Name: ______Period: ______

"To Rot or Not to Rot"
(Vermicomposting)

Background:

Hypothesis:

MATERIALS:

 plastic shoe box with holes drilled in lid (one per team)

 soil (DO NOT use potting soil that has vermiculite in it - it cuts up the worms!)

 sand

 red wiggler worms (MUCH easier to raise than nightcrawlers in classroom temperature range)

 Three each: 3 cm x 3 cm squares of biodegradable items

 Fishing line

 shredded newspaper

 water mister

 uncooked oatmeal as a starter food source

 used coffee grounds, egg shells, raw fruit and vegetable scraps - NOT citrus, onion...and take it easy on lettuces(produces too much fluid for an undrained worm farm) ***My students brought these in from home for small quantities of bonus points)

 old spoons (to help you gently move material around)

DIRECTIONS:

 Put one-inch layer of moist soil into the plastic shoe box.

-Place 25 red wiggler worms into the soil and mix them thoroughly with the soil.

 Sprinkle 50 mL of oatmeal on top of the soil. Place food scraps on top of oatmeal.

 Run a length of fishing line through the center of the nine squares

 Place the string of squares on top of this layer of oatmeal and food scraps.

 Add 25 mL of moist sand.

 Take a handful of the shredded newspaper and tear it up to be lengths of approximately 3 inches. Place this on top of the sand and moisten with the water mister thoroughly.

 Add another layer of moist soil, BUT BE SURE to leave 1.5 to 2 inches of air space between this layer and the lid.

 Write the date and your name (and class period) on a piece of masking tape and attach to the lid of your box.

 Place your new WORM FARM somewhere that is not in direct sunlight.

 After a week, remove the lid and observe how the worms have mixed the soil and sand in their search for food. Gently uncover your string of squares and observe the condition of each type. Add some raw food and recover the squares AND the food. (It is important to keep the food covered if you want to reduce the chance for small flies to reproduce and take over your worm farm...and your classroom!)

 Record your qualitative observations. Be sure that you record the date of this first set of observations. Put the lid back on your box and return it to your storage area.

 Continue checking your farm each week, recording your observations, feeding (raw food scraps and/or newspaper) and watering as needed - for 6 weeks. At least every other week, try to locate, count and record the number of worms - BE SURE to spread out some newspapers under your work area and be gentle.)

 Always keep your worms cool and moist. Be careful not to make the soil too wet, or your worms may drown. (Worms are too dry if the soil is sticking to them.)

 If you add any water, moist newspaper, and/or food, be sure to record the amount and the date in your qualitative observations section of the lab record. (Do not forget to keep food buried - don't want those pesty gnats flying down the hall!)

 At the end of the time allotted for the experiment (4 - 8 weeks), dump out your contents on some newspaper and locate any remaining squares of paper and plastic. Wipe them off carefully and place them somewhere to dry out for two days. Then measure and record the mass of each.

 If you keep the worm farm going, return the contents to the box and add a small amount of food and newspaper for your worms to eat every two -three weeks.

QUANTITATIVE OBSERVATIONS:
The mass of the squares should be measured with dry samples at the start of the experiment and again at a time decided on by your team.Make sure the squares are DRY before massing them.

How many weeks will you wait before you measure the mass the 2nd time? ______Why did you choose this amount of time? ______

3 cm x 3 cm paper square / Mass at start = ______grams / Mass at end of ___weeks = ____grams
3 cm x 3 cm plastic square / Mass at start = ______grams / Mass at end of ___weeks = ____grams
3 cm x 3 cm cloth square / Mass at start = ______grams / Mass at end of ___weeks = ____grams
Number of worms at start: ______/ Number of worms at end: ______
Mass of worms at start: ______/ Mass of worms at end: ______

QUALITATIVE OBSERVATIONS:
Record weekly observations in the following chart. Describe the location, shape, and condition of the 3 cm squares. Describe the activity of the worms, changes in the layers that you started with, moisture, and any other conditions or changes that you notice. Record any additions of food, moisture, etc.

Week One - Date: ______
Week Two - Date: ______
Week Three - Date: ______
Week Four - Date: ______
Week Five - Date: ______
Week Six - Date: ______

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION: REVIEW YOUR RECORDED OBSERVATIONS FROM THE PAST FEW WEEKS. Write a paragraph (on a separate sheet of paper) that summarizes your weekly qualitative observations. Write a second paragraph that summarizes your quantitative data. State the comparison of the paper, plastic, and cloth square masses (before and after). Include a third paragraph that states any inferences that you have made from your observations. Attach the summary to this lab report and place it in your T's for Trees folder.