Continuous Flow Through Worm Bins
What Is A CFT Worm Bin?
How Do They Work?
What Makes Them Different Or Better?
What Is A CFT Worm Bin ?
CFT is short for Continuous Flow Through (worm bins)
Generally speaking, they are a more sophisticated type of worm farming bin.
A CFT has bars about a foot up from the ground. Above the bars is usually about 2 feet to the top surface of the CFT bin.
The Vermicompost (VC) sits on these bars. The VC is harvested, depending on the system, by scraping between the bars with a rake or hand tool. Some extrememely large commercial systems have a cutter bar and conveyor belt system to harvest the VC automatically.
How Do They Work?
The bars at the bottom allow air flow into the VC.
This – among other factors – allows the CFT to support up to twice the population of a normal contained worm bin.
Above the bars is usually about 2 feet to the top. This distance is critical – it is usually considered that 20 inches is the minimum accepted distance for the bin to function as it should. (See advantages)
But, 24 inches is considered by many to be the “correct” depth.
What Makes A CFT Different Or Better?
This distance of 24 inches from the bars to the surface of the CFT worm bin usually means:
– few or no worms are found in the harvested VC at the bottom. This means no separation of worms and VC is necessary.
– some learned people now believe that sifting/harvesting worms from VC with screens makes the VC less viable and nutritious
– the depth also means that any cocoons that are likely to hatch in the system will do so; and that the baby worms will be up in the feeding zone on the surface
– worms remain undisturbed by your harvesting. This allows them to continue on at full speed. Perhaps harvesting the worms from the VC in normal systems impacts on their efficiency or life expectancy, from damage to them in the screening process.