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sanford.in.belize
12-09-2009, 01:06 PM
Has anyone put red wriggles right in the ebb n flow gravel beds?
just wondering if there is a natural way to get rid of old root systems from crops already harvested. also my stones are sorta getting sealed up from fish poop and duckweed roots(the little hair bit).
I wanted to try putting the worms right in the beds, not used for fish feed but as a cleaner of sorts. has anyone done this already? any advice?

stucco
12-09-2009, 02:39 PM
Worms are the way to go. I think they prefer slightly larger gravel than the hydroton or small river rock, but it will still work. If the rock is close to the top of your bed they can escape. Good luck, stucco

badflash
12-09-2009, 06:50 PM
Be sure to have a good flood drain cycle. They don't do all that well if they are flooded full time. I hope TCLynx checks in on this. I'm pretty sure he has some good experience with it.

davidstcldfl
12-09-2009, 08:00 PM
Badflash, FYI...TC is of the 'female gender' ;)

badflash
12-09-2009, 09:34 PM
I'll be damned.

davidstcldfl
12-10-2009, 03:09 AM
I'll be damned I hope not ! :D


I hope TCLynx checks in on this. I'm pretty sure he has some good experience with it. Badflash, I thought 'maybe' you just left the 'S' off. I'm the last one that should say anything.... 'You all' would be laughing if you knew of my typing skills... :lol: I check and re-check AND STILL get stuff wrong ! :oops: My poor spell check, most times can only show ... what the ? ... :?

I am thinking of putting some reds in the grow beds, once I get them finished.... :roll: I would like to hear more about doing this too.

JCO
12-10-2009, 06:07 AM
Curse me if you will, but there are posts "SOMEWHERE ON THIS FORUM" about just exactly that. The poster had and recommended the use of worms in the grow bed to eliminate waste. If I could ever get the search section at the top to work :( , you could probably find it :mrgreen:

TCLynx
12-10-2009, 10:13 AM
Yes add worms to the grow beds!!!!!! They live very happily in flood and drain media of just about any type so long as they get enough moisture to stay wet and enough aeration to still breath through their skin. That leaves a very wide margin since worms are pretty adaptable.

I got lots and lots of worms living in my grow beds and I only added perhaps a small hand full of worms to each bed originally.

Yep, I am female but on a forum of this sort, that kind of info is sort of beside the point so no worries. ;)

sanford.in.belize
12-10-2009, 12:35 PM
and thats why people who need to know come here. thanks yall

elaidlaw
07-09-2010, 11:55 AM
I had a small system with lava cinders in the GB that used a timed flood and drain. I just enlarged my system and found no worms survived in the growbeds. Has anyone else used worms in cinder beds?

badflash
07-09-2010, 02:25 PM
You'll need to explain that. Don't know what you are using.

keith_r
07-09-2010, 02:38 PM
i have worms in my flood and drain growbeds, they're half river gravel on the bottom and 1 50 liter bag on top each bed... a couple have washed through (the fish make quick work of them), but i've found them whenever i move a plant... i think i put 1 dozen in each growbed, each growbed is a half a 55 gallon barrel

elaidlaw
07-10-2010, 01:12 AM
Black cinder is crushed lava rock. it looks like this:
http://www.biology.ed.ac.uk/research/gr ... nacind.htm (http://www.biology.ed.ac.uk/research/groups/jdeacon/desertecology/pinacind.htm)

davidstcldfl
07-10-2010, 07:02 AM
Hi Elaidlaw, I don't know if I said 'welcome to the forum' yet ?

I'm not seeing a picture...?



Most folks are using 'agggeregate ' of 3/4 inch....smaller 'can' plug up faster.
Two thoughts on your worms....I wonder 'if' the lava is too rough for them ? Also, I wonder 'if' they had enough to eat ?
I've seen where people add feeding stations to the beds. A piece of pvc pipe placed vertically into the beds....which has holes in it. They drop veggies and stuff for the worms to eat. Banana skins are a great way, to get the worms to help add potassium.

Since your a school teacher...I better use my spell check..... :lol: