your culture is shipped in is not intended to be a permanent home for your worms. You will need a non-transparent, shoe box size container)
Scouring pads. These pads should be free of soaps, detergents or other cleaning agents. The number of pads you need will depend on the size of your container. For best results, pads should be two to three layers thick.
Water (do not use water that contains chlorine, I use bottled spring water that is from a natural source)
A piece of plastic or glass ( I remove and use the glass from an old 5x7 picture frame)
Dog food kibbles, cat food kibbles,bread, rice flour, or cooked pasta (I use puppy food kibbles and kitten food kibbles)
Grindal worm starter culture
Instructions:
Line scouring pads along bottom of container, add more pads as needed to make at least 2-3 layers.
Spray pads with water thoroughly. It is okay to have some water in the bottom of the container as the pads will eventually absorb any extra liquid.
Place your grindal worm starter pad on top of the new prepared pads.
Add a small piece of moistened food to the center of the container.
Place the glass or plastic on top of the food.
You can spritz the contents of the container with water to keep it moist.
Now comes the most IMPORTANT step… Poke small holes in the lid. Grindal worms need oxygen to survive!! You can lightly stuff the holes with cotton to prevent bugs from entering the container.
Place the container in a spot that stays room temperature. Grindal worms are best kept between 70-75° F. Cultures will stop producing and die off if temperatures are not tolerable. (I store my cultures in my house all year round)
Periodically mist the top of the pads with spring water to keep it from drying out. (DO NOT over saturate)
Harvesting
You should be able to harvest your worms within 3-5 weeks. This should allow ample time for the culture to fully establish.
When harvesting, simply, lift the glass. Then use an old credit card, tweezers, paint brush, or your finger to remove some of the worms from the glass. Place them into the aquarium.
Reculturing can be done every 2 months or when your culture outgrows the container size.
>>>Disclaimer: This blog is written based upon my own personal experiences. There are different ways to apply this technique. This is what works for me. Do your research before diving in based on one persons opinions and experiences.
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