what if you want to raise the hookworms themselves? See I found a hookworms on my tomato plants last year and tried to raise it I want to try again.
1767352
If you are attempting feed hornworms that have fed off of tomato plants, the worms use the tomato leaves and process it as poison I there bodies. This could be poisonous to any reptile or other animal you may be feeding it to. Moral is buy worms that are fed a man made special diet.
35752
I have this worm factory and started with 400-500 worms which seemed to be plenty. Don't forget they reproduce rapidly if kept healthy so you can theoretically start with even fewer. You're not going to get a ton of castings from a farm this size anyway but it's fun watching them move up through the levels leaving their castings behind. Enjoy!
883346
My husband handles this so I asked him. it should not matter. We water the yard where the worms are. Our neighbor uses them too. They seem to work and we had not put any out in awhile but my husband noticed we may have one again so he put the last one out and ordered more.
1787533
Also stop by your local bait store and put in some Red Wriggler worms. worms break down the compost quicker and their waste is also good for the soil.
684370
http://www.naturesperfectplantfood.com/2012/12/02/invation-of-the-white-worms/
840391
Connie, I went online and asked for a schedule to plant mine. Worked out fine, as this is the second year, and out of ten, I have eight doing well. I am letting them do their thing this year, and should have some good eating this next year. Janet
1591429
When you have nice compost. :) I have to say I am not impressed with the compost making ability as I have not gotten any! Switching back to my composting on the ground.
1342509
I used the ladybugs on my flower garden. It's been a few year since I tried it (I just did the review recently, but I track my plants and documented the effort) I do remember a few showing up after the initial group left. They didn't stay either!
2243347
I haven't planted mine yet. Sometime I have trouble starting them too. I had one that took a year to come up. I have sandy soil which i think they like. May be start them in pots for protection and let them seed naturally where you want then to go. I know they don't transplant well.
1754204
Last summer I planted one tomato plant and the results were so great that I bought a second barrel. This summer, encouraged by some of the answers here, I put two plants in each barrel. While the plants seem healthy, they are shorter than last year and have less fruit. It's only mid-July now and maybe they'll come around, but their growth has slowed considerably, barely reaching the 2nd ring. There are only three holes that allow the roots to access the water reservoir, so obviously one plant is going to "win" the battle for resources. Next year I'll go back to one per barrel.
2260485
We had the opposite problem. We ordered our worms in the dead of winter in upstate ny. They were dropped off on our front porch for hours before we noticed them. The package clearly said "perishable" and "live" yet the PO still left them to freeze, which they did. Out of 200 we probably had 50 still alive. If you need them in the summer go to Walmart. But if it is a cooler season for you then these are nice worms that come nicely packaged. Price wise walmart worms are 30 for $3ish. We supplemented ours with a few containers of walmart worms. As far as we know everyone got along. No worm wars. But many babies. ;-) We had the opposite problem. We ordered our worms in the dead of winter in upstate ny. They were dropped off on our front porch for hours before we noticed them. The package clearly said "perishable" and "live" yet the PO still left them to freeze, which they did. Out of 200 we probably had 50 still alive. If you need them in the summer go to Walmart. But if it is a cooler season for you then these are nice worms that come nicely packaged. Price wise walmart worms are 30 for $3ish. We supplemented ours with a few containers of walmart worms. As far as we know everyone... » Read More We had the opposite problem. We ordered our worms in the dead of winter in upstate ny. They were dropped off on our front porch for hours before we noticed them. The package clearly said "perishable" and "live" yet the PO still left them to freeze, which they did. Out of 200 we probably had 50 still alive. If you need them in the summer go to Walmart. But if it is a cooler season for you then these are nice worms that come nicely packaged. Price wise walmart worms are 30 for $3ish. We supplemented ours with a few containers of walmart worms. As far as we know everyone got along. No worm wars. But many babies. ;-) « Show Less
396050
Last year, I put 3 pepper plants in one, which worked out fine. I also put 2 tomato plants in another, as stated in other comment, one at each end. They did OK, and they both grew very large, but I'm doing only one per box this year. The root mass was, I think, too large and they seemed crammed when I took down the plants last year. In the instructions, they give you ideas but also say that it's more trial and error. I think the climate conditions have some influence on your results as well. A family member who lives in Vegas, NV, had poor results because of the extreme heat.
1517597
Not a single one of the seeds grew for me, I researched how to grow them online. I soaked them in warm water over night before planting then used a covered seed starter and kept it in sunlight indoors for weeks. Dug up a few, not even a root. So assuming you can even get them to grow at all, who knows?
1173349
I recommend Miracle Grow potting soil. I fill the wick columns with Miracle Grow, then I place about 1" to 1 1/2" of Miracle Grow over the rest of the Grow Box. I add a 1 1/2" layer of Black Gold (worm dung) and then finish filling the Grow Box with Miracle Grow. DO NOT USE THE FERTILIZER that came with the grow box. In the two grow boxes I tried this in I lost more plants and replaced more plants. In the grow box where I did what I told you, I've not lost a single plant. My plants are going great. I would also mix in some Marigolds around your tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. to help keep the bugs away. Good Luck!
794704
They're supposed to be good to eat raw or to pickle; however, ours never did grow at all. We planted them mainly as a vine to cover a trellis at a preschool, hoping that the kids could also pick the fruits. But, like I said, they didn't grow at all--and our tomatoes, cabbages, blackberries, sunflowers and other plants are thriving, so it wasn't bad weather/bad gardening. Maybe just not suited to our area?
1060527
Plants are rooted but I'm having a hard time with spider mites. I think it was infected by another plant and the mites have almost killed it twice. Over all the plant is as expected. I am hoping that it will flower this year or next, if the mites don't kill it.
706698
I bought some a few yrs ago that came in a syringe in which i added water then shot them into the stems of my plants, it was the only time i ever had luck with zuccini, as the viner borers kill the plants quite qucikly which made me stop gardening a few yrs, this yr i want to find those nematodes but can not remember the name nor who i bought them from.