Worm Farming - Side by Side Comparision of Best Composting Worms.
Side by side comparison of the four composting worms I wrote about individually several days ago for people thinking of getting into vermicomposting.
Red Wigglers are the gold standard of vermicomposting. The reproduce and produce castings quickly along with withstand a very broad range of temperatures and conditions. They are also a very easy worm to work with and maybe the best for beginners.
Article here - https://steemit.com/gardening/@liberyworms/which-worm-is-right-for-you-red-wiggler
The European nightcrawler is much larger then the red wiggler and breeds slower and produce castings slower then the other three worms I talked about but can withstand a broad range of temperatures like the red wigglers and makes my favorite bait worm. Still a simple worm to deal with but they do like to wander when disturbed.
Article here https://steemit.com/gardening/@liberyworms/which-worm-is-right-for-you-european-night-crawler
The African nightcrawler is also a large worm even larger then the European and reproduces as fast or faster then the red wigglers while also producing castings faster then the other three worms except it is close with the blue worms. They work for bait worms but do not withstand cool temperatures very well and are more suited for tropical or hot climates. Africans are a simple worm if you can maintain the temperatures needed.
Article here https://steemit.com/gardening/@liberyworms/which-worm-is-right-for-you-african-nightcrawler
Blue worms ,which are quickly becoming one of my favorite worms, tend to stay small but can grow larger then the red wigglers in the right conditions. The reproduce the fastest of the four worms and also produce castings as fast as the African nightcrawlers in my opinion. The only downfall of these worms is clean blues are hard to find since no one really breeds them to sell since they are usually received as a pest worm in red wiggler orders and they are very temperamental about the conditions of the bin. They also, like the African nightcrawlers, are a tropical worm and can not withstand cooler temps. Blue worms may be the most complicated composting worm to deal with as far as temperatures and bin conditions and keeping them from leaving the bin.
Article here https://steemit.com/gardening/@liberyworms/which-worm-is-right-for-you-blue-worm
What are optimal temps for the African Nightcrawlers? I am looking for something to produce some castings, fishing bait and are trouble free to raise in a basement environment at temps of 60 to 70 degrees. Thanks!
60 to 70 will be on the lower end for African's. They usually would need a good 75-85 temp range to produce like they should. If it drops down to much under 60 they will go dormmate and even start to die off. I would go with the Europeans nightcrawlers in your temp area. They do breed a little slower and compost a little slower but they make the best bait worms in my opinion. If African's have a problem under 60 degrees imagine what would happen when you tossed them into a cooler stream or river. Euros will even last 45 minutes in brackish water. When I say they breed slower you are talking about slower then worms that will multiply so fast you won't know what to do with them. Slower breeding worms can be better for bait also because if you overpopulate your bins the worms will not grow to bait size so you are always splitting your bins into two bins and then 4 to 6 weeks later splitting them into 4 bins. I think if you give European nightcrawlers a chance you will be very happy with them.
Great explanation! Thank you for your time!