CATDOLL : CATDOLL: What soil conditions are needed to raise earthworms? (What soil conditions are needed to raise earthworms?)

1. How to choose land for raising earthworms?

Outdoor breeding site selection:

1. Site requirements: 1. Facing the sun, well ventilated and well drained, to suit the habit of earthworms that like darkness and hide during the day and come out at night. 2. The site should be waterproof and rainproof. 3. Avoid places with noisy people, vibrations, and severe noise. 4. No pesticides and other toxic pollution, and can prevent harm from snakes, rats, frogs, ants, etc.

2. Soil quality requirements. It is best to use

2. What are the requirements for the soil used for breeding earthworms?

It depends on how you raise them, on the ground or in a three-dimensional box.

1- Ground culture, feces do not need to be fermented, culture method, take 5 cm thick garden soil, cow dung cannot exceed 5 cm, cow dung 70% pig or chicken dung 30%, cannot exceed 2 cm. Density 1 square meter, earthworms 1 kg

2- Three-dimensional box breeding, no soil is needed, the manure must be fermented, the method is, 100% cow manure, 50% cow manure, 50% straw, 70% cow manure, 30% pig or chicken manure. Density 1 square meter, 25 cm, 5 kg earthworms.

3. What are the three taboos in raising earthworms?

,density

The density requirement for earthworm farming is relatively high. If the density is too low, it will not be worthwhile. If the density is too high, it is easy to get sick and difficult to manage. Therefore, only the appropriate density can be used for normal farming. Under normal circumstances, about four to five kilograms of earthworms can be raised per square meter, which is about 10,000. In other words, the maximum number should not exceed 10,000, otherwise it will easily cause problems such as weight loss, decreased fertility, and high mortality.

2. Cooling and moisturizing

It is very important to manage humidity and temperature during the breeding process. Earthworms are generally suitable for growing in a low-temperature, high-humidity and very fertile environment. So we need to cool and moisturize the earthworms during the breeding process. Generally, we can cover the earthworm breeding base with straw or grass and build a shade shed in the breeding farm to play a role in cooling and moisturizing. At the same time, we also need to water them from time to time to maintain the humidity of the breeding soil and avoid drought.

3. Ventilation

Earthworms also need oxygen to grow, but they mainly rely on oxygen in the soil to survive, so we must ensure the permeability of the soil to maintain the oxygen content in the soil. If there is a lack of oxygen in the soil, the earthworms will turn dark brown, crawl slowly, and eventually die. Therefore, we also need to loosen the soil appropriately during the breeding process to improve the permeability of the soil. However, the loosening of the soil here is not done with a hoe, but with tools that will not harm the earthworms.

4. Lighting

Earthworms are very sensitive to light, so we must adjust the light scientifically. The earthworms we see usually live in dark places, which means that earthworms do not need much light to grow. So we need to avoid light in the farm during the breeding process, especially direct light. If the light intensity is too high, earthworms will die easily.

5. pH

Earthworms are suitable for growing in neutral soil, which means that earthworms will have certain problems growing in acidic and alkaline soils. But this is generally only for strong acidic and alkaline soils, that is to say, earthworms can also grow normally in slightly acidic and slightly alkaline soils, but their reproduction ability is stronger in neutral soils. So in order to increase the yield of earthworms, we need to test the soil acidity and alkalinity when breeding earthworms.

4. Does the ground need to be hardened to raise earthworms?

No, it cannot be hardened. Loose soil is conducive to earthworms' breathing, feeding and activities.

Earthworm soil is a pure natural granular material with good porosity and high water retention. The color is generally black, khaki, red, etc., and the particles are relatively uniform. It is also a fine substance with a natural soil smell.

Earthworm breeding must maintain a certain amount of moisture. If it is too dry, they will die, and if it is too wet, it will be difficult for them to survive. In the earthworm breeding base, poultry manure accounts for 60% and grass accounts for 40%. We often see that after a heavy rain, a large amount of rainwater seeps into the ground, and many earthworms are taken out from the deep soil until they dry in the sun and die. Generally speaking, keep the culture medium and knead it into a ball with your hands, but you can't squeeze out the water. ,What are the requirements for the soil used for breeding earthworms? ,The most suitable temperature for earthworms is 20-27℃, about 18-27℃, which is most suitable for cocoon hatching. In addition, earthworms like a humid environment, so they usually breed in moist soil. Earthworms are omnivorous animals and can eat almost all soil. Earthworms are sensitive to taste and like sweet and sour tastes. Tired of bitter taste. I like hot and soft feed, especially animal food.

Therefore, it is best to feed them with animal food, which can speed up the breeding process.

5. What is the suitable water content for earthworm growth?

1. Humidity The water content of earthworms is 70% to 80%. They usually maintain their balance by secreting body fluids. Therefore, they must live in a humid environment. The humidity adaptation range is 30% to 80%. For example, the suitable humidity for Pheretima Williamii (green earthworm) is 30% to 45%, while the suitable humidity for Eisenia fetida (red earthworm) is 50% to 80%. This habit of earthworms makes them live in burrows and nests. High or low humidity environments are not conducive to their normal survival. If the humidity is lower than the limit, the earthworms will be dehydrated and extremely atrophied, semi-dormant or die. On the contrary, they will die as the temperature rises.

2. Temperature Earthworms are cold-blooded animals and are very sensitive to changes in temperature. When the temperature drops to 10°C, earthworms stop eating; when it drops to 4°C, they enter a hibernation state; below 0°C, they will freeze or die. Generally, large and medium-sized earthworms hibernate deep underground; while small earthworms mostly gather in groups and form balls in warm soil to hibernate. When the temperature rises to 8-10°C the following year, they crawl to the surface to move around. Weak and shrunken earthworms have a very low survival rate and it is difficult for them to survive the spring. When the temperature exceeds 30°C, their growth is also inhibited, they quickly shrink, their body color becomes darker, and they burrow into the deep soil and do not move. When the temperature is above 35°C, they completely stop eating and enter a dormant state, their bodies completely shrink, and they feel extremely dull. Once the temperature drops, they can return to their original state. The best temperature is 20-25°C.

3. Diet Earthworms are omnivorous animals that can eat both meat and vegetables. The plant feed sources for earthworms are extremely rich. In artificial breeding, waste is almost always used to feed them in rural areas. The feed sources for earthworms include a variety of livestock and poultry manure, manure, grass, water plants, straw, etc., as well as leaves, waste vegetable leaves, rotten claw fruit, dregs, biogas residues, waste paper pulp, etc. There are also animal feeds, which have a more significant effect on the weight gain and reproduction of earthworms. For example, the leftovers and sewage after slaughter, the leftovers of meat and vegetables from canteens and restaurants are the feed sources that earthworms like.

4. Illuminance Earthworms are photophobic animals that hide during the day and move at night. They like to live in dark and humid soil environments. They are extremely afraid of direct ultraviolet rays, so they don't show up easily in sunlight or strong electric lights. They will only leave their nests and expose themselves when they encounter enemies, pesticide damage, flooding, high temperature, dryness, hypoxia, etc. But earthworms are not afraid of red light. The role of earthworms in nature: They can loosen the soil, increase soil organic matter and improve the structure. They can also promote acidic or alkaline soil to become neutral soil, increase fast-acting components such as phosphorus, and make the soil suitable for the growth of crops. Because earthworms are rich in protein, they can be used as feed for livestock, poultry and aquaculture to increase production. Earthworms also occupy a certain position in pharmacology. They are common Chinese medicinal materials with antipyretic, antispasmodic, activating, antiasthmatic, antihypertensive and diuretic effects. Earthworms can secrete a special enzyme that can decompose protein, fat and wood fiber. Therefore, leaves, straw, livestock and poultry feces, domestic garbage, activated sludge and waste from papermaking and food industries can all be its food. Earthworms can eliminate environmental pollution to a certain extent. Therefore, in recent years, many countries have established earthworm breeding factories and called earthworm breeding factories "environmental purification devices." Because earthworms can absorb trace metals such as mercury, lead and cadmium in the soil, the amount of these metal elements accumulated in the earthworms is 10 times the amount outside. Therefore, some scientists believe that earthworms can be used as monitoring animals for heavy metal pollution in the soil.

6. Is it necessary to raise earthworms outdoors?

Earthworms like darkness and are afraid of light. They are usually active at night. They grow best in a temperature range of 20-27℃. They enter a dormant state at 0-5℃. They will die when the temperature is below 0℃ and above 40℃. They will stop growing when the temperature is above 32℃. Earthworms breathe with their skin. Their bodies must be kept moist. The environment must be moist and the humidity should be around 70%. Earthworms breathe with oxygen in the soil, so the soil permeability must be good. Therefore, earthworms do not have to be raised outdoors. As long as the conditions are suitable, it will be fine. To reduce costs, open-air composting is used for breeding!

7. How deep does the soil need to be for growing earthworms?

It is better to keep earthworms in soil 5 to 8 cm deep. This is because earthworms live in dark, moist, well-ventilated soil rich in organic matter. If the soil conditions are good, earthworms generally live in the surface soil 5 to 30 cm deep. If the climate is dry or the temperature is low in winter, earthworms can drill into the soil nearly 2 meters deep. Therefore, soil 5 to 8 cm is suitable for earthworms to survive.