Archive for the ‘About Red Wigglers’ Category

Question: Can I put red wigglers out in my garden?

Answer: This is a yes/no question. Red Wigglers are strictly a composting worm. They live off of decaying matter on the grounds surface. Unlike the worms you may find out in your yard or garden, they do not burrow down into the soil. If you garden is rich with organic material ie leaves, grass clippings, food scrapes, ect… they will be happy to feed and deposit castings in that area. Some people will pocket feed or trench feed their worms in the garden to keep them happy by burying food scraps. Without this type of food source available, the Red Wigglers will either move on or die off.

For a great garden worm try our Alabama Jumpers.  They do well in clay and sandy soils.  Because they have tougher skin than the red wigglers, they can burrow down and in doing so they help loosen up the soil.  (Depositing castings along the way)

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We get asked this question a lot.  Can Red Wigglers and European Nightcrawlers cohabitate?   Yes they can.  In fact, these two types of worms have very similiar qualities and do very well together.  Both can survive in temperatures between 40 -95 degrees.  They both are the most active in temperatures ranging from 65-85 degrees.  Although the Red Wiggler is the most well known composting worm around, the European Nightcrawler comes in a close second.  They are great composters and will eat from the same food sources as the Red Wiggler.

You may hear people say that you cannot keep Nightcrawlers in a bin because they are not the right type of worms to use for composting.  This maybe true of other varieties of Nightcrawlers and earthworms that you may find in your backyard.  In fact, the European Nightcrawlers do very well in all types of worm bins.  We have a few pounds that we keep in a Gusanito Worm bin and they are quite happy.  They migrate up through the trays with ease.

The European Nightcrawlers are similar to appearance to the Red Wigglers.   However, you will notice that they are quite a bit fatter.  These worms have a nice girth to them that make them a great bait worm.   I personally prefer the European Nightcrawlers over the Red Wigglers because of their size.  Most kids at the schools we go to also seem to have the same opionion!

So if you have trouble deciding which worms you want to get for your compost bin this spring, why not try both.  We now sell these two great worms together in mixed batches.  You can find them here:  MIXED WORMS

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Red Wigglers:

Red Wigglers (Eisensia fetida) are the most common composting worm.  They measure between 1½ and 2½ inches in length and can eat half of their body weight in food a day. In the compost bin, they are most active at temperatures between 59-77°F (15-25°C).  They may still work their way through a bin at temperatures as low as 50°F. Below freezing temperatures will kill them off, however, their eggs will keep in the compost heap through the winter to revive the population come spring.  Since red wigglers can survive colder temperatures than many of their composting cousins, they make great fish bait.  They can stay alive in the water hours longer than your average earthworm.  They can resist temperatures as low as 35° and as high as 95° F Red Wigglers tend to be very active on the hook and are a great choice when fishing for trout or panfish.

Red wigglers are also known as:  Redworms, Manure Worms, Trout Worms, Tiger Worms, Compost Worms and I am sure you could come up with more to add to the list.  Because of the versatility of these worms they are not only great for composting and fishing but also make great treats for your turtles, birds, and other worm loving pets you may have in your home.  Your pets will thank you for such a tasty treat.

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