BI103 Practical 6 Handout

BI103 General Biology
PRACTICAL 6: Vermicomposting
Learning Objectives
After completing this practical you will be able to:

1. Learn about vermicomposting.
2. Understand vermicomposting cycle.
3. Observe how vermicomposting occurs.
Introduction
Vermicomposting is the process of using worms and micro-organisms to turn kitchen waste into
black, earthy-smelling, nutrient-rich humus. Vermicomposting uses earthworms to turn organic
wastes into very high quality compost. This is probably the best way of composting kitchen wastes.
Adding small amounts of wet kitchen scraps to a large compost
pile in the garden day by day can disrupt the decomposition
process so that the compost is never really done. But it works just
fine with vermicomposting. Many gardeners use
vermicomposting systems for all their garden and kitchen wastes,
many more use both types of composting, and thousands of households without gardens use neat
and unobtrusive worm boxes indoors to compost their kitchen scraps
(as well as newspapers and cardboard boxes), reducing their garbage by up to a third and providing
their own organic soil for pot plants and container gardens on balconies and roofs to grow their
own healthy food.
Why Vermicomposting?
 Compost indoors. Indoor composting is the best way to do continue composting over winter in
northern climates.
 Waste reduction. This is a great reason to use vermicomposting. Your garbage cans and sink
disposal are convenient but wasteful ways to dispose of kitchen scraps. Vermicomposting helps
you to reduce your contribution to the waste stream.
 Produce your own fertilizer and compost tea. Worm compost and worm tea are great soil
amendments for seedlings, transplants, houseplants, and gardens.
Two breeds are used in vermicomposting: Eisenia foetida or Lumbricus rubellas. Many garden
centers now supply them, and in most countries they can be bought by mail order from worm
farms.
Materials
You Need 5 Basic Ingredients to Start Vermicomposting:
1. a container
2. bedding
3. water
4. worms
5. Non fatty kitchen scraps.
6. Fallen leaves and plant parts 7. Hay or dried crop left over.
1. Containers: Worm boxes can be purchased or made. Plastic storage containers are
convenient and come in a variety of sizes. These containers are easily transported and are a
nice alternative to heavier wood bins. Many people choose to have several small bins as
opposed to one heavier, large wood bin. Small bins work best in homes, apartments and
school classrooms. They are easy to tuck under desks, place below kitchen sinks and keep out
of the way in laundry rooms.
2. Bedding: The bedding for vermicomposting systems must be able to retain both moisture and
air while providing a place for the worms to live. Bedding does not have to be purchased and
most of us have plenty of bedding resources in our home, office or school.
Here are some suitable sources of bedding.
**Shredded corrugated cardboard is an excellent bedding, but is difficult to find.
**Shredded paper like newspaper and computer paper is easy to find, but may dry out
quicker than corrugated cardboard. There is not a problem with the ink from the paper. **Peat
moss has a low pH level that may cause a problem for the worms and it is more expensive.
Prepare the Bedding: Water is needed to moisten the bedding. Place the dry, shredded bedding
in a large container and add water until it covers the bedding. Allow the bedding to absorb as much
water as possible before putting it in the worm bin. This could take from two to 24 hours,
depending on the bedding used.
3. Kitchen & Agriculture Waste: The kitchen waste fed to worms can come from a variety of
sources, including all vegetable and fruit waste (don't be surprised that some seeds may
germinate and potato peels with eyes sprout), pasta leftovers, coffee grounds (with filter) and
tea bags. Worms may have a problem with garlic and onion skins. Worms have a gizzard like
chickens so fine grit should be added to help the worms digest food. This gritty material
includes corn meal, coffee grounds and/or finely crushed egg shells (dry the shells and then
crush). Avoid large amounts of fat, meat scraps or bone. Some sources feel that a small
amount of meat and eggs will provide protein to the worms, but be careful you don't overdo
it and know that you may attract rodents.
Method
1. Soak the bedding Cardboard paper for overnight.
2. Put the layer of top soil and compost to get a proper nesting of the worms.
3. Release the worms in the set up you made.
4. Cover the top with chopped leaves, potato peel and whole sorts of biodegradable waste
material. Keep the entire set up in slightly dark cold and damp place
5. Keep on sprinkling water to make the whole set up drenched and to reduce the temperature.
Observation: Observation of the activities of the worms requires a certain time period in which
you get dark compost with earthy smell.
Harvesting of the vermicompost: The method of harvesting composts is to push the black,
decomposed material to one side of the bin, and fill the other side with new, moist bedding and
kitchen scraps. Then wait several days. The worms will migrate to the freshly filled side of the
bin and you can just scoop out the finished compost. Make sure you pick out any wigglers or
worm eggs and return them to the bin.
The above method would have been carried out in laboratory if there were no COVID-19
restrictions imposed. As for this practical you are to see the following video to understand better
about vermicomposting and its importance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF-jzWKMdwE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2F3kdjDdF0w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ejq4pbANww
Result
i) Think about and then draw an illustration of the vermicomposting cycle (building a
bin, preparing the bedding, adding the worms, adding the food waste, harvesting the
castings, fertilizing the garden, growing vegetables, eating the vegetables, feeding
vegetable waste to the worms) and explain the cycle.
ii) State any other observation/information that captured your attention from any of the
videos. First, state the video title followed by your observation/information.
Discussion
1. Are worms sensitive to light? When two worms are placed in the same area, will they move
together or stay apart?
2. Explain and draw the mechanism by which earthworms move.
3. What happens to the number of earthworms before and after the vermicompost is
completed?
4. Why should one avoid adding large amounts of fat, meat scraps or bone to the bedding?
5. What are the advantages of vermicomposting compared to composting and landfill?
Conclusion
Write a brief conclusion.
Reference
USP library provides guide on how to reference using APA style. Use this link below to learn how to
do in-text citation and list references. https://usp.ac.fj.libguides.com/apa
* Write a proper lab report following the marking rubric provided.

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BI103 General Biology

After completing this practical you will be able to:

Write a brief conclusion.

* Write a proper lab report following the marking rubric provided.

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