Worms

[golden14]

Will adding commercially bought worms to my plastic composter speed up the composting process?

[airconednightmare]

yes, but adding a few from the garden and waiting will work just as well.

or build a compost bin where the bottom is left open to the soil, so they can come and go as they please. i've heard of people making compost in a hole in the ground so that the worms can get in from all sides and it should help keep the heat in as well. only problem is going to be turning the pile over

[golden14]

Thanks for the reply. my wife mentioned to me that she could remember an experiment at school where they poured some chemical on the grass and within minutes the worms had come to the surface, does anyone else remember doing this? And if so what was the chemical used? She knows it wasn't harmful to the worms.

[sandy115]

soapy water will do

[airconednightmare]

soapy water can't be good for animals who breath through their skins, it kills aphids so it's going to do them some harm even if they live.

have a search for worm charming, there are loads of ways to tempt them to the surface without harming them

[golden14]

I came across this on yahoo answers today after a little research....not sure though...
"First get two metal rods about 3 feet long, water the area thoroughly, then push rods into the ground about 3 feet apart do not drive them in because you will want to use them more than once, Then get two 12 volt car batteries hook them up negative to negative and positive to positive, this creates 24 volt system, then from one of the batteries run jumper cables to the metal rods. this will drive the worms to the surface without damaging or killing them. pick up as many as you need, go fishing."
Sounds a bit cruel but then I wonder if it would work for lugworms to go fishing with? After all sand on the beach is naturally wet! They sell for £8 a kilo over here and are really hard to get hold of.

[Turfwars]

Apparently this "worm-charming" phenomenon is practically a sport in some places!

At the bottom of the page there, golden14, a slightly less extreme technique is detailed, maybe try that and see how it goes? Sounds like pretty good fun though

[sandyLampert]

I would have said the same thing. Soapy water surely cant be good. Moisture is the key. Thing decompose 4x faster in water.