The material in the top of my wormery has gone quite soggy. The area beneath
(where the worms "live") is quite damp - but not too wet.

I only put vegetable matter in the wormery.

Is there something I can mix in with the rotting veg to absorb the moisture?

On Sun, 01 Jun 2014 09:09:49 +0100, Judith in England
wrote:



The material in the top of my wormery has gone quite soggy. The area beneath
(where the worms "live") is quite damp - but not too wet.

I only put vegetable matter in the wormery.

Is there something I can mix in with the rotting veg to absorb the moisture?

Well, dry stuff; obviously.

Water in wormeries is a bit of a balance - the worms secrete a mucus
and that will hold water, so if you are continually adding stuff that
is just a little too wet you may not notice until the mucus is
saturated, and then it all goes runny. Some other animals have this
secretion, most noticably the hagfish (though it uses it's mucus to
confuse and escape predators, not for environmental comfort).

On Sun, 01 Jun 2014 09:54:22 -0300, helenscanlan wrote:

On Sun, 01 Jun 2014 09:09:49 +0100, Judith in England
wrote:



The material in the top of my wormery has gone quite soggy. The area beneath
(where the worms "live") is quite damp - but not too wet.

I only put vegetable matter in the wormery.

Is there something I can mix in with the rotting veg to absorb the moisture?

Well, dry stuff; obviously.


As you say: "obviously". What dry stuff do you suggest?

On Sun, 01 Jun 2014 18:57:17 +0100, Judith in England
wrote:

On Sun, 01 Jun 2014 09:54:22 -0300, helenscanlan wrote:

On Sun, 01 Jun 2014 09:09:49 +0100, Judith in England
wrote:



The material in the top of my wormery has gone quite soggy. The area beneath
(where the worms "live") is quite damp - but not too wet.

I only put vegetable matter in the wormery.

Is there something I can mix in with the rotting veg to absorb the moisture?

Well, dry stuff; obviously.


As you say: "obviously". What dry stuff do you suggest?

The last time I had to do this I think I used a few copies of our
annual report - shredded of course; can't have the wormies reading it
and finding out Afternoon Tea is on Thursdays, they'll be making a run
for the kitchen next.

On 01/06/2014 18:57, Judith in England wrote:

As you say: "obviously". What dry stuff do you suggest?


Shredded or ripped up cardboard (the worms also seem to love it)

--
regards andy

On 01/06/2014 09:09, Judith in England wrote:


The material in the top of my wormery has gone quite soggy. The area beneath
(where the worms "live") is quite damp - but not too wet.

I only put vegetable matter in the wormery.

Is there something I can mix in with the rotting veg to absorb the moisture?




I regularly add ordinary cardboard (nothing too shiny or laminated),
including egg boxes, kitchen tissue and toilet roll centres. Scrunch
flat cardboard so that it does not lay flat and make a solid airless
barrier. Worms love it.

--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay