VERMICOMPOST: CHARACTERISTICS, PRODUCTION PROCESS, TYPES - BIOLOGY - 2024

The lombriscomposta, vermicompost, vermicompost or worm humus manure, is a method using worms and microorganisms to transform organic matter into a soil very similar to humus or compost. Generally, crop residues or waste, herbivore manures, among others are used.

There are many species of worms, both aquatic and terrestrial. However, only a small portion of terrestrial species is used for the production of the compost worm, which is also the name given to the final product of the method.

California red worm, Eisenia foetida. Taken and edited from commons.wikimedia.org

One of the species most used to produce vermicompost is the Californian red worm (Eisenia foetida). This species has a series of characteristics that make it ideal for such activity.

It has a high reproductive rate and adaptability. It is between 6 and 12 cm in size. Its weight can reach up to 1.5 gr. It tolerates high population densities, being able to exceed 200 thousand worms per cubic meter of land.

Their diet is very varied and includes organic matter, bacteria, algae, fungus and protozoa. And, unlike other worms, this one stays on the surface.

characteristics

The compost worm is a simple method that can be developed in a traditional or industrial way. It is mainly characterized by using earthworms with very particular biological and ecological characteristics.

These worms will be in charge of transforming organic matter and / or organic waste, grinding and mixing nutrients and minerals. In this way they turn them into simpler forms so that plants can obtain them with minimal effort.

The characteristics of the method vary depending on whether it is an artisan (or low-scale) or industrial (high-scale) system:

Low scale

It is considered a homemade or homemade compost worm. Use small homemade, commercial or adapted containers. They are made primarily of materials such as wood or plastic, and rarely metal. Holes are made in these containers for optimal aeration.

This method, being handmade, is adapted to convert kitchen waste without much human physical effort. The worms, being in confined spaces, convert these wastes into high quality organic fertilizers.

Low-scale Lombriscomposta. Taken and edited from growingagreenerworld.com

High scale

The large-scale, semi or industrial method has different economic objectives. It is mainly used to produce compost worms to be marketed to small, medium or large industrial farms.

But it also generates profits from the sale of earthworms as bait for fishing with hooks. Even the production can be used to supply these organisms to small and medium entrepreneurs who grow worms or produce compost worms.

At least two methods of large-scale compost are known:

• The row method: consists of supplying the necessary materials for the worms to live, in large spaces in the form of rows called beds.
• The flow-through method: earthworms are initially added to the bed. Subsequently, food and more beds are added in the form of panels continuously and at certain intervals, while the material produced is continuously collected.

Lombriscomposta of high scale. Taken and edited from

Elaboration process

The method generally consists of using earthworms, in an open-air process (wind) to stabilize organic matter. Through this process, insoluble substances or minerals are transformed into soluble compounds available to plants.

There are several basic steps for the elaboration of vermicompost and they are the following.

-Choose the container or bed

Although the compost is not the same as the cultivation of worms, it is necessary to create the conditions so that these organisms can survive, feed and process the organic matter to convert it into vermicompost or compost.

For this, it is recommended to select containers or beds that are open to facilitate the feeding of the worms, as well as the visual control of the process.

The material selected for making the beds will depend on availability, as well as whether it is a low or high-scale process. But in general, materials such as: wood, plastics or metal are used.

Some prefer wood because of the availability in agricultural areas. However, plastic is the most widely used, since it does not absorb as much liquid as wood and it is possible to harvest more material. On the other hand, metal is rarely used in low-scale processes and more used in high-scale ones.

For best performance, it is considered that the container should have a depth of between 50 to 60 cm and its length will depend on the available space. The container must always be protected from the elements such as rain, sun and extreme temperatures.

-Selecting the worm

To select a species of earthworm that does the job, it must have several characteristics. First, you must be able to live with large groups of individuals in confined spaces.

In addition, their capacity or instinct for migration must be reduced. It must also have a wide tolerance to thermal and humidity variations. It must be long-lived and have a high reproductive rate.

Currently, 7 or more species of worms are used worldwide for these purposes, however the most used are Lombricus robelus, Eudrilus eugenia and Eisenia foetida. These worms can be available in online stores, agricultural or fishing stores.

-Substratum

The most frequently used substrates and ratios in the compost worm method are fresh organic materials such as cattle feces (manure) and vegetable remains in a 3: 1 ratio, or composted (organic) and fresh materials in a 2: 1 ratio respectively..

-Raw material

Once the container, the worm species and the substrate have been selected, it is necessary to select the raw material that will later become the compost worm. This selection will depend on whether the method is high or low scale:

Low scale

This method uses a lot of material from household waste such as fruits, vegetables, vegetable and fruit peel or shells, coffee residues, tea residues, cereals, bread, eggshells, paper and even cut grass.

High scale

Being a more industrial method, it seeks to have a higher production than the low-scale one. The amounts of raw material it uses are much higher and domestic waste is not enough.

For this reason, materials such as cattle or pig manure, swamp or eutrophic water sludge (with many nutrients), cereal residues from the brewing industry, agricultural residues, among many others, are used in this method.

-Harvest

Obtaining or harvesting the final compound or compost is carried out depending on the scale of the method. But generally, the first step is to stop feeding the worms for a period of no more than 10 days.

Then food must be placed again in a place on the bed, so that they move towards that area and clear the rest of the bed. Once these are displaced, the compost worm is harvested.

Types

As mentioned before, there are 2 types of compost worms, the low-scale and the high-scale. However, there are three types of earthworm systems that are used by both scales.

Not continuous

This system does not allow the worms to move to other layers, so they are kept in the same and only container.

Vertical continuous flow

The vertical system allows the worms to move to higher or lower layers or containers, and continuously to new feeding areas.

Horizontal continuous flow

It is a system similar to the vertical continuous flow, but in this the worms migrate horizontally to new feeding areas along the containers or beds continuously.

These last two types, unlike the first, allow compost worms to be harvested continuously.

Benefits

The benefits of compost worm production are very numerous. These benefits go beyond the merely economic, and may also be of a biological nature, even of an environmental nature.

Soil improvement

From a biological point of view, compost worms improve the quality of soils. Improves aeration, increases beneficial microbial biota and increases water retention capacity.

Phytohormones

Additionally, it provides plants with phytohormones, which are substances that promote their development and growth.

Decrease pollution

Economically, it reduces the volume of organic waste deposited in landfills. Reduces contamination by biodegradable organic materials, saving the public administration large amounts of the budget.

It also creates a large number of jobs and the low technology applied makes it very practical to use the methods in underdeveloped agricultural areas, as well as in any type of housing.

Soil recovery

From an environmental point of view, the compost vermicompost is widely used to recover soils for the purpose of repopulating trees, both in urban areas and in other areas.

It also reduces the requirements for chemical fertilizers that can be highly polluting. It is a very important element to maintain the quality of the soils and the development of forests, and urban gardens that act as lungs of large cities.

References

1. M. Appelhof (2007). Worms eat my garbage (2nd ed.). Kalamazoo, Mich.: Flowerfield Enterprises. P. 111.
2. M. Glenn. Guide du vermicompostage and vermiculture à la ferme. Center d'agriculture biologique du Canada. Taken from agrireseau.net.
3. R. Hernández. The benefits of vermicompost. Agrotrend. Taken from agrotendencia.tv.
4. P. Román, MM Martínez, A. Pantoja (2013). Farmer's Composting Manual. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 112 pp.
5. Vermicompost. Taken from en.wikipedia.org.
6. Vermicompost. Taken from worm-farm.co.za.