Is cornmeal good for worms?

Asked by: Krystal Pryor

Cornmeal is the perfect food to keep your worms lively and healthy. This is a simple trick that makes keeping a worm bin easier than ever. During the winter months, if you want to go on vacation, simply sprinkling a layer of cornmeal on the top of your bin, will give your worms a fresh supply of food the entire time.

How much cornmeal do you need for worms?

Diet for Captive Worms



Combine 1 pound of cornmeal with 1/2 pound of lard, mixed into the first 3 inches of worm bedding. You can also feed night crawlers a mixture of ground corn, cornmeal and commercially sold worm food.

What to feed worms to make them big?

One of the surest ways to not only grow big worms, but also keep your worms healthy, is to spray you worm bedding and added food with a weak mixture of VermaPlex® (a liquid soil inoculant fertilizer made from worm castings) and water (80 parts water to 1 part VermaPlex®).

What should you never feed worms?

Avoid feeding the worms large quantities of meat, citrus, onions and dairy foods. Some processed food also contains preservatives, which discourage the worms from eating it. These foods won’t harm your worms, but they will avoid them and those scraps will break down and rot in the bin.

How do you make homemade worm food?

But a little bit of sugar is really good for the microorganisms. And the bacteria that's inside your web and it helps break down the food a lot quicker when there's more microorganisms.

Is oatmeal good for worms?

Fruits and vegetables (uncooked or peels) – you can feed your worms any variation as long as it’s not citrus based (you’ll have to stay way from lemons, oranges, pineapples and all that since it has high acidity levels) Starchy food wastes – these can be in the form of bread, oatmeal, and pasta.

How do you fatten up red wigglers?

Measure out one cup of the powdered eggshells and add them to your food supplement mix in place of the lime. According to Janet Hogan Taylor, co-author of “The Worm Book,” grit materials, such as eggshells and lime, allow your worms to grind up and digest their food more quickly.

What is the best worm food?

The Best Worm Foods for Your Soil



Greens include green vegetables and other natural foods—melon rinds, lettuce, carrots, fruit peels, etc. —and they don’t have to be green. Browns may be food or non-food items, such as coffee grounds, paper, egg cartons, or dry leaves.

Do worms eat eggshells?

eggshells – worms simply can’t eat them. They will still be there when you remove the worm castings, and you’ll have eggshells in the garden. Eggshells are good for the garden, so if you crush them up, and put them in the worm farm, they’ll end up adding calcium to your soil.

How do you make worms breed faster?

Never ever feed your compost worms dairy or meat. This is a recipe for a huge disaster feed them a wide variety of organic fruits and grains and you will definitely be highly rewarded for it.

What do commercial worm farmers feed their worms?

Earthworms will consume livestock manures, compost, food scraps, shredded or chopped cardboard or paper, or almost any decaying organic matter or waste product. Horse, rabbit, swine, dairy, sheep, or goat manures are excellent feeds. Poultry manure is not recommended as it is too high in nitrogen and minerals.

Can worms eat potato peels?

Vegetable Waste



Carrot peelings, potato skins, broccoli and cauliflower stalks, lettuce, kale, even onion peels (in limited quantities) are perfect for the worm bin. Vegetable waste like this isn’t prone to overheating your bin either, so this is another low-maintenance food.

Can I give my worms flour?

Yes, you can add flour to a worm bin but sparingly. The moisture in a worm bin can quickly turn big lumps of flour into impenetrable dough balls that the worms will avoid. The best way to add flour to your worm bin is to lightly coat the surface and then spray it with water.

Can worms eat cooked rice?

Bread, rice, pasta, processed foods – you can add the odd crust or bits of cooked rice off the dinner plate, but don’t add lots of starchy foods. Worms don’t like them and they may go off or attract pests.

Do worms eat banana peels?

Bananas are a great and inexpensive snack for both us and our worms. Those peels are desirable to compost worms no matter what shape they’re in. They’ll make short work of what otherwise would have taken up space in your trash.

Can you feed worms cornstarch?

Worms need this water to be able to breathe! You can also add eggshells that will control the acidity, and a small amount of soil, sand or cornstarch. Whatever you add should be non-toxic, since worms will be eating all of it. Get your worms for your worm bin.

Is celery OK for worms?

Eating organic material is their method of composting and providing nutrients for the worms to grow and remain healthy. Cellulose is in all plants. Fiber found in foods like celery are favored by worms for their crop and gizzard.

Are tea bags good for worms?

Tea Bags: Yes! The tea bags will start to break down in the worm bin, and the worms will finish off the contents.

Do worms like grits?

Coffee grounds and filters, tea leaves and bags, fruit and veggie peels and cores, paper, rice, grits, and natural fabrics are all things that can go in the bin. Eggshells that have been washed out and ground up are also an excellent source of calcium for the worms.

Can worms eat boiled eggs?

Bread is totally fine. Just be aware that any large slices will likely grow a huge crop of mold and they take a long time to break down enough for the worms to tackle it. Hard boiled eggs will be eaten, but they will rot and smell. Skip the eggs.

What can I use as grit in worm bin?

Worms have a gizzard like chickens so fine grit should be added to help the worms digest food. This gritty material includes cornmeal, coffee grounds and/or finely crushed egg shells (dry the shells and then crush). Avoid large amounts of fat, meat scraps or bone.