Vermiculture Made Easy - Vermiculture and Vermicomposting in The Philippines

7/7/2014 Vermiculture Made Easy: Vermiculture and Vermicomposting in the Philippines
http://vermiculture2010.blogspot.com/2010/01/vermiculture-and-vermicomposting-in.html 1/22
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Vermiculture and Vermicomposting in the
Philippines
Hi Guys..Let me introduce myself briefly first. My name is William Paul
Palma and my colleagues in Davao call me Popoy. I finished B.S. Agri-
Business major in Management at the Ateneo De Davao University. In
2007, I got interested with Vermiculture for the primary reason that
worms are loyal hard workers. Their produce (manure) is always a
perfect organic fertilizer. And they don't charge anything for their
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Vermiculture Made Easy
labor. That's amazing. So I begun to study the Industry
comprehensively. In 2008, I started my own vermiculture in our small
farm somewhere in Tanay, Rizal, Philippines. I got some snap shots
while we were working in the farm which I will show you as we go
along, so you could have a better visual understanding about
Vermicuture, Vermicomposting and Organic Farming on a large and
backyard scale. This is my true story "Vermiculture Made Easy" wpp
Lets start small. Those containers are full of worms which I grow in
my condo unit in Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines. My place is so
limited that I don't have a garden area except for a few flower pots.
But this did not stop me from raising earthworms/vermiculture. If
there's a will there's always a way. All the materials I use can be
found in the garbage like the containers and all the food I collect for
the worms are waste materials I got from my kitchen, storage area
and paper scraps. In short I never spend a penny for doing this. I just
turned trash into cash.You see worms eat microbes such as fungi and
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bacteria that eat almost all rotten things.wpp
Click picture to Zoom in
This are pictures showing the presence of a few healthy resident
worms inside the container. I started growing them on my birthday,
December 13, 2009. It's now January 06, 2010 when I got that snap
shot and I can see some eggs around. That's wonderful!!! I don't
think I can call this a backyard scale perhaps the best term is cabinet
scale because I store the containers inside a shelf. This only show
that in vermiculture, you can start big or small depending on your
preference. All you have to do is to get some worms, the rest could
be for free. If only all filipino families/residents are doing vermiculture
at home, we can drastically reduce 30% of the garbage in our
country. Not all countries are lucky enough to raise worm due to their
unfavorable weather. In tropical counties like the Philippines
earthworms (African Nightcrawlers) thrive excellently. wpp
Here are some facts and studies made about Earthworm. There are
around 4000 species of Earthworm worldwide and 400 of them can
be found in the Philippines. In 1982 Dr. Otto Graff introduced African
Nightcrawler,( Eisenia euginae or Eudrilus eugeniae) in the Philippines
which originated in West Africa. African Nightcrawler ( ANC ) are
classified as annedila ( segmented worms ) and oligochaeta ( few
bristles). They feed on litter at the surface without borrowing on the
soil ( Epigeic ). Breathe through their skin. That's why any presence
of oil in their feeding ground is discourage to keep the worms from
choking to death when oil stick to their skin. Each worm have both
male and female sex organ ( Hermaphroditic ) but they still have to
mate with other worm at least once in their lifetime to start the
reproduction process. Feed on microbes ( fungi and bacteria )
thought it looks like they are the one's eating the waste materials.
ANC can lay 3-7 eggs a week that will hatch in 2 weeks and mature in
2 months, with a life span of 1-2 years in the wild and up to 10 years
if properly nurtured and cared in a contained area. ANC can grow up
to 12 inches in length and weigh up to 3 grams'. They feed on
kitchen, agriculture, livestock, wet market waste, and almost anything
that is biodegradable. They can also consume up to 100% of their
body weight and excrete the same amount per day. With proper
nutrition, Earthworm Manure (vermicast) is known to be the best
odorless organic fertilizer in the world.It is the Super Soil of the
Earth. In China the meaning of earthworm is "Angels of the Earth".
They are cold blooded, thrive best in tropical areas like the
Philippines. ANC will die of coldness at temperature below 12oC. ANC
will live and reproduce at temperature between 24-28oC. ANC love
wet area with a moisture of 40-80%. This kind of moisture is just
enough water that the waste material can absurd without any water
drops. Too much water may drown them. Less water may dry and kill
them. There is no known symptoms of disease or sickness of
Earthworms. wpp
These are some of our worm beds located in Tanay, Rizal. We
started in January 2008 by placing two kilos of African
Nightcrawlers(ANC) on each bed overflowing with food for the
microbes because Earthworm eat the microbes. Then we harvest and
collect the vermicast(earthworm manure) on each bed every 45 day.
After harvest, we prepare another bed to distribute the worms into
two separate beds because the worms have already increase in size
and numbers. The same procedure will be repeated on the next
harvesting period unless the worms are sold to the market.wpp
The size of the bed is 3 hollow blocks (CHB) by 6 CHB. I'm not so
particular with the size and of the bed but rather the shape, location
and materials available to be use in making a bed. I always consider
the lowest possible cost and the safest area to place my vermiculture.
I secured the top portion of the bed with black fishnet to prevent
predators from eating the worms or destroying the bed like snake,
frog, dog, chicken and even trespassers around the vicinity. Those
green leaves on top are lettuce rejects which we harvested just
recently. In vermiculture nothing goes to waste.wpp
We collect cow/carabao manure as one of our food recipes for the
worms in the farm. Normally I mix cow/carabao manure with
compose rice hay on a 1:1 ratio. This mixture is perfect because it
contains all the micro-nutrients that will produce an excellent
vermicompost. But there are a lot of mixtures that would also provide
the same result. I just decided to choose this mixture because it is
abundant in the area,and they are free for the taking. Oh I love the
word FREE. It is best to get cow manure from grazing animals than
those being raise in a herd/pen because owners usually treat them
with chemicals that might affect the quality of our organic
fertilizer/vermicompost.wpp
After collecting fresh cow/carabao manure in the field, we dry them
for at least three days to make sure that it is completely cool
otherwise it may harm the worms. Most animal manure are excreted
in warm or hot temperature.wpp
Water is vital in the survival of Earthworms. Too much water will
drown them while too dry will kill them. In a contained area like the
picture shown makes the flow of water very unpredictable. During the
summer heat, regular watering should be administered. However,
during rainy season, the bed must be covered plastic sheild to
prevent the bed from overflowing with rain water. If you decide to
follow the kind of bed I did as shown above, just make sure you
prepare your bed on a higher ground. I had a bad experience on this
during the Typhoon Ondoy in October 2009 that hit our farm in
Tanay, Rizal, Philippines. Ninety percent (90%) of our beds were
washed away because I under estimated the amount of rain Typhoon
Ondoy brought us. I thought that I have placed all the bed high
enough against the flow of the heaviest rain I could think of, but I was
wrong. Because of that tragic experience, I learned a lesson that I
want to share with you, that not only should we take pride on the
beauty of nature but also to pay respect and be more prepared for
the power of destruction nature possess. Anyways, they said this kind
of disaster never happened before. Now that it has already begun,
we have to take more precautionary measures and put all this things
into consideration. Truly indeed, in the field of Natural Agriculture,
nature can be our best friend and may become our worst enemy.wpp
After harvesting this rice field, I store the hay and leave them to
compost for 3-4 months. Then I mix them with cow/carabao manure
at 1:1 ratio as my recipe which I prepare for the worms during
feeding time. Normally, farmers simply burn the entire haystack after
harvest. This is the fastest way for them to eradicate their garbage
which we all know how much destruction it would contribute to our
long deluded environment. In Vermiculture, we not only contribute to
the reduce, reuse and recycle (Bokashi) of natural waste materials
but also help in proper disposal of unwanted trash in a very
environmentally and friendly manner. wpp
Sacks of collected vermicast (worm manure) are being stored for
commercial sale. Some of them will go back to our farm to be used
as fertilizer in the next planting sesson. wpp
A bunch of lettuce (mini romaine variety) ready for harvest. Here, we
use 100% vermicast as our soil and fertilizer in preparing our
seedbed. We buy the seeds from a commercial store to ensure best
quality. Two weeks after seedlings are left to grow in a seedbed with
proper care, they become ready for transfer to thier permanent plot
until harvest. wpp
This is how we transfer the seedling into the plot. But before we can
transfer, the plot must be cultivated well and mix with vermicast just
enough to see that the soil becomes loosen and looks dark or loam.
This procedure is repeated for the next four planting cycle then we
resumes the same procedure after two years or when we notice that
production is beginning to decline. However, continuous addition of
fertilizer wont harm the plant nor the soil since there is no overdose
of vermicast. In fact we use 100% vermicast in our seedbed. No
natural soil added. wpp
The left plot is an array of lettuce (mini romaine) about two weeks
old while the other two plots are less than a week old. The size of
each plot is 30 x 1.5 meters which could accommodate up to 1200
seedlings. Each plot can produce up to 50 kilos of good harvest.All
unwanted stems and leaves have already been removed. Right now
the price of lettuce in the commercial market is Php 380.00 to 420.00
kilos. The best time to harvest lettuce is within 20 to 30 days upon
transfer of seedlings to the plot. The older they grow the bitter taste
they become. If left to grow, older lettuce will begin to bare flowers
which then produce seeds after 90 days upon transfer and start to
wither after the flowers mature. wpp
Plants covered under a green house provides so many advantages
specially in the control of sunlight, wind and rain. However, the best
alternative to replace green house is through the use of mulching
method. Mulching is by putting dried/compost legumes around each
seedlings. It retains moisture, serve as shade, absorbs more water,
help loosens the soil and also serves as fertilizer for the next planting
period. wpp
Posted by William Paul at 2:46 AM
Labels: african nightcrawler, compost, earthworm, natural
farming, organic farming, soil, vermicompost, vermicuture,
worms
27 COMMENTS:
Cianoy October 19, 2010 at 3:08 AM
Hi there! Interesting to compost in gallon containers. I might
try that. But how did you get all that material in when the
container opening is so small? Can you talk about how you
maintained those containers (moisture, air, feeding, etc)?
Thanks!
Check out my worm adventures too.
Reply
Datu Piang January 10, 2011 at 8:48 AM
how do you make sure there are no (or get rid of) cocoons in
your harvested castings? in your experience, have you been
required of making sure there are no cocoons present in your
packaged product?
Replies
btw, are you related to Jay Palma (Maa DC/GSC)? dabaw pud
ko.
Reply
jerald April 22, 2011 at 5:08 AM
nagpaseminar si binay sa makati nyan...marami na kaming
mag ganito sa makati...malakaing tulong talaga kasi bawas
kaalat at kikita kapa sa compost..
Reply
Nik April 24, 2011 at 1:02 AM
Hi there Sir,
You said paper scrap. Do you mean that we can feed paper
to the worms? What kind of paper? I have many office scrap
papers that have been printed with regular ink. Is that ok?
In our place in Batangas, animal manure is hard to come by.
What is abundant are grasses, leaves,woods and others
plant byproducts. Are those ok?
Reply
Benjamin March 2, 2012 at 4:38 AM
Those are okay -they are called browns as
compared to greens w/c are vegetable wastes
and fruit peelings. By all means compost them!
The key is to maintain moisture and good air flow
(aerobic). I also share my own experience with
vermicompost in http://www.kalantasgardens.com
Reply
carl September 8, 2011 at 2:33 AM
Sir Palma, do you mix soil in the beddings of the worm?
if yes how much soil do you mix? how do you seperate the
vermicast from the soil beddings?
thank you
Reply
carl September 8, 2011 at 2:48 AM
sir palma;
can I visit your vermiculture farm in tanay? for me to get
some ideas. my phone number is
0915- 2006675 thank you very much!!
Reply
elcidcp April 8, 2012 at 6:41 PM
I am interested in setting up my own vermi farm. Where can
I buy ANCs?
Salamat.
Reply
islandhopes.com May 9, 2012 at 12:20 AM
Thank you so much for this very scientific and detailed article
on vermiculture and vermicomposting. I just want you to
know that this will go a long way in helping the agricultural
Replies
communities we are training to do this.
Reply
farmvermi July 22, 2012 at 6:45 AM
I started vermi farming few years ago but I don't have
regular buyers. I still continue for believe this would our
farmers.
Reply
Arline Payabyab August 2, 2012 at 11:16 PM
hello! we are looking for earth worm supplier, for fish
feeding. please email me. thanks
Reply
Darwin Cordero January 16, 2013 at 12:44
AM
contact us at nos. 09104149992
AM
we are selling ANC & vermi cast..Pls contact us
Nos. 09104149992 or 09106448271
PM
taga North Cotabato po kmi, those who are
interested to buy vermi cast(waste worm) or ANC
Reply
Replies
Reply
you may contact us at 09106448271 or
09104149992... thanks ..recent customer from
zamboanga of 85 kilos vermi worm...
Kabubi's Kitchen August 25, 2012 at 4:31 AM
Hi, we have a small garden where I planted a few veggies. I
have started making vermi tea and am looking for a
"credible" source of vermicompost/vermi castings. Do you
sell? For now, I'm looking at about 20 kg.
Reply
PM
meron po mam. wer po location nyo? nasa north
cotabato po kasi ang farm namin...
carlo January 22, 2013 at 3:33 PM
sir darwin, san po sa north cotabato ang sa inyo?
ano pong farm?
lawyerdin September 8, 2012 at 3:10 PM
I'm also starting a vermicomposting project at a farm in
Tanay near Sta. Maria, Laguna. Can I visit your farm? You
can send a private message to lawyerdin@yahoo.com or text
Replies
Reply
to 09178134301. Thanks.
Reply
carlo January 19, 2013 at 12:12 AM
My father and I started vermi composting 4 years ago. DA
provide us assistance in putting up this venture but now, we
have problem in marketing and selling our product every
month. Our ANC are almost 2tons and they can produce upto
50,000Kg of vermicast. If you're LGU, farm or company has
project related to this, you can text or call me. 09209643728.
Carlo of Davao City
Reply
jenny boton March 31, 2013 at 8:54 PM
hi! im selling ANC for 250/kilo for pick up and vermicompost
for 500/50 kilo. pls contact jenny 0927-
9864829/09166252598 thanx.....
Reply
fernando manlaran April 20, 2014 at 6:54
PM
wer is your location madam,,,we buy vermi worm
jhey July 3, 2013 at 8:01 PM
HI THERE! thank you sir for the info. this really help us in our
recent DEVELOPMENT PLAN about organic farming. I will try
it in our rice production. Can you give me some tips?
Reply
RPRIMICI September 9, 2013 at 3:00 AM
Hello! I'm curious if you have problems with cockroaches
entering the compost. Also do you have problems with flies.
The decomposing material will attract bugs won't they? If
not, how do you avoid bugs/insects??
Reply
Eduardo Braga September 10, 2013 at 2:11 AM
hi there! we are selling vermiworms and vermicompost here
in Davao Oriental. any interested please contact us at
09498676676. thank you
Reply
thenextmillionairemaker September 30, 2013 at 2:44
PM
I'm Erick I am interested with vermi culture and willing to
start as soon as possible but I don't have anc can anyone sell
to me a 1 kilo anc here in Davao City? Please contact me @
this # 09328893137. Thank you so much.
Reply
JEFF October 2, 2013 at 12:37 AM
Any interested on Vermicast/ Vermicompost/ Vermi Worm
You may Contact us at JLS_FARM@yahoo.com.. My contact
no. is 09301539888/09193473365. We are located in Labo,
Ozamiz City, Province of Misamis Occidental. Thanks
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Jen De Luna April 3, 2014 at 2:43 PM
I wish to buy worms to start this project. Our barangay trash
problem could be resolved with vermiculture. I with to try
and show people here that if I can do it, so can they. If
anyone here sells worms, please message me. I'm from
Pampanga. (0947 893 2726)
Reply

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