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Vermicomposting
equinoxequinox

Lacto Bacillus

13 years ago

Does Lacto Bacillus have a place in vermicomposting? This is to my understanding or misunderstanding EM or Effective Microbes or at least one effective microbe. Can addition of this improve vermicompost results? Can addition of this turn around a bin that is experiencing string of pearls or sour bin? Can addition of this prime bedding materials or prime food additions with microbes to help them digest or decompose nicely for the worms? Does it need to be added wet or can simple bedding materials be added that had it and are now dried for storage and periodically added to the bin?

Comments (5)

  • 13 years ago

    Maybe the best way would be to take a dozen worms and just feed 'em yogurt and see what happens.

    Shaul

  • 13 years ago

    EM1 is expensive. There are DIY recipes for bokashi starter using vegetable or dairy whey (place yogurt in cheesecloth to drain. Besides the yogurt cheese, you end up with whey---a lactobacillus infused liquid) or wild caught bacteria using rice water. An Internet search will take you from there. I've read the lactobacillus are the most important and the 59 other bacteria in EM1 are secondary or not needed at all.

    I've employed bokashi fermentation for those items I didn't want to put into my worm bin---because of having read in various places not to. I.E. meat, dairy, onions, pineapple, and peels from banana, citrus, and mango.

    I used a 5 gallon bucket with holes in the bottom placed in another bucket. There wasn't a spigot to drain the liquid off, so twice a week I took the set-up apart and emptied and rinsed the bottom bucket. After proper aging of the full bucket, I fed some to the worms. They weren't excited about it; I think the anaerobicly fermented product had to sit for awhile until it transformed into an aerobic substance. I concluded it definitely wasn't worth the work, because by then my worm bin had matured and enlarged enough that I had no qualms about feeding the "forbidden" items.

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  • 13 years ago

    EQ, If your worms are lactose intolerant, then lacto bacillus would be great!
    :P

  • 13 years ago

    Here is a very interesting read about lactobacillus:
    http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/organic/msg1017185223542.html
    I use rice wash water (letting it sit for a few days) to water my worm bin. Not sure if it has any benefit, but no negative impact so far. For fixing a bin with SOP, I guess it depends how far it has gone "south". My personal opinion is that it prevents a bin getting into a SOP situaton but again, only up to certain point i.e. how heavy the feeding was. No such thing as the sky is the limit in this case, lol.
    It is also my understanding that for bacteria/MO to multiply and become active, it needs a damp environment. But I could be wrong, not being a scientist, just a worm farmer.

    Here is a link that might be useful: lactobacillus

    This post was edited by otis11 on Sun, Mar 10, 13 at 21:56

  • 13 years ago

    Great link, otis11, thanks! I'm reading about EM here on GradenWeb and it is usually 2008/2009. Where are these people? Did they get more results?
    I'm trying to find a good use for hooch from my sourdough starter. Right now I dump it in my mini composters (pots with last year's soil with leaves and other organic matter added). I think it makes it smell like forest soil (need to spoil something and try the hooch on it, to be sure) and there are lots of earthworms in there. I have not tried LB in my worm bin yet. Can soak tea leaves in the hooch and see if the wigglers like it. Very interesting subject.

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