VERMICOMPOSTING IN PARLE

Vermicomposting is particularly suitable for those Parlekars with a passion for gardening. Vermicompost is the best nutrition for plants, even better than commercial fertilizer. Plus being natural and organic, it has other benefits also.

One can do vermicomposting in one of the ready commercial kits. Following can be availed by Parlekars

Kalpataru Goldbox

1. 3- tier kit- from Mr Koustubh Yadre who operates with the company MYCO- COMPOST.

 www.myco-compost.com/ org

2. Kalpataru Goldbox- from Mr Prakash Dandekar, details easily on the internet

3. HPDE material system provided by one mr Mahadik operating from his office at Mahim...unfortunately not having details with me.

4. Inora composter container in which one can directly grow plants

5. Mr Shrotriya’s vermicomposting basket available at Goregaon near the office of the water department of bmc.

Alternatively one can start vermicomposting in any plastic or earthen vessel. Plastic vessel will need to have lots of holes and be of a dark colour. Worms need air and darkness. A layer of brick pieces, should be followed by a layer of sugarcane fibre or coconut husk and then a layer of fine soil or sand. All these should be thoroughly watered and the water should drain easily through holes at the bottom. On top of this one should add worms, vermiculture or even a bag of vermicompost which often has worms and cocoons. Worms can be had from Mr Shrotriya of water department of BMC. He has kept some demo systems at Goregaon. Otherwise one can have vermiculture from Inora farms at Pune or from Mr Prakash Dandekar. Many years ago I also collected loads of worms from roadside soil where I identified them by presence of vermicasts. But this is possible only in the Monsoon. And best place to collect castings is actually Aarey colony or National Park. One small 200g curds dabba full is enough to start the composting. Ideally one must put a mug of cow dung to vitalise the worms- but this is optional. This whole set up should be covered with moist gunny sack and kept in cool shade with good access and air circulation.

Also available from NEW PARK SUN GARDENS, C- 505, Shree Ganasiddivinayak CHS, Lt Dilip Gupte Marg, RBI Qtrs, Mahim, Mumbai- 16. Ph- 9322296887

One should start adding the peels and unedible parts of raw vegetables and fruit. Except garlic, onion, lemon and similar strong and sour ones. Give a light stir about two times a week. After about a month stop adding material for 2-3 days. Shift the coarse material on one side and harvest compost from other side. Put back the coarse material and continue use.

Composters with two or three compartments make harvesting very easy and do not involve much handling of worms. They also reduce worm mortality because fresh matter is not in close proximity to them.

Once in about a year or two you will have to empty the full bin to remake the layers, Particularly the sugarcane fibre or coconut husks. These being organic materials, they get degraded. Changing the layers also helps to check the health of worms and it is better to add few worms from a different source than last time- to provide ‘new gene pool’. (I think)

MY EXPERIENCE OF HOME COMPOSTING 1

When I was a kid, in the Pune Indian Express, some lady called Mrs Usha Coundinya used to write articles about vermicomposting and I used to be very fascinated by her write- ups. Though the fascination never transformed into action.

Cut to 2004, I met Mr Prakash Dandekar and the whole fascination got re-ignited. I bought the single unit vermicomposting unit ‘Kalpataru’ Goldbox from him and started. We kept it in the West- facing balcony grille. I happily harvested compost after 2- 3 mts but not a single worm was to be seen. They may have died sometime. In retrospect, I feel what I harvested may not have been true compost either. I gave off the wire cage because I had no patience to set it up again. But I met Mr Dandekar again- and bought another cage from him. This time there was a brief time when it smelled badly a great deal and I had to consult Dandekar who told me not to add- cooked food, dairy products, citrus, onion and garlic- and things settled down. But hubby noticed some white creatures and concluded they must be THE WHITE ANTS (TERMITES). In a moment the whole unit went to garbage! (Actually the white dots are mites which are seen when the moisture content is excessive and can be addressed by adding some dry leaves or cardboard or allowing aeration and mixing thoroughly later to adjust the mositure) The third time around, I was able to manage the cage for a few months till it was attacked by squirrels and rats who seemed to have developed a taste for worms. It was too much for me to actually witness the squirrel slurping down a worm from the cage. That was the last Kalpataru unit I bought. Though Mr Dandekar remained a good friend and I maintained the desire to compost.

MY VERDICT

Vermicomposting- 

it is the ideal home composting method only if you are keen on organic gardening because no organic compost comes even close to vermicompost in quality. Considering that vermicompost is difficult to source consistently, it would be wise to make it yourself to have a steady supply.

But worms need careful handling which is tricky for beginners especially in an artificial setting like a bin or cage- which is the only option in Mumbai. Soil- based beds and pits are a rare luxury here. Worms cannot process all wet waste which is disappointing if your aim in composting is to have a zero waste home. And worms being sensitive are prone to die off due to subtle changes in weather or moisture- one has to really get a hang of it. General recommendation is to add cow dung to get best results. But if you are a home composter you cannot practically do it. Cow dung is difficult to get, transport and put in the unit. It gives off a strong smell for at least 2 days and worst of all it attracts flies...after one attempt I never went anywhere near cow dung in my life. The Jain community does not accept vermicomposting due to religious beliefs.

Kalpataru Gold Box- 

The product is quite unique in being easily available and replicable. Materials are cheap and easily available. So you are better off buying a unit from Mr Dandekar. It takes some learning to manage and is by no means as easy as claimed. Firstly, you must keep the unit in a shaded area at waist height in easily accessible spot. Keeping in sunny balcony grille, under kitchen sink or on top of AC will not work. It should be kept in a dark, airy accessible spot where temperature remains more or less stable. My observation is that the home foyer where we keep footwear is the most ideal place, if available. To the small, nuclear family sized unit you can add only about two fist-fulls of material daily. So if you plan to shell kilos of peas in winter, then you will have to store the peels and add them to the cage at the rate of two fist fulls daily. Always stir the material lightly- only the top 2-3 inches layer after adding. And preferably cover with a piece of gunny sac. You will have to add a layer of fine metal mesh all around to protect from squirrels if that is a risk. As mentioned above you can add only flowers and vegetable trimmings; nothing else. Periodically you have to spray water from the sides as it tends to dry out at the edges. Take care not to empty the whole cage while harvesting. Just remove from top half and then continue using. This cage will last about 3-4 years as the metal is prone to rust. In the 2- compartment variation, a mesh is added in the middle. The idea is to fill one side and earthworms move in to process it while you add to other side. This is a good advancement as you can add material without worrying about quantity- and earthworms can move in when it is partially decomposed and ready for their consumption. Harvesting can be done without practically encountering any worms because they have moved to other side. The worm mortality is likely to be lower in this system. Only it needs slightly bigger place.

HOME VERMICOMPOSTING TODAY

Many methods of vermicomposting are put on the net. I am not so sure if the 3- bin method works in Mumbai, because we are never sure which worms we are going to get. For all we know we might have to do with bottom feeders or local ‘desi’ worms then they don’t migrate upwards. I do vermicomposting because I need the compost for my garden and also because I really love rearing worms. I have taken the practical approach of vermicomposting in two drums (about 40l capacity, used with lids). I have made the 3- tier bed- brickbats, followed by thick bedding of sugarcane fibre or coconut husk covered by layer of fine soil and sand. This covers about lower one third of my drum with drainage holes at the bottom. Plus I have made many holes at the top for aeration. On top of this I added the vermiculture which has baby worms. I got the vermiculture from Inora farms at Pune. Parlekars can get worms from Mr Shrotriya of the water Dept of MCGM (He is a master vermicomposter- it’s his hobby) or from Devangini society. Then I just went on adding the green materials. I stir them two times a week. When the drum fills up, I stop adding and start the second drum. After 45 days the compost from first drum is ready for harvesting. I have kept my drums in balcomy in the shade of a huge tamarind tree. I have to cover it with gunny bags for warmth in winter and wet gunny bags to provide cooling in summer.

 I think vermicomposting is one of the good options, provided you realise that worms are living beings and you need to raise them as pets.