[Greenbuilding] [BULK] Re: [BULK] Re: Compost issues

[Lawrence Lile]

Here is an apparently authoritative source with a map showing where the worm-free glaciated northern forests are supposed to be.  It seems forests South of here are probably already fulla earthworms, and more worms probably won't do any harm.  

http://wormsofendearment.blogspot.com/2005/10/as-worms-turn.html



Lawrence Lile, PE, LEED AP
Project Solutions Engineering

-----Original Message-----
From: greenbuilding-bounces at listserv.repp.org [mailto:greenbuilding-bounces at listserv.repp.org] On Behalf Of Lawrence Lile
Sent: Monday, November 26, 2007 5:52 PM
To: YankeePerm at aol.com; greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org
Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding][BULK] Re: [BULK]  Re: Compost issues

Do you know if this red wiggler issue would be an issue in all forests, or just the forests in the Northeast that traditionally had no earthworms?  I'm always leery of releasing anything that might be invasive.  

Lawrence Lile, PE, LEED AP
Project Solutions Engineering

-----Original Message-----
From: greenbuilding-bounces at listserv.repp.org [mailto:greenbuilding-bounces at listserv.repp.org] On Behalf Of YankeePerm at aol.com
Sent: Monday, November 26, 2007 1:08 PM
To: greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org
Subject: [BULK] Re: [Greenbuilding][BULK]  Re: Compost issues
Importance: Low

Earthworms include numerous species with different ecological functions.   
Most worms you might dig do not attack raw organic matter but eat decaying 
material.   The red wrigglers may the best for temperate climates for the job. Any 
worm that eats compost will eat forest duff.   If you could get your hands on 
tropical compost eaters and, if I recall correctly, you live in a cold winter 
climate, then those worms will not escape into the forest for more than one 
summer.   They will REQUIRE the heat of the compost, though probably not at 140° 
but further back from the biological furnace. 

Red wrigglers aren't going to go looking for your forest.   They stay near a 
food supply.   You can always fence pigs between your compost operation and 
the forest.   I doubt that even one worm would get by the pigs. Slaughter the 
pigs after the ground freezes.

You can probably think of a dozen other possible strategies.

Dan H.

In a message dated 11/25/07 10:25:33 PM, LLile at projsolco.com writes:


> 
> If red wigglers might harm my forest, would I be better off just digging up 
> some native worms and adding them to my compost pile? 
> 
>   
> 
>  --Lawrence
> 
> 





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