Vermicompost production technology. Preparation of the necessary documentation. Acquiring a colony of worms

Earthworms are the main reproducers of soil fertility! Their ecological significance!

Earthworms are the most ancient inhabitants of the earth, whose activity created and creates soils.

They are the main orderlies of the earth, guarantors of the health and well-being of everyone living on it. They feed on dead, decaying plant tissues that enter the soil in the form of litter, root and crop residues.

Today we’ll talk about the ecological significance of worms, what role they play on earth, how and why to breed them on your site. And also, as promised, I will share my experience in producing vermicompost at home using worms. It will be interesting, and most importantly, after reading to the end, you will gain a lot of useful information!...

Why are earthworms needed?

Earthworms are the main consumers of dead plant debris. The biomass of worms makes up 50 - 72% of the total biomass of the soil. Absorbing along with the soil great amount plant detritus (decaying dead plant tissue), microbes, fungi, algae, protozoan nematodes, etc., they digest them.

In this case, the worms are excreted in the feces a large number of own intestinal microflora, enzymes, vitamins, biologically active substances that have antibiotic properties and prevent the development of pathogenic (pathogenic) microflora, putrefactive processes, the release of fetid gases, disinfect the soil and give it a pleasant earthy smell.

During the digestion of plant residues, humic substances are formed in the digestive canal of the worms. They differ in chemical composition from humus formed in the soil with the participation of only microflora.

In the digestive tube of worms, the processes of polymerization of low molecular weight decay products of organic substances develop and molecules of humic acids are formed, which form complex compounds with mineral components of the soil (humates of lithium, potassium, sodium - soluble humus, humates of calcium, magnesium, other metals - insoluble humus) and remain in the soil for a long time in the form of stable aggregates (water-intensive, water-resistant, hydrophilic and mechanically strong).

Therefore, the activity of worms slows down the leaching of mobile nutrients from the soil and prevents the development of water and wind erosion. Coproligations of worms from natural populations contain 11...15% humus per dry matter.

Worms also have another specific feature that is very useful for agriculture. It is connected with their unique ability to improve and structure the soil.

Behind summer period a population of 50 worms in the arable soil layer per 1 m2 makes a kilometer of passages and releases coprolites onto the surface in a layer of 3 mm. Even more of them remain in the soil.

Each worm passes through the digestive canal per day an amount of soil equal to its body weight. If the average weight of a worm is 0.5 g, then with a number of 50 individuals per 1 m2 (500,000 per 1 ha), they process 250 kg of soil per day on an area of 1 hectare.

In the middle zone, active worm activity continues 200 days a year. Consequently, during a season they can process 50 tons of soil per hectare, providing it with humus.

The fundamental question is: what modern technical means Is it possible to accomplish gigantic fruitful work on structuring and humusing the soil in a year? There are no such forces and means yet!

And no one and nothing can compare with worms in this beneficial activity. It was their activity that created the once significant black soils of Russia - its pride and wealth!

From what has been said, it is clear that the most obvious sign of soil health and high fertility is the presence of earthworms in it. The more of them there are in the soil, the more functionally healthy it is. This must be realized and taken into service in the interests of reproducing soil fertility by all farmers!

Where to start breeding worms in the garden?

Now many people breed worms to produce vermicompost and even make a business out of worms. But we don’t make money from this, and so modestly, but in order to save on vermicompost (purchased), we decided to try raising worms, and to increase their number at the dacha. Growing worms at home is something every gardener can do. What do you need to grow worms? And what worms should you breed?

Red compost worms (ei-ze-nia phoetida) are better suited for cultivation, which can always be dug up in a half-rep-roaring compost heap. They differ from other types of worms by their dark brown color with alternating dark and light transverse stripes.

If there are no worms on the site or too few, then this is not a problem; they can be dug up in the forest or, in extreme cases, purchased in fishing store. I would like to say right away why we took our own for breeding, and did not buy the popular “prospectors” or “Californians”.

Firstly, it costs money, and secondly, we have heard a lot about deception about their fertility, like 1500 of them come out of one per year! Nothing like this! We are quite satisfied with the fertility of our worms.

Compost worms are no worse if you create excellent conditions for them! In a year, 450-500 pieces are produced from one, and they are more adapted to our soils. Quite unpretentious.

And it all started with the fact that, like many summer residents, I also purchased vermicompost at garden stores. And what did I not come across in it! All sorts of stuff that shouldn't be there in principle! And one day, because of purchased vermicompost, all the seedlings disappeared...

Biohumus is easy!

I realized that the quality of purchased vermicompost is questionable. And somehow I thought, I wish I could learn how to get my own! And a year ago, having studied this issue thoroughly, I decided to try it.

Moreover, we never throw away kitchen waste - we compost everything. And there are a lot of them in our family of four. As a result of the experiment, without straining ourselves, we received 160 kg of pure, excellent fertilizer, which we successfully used as a top dressing and for growing seedlings this spring!

And it all started with the fact that in the fall I collected worms from the compost heap at the bottom of the bucket. I didn’t count them individually, but the bottom of the bucket was covered with a 3 cm layer of worms. Then, I collected half a bucket of compost from the same place, the same thing in which these worms lived.

In the apartment, I decided to set aside a warm and humid place for the worms - the bathroom. In a regular cardboard box, which I had previously sealed with tape so that it would not fall apart at the most inopportune moment, I poured half a bucket of compost, then worms, and another layer of compost on top.

Now it was necessary to give them food so that the worms would not even have time to recover from the fact that the move had occurred. I finely chop the vegetable peelings with scissors or, if I don’t have time to fuss, grind them in a meat grinder.

I put the food in a 1 cm layer in a box and thoroughly moisten the contents from a spray bottle. Then I cover it toilet paper, in a double layer and I also moisten it with water.

All! I leave them for a couple of weeks, spraying the paper as it dries. You can sprinkle the feeding with compost to prevent the appearance of midges. But cover the top with paper - it shows the humidity level and protects from light.

There is no such thing as an unpleasant smell! Because worms produce certain substances that serve as a kind of deodorant. And the finished vermicompost generally smells pleasantly like earth.

Conditions for keeping compost worms!

Conditions must be ideal, but what does that mean?

Optimal conditions for the life of worms - temperature 18-26°,
Humidity 60-70% (regular-but-li-va-yut) and
Reaction of the medium - pH 5.8-7.5.

Humidity is considered to be accurate if you get 1-2 drops from a lump of lump clenched in your hand moisture-gi-.

Maintain stable humidity; if the soil dries out, they will quickly die... I took water that had stood for a day, and they will also die immediately from bleach.

Why in a box? Because cardboard “breathes” organically. If the bottom gets wet over time, I simply put the box of worms in another slightly larger box.

What to feed the worms? Almost everything is of plant origin. I don’t give them waste of animal origin so that there is no unpleasant smell. Potato peelings, watermelon and melon peels, zucchini, banana, whatever you like (citrus fruits are undesirable - they will acidify the substrate), the main thing to remember is that worms do not have teeth! Therefore, they must first grind the food.

How often should you feed the worms?

At first, I looked under the paper almost every day to see if they had eaten it or not... But it’s easier to look at the paper itself (later I realized this), as soon as holes appeared on it, both eaten away and fed. Just put fresh food on top and cover with paper. The main thing is not to apply too much...

In a couple of months (September-October) the box was filled to the top. By the way, worms are such unique animals that stop reproducing when their number goes off scale! Therefore, it's time to disassemble the box.

Earthworm cultivation in apartment conditions!

It happened like this: a week I didn't feed them so that the worms would get hungry. And then she poured sweet food into one part of the box - banana peelings, apple peelings, and so on, but not much. After a couple of days, hungry worms crawled to the surface to eat, and I easily collected them along with the top layer and transplanted them into another such box. Everything is like at the very beginning, only in a different box.

And when it was full, she poured in a little more sweet food and lured out the second part of the worms, the younger ones. I also did the same with them as with the first batch.

And for the third time she poured out food to lure out the young animals, who had already grown a little.

Next, all that was left to do from the first box was to lay out the vermicompost - yes, yes, yes, there was still pure vermicompost in the box, but quite wet. I dried it for a couple of days on thick paper lined with it. And then she sifted it through a fine sieve and put it into bags, putting it away under the bath until spring.

Thus I ended up with three cans of worms, which successfully filled for another couple of months (November-December)! After the New Year, I did the same with these three boxes and as a result, by spring (March) I received 4 boxes of 40 kg each of pure vermicompost + 9 boxes newly filled with worms (for March-April)!

Next, it's time to open the summer season - spring has arrived! And all these 9 boxes were already full and went to the dacha for the May holidays! The result, I think, is excellent! The worms gave a good litter of live weight and a lot of valuable fertilizer! And then what happened?

And then I starved them there for two weeks! Not because I’m angry and cruel, but because the soil hasn’t warmed up yet! When it warmed up for the month of June, I finally fed them like this!... I created a worm hutch in the garden! How is this, you ask?

It's simple! I took a piece of land 3 square meters. meters - the worst land. The place was in the shade, nothing grew there except weeds... But it was planned to improve this nook in the future. So it has come - this is the future, I myself did not expect that it was the worms that would now “grow” there.

In general, we fenced off this place - the worm shed - with boards in the form of a box. And they poured the contents of the boxes into one corner, the height reached 30-40 cm, slightly leveled it, and now in the opposite part (the one that is empty in front) they put a layer of 30-40 cm of goodies.

The length of such a pile gradually increased and cultivation continued in this way throughout the summer. That is, we threw food to them on one side, the worms gradually crawled there, leaving behind pure vermicompost.

By autumn, I had a ready-made garden bed! What about worms?

And I partially move the worms to other ridges, and leave some in this ridge. Naturally, I fill the beds with rabbit manure and mulch the top in the fall. That is, I don’t keep the beds open - they are always covered with something. At zero temperatures, worms naturally fall asleep until spring, and in the spring, when they wake up, they will have something to eat, I always take care of this!

This fall, I again took a small batch of new worms from the compost pile into the apartment and the familiar process began! Even this is a fascinating thing, not at all troublesome, the main thing is to put yourself in the place of a worm and think: would I like it here? Would such conditions suit me? Would I want to live like this?

And if so, this means everything is being done correctly - the worms feel comfortable, multiply and provide valuable fertilizer from free waste, which most people simply take to a landfill!

Here's what else I do in the winter, now you know... I hope you find this information useful, maybe someone else might want to use it, good luck! If you have any questions, ask in the comments below. All the best and see you again!

Earthworms are the most ancient inhabitants of the earth, whose activity created and creates soils.

Why are earthworms needed?

Earthworms are the main consumers of dead plant debris. The biomass of worms makes up 50 - 72% of the total biomass of the soil. Absorbing together with the soil a huge amount of plant detritus (decaying dead plant tissue), microbes, fungi, algae, protozoan nematodes, etc., they digest them.

In this case, the worms excrete with feces a large amount of their own intestinal microflora, enzymes, vitamins, biologically active substances that have antibiotic properties and prevent the development of pathogenic (disease-causing) microflora, putrefactive processes, the release of fetid gases, disinfect the soil and give it a pleasant earthy smell.

In the process of digesting plant residues, humic substances are formed in the digestive canal of worms. They differ in chemical composition from humus, which is formed in the soil with the participation of only microflora.

In the digestive tube of worms, the processes of polymerization of low molecular weight decay products of organic substances develop and molecules of humic acids are formed, which form complex compounds with the mineral components of the soil (humates of lithium, potassium, sodium - soluble humus, humates of calcium, magnesium, other metals - insoluble humus) and for a long time are stored in the soil in the form of stable aggregates (water-intensive, water-resistant, hydrophilic and mechanically strong).

Worms also have another specific feature that is very useful for agriculture. It is connected with their unique ability to improve and structure the soil.

During the summer period, a population of 50 worms in the arable soil layer per 1 m2 makes a kilometer of passages and releases coprolites onto the surface in a layer of 3 mm. Even more of them remain in the soil.

In the middle zone, active worm activity continues 200 days a year. Consequently, during a season they can process 50 tons of soil per hectare, providing it with humus.

The question is fundamental: what modern technical means can accomplish the gigantic fruitful work of structuring and humifying the soil in a year?

There are no such forces and means yet!

And no one and nothing can compare with worms in this beneficial activity. It was their activity that created the once significant black soils of Russia - its pride and wealth!

Where to start breeding worms in the garden?

Red compost worms (Eisenia phoetida), which can always be dug up in a half-rotten compost heap, are better suited for breeding. They differ from other types of worms by their dark brown color with alternating dark and light transverse stripes.

If there are no worms on the site or too few, then it doesn’t matter; they can be dug up in the forest or, in extreme cases, purchased at a fishing store. I would like to say right away why we took our own for breeding, and did not buy the popular “prospectors” or “Californians”.

Compost worms are no worse if you create excellent conditions for them! In a year, 450-500 pieces are produced from one, and they are more adapted to our soils. Quite unpretentious.

Biohumus is easy!

I put the food in a 1 cm layer in a box and thoroughly moisten the contents from a spray bottle. Then I cover it with toilet paper, a double layer and also moisten it with water.

There is no such thing as an unpleasant smell! Because worms produce certain substances that serve as a kind of deodorant. And the finished vermicompost generally smells pleasantly like earth.

Conditions for keeping compost worms!

Conditions must be ideal, but what does that mean?

Optimal conditions for the life of worms are a temperature of 18-26°,
Humidity 60-70% (watered regularly) and
The reaction of the medium is pH 5.8-7.5.

Humidity is considered sufficient if 1-2 drops of moisture emerge from a lump of compost squeezed in your hand.

Maintain stable humidity; if the soil dries out, they will quickly die... I took water that had stood for a day, and they will also die immediately from bleach.

Why in a box? Because cardboard “breathes” organically. If the bottom gets wet over time, then I simply put the box of worms in another, slightly larger box.

How often should you feed the worms?

Earthworm cultivation in apartment conditions!

And when it was full, she poured in a little more sweet food and lured out the second part of the worms, the younger ones. I also did the same with them as with the first batch.

And for the third time she poured out food to lure out the young animals, who had already grown a little.

It's a very simple system. On top we add mainly manure and vegetable peelings as much as we like, and the worms eat their share every day.

We get a healthy liquid with the help of worms, full of beneficial bacteria. It can be diluted with water in a ratio of 1:20 or the concentrated liquid can be poured directly into the garden. It will not burn the plants. It supports soil life through numerous soil organisms. It is completely safe - it can be used in its pure form.

The liquid drains from below through the hole into a container placed under it. It is dark in color and smells pleasantly earthy! This liquid and compost are all our fertilizer.

And if so,

this means everything is being done correctly - the worms feel comfortable, multiply and provide valuable fertilizer from free waste, which most people simply take to a landfill!

I would be grateful for the response from everyone who is capable of doing an unconditionally good deed! You can help us, we really need your help! Do GOOD - and it will come back to you!

Even a home business is worth registering. Just open the IP and indicate OKVED code 01.49– “Raising other animals.” It will take no more than $30-40 to complete the documents.

Purchase of livestock

An ordinary earthworm can also produce fertilizer, but for production scale and quick profit making, the Californian one (miner worm) is better suited. It processes the soil faster, so you can get the first portion of humus in a week or two.

It is best to purchase ringed ones from worm farms. You need to buy a genetic unit: adult worms along with “young ones” and cocoons. Worms for the production of vermicompost are purchased from foreign soil and then transferred to a specially prepared substrate. The average cost of a “family” of 1,500 individuals is $35-40.

Vermicompost production technology

The work will need to be organized in several stages.

Soil preparation. Vermicompost base – chicken droppings and rotted cow dung. Here we add a little lime and peat (at the rate of 200 grams per kg of substrate), food waste, vegetable peelings, silage, hay.
Laying the substrate in boxes. Before adding it to the soil of prospectors, it should be “seasoned” a little for 5-6 days. Every two to three days the soil is mixed and moistened with warm water. Under the influence of fermentation processes, it heats up to 45-50 degrees, and then the temperature drops to the optimal: 25-30 degrees. Then you can populate the prepared trays.
Launching "pets". To prevent the production of vermicompost with your own hands from being interrupted at the very beginning, it is worth releasing a “test batch” (50 pieces) into the prepared soil. If they feel normal during the day, the rest are launched. On average, 700-1000 pieces are needed per cubic meter. They need to be poured out not in one pile, but evenly distributed over the tray. After this, the “house” is covered with cloth to protect the “pets” from bright light.
Feeding. Over the next few weeks, your “pets” feed, reproduce and actively process the soil.
Removing humus. When the soil population density becomes too high, they will need to be planted and then collected vermicompost that has accumulated at the bottom of the container.

Equipment for the production of vermicompost

The minimum set of equipment for work: containers for dilution, a sieve (cell diameter 4-6 mm), scales, shovel, instruments for measuring acidity and soil temperature. If you make “houses” with your own hands, the total cost of equipment will not exceed $300.

You can raise prospectors in a special pit outside, but this is dangerous due to the penetration of ordinary worms, exposure to low temperatures and makes it difficult to collect humus. A purchase or self-production containers will allow you to do business all year round, adapting any room for this (garage, shed, storage room, etc.)

The box for vermicompost is usually wooden or plastic. You can make a wooden one from sheets of plywood 2.5-3 cm thick. Standard sizes containers: 1x2x0.5 m. To prevent rodents from getting inside, the seams of the box should be reinforced with tin. Holes are drilled in the bottom to collect vermicelli; place the container on low blocks at a slight slope to drain the liquid. Under the box we place a container-substrate with a solid bottom surface. The lid can also be made from a sheet of plywood with air holes.

To save space, trays can be stacked on top of each other. This is a great option on how to make vermicompost at your dacha with minimal expenditure of money and space. For a small vermifarm, a well-ventilated room with an area of 14-15 square meters is sufficient.

Can be adapted for breeding even carton boxes and an old refrigerator. They must also be installed at an angle. But the boxes will have to be changed often.

California Worm Care

A few content rules:

The ideal temperature is within +4...+40 degrees. In other conditions, animals die;
If prospectors are kept outdoors, in winter they must be moved indoors and covered with warm material;
The compost moisture level should be 70-80%;
In hot weather, the soil should be regularly watered with warm, settled water;
Permissible acidity of the substrate: 7-8 points;
To maintain the necessary heat and humidity, it is recommended to cover the boxes with straw. It allows air to pass through and maintains the necessary conditions.

Loosening

To ensure that animals can “breathe” freely, loosen the compost 1-2 times a week. This way there will be enough air in their “houses”. Loosening is carried out with a small spatula and extremely carefully, without damaging the “tenants”.

Feeding

The production of vermicompost using worms involves the formation of the correct diet for “pets”. This is almost any waste from your food activities: old tea leaves, peels and skins from vegetables and fruits (carrots, bananas, potatoes, apples, beets, etc.), moldy bread and buns, spoiled boiled vegetables and overcooked porridge.

The top layer of compost is the food of the miners. It should be renewed every 10 days, applying fertilizing in a layer of 5-6 centimeters. For the first month and a half, the ringeds adapt to the new habitat and eat little, then they adapt and begin to reproduce. The temperature is set to optimal level at +24…+25 degrees. During this period, increase feeding. Regularly check how much nutrient substrate remains on the surface.

Collection of vermicompost

After approximately three to four months, the preparation of vermicompost ends - the “tenants” process all the nutrient soil in the container. Before sampling, they are forced to starve for a while, and then a 5-7 cm layer of food is added to the surface of the ground. Hungry individuals gradually move into it. After a few days, this layer is removed along with the “tenants”. The procedure should be repeated 2-3 times in order to select the entire livestock along with the young animals that have just emerged from the cocoons.

Liquid vermicelli is collected at the bottom of the “substrate” under the tray, and the remaining contents of the container after the “pets” have been evicted are sifted through a sieve, dried, and packaged.

There is a little trick to make collecting valuable fertilizer even easier. Initially, you will need an empty box with a solid bottom, into which you place another container with a holey bottom and stock the livestock in it. When the soil in the second container has been processed, place the next container with a lattice bottom with a good layer of fertilizer in the second box. Hungry ringed ones will completely move to the top within a week, and you will be left with ready-made humus.

A family of 1,500 individuals produces approximately 2 tons of humus in four months. And after all this time there will be many more of them. This will allow you to increase production volumes or sell the “extra” for breeding or fishing.

Sales

The finished product should be sold to wholesale resellers or directly to owners of farms and land plots, flower farms. Average price per ton – $170-190. The offspring should be offered to pet stores, fishermen, poultry farms, and organic fertilizer companies. One individual costs approximately $0.02.

Costs and profits

To organize the production of vermicompost at home, you will need to invest up to $400 in the business. The costs are recouped in the first year of operation. Having purchased a family of 1500 heads, it is realistic to produce 8-9 tons per year (earnings are approximately $1500). Keeping the total number within 2000 units, sell the rest. This will bring additional income of $100-150 per year. Total annual revenue is around $1600, net profit is $1200.

If we consider the production of vermicompost as a business, then on a small scale it will be more of a simple side hustle. To receive from $500 per month, it is necessary to increase the livestock to at least 10,000 ringed animals.

Modern people prefer to buy organic vegetables grown using vermicompost. This is a very valuable technology that helps preserve human health. In addition, this is one of the quite promising and profitable directions activities for aspiring entrepreneurs. We will talk about how to start humus production at home in this article.

Why do you need vermicompost?

Almost all fields in our country are contaminated with pesticides and various mineral fertilizers. Farmers constantly complain that crop yields decrease every year and, accordingly, profits decrease. Pests and all kinds of diseases destroy plants right at the root.

Vermicompost is an organic fertilizer that has unique properties. Of course, this is not a panacea that can solve all problems, but nevertheless, such a drug has real help. Nowadays it is widely used in agriculture instead of chemical fertilizers to grow organic vegetables.

Business Features

It is most convenient to produce vermicompost at home for those people who raise cattle. In this case, the entrepreneur will not have to purchase raw materials. California red worms are most often used to produce this organic fertilizer. They live 4 times longer than ordinary earthworms and reproduce much more actively. You can purchase these amazing worms online. They are delivered to any region of our country without any problems. Before you start doing this, you need to draw up detailed business Vermicompost production plan. This will help you correctly plan all stages of your activity and organize your work correctly.

Technological process

Now let’s figure out where to start producing vermicompost. First of all, you need to prepare the substrate and purchase worms. This matter should be approached very responsibly. Typically, worms are purchased from specialized vermifarms. The genetic population must contain at least 1500 individuals, which will include both young worms and cocoons. Before purchasing worms for vermicompost, prepare a place for them. You can use compost heaps or ordinary wooden boxes for this. Also, read about at home.

Scheme: Production of vermicompost

Traditional technology for the production of vermicompost consists of four stages:

Preparation of nutrient substrate. Bird droppings and cattle manure are used as compost. To improve its quality, you can add vegetable leaves, food waste, as well as a mixture of peat and lime at the rate of 20 kg per 1 ton of substrate;
Bookmarking worms. This stage requires careful preparation and careful attention. For 1 sq. 750–1500 worms are laid per meter of compost. They are evenly distributed over the entire surface along with the nutrient substrate. Since worms do not like bright light, the pile should be covered with dark material that does not allow air to pass through;
Feeding. Ridges with worms should be loosened and watered periodically, because they are very sensitive to decreased humidity. Watering is carried out with settled water, the temperature of which is 20–24 degrees. The compost in the bin is divided into three zones. The top layer is food for the worms. It should be replenished periodically to provide them with nutrition;
Sampling of vermicompost and worms. Once the density of worms in the nutrient substrate begins to exceed permissible limits, there is a need to sample them. First, the worms are kept hungry for several days, after which a layer of food is applied to which they move. After 2-3 days it is removed along with the worms. The procedure is repeated 3 more times over 3 weeks. The remaining vermicompost is collected with a scoop, dried a little and packaged for storage.

WITH home production vermicompost, you can get stable high profits if you find sales channels for the finished product in advance.

Equipment

To produce organic fertilizers in larger volumes, it is necessary to purchase special equipment for the production of vermicompost. You will need composters and a mechanical sieve to sift the finished fertilizer. In addition, you need to buy scales and a special packaging device.

It is worth noting that the price of equipment for the production of vermicompost largely depends on the type of construction. Approximately you will have to spend from 50 to 125 thousand rubles. A sieve and scales will cost you 30–40 thousand rubles. You also need to purchase working equipment - shovels, carts, instruments for measuring soil acidity and temperature. You will spend another 30–40 thousand rubles on this.

Sales

Before you draw up a business plan for vermicompost, you need to find reliable sales channels. The success of your enterprise largely depends on this.

Pure vermicompost is sold in bags of various sizes. In addition, you can also sell worms. They are bought by poultry farms, fishermen, pet stores, as well as producers of organic fertilizers.

The main consumers of vermicompost are owners of personal plots, farms and flower nurseries. Fertilizers are purchased in large quantities by wholesalers for further resale. Since the cost of vermicompost is quite affordable, this product is in great demand. There are usually no special problems with its implementation.

Financial calculations

You will have to spend 150–500 thousand rubles on the purchase of equipment and worms. In addition, you need to take into account constant payments - wages to workers, raw materials, payments for utilities.

Now let's talk about income. To calculate them, you need to find out how much vermicompost costs. One kilogram of organic fertilizers sells for 10–15 rubles. If you produce about 15 tons of vermicompost per year, the net income will be 150–200 thousand rubles. To increase profits, you can mix pure vermicompost with other substrates. The initial investment pays off in 1.5–2 years. The profitability of the enterprise reaches 150–170%. In the future, income will only grow.

Vermicompost production

Before setting up the production of vermicompost as a business, you should familiarize yourself with all the nuances of this line of activity;
First of all, you should remember that rats, moles and other rodents feed on earthworms. Therefore, worm containers should be placed in a room with hard floors and impenetrable walls;
In addition, you should consider how you will store and transport semi-liquid fertilizers. As a rule, tractor trailers are used for this. In addition, you should take care of packaging. Mostly, such products are purchased in small quantities, so appropriate packaging will be required.

conclusions

Experts believe that the production of vermicompost using worms is a fairly promising and profitable line of business. Of course, it won’t make you a millionaire in 2-3 years, but despite this, you can make a good profit from selling vermicompost. To succeed in this field, you need to constantly look for new ones. wholesale buyers. This will help you get a positive result.

Currently, new biotechnologies are in great demand, allowing minimum costs for production to improve the quality of the finished product without the use of harmful chemicals. Such technologies include the production of organic fertilizer - vermicompost, which restores soil fertility and increases productivity.

Biohumus (vermicompost, worm compost) is a product of natural processing of livestock manure and food waste by technological worms, used in agriculture as a natural fertilizer.

Range The resulting products are represented by vermicompost, liquid vermicompost (concentrate), biosoil (a mixture of vermicompost and earth in the recommended proportion) and worms.

Photo of a small vermicompost production facility

Biohumus sales market, main consumers:

gardeners;
fishermen (selling worms);
gardening partnerships;
agro-industrial complex farms;
poultry farms, buyers of raw materials for meat and bone meal;
the shops ( outlets and online markets).

Organizational plan

Business in the production of vermicompost does not require large expenses for raw materials and equipment. Therefore, such a solution is optimal for starting a business with minimal investment or organizing production at home.

Vermicompost production workshop, USA

Necessary set of equipment for vermicompost production

To start the production of worm compost, you need to put together a wooden box without a bottom. The bottom is made separately from strong boards or metal. If necessary, use inexpensive vermicomposters. For year-round production you will need a heated barn. Maintaining the required level of humidity is carried out through irrigation systems. It is most convenient to use a drip irrigation system, but other methods can be used. Prices for irrigation systems are usually not very high. So, Kaplitsa 500 with a capacity of 0.5 cubic meters per hour will cost 1,350 rubles.

In addition to the irrigation system, you will need a rake, a small shovel, a sieve, buckets and other small household equipment. To package products, you need a packer with a dispenser. In order to simplify the production process in conditions home business A bag sealer and scale can be used. Let's consider both options for additional equipment:

Thus, to start a small business, it is best to use the first option. With further expansion of the business, it is recommended to purchase a fully functional fertilizer packager (option No. 2).

Feasibility study of the project

Capital expenditures

Equipment: 50 thousand rubles.
Inventory: 50 thousand rubles.
Installing a stove in a barn: 50 thousand rubles.
Registration of individual entrepreneurs and other expenses: 100 thousand rubles.

Total capital costs will be 250,000 rubles.

Revenue calculation

Calculation of revenue from the production of vermicompost using Californian worms (number of 100,000) per year with cumulative totals.

* The profitability of the vermicompost production business was determined based on the expert opinion of the author of the article.