Vermicomposting

[naheerameer]

Hello All,
I think I'm posting in the right section *fingers crossed*
Well basically I'm looking to dive into vermicomposting, as I've heard it bears the fastest results in terms of how much compost it churns out. Seeing that I have nearly 300sq yards of garden to fill up with this organic compost I doubt I can wait three to four years to get enough compost from the natural method!
I have everything down to the core in terms of how to start and run a vermicompost, except the one thing which seems to be the easiest. Sigh.
I NEED TO FIND REDWORMS. I'm not talking about your brown everyday earthworms but red wriggler worms to be precise!
I've read that these are the best apart from Nightcrawler worms and yet I have never seen or found any red wrigglers or nightcrawlers anywhere.
Anyone who can either help me by providing me some of these creepers, or by pointing me in a direction from which they can be attained cheaply is welcome to share the spoils of the first harvest with me!


P.S- I live in Karachi!
Thanks in advance members!

[M Farooq]

Hello All,
I think I'm posting in the right section *fingers crossed*
Well basically I'm looking to dive into vermicomposting, as I've heard it bears the fastest results in terms of how much compost it churns out. Seeing that I have nearly 300sq yards of garden to fill up with this organic compost I doubt I can wait three to four years to get enough compost from the natural method!
I have everything down to the core in terms of how to start and run a vermicompost, except the one thing which seems to be the easiest. Sigh.
I NEED TO FIND REDWORMS. I'm not talking about your brown everyday earthworms but red wriggler worms to be precise!
I've read that these are the best apart from Nightcrawler worms and yet I have never seen or found any red wrigglers or nightcrawlers anywhere.
Anyone who can either help me by providing me some of these creepers, or by pointing me in a direction from which they can be attained cheaply is welcome to share the spoils of the first harvest with me!
P.S- I live in Karachi!
Thanks in advance members!

If I understand correctly, you want to do organic gardening. Why don't we start simple: start with manure? I believe that's totally organic!
Regardless, I have little bit of hope provided you find some links in the university e.g. Karachi University. They do have a semi-functional agricultural research center and they also have soil nematode research center.
You can also try asking someone in the colleges e.g. in the bio labs they have earthworms. So they must be purchasing them from a cheap source. Hopefully someone will have a clue in the academia where to find this specific red worm. I don't recall seeing the red worms. They are very similar to earthworms, only a trained taxonomist's eye can judge the difference.
Good luck!

[naheerameer]

Thanks for the reply! I believe vermicomposting is a subset of organic composting which provides you with an organic manure at the end of the day! KU seems like an excellent idea! But how do I approach them?

http://home.howstuffworks.com/vermicomposting1.htm

[M Farooq]

Thanks for the reply! I believe vermicomposting is a subset of organic composting which provides you with an organic manure at the end of the day! KU seems like an excellent idea! But how do I approach them?
http://home.howstuffworks.com/vermicomposting1.htm

May be try your network to find someone in KU but emails or phone calls won't work.

Still I am slightly confused- how is cow's manure less "organic" than the one composted by worms? Or is it just a matter of convenience to generate organic fertilizer at home? Are there odour issues with vermicomposting?

[naheerameer]

Vermicomposting is the next big thing trust me! It can be one even in apartments. As long as its done right, there is a sweet earthy scent, not a bad odor. And unlike its good for the environment and doesnt require keeping and feeding cows. Rather than releasing methane gas, worm dung is made from household waste such as paper,teabags,green vegetable scraps etc. The result is that once you have a box full, leave it for a month, and when it gives off a strong earthy scent, you will have black colored compost(the type shown in western garden pictures). It is possibly the best fertilizer and natural too. If you can help me arrange for the red Wriggler worms, id be Happy to post a tutorial of setting one up and sharing the soil with you!

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

Vermicomposting is the next big thing trust me! It can be one even in apartments. As long as its done right, there is a sweet earthy scent, not a bad odor. And unlike its good for the environment and doesnt require keeping and feeding cows. Rather than releasing methane gas, worm dung is made from household waste such as paper,teabags,green vegetable scraps etc. The result is that once you have a box full, leave it for a month, and when it gives off a strong earthy scent, you will have black colored compost(the type shown in western garden pictures). It is possibly the best fertilizer and natural too. If you can help me arrange for the red Wriggler worms, id be Happy to post a tutorial of setting one up and sharing the soil with you!

If and when you are successful do let me know.
I will be waiting

[M Farooq]

Vermicomposting is the next big thing trust me! It is possibly the best fertilizer and natural too. If you can help me arrange for the red Wriggler worms, id be Happy to post a tutorial of setting one up and sharing the soil with you!

By looking at your enthusiasm, here is the thing to start:

I searched google with a country limiter e.g. if you search with this condition, Eisenia Foetida site:.pk, you will find couple of sources and even research articles. It seems that some Pakistani universities are working on it.

http://zsp.com.pk/pdf37/PJZ-24504%20_9_.pdf (You can email one of the authors by giving reference to their papers. Professionally they should reply)

Another Pakistani source seems to be is selling the worms:

http://www.magiclamp.pk/productView.php ... at4=&cat5=

And so on.

Good luck with your searching.

[naheerameer]

Oh wow! Thanks! Will let you know when they reply!

[M Farooq]

Oh wow! Thanks! Will let you know when they reply!

Good luck! Don't be disappointed if there is no reply. It is a relatively old research paper - the authors may have moved, changed their email and so on. And secondly, most people will not entertain vague requests - until and unless proper identification of the sender is provided.

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

I hope the idea does nt die like many farwarded before.
GOOD LUCK
Arif