Hrm...Is Mold okay?

EWW!! or AWESOME!!

I just checked on our little worm friends and guess what? They've made friends! I have to say that I wasn't very excited about their new "friends" but it turns out that everything is OKAY. I guess I just assumed that when we started our worm bin, we would just have worms! I was wrong.

It turns out that there are all kinds of little tiny things living in our new bin...to include some mold. I lifted the lid for my daily peak and BAM! there it was.

I got a little nervous for our worms so I did some research (google) and this is what I learned:

"It's not just arthropods and bacteria decomposing the organic material in the worm bin! Molds and fungi are common organisms in a healthy worm system. They feed on decaying organic matter with tiny, hair-like hyphae, secreting enzymes which break down and simplify the organic material. They are also an additional food source to other organisms in the system, including earthworms.

Molds and fungi can also serve as an indicator, telling us if the feeding rate is adequate. Because they grow most prolifically in still, quiet environments, large amounts of mold and fungi indicate there is more food than the system can quickly manage and the feeding rate should be decreased." - www.allthingsorganic.com/How_To/12.asp

I'm going to back off the food a little bit and maybe drop in a little bit of dry newspaper and see if that doesn't clear things up a little bit. Also, I learned that storing your scraps in the fridge or freezer for a few days before feeding to your worms will help them break down the food faster. (Yes Love, I know you already told me this several times before)

In any case, our kitten really likes the worms!


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Kitchen Scraps to Garden Gold
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