Hi
Having read through the community, I am relieved to see that I am not the only one in this situation. I think my colony has collapsed. The waste smells, is wet and there are only about three worms to see. I have not seen tiger worms for ages and had been adding worms from my compost bin. I guess it is time to start again. How do I do this? Can I get a new batch of Tiger Worms to add to the existing waste or do I need to get rid of the waste and start from scratch - if so, is the smelly wet waste alright to go in my compost bin. I'm gutted that it has failed as I was banking on the compost to enrich the new veggie patch I had created.
Thanks

Rupert

Hi Rupert,

I'm sorry to hear the first attempt wasn't successful. Do not despair... these things happen from time to time. It's a learning experience and next time round should be a lot more fruitful! Plus, there is a lot of support here to help you along the way.

How much waste do you have in there at the moment?

It's really important to get a good mix of fibrous and 'wet' waste in the Wormery as the fiberous stuff will help to soak up any excess moisture that may be created by the conditions in the bin. Hand-shredded newspaper is great and you can add this in generous quantities, but we also particularly like ripped up egg cartons as they create pockets of air within the waste which help to keep the conditions ideal for the worms.

If you have a lot of waste in there at the moment and it's all a bit of a mess it would be unwise to simply introduce new wormsause they won't be very comfortable. Your options are to try and recover the waste and dry it out as much as possibly by thoroughly mixing in some shredded paper and perhaps a toilet roll tube / egg carton or two... waiting a little while and then adding some worms. Or taking most of the waste out leaving a small amount of compost at the bottom and then adding some worms and restarting.

Whichever you choose, be careful not to add too much waste too soon as this can overwhelm the worms while they're settling in. For the first few weeks they will be more interested in their new habitat than they will in the food waste, especially if it's not gone a little soft and mouldy first! (This is how the worms love it!). So add a couple of handfuls a week tops until you start to notice them working on their new food.

I hope this gives you some ideas but please do feel free to give us a call anytime if you need any help on our freephone helpline - 0808 120 9676. Or pop back here.

Meantime, you can order some new worms when you're ready by giving us a call or via our website.

Regards,
Liam Martin

I've found that really helpful, Liam - my wormery needs restarting too (I emptied it out and found no-one home, ulp). I was going to just order another batch of worms and I'm really glad I stopped by the forum first. I was going to deep-six the rather sour layer of waste on top of the casts, but now 'm going to do the groundwork first as per your suggestions, THEN get the worms.

I've also realised my mistakes - I've not been putting in enough fibrous stuff, ie paper and cardboard, and it's all got a bit too wet. Also probably too much vege waste at a time.

Thanks very much!

OOOh yes I had same problem! Started in June and all was going fine - but I did not empty the sump and didnt put much newspaper in either. Today I emptied the high smell liquid - and got a whole watering can full - and more! Then took out all the disgusting (!) mess - and not a worm in sight. Sorry, I think I drowned em! So - start again - and have to order more tigers to put in the tank. If at first you dont succeed...
Mind you, I see the price of a womery has come down - I paid about £70 for mine - and could get one for fifty quid now.... mmmmm

Thanks for the info but I've rather let my wormery go. All the worms died in the harsh winter. I have drained off all the fluid and am left with a layer of anerobic sludge 3-4" deep, with many small flies. Can I really fix this by adding shredded paper and more worms? Or do I have to do the dreaded clean out?
PS Can you remove all the drug lists on this thread? They don't seem relavant

removed sorry about that... as ive said else where you guys have me around now... i hate spam!

to answer your question, yeah you can restart it... you need to add lots of cardboard & egg shells and really mix it up... let it dry out and add some worms... should be fine

I disagree with the last advice that the fix is to add loads of cardboard and egg shells. It is the balance that is wrong so adding loads of cardboard to a small structure won't fit?

I am not an expert but i did once kill a substantial number of worms in a dustbin by feeding them too much of a wet mix. I suspect I suffocated them . The pong was truely vile - much worst than the smelliest drain you have ever experienced. The fix I used then was to air the contents uncovered outside. Hopefully you have got a spot in the garden or elsewhere. I emptied out my bin on one of those rubber trays used to mix cement with a loose black plastic sheet just to keep the sun off. Be warned - if the neighbours ask you if you know the source of the smell - deny all knowledge. After this airing (should be only 48-72 hours) the bacteria that is causing the pong should die off and it will cease to smell. This is the same concept as Farmers muck spreading - the pong does not last long once the air gets to it? Once aired, You can then build the heap afresh just like when you first started . Any worms that were still alive should be at the bottom of this pile. Use this older material to add to the worm "home" layer. Introduce your worms and then put your fresh feed on top of this.

The answer I have decided is to keep two bins. You can't kill both lots - can you

One can then be reserves (backup) for the other.

I agree that's much better advice! im trying to learn the composting ropes, but i am a web developer who has avoided gardening/sunlight like the plague... so im learning

Thanks for sharing, I learnt and laughed

My wormery became a soggy smelly mess because i added too much plant material. The stench was horrendous and breeding stopped. I fixed this up by adding loads of newspaper, paper and cardboard to the wormery.

i got stuck in with both hands, turned over composting mess bringing the damp stuff to the top and putting the drier material on the bottom. Every day i turned the contents of the wormery sometimes turning it 2-3 times per day. this quickly remedied the problem drying up the soggy mess and bringing fresh air to my womery.

i have the wormery indoors, there is no smell and the worms are breeding well again. i also found feeding the worms tea bags and coffee grounds particularly helpful rather than plant or veggie materials. possibly as a good rule of thumb would be if you are adding something green (high in nitrogen) to your wormery add a litle cardboard or newspaper (something high in carbon) to balance the environment.