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Worm Wigwam |
The Worm Wigwam is designed to process large amounts of food and organic waste. The byproduct is a rich finished compost that is a readily usable or salable product reducing the need for chemical fertilizer. Just turn the harvest handle, remove the door and collect the "worm free" finished compost from the bottom tray.
Traditional methods of vermicomposting have been based on beds or windrows on the ground containing waste up to 18" deep, but such methods have numerous drawbacks. They require large areas of land for large-scale production and are relatively labor intensive, even when machinery is used for adding waste to beds. More importantly, such systems process wastes relatively slowly, taking anywhere from 6 to 18 months for processing to be complete. There is good evidence that a large proportion of the essential plant nutrients, that are in a relatively soluble form, are washed out and also a significant proportion can volatilize during this long processing period. Such nutrient losses are undesirable, particularly in relation to ground water pollution and result in a poor finished product.
The Worm Wigwam requires no compost turning and requires no separating of worms and partially decomposed waste from the finished compost.
The Worm Wigwam is 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide and weighs 86 pounds.
The Worm Wigwam operates best when the worm population is at its optimum level (15-18 pounds or 15,000 to 18,000 worms). Much has been said about how much a worm will consume on a daily basis. Some say that an earthworm will eat its own weight on a daily basis, so conservatively we could cut that number in half. Due to all the variables (food stocks, worm population, type of worms and temperatures) we can make no claim to the daily consumption of organic waste. The Worm Wigwam is heated and insulated for optimum year round use. It features a raised floor design providing maximum aeration for faster worm feeding and shorter composting times.
The system never needs to be emptied or restarted, using 100% of the composting area.
I have been using the wigwam for about 3 months. It sure is a lot better than using barrels or wooden boxes. Separating the castings from the worms or worms from the castings was always a real problem and a hassle. With the wigwam I just turn the crank and let the castings fall through. There are a few worms that are stubborn and hate to go to the top but the numbers are very small and mostly baby or juvenile worms. Very slick operation. Here in northern Nevada the days are hot and nights are cool in the summer. With the wigwam the temperature in the bed stays at a very even temperature , unlike barrels or boxes. It is getting cold at nights now and the wigwam is staying at about 75 degrease. When I started the wigwam I was feeding the worms grain and cow manure and using peat moss as bedding. It worked very well and the worms seamed to like it. After talking to you on the phone I switched to kitchen waste and some vegetable waste from a local supermarket and used cow manure as bedding and the worms seamed to like it even better and are growing bigger and reproducing faster.
I would like to thank you for your help. If I would have forgot all I knew about raising worms and followed the instructions to start with I would of had a much more productive worm business from the start. I am in the process of moving to Colorado and I am taking the worms and wigwam with me. I will let you know how the move went and how the worms are doing when I get settled.
Thank you again for all your help.
Don
p.s. the WIGWAM is worth every penny. A very slick worm factory.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: How many pounds of worms do you recommend starting out with?
A: We recommend that you start out with a minimum of 15 - 20 pounds and a maximum of 40 pounds.
Q: What type of bedding material would you recommend?
A: Bedding is a high carbon material that provides bulk to the waste to increase air flow. The ideal carbon to nitrogen ratio of waste for vermicomposting is 30:1. Typical bedding materials used are: Shredded paper and cardboard waste, shredded leaves, wood shavings or chips, chopped straw or hay, coir, sawdust (avoid cedar).
Q: What should the moisture level be?
A: Worms thrive in a very wet environment. The ideal moisture range in 80 - 90%.
Q: Do I operate the Worm Wigwam the same as a regular worm bin?
A: Disregard everything you have read about feeding a worm bin! The Worm Wigwam uses a completely different technology and is thus managed very differently. Using other techniques will defeat the purpose of the system and possibly harm the worms.
Q: How do I harvest the vermicompost?
A: Grip the harvest handle and crank it until you feel it stop. Reverse and crank until you feel the opposite stop. Repeat this process until a 1 inch layer has fallen into the bottom tray. You can now remove the castings or allow them to remain in the tray for drying until the next feeding time or remove it immediately for use.
Q: How often do I harvest the castings?
A: Every time you feed the wigwam you harvest the castings.
Q: What is the biggest advantage of the Worm Wigwam over other types of worm bins?
A: The biggest advantage is the natural separation of the worms from the finished castings. Because of the flow through design the worms never have to be separated from the castings. And because of the design, the Worm Wigwam will process more organic waste than any other system.
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| Item # |
Description |
Price |
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| CP166 |
Worm Wigwam |
$560.00 |
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Worm Wigwam
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