How vermicompost is made. Manure business: production of vermicompost at home. Segment Overview and Probable Project Prospects

Biotechnology in the industrial and agricultural spheres is actively developing today. They can significantly reduce the cost of producing a product and maintaining a farm. There is a special demand among companies for natural fertilizers, in particular, vermicompost. And aspiring entrepreneurs looking for a profitable business direction should consider the idea of releasing these products. The main advantage here is that you can open a home production of vermicompost with your own hands at a minimum cost. And in the presence of "free" finance, there is a real chance of launching a profitable full-scale industrial enterprise.
Vermicompost is a product obtained by natural processing of manure and various food waste. It is actively used in agriculture as a natural fertilizer.

Our business valuation:

Initial investment - 200,000 rubles.

Market saturation is medium.

The complexity of starting a business is 5/10.

The industrial production of vermicompost as a business is associated with some peculiarities. Let's consider them in more detail.

Do I need to register a business?

If you are starting a home business, registering it will require additional cash injections. Not sure if it will work? Then it's better to invest in customer search and advertising first. You will always have time to register a business.
At first, you are unlikely to be able to conduct wholesales finished products.
But in order to establish cooperation with large agricultural enterprises in the future, registration is required! Wholesale of vermicompost will be possible only if there is appropriate documentation for the product. If you open a large manufacturing enterprise, issue it according to all the rules.

Where to start a business?

The production of vermicompost at home and on an industrial scale begins with the search for a suitable area. In the first case, you can even use a shed on your own suburban area - both the main and packaging "shops" will be located here. But a manufacturing enterprise that produces large batches of vermicompost will require a more serious approach, since in order to place equipment and provide storage facilities, a workshop with an area of at least 80 m2 is needed.

The total area occupied by the enterprise will depend on the scale of production. Approximate calculations are as follows - from 1 m2 of area annually you can get up to 300 kg of vermicompost.

Vermicompost production should be carried out under certain microclimatic conditions. And it will entail additional investment- the premises must be equipped with ventilation, all communications must be connected here. For the re-equipment of a small private farm, you will spend at least 100,000 rubles.

Vermicompost production is carried out with the "participation" of worms- they will have to be constantly purchased. Californian red worms are more commonly used. Find a reliable supplier early in your business. The price of 1000 worms ranges from 2000-5000 rubles. This amount of "living creatures" is enough to populate 2 m2 of land. Make calculations taking into account the scale of the planned enterprise.
In addition to the fact that you need to buy worms for vermicompost, you need to make a certain supply of manure and food waste. The cost of raw materials ranges from 1000-2000 rubles per ton. Every year you will need to purchase about 15-30 tons of manure.
Taking into account the specifics of this line of business, the production of vermicompost with worms is most profitable for private entrepreneurs who are already operating in the field of agriculture - they keep pigs or cattle. In this case, you will not have to spend money on the regular purchase of raw materials, and vermicompost will become an additional product for sale.

Vermicompost production technology

The idea of a business is especially good in that it will not be difficult even for a beginner to master the technology of producing vermicompost. If possible, be sure to visit a working vermi farm to see everything with your own eyes.
In general, the technology for the production of vermicompost looks like this:

Substrate preparation. A mixture of cattle manure, poultry droppings and food waste is placed in boxes or special composters. To improve the quality of the nutrient substrate, a mixture of lime and peat is added to it - in a proportion of 20 kg per 1 ton of substrate.
Bookmark worms. As a rule, 700-1500 worms are laid per 1 m2 of substrate. Moreover, they must be evenly distributed over the entire surface of the laid mixture. The boxes are covered with a dark non-woven material that does not allow air to pass through - worms do not like bright light.

The technology for the production of vermicompost in a continuous cycle implies constant care for the vermi-farm. What tasks will you need to perform?

"Beds" with worms periodically need to be loosened. Do this carefully so as not to kill the individual.
Worms do not react well to a decrease in moisture, and therefore, water the nutrient substrate as needed. Use settled water with a temperature of 20-24 ° C for these purposes.
Add a nutrient substrate occasionally, otherwise the worms will have nothing to feed on.

The collection of vermicompost begins when the density of worms in the substrate begins to exceed the permissible limits. First, they stop feeding them for a couple of days. Then a nutrient mixture is poured on top so that the worms crawl here. After a couple of days, this top layer must be carefully removed. This procedure is repeated 3 times. The remaining land is vermicompost. It is collected, packaged and sent for storage.
Depending on what equipment you purchase, you can organize the production of liquid vermicompost or granular products. The second option for doing business will significantly save money when starting a business - the cost of finished products will be lower. In addition, there is always a demand for "dry" raw materials.

What equipment is required to start a business?

The business plan for the production of vermicompost in Russia necessarily includes the cost of purchasing equipment. This is a significant expense item, but even a businessman who is going to carry out a business at home cannot do without mechanizing the process.

To run a vermi farm at home, you will need the following set of inventory and equipment:

Wooden or plastic boxes for filling nutrient substrate.
Scales.
Mechanical sieve.
Rakes, shovels, hoes.

This is the minimum set of equipment for which you will spend no more than 150,000 rubles. But in order to automate the process, you will need to purchase a packing machine - its cost is from 1,000,000 rubles. At first, in order to avoid waste, you can lay out the finished fertilizer in packages manually, and seal the container with a special machine - its cost does not exceed 5,000 rubles.

To obtain granulated vermicompost in industrial conditions, more "serious" equipment will be required, and, accordingly, higher costs. Large workshops for the production of fertilizers are equipped with mechanical separators for sifting the substrate and obtaining a cleaner product, lines for filling and packaging vermicompost. At the same time, in enterprises, instead of free-standing boxes with a substrate, a multi-tiered installation is often mounted - it takes up less space, which allows you to get large volumes of products in small areas.
To buy equipment for the production of vermicompost in liquid fraction, you will spend at least 1,000,000 rubles. We need special machines for the extraction, fermentation and "washing" of the fertilizer. For newbies in business - not the best the best way... At the same time, the technology of manufacturing the final product is rather complicated and will require certain knowledge in the field of physical chemistry.

Sales of the finished product

Vermicompost in bags can be sold to summer residents and owners of personal plots, flower growers, farms for growing vegetable and fruit crops, nurseries. You will receive the greatest profit if you use several distribution channels at once. If possible, during the summer season, you can rent a place in the local market, where they sell seedlings, garden tools and fertilizers.
It is worth trying to establish connections with shops selling goods for gardeners. But in this case, you will definitely need to register your business and go through product quality checks.
At first, it will be difficult to find regular buyers of the finished fertilizer - you need to take care of advertising the products sold. Place ads in newspapers and on the Internet, participate in thematic exhibitions, send product samples to potential wholesale buyers. It will not take away a lot of costs for you to launch your own online store - a great option for making sales.

Business setup costs and potential profits

To buy a vermicompost separator and other equipment, prepare the premises for work and provide a supply of raw materials, you will need at least 200,000 rubles. For the organization industrial enterprise you will spend about 2,500,000 rubles. Weigh your strengths and capabilities before starting your own business. Better to start small, gradually expanding your business. This way all risks are minimized.

How much does vermicompost cost on the domestic market? You will start selling finished products at an average wholesale price of 10-20 rubles / kg. If you annually sell up to 20 tons of vermicompost (which is quite realistic even for a small vermi farm), you will receive up to 400,000 rubles / year. Minus variable costs for the maintenance of the enterprise, the net profit will be at least 250,000 rubles / year.

But the scale of the business can be much larger! Quite good indicators of profitability, given the simple technology of manufacturing natural fertilizers.

Vermicompost (vermicompost, worm compost) is an organic fertilizer for plants, a product of natural processing of livestock manure and food waste by technological worms. This type of compost is one of the most effective means of increasing the fertility of agricultural soils, and its production is quite simple and requires minimal investment. At the same time, according to many entrepreneurs, this type of business is characterized by high profitability and quick payback.

Vermicompost production technology is really not complicated. To make vermicompost, the following "components" will be required: rotten cattle manure, hay or silage, rotten leaves, sawdust, food waste, technological worms (Californian and their various varieties, Vladimir). First, you need to prepare a nutrient medium for the worms, which is rotted compost and manure. As a rule, it is not very convenient to keep the processed product on your site. Therefore, it is better to agree with the supplier of this raw material to give him some time to rest.

Containers are prepared for the worms - large wooden boxes. At the next stage, the compost is placed in boxes. Moreover, if it includes fermented manure and other components (leaves, sawdust, food waste), then the compost must be thoroughly mixed. On top, the compost layer is covered with a layer of dry grass, which will maintain the optimum moisture level and temperature in the box. The ripening compost should be stirred periodically (once every 2-3 days) so that it does not cake, and moistened with warm water so that the mass does not dry out. At the very beginning, while the fermentation process is taking place, the temperature inside the box reaches 50 degrees Celsius, but then it gradually decreases. The worms are settled in the boxes after the compost mass has been completely prepared.

Experts advise not to launch all the worms at once, but first test the mass on several dozen individuals. If all goes well, then you can populate the rest. Within a couple of months, the worms colonize in a new environment, after which they begin to multiply. The moisture content of the compost should be 70-80%, and the pH level should be no more than 8. In winter, the temperature inside the boxes should be at least 19 degrees Celsius. You can raise the temperature by covering the compost with a layer of dry grass, moistening it with warm water and placing it in a heated room. The substrate must be regularly loosened and fed every ten days. 3-4 months after the settlement of the compost with worms, the worms are counted, for which a sample is taken from an area of 10 by 10 cm. The number of worms in it is multiplied by 100. The surplus of worms can be sold to fish farms, directly to fishermen, poultry farms and bone meal producers. At the third stage, vermicompost and worms are collected. To collect humus, the substrate is sieved through a sieve with 2 mm cells. The worms remaining in the sieve are deposited in a separate box. You can do without sifting. It is enough not to feed the worms for several days, and then apply the substrate to the surface of the compost. After a couple of days, the worms will rise to the surface where they can be collected. The collected humus is weighed and packed in plastic bags.

To organize the production of vermicompost, a heated room will be required to accommodate boxes with compost and worms. Since the production cycle is year-round and continuous, the production volumes can be quite large. Hence, you will need a warehouse to store your finished products. In addition, you will need to buy a filling line with a dispenser for filling humus in bags of 3-6 kg and 20-50 kg. Humus in smaller bags can be sold through retail stores, and in larger bags through wholesalers. The cost of such a line is over 1 million rubles, but you can save money on it and purchase scales and a manual bag sealer instead (all together will cost about 5 thousand rubles). To keep the worms, you will need wooden boxes with a bottom made of sturdy boards or metal. In addition, special vermicomposters can be purchased. Irrigation systems (usually drip) are used to moisten the compost mass. The cost of the simplest such system is about 1-1.5 thousand rubles. Do not forget about tools and work equipment: rake, shovel, sieve, buckets, etc.

You will also need to purchase worms, establish a constant supply of manure, dead leaves and food waste, develop packaging options, conclude agreements with partners for sales, and arrange for the delivery of finished products to customers. Vermicompost can be sold directly to gardeners, gardening associations, gardening shops, poultry farms, meat and bone meal producers, agro-industrial complex farms. Selling worms to fishermen and fish farms can often generate profits comparable to the profits from the sale of humus itself. Thus, your product range may include vermicompost itself, concentrated liquid humus, bio-earth (a mixture of vermicompost and earth in a certain proportion), and worms.

The costs of organizing such a production include the purchase of equipment (about 45-50 thousand rubles without a filling line), the purchase of raw materials (50 thousand rubles), equipment of the premises with stove heating (45 thousand rubles), registration and individual entrepreneurship and other expenses. You can start a business with 150 thousand rubles, and then gradually expand production volumes at the expense of the profit. The profitability of such a business is estimated at 40%. With a livestock of 100 thousand worms, the payback period will be up to six months, and the total revenue will exceed 1 million rubles.

On the Internet, you can find a lot of material both on the technology of vermicompost production itself, and on the calculation of profitability and payback. Nevertheless, not all of them (especially the most rosy ones) correspond to reality. So, for example, if you are counting on a good profit, then do minimal investment will not succeed, as well as recoup them for short term... First, the preparation of raw materials for the preparation of the substrate takes quite a long time - about six months. Thus, if you have not found a supplier of finished raw materials with the required exposure, then you can start your business no earlier than in six months. Secondly, with a large scale of production, one shed heated by a stove is no longer enough. You will need a whole barn, which still needs to be prepared - to make even floors for the ridges (fill the floor with concrete), brick the windows so that in winter the heat does not blow out of the room, make the lowest possible suspended ceiling to preserve heat, equip access roads, make repair of internal premises, prepare production and storage facilities, etc. In addition, the finished humus will need to be dried (for large production volumes, warm floors will be needed) and passed through a crushing apparatus.

To start a business, you can get by and 150 thousand rubles. However, the larger the volume of production, the greater the investment. In particular, some suppliers of raw materials give the following technological and economic calculation for the production of vermicompost per 1000 sq. meters of heated area. In their opinion, the initial costs do not exceed 500 thousand rubles, and by the end of the first year of operation, the entrepreneur will receive finished products for 3 million rubles (250 tons of produced humus at 12 rubles per kilogram). According to these estimates, the profit for the first year of work will amount to 2.5 million rubles. In fact, the investment at the initial stage will be an order of magnitude higher. You will need to purchase land and premises (or at least rent them), spend renovation work and re-equipment of the production area, purchase and deliver 500 tons of manure, purchase worms, inventory, equipment for packing, separating, crushing humus. In addition, you will need at least one tractor with a blade and a trailer, several workers for the production of humus and maintenance of equipment ... Of course, all these costs will clearly not be enough for half a million. Moreover, according to a rough estimate, they will amount to at least 4.5-5 million rubles.

Also, do not trust the rumors about 300% profitability of the vermicompost production business. The real costs of such production activities range from 1.5 million rubles per year. The main items of expenditure are heating, raw materials, electricity, wage workers. The real profitability is no more than 100%. And then, this is true only with an increase in productivity up to 350-400 tons of vermicompost per year. However, with such production volumes, another question arises - how to organize the sale of these products and, which is no less important, at what price. In the capital, for example, humus is sold in stores at a price of 25 rubles per kilogram, but for the regions, even 10 rubles per kilogram can often be too high a price. There is another problem - low awareness of farmers, summer residents, gardeners and gardeners about the benefits of biohumus. This type of organic fertilizer, despite its high efficiency and safety, has not yet become widespread in our country. Your potential customers often don't even know what it is. In addition, the cultivation technologies of many common crops have not yet been adapted for the use of vermicompost. All this significantly complicates the organization of sales of vermicompost in large volumes.

However, despite all the above difficulties, the vermicompost production business deserves attention. It is most beneficial to do it in conjunction with your existing agricultural business (for example, a cattle farm, breeding rabbits, poultry, etc.).

This idea is a kind of continuation of what we started in the article about selling manure. I sold cow dung compost until I decided to slightly increase the profitability of my venture.

Here I will not talk about what an excellent fertilizer vermicompost and what nutritious food Californian worms are. It is what it is.

A bag of compost in the city costs 50 rubles. A kilogram of vermicompost is about 10 rubles. I carried 4 bags of compost with me in the trunk from the village to the city and beat off money for gasoline. Now, if I sold 4 bags of vermicompost, then I received 1000 rubles. clean.

I have purchased a uterine culture of red california worm(Eusenia Fetida). A thousand pieces cost 500 rubles, I bought two thousand. It is the California red worm, and not the usual earthworm - because it does not go to bed for the winter, it eats (and therefore produces vermicompost) 10 times more.

According to vermicultivation technologies I prepared ordinary plastic fruit and vegetable crates with a lattice bottom. These boxes are conveniently stacked on top of each other. I poured a few centimeters into the box, then a layer of ordinary earth 1 cm thick. Once every two weeks I poured a new layer of manure and a new layer of earth. After 3 months, a whole box of biohumus was obtained, about 5 kg and an increased population of the worm. When the vermicompost was ready, I put a new one with a nutrient medium on top of the old box, the worms crawled upstairs.

With such vermicomposting technologies a lot of trouble. A large number of boxes are required, a separate room. In addition to regularly adding manure and earth, if you also need to get a good harvest of worms, then the compost must be loosened once a week - the worms need air. In addition, not all the worms crawled into the top box. However, this is the most productive way, if you really do business on biohumus, then only in this way.

It was much easier to make compost heaps from boards right on the ground. The heaps were filled with 1 m3 of manure and worms were launched into it. For 6 months they did their job there, and then I separated the worms from the vermicompost. Spread out a piece of linoleum, poured a bunch of vermicompost on it. The worm does not like bright light, wind and dryness, so it slowly crawled down the heap. I only had to remove the top of the pile every 30 minutes, until the worms appeared, until, finally, a ball of worms remained on the linoleum. However, it was especially difficult to make sure that the worms did not crawl over the linoleum. The disadvantage of this method is that the vermicompost is not entirely clean (not completely processed). In winter, the worms in the heap died from the Russian frosts.

I re-composted the entire manure heap of about 10 tons in 2 years without much straining. Unfortunately, it was not possible to count the money, and a large volume of vermicompost was used in the farm. Now I am not selling vermicompost, because I did all this, firstly, for the sake of experiment, and secondly, for the sake of freeing the backyard from the waste products of my parents' cows.

Almost all worms die in winter, so I keep a reserve stock of worms in my house in winter, and every year I start from almost zero. No matter what they say about their unpretentiousness, they themselves will not live and work for our benefit, it is necessary to create conditions. Especially if we want to get a harvest not only from vermicompost, but also from worms.

I fed the worms to the poultry, which made the latter incredibly happy. Now all the manure and dung on our farm is composted with the help of these worms in one big heap. Every spring I launch backup worms from home into a common pile. By autumn, their population increases in a heap, almost all die during the winter. Composting is done in fast teps, the pile does not grow. Vermicompost, due to the fact that it can be applied without restrictions, is used throughout the farm.

The fertility of soils depends on the content of humus in them, in the formation of which soil animals and microorganisms take part. However, the widespread use of chemical pesticides and mineral fertilizers, has its consequences. Such as decreased soil fertility, accumulation of heavy metals and toxic substances. As a result, the soils become unsuitable for growing agricultural products. One of the solutions to the problem is the introduction of vermicompost (vermicompost) into the soil, obtained by food processing of waste by earthworms of industrial lines.

The technology for obtaining this biofertilizer is simple and readily available. On this page, we will provide you with text materials and videos on this issue. But first, let's consider the main stages of obtaining biofertilizers.

Selection of worms and preparation of the substrate

Vermicomposting technology is practically waste-free. It is based on the natural ability of worms to process organic matter and soil, which in their body are chemically transformed, crushed, enriched with useful substances. For production on a large scale, this process is carried out in special vermeal factories. However, the simplicity of the technology allows you to set up production in small quantities in a home or summer cottage.

The main condition for obtaining vermicompost are worms, among which the Californian and their domestic analogue, the Prospector hybrid, are popular. Californians are distinguished by their gluttony, omnivorousness, the ability to reproduce quickly, but they do not tolerate frost well and must winter in a warm place. While "Prospector" continues humus formation even at low temperatures. In order to save money, ordinary earthworms can be dug up, while the technology does not lose its effectiveness.

As noted in many training videos and white papers, organic waste is used to make vermicompost:

manure;
leaf litter;
branches;
hay;
straw;
leftover food;
feces.

At the beginning, a substrate is prepared for the production of fertilizer. A pile is formed from the waste, moistened, additionally brought in soil, sawdust, sand, and left to rot. Fresh manure and chicken droppings are toxic to worms due to the content of urea, uric acid and ammonia, so they are composted with straw (hay) in a 1: 2 ratio. To accelerate the process of decomposition of organic matter, you can use special biological products - Tamir, Baikal-Em, Bioyodis, which will improve the quality of vermicompost.

Release and feeding

When the composting process is complete, the worms can be added. But before starting, it will be useful to watch a video on this topic. For convenience, the substrate is placed in any containers, boxes or baskets made of natural, harmless material, such as wood.

How to make vermicompost

If necessary, holes must be drilled in them for sufficient aeration and water drainage. Such containers will be conveniently transferred to a warm room during the cold season to continue the biofertilizer production process.

Use a damp bed of hay, straw or shredded paper to provide additional ventilation. The technology provides for filling the box with litter by three quarters, after which the compost is added. Then holes are made on the surface of the mixture and the worms are released. Wait until the worms are completely hidden in the substrate, cover the box with straw and leave in a ventilated place.

The recommended population density with worms is 2000 zkz / m2. For their growth and improvement of nutrition, it is necessary to periodically add fresh waste. One of the most important conditions for obtaining vermicompost is constant moistening of the processed mixture.

The vermicomposting process lasts from 1 to 3 months, depending on the type of waste used. As a result, a loose mass, consisting of small granules of brown or black color, with the smell of black soil, is obtained, which is an organic fertilizer.

Separating worms from fertilizer

Two methods are used to separate worms from vermicompost. They are quite simple, but if necessary, refer to the video or other training materials. Most often, it is sifting a small amount of the mixture through a regular sieve. By shaking the sieve, humus is separated from the substrate with worms and falls down. All that remains in the sieve is transferred to another box and then the technology is repeated.
The second way to extract vermicompost is that the worms are not fed with food for a long time (3-4 days). As a result, they become hungry, and it is only necessary to apply a layer of fresh waste (5 cm) to the entire surface of the substrate. The layer is removed two days later and, together with the worms in it, are transferred to a new place. If dead individuals come across among them, then they can be used to feed chickens, pigs and other domestic animals. For the winter, the containers are transferred to a warm room, in such conditions the process of obtaining vermicompost continues.

The result of using vermicompost

Biofertilizer production is not only an ecologically and economically viable method of increasing soil productivity, but also a safe way to utilize organic waste. The use of vermicompost ensures a stable increase in soil fertility. At the same time, along with an increase in the yield of agricultural products, the costs of expensive chemical pesticides are reduced. This makes agricultural production practically waste-free, environmentally friendly and profitable.

Vermicompost is a granular bioactive fertilizer obtained from organic waste processed by the red Californian worm. Its use ensures good development of plants, an increase in yields by 30-70%. Tied fruits are less affected by diseases. They are distinguished by a more delicate pulp, pronounced taste and aroma. The production of vermicompost at home is not particularly difficult and does not require significant costs.

Properties and composition of vermicompost, its advantages

Biological humus is a fertilizer that surpasses ordinary compost and manure in its composition and nutritional value. Its addition to the soil in a ratio of 10-20% to the total volume makes it possible to heal depleted or high-salt soil. In the process of processing, there is a complete disinfection of organic masses, their cleaning from helminth eggs. Vermicompost contains many useful components in an optimally balanced form:

Mineral elements in a form well absorbed by plants.
Enzymes. They ensure the conversion of organic residues into nutrient compounds.
Substances that prevent the reproduction of pathogens.
Phytohormones. They improve plant growth and resistance to stress.

This type of environmentally friendly fertilizer contains 4-8 times more humus than cow dung or compost obtained from plant residues. Its advantages include good moisture capacity, friability, compatibility with other types of organic fertilizers, no need to use significant energy costs during production and use. The possibility of selling surplus products allows you to recoup costs and get a certain income.

Components for the production of vermicompost

Before starting the production of vermicompost at home, you should prepare the substrate for vermicompost and the necessary inventory items. The composition of the substrate includes:

Rotten cow dung and
The tops of plants are fermented (silage) or dried (hay).
Vegetable peelings, leftovers from unused products.
Rotten sawdust, tree foliage.
Peat and lime (2% of the total weight of the mixture) to improve the quality of the vermicompost.

Californian worms are also needed for vermicompost, the function of which is to process the nutrient mixture. As an inventory, you will need boxes made of wooden planks or plastic, a spatula for a set of substrate, a sieve with cells with a diameter of 2 mm.

Features of growing California worms

California worms outwardly practically do not differ from ordinary earthworms. But they process organic substances into a form convenient for assimilation by plants much faster. When using them, you can get ready-made fertilizer in 1-1.5 weeks. The cost of one individual varies in different regions of the country: from 25 kopecks to 1 ruble. The following rules should be observed when using for the preparation of vermicompost:

Breeding at home requires maintaining certain temperature values. Its lower limit should not be lower than + 4 ° С, and the upper one should not be higher than 40 ° С. Lower and higher values can lead to the death of biological material.
In winter, the worms are placed in containers with a nutrient substrate and brought into a room with the required air temperature or covered with an insulating material. It allows air to flow freely into the potting mix.
For the normal functioning of this species of invertebrates, it is necessary to maintain the moisture content of the compost heap at a level of 70-80% by regular irrigation with water in hot weather. In addition, they should be protected from direct sunlight by placing them in the shade.

To prevent the death of Californian worms in severe frosts, covering the place of their keeping with the arrival of autumn with a layer of compost 40 cm or more thick will allow. After the snow falls, additional protection will be provided by the embankment insulation with a thick snow cover.

Preparation of the nutrient substrate

The production of vermicompost at home requires special preparation of the substrate before launching worms into it. First, a wooden box, a plastic container or a depression in the ground is prepared. It is recommended that their depth is from 70 to 100 cm. To prevent the penetration of technological worms outside the pit, you can finish its bottom and walls with some natural material.

Then a mixture prepared from well-rotted manure, matured compost, rotten vegetable tops, food waste is placed in a container or pit. The substrate must mature. To do this, it is kept for the required time, regularly moistening with warm water and stirring every 2-3 days. Initially, under the influence of the processes taking place in the mixture, the temperature will rise to 40-50 ° C. At the end of the fermentation of the components, its values decrease and remain stable.

Vermicultivation technology

When the substrate is fully ripe, Californian ones are launched into it at home, allowing them to be obtained in sufficient quantities for the required volume of the mixture. The filling rate is 700-1500 pieces per cubic meter of substrate. You can determine the suitability of the mixture for launching worms by placing 50 individuals in it first. If they feel good, add the rest, spreading it evenly over the surface of the substrate.

The acidity of the prepared mixture should be within 6-8 points. Periodic gentle loosening will provide free access to the inner layers of the air necessary for breathing the worms. Regular irrigation with standing water heated to 20 ° C will create a fairly humid environment. To maintain optimal values of temperature and humidity of the substrate, the container is covered with a layer of straw.

Collecting vermicompost

During the first 1-2 months, the worms adapt to the new environment. Then they begin to actively multiply and process the components of the mixture into vermicompost. Every 10 days, additional nutrient substrate is required as a top dressing. After 3-4 months, you need to check the number of worms. If it has increased significantly, you can start separating them and using the finished fertilizer for its intended purpose.

There are 2 ways to free the vermicompost from the worms in it. One of them uses sifting of the substrate through a sieve. At the same time, the worms are transferred to another container. In the second method, feeding is delayed for several days. Then a new portion of the substrate is poured onto the surface of the box. When hungry worms rise up, they separate them and move to another place.

Vermicompost application

The production of vermicompost at home is of certain benefit. It can be used not only for fertilizing a personal or suburban area, but also implemented. Reducing the cost of obtaining this environmentally friendly and highly efficient material will allow the presence of domestic animals that provide the technological process with a sufficient amount of manure.

Surplus vermicompost can be sold to neighbors in the country, farmers. With a significant volume of production - on the market or in bulk in our own online store. Worms can be in demand by fish and poultry farms. In order to sell vermicompost, the price for 1 kg of which ranges from 10 to 20 rubles, it should be offered to potential buyers in convenient packaging.

Product packaging

Dry vermicompost is packed in polyethylene bags. In the manufacture of concentrated liquid humus, the best option is filling in plastic bottles... Like the widely used "Em" preparations, they contain many beneficial soil microorganisms that improve soil fertility and ensure high yields by the most environmentally friendly methods.

When packing in bags, you should first weigh vermicompost. The price for 1 kg can be indicated on the label or not displayed when wholesales material. The cost of goods in different regions differs significantly. As well as liquid preparations "Em", it is desirable that the packed vermicompost contains instructions outlining the properties of the material and the rules for its use.

Instructions for use

Vermicompost is in demand not only for growing fruit and vegetable crops. It is widely used in floriculture, to restore depleted and lost its natural properties of the soil. It can also be used to reduce the number of harmful insects, since the microorganisms included in the preparation are able to break down the chitin of their outer skeleton.

In what quantities and how best to use vermicompost - the instruction covers in detail all the issues that arise when using fertilizer. The time of its introduction into the soil is not limited. The drug is characterized by prolonged action, giving good results over several years. The concentrated vermicompost is diluted three times. It is recommended to add it to water when watering plants and spraying trees.

Application features

The drug is used for the preparation of potting mixes. Vermicompost is especially useful for seedlings. It is enough to add 1 part of the product to 3-5 parts of peat. Before planting the grown plants in the ground, add about 150 g of fertilizer to the holes, mixing with the ground. The planted bushes are watered abundantly, and the soil surface around the seedling is mulched with a small layer of vermicompost.

Plants can be protected from damage by insect pests by introducing the agent into the soil or by surface treatment of their vegetative parts with an aqueous solution. A good effect is given by regular feeding of vegetables, trees, shrubs, flowers. For these purposes, it is enough to add 0.5 kg of vermicompost per 1 m 2 under the plants every 30 days.

Using vermicompost for soil remediation

Vermicompost in a quick time increases the nutrient content of the soil, supplementing it with a complex of substances necessary for good development plants. The soil microorganisms contained in it contribute to the transformation of plant and animal residues into easily digestible compounds.

The addition of vermicompost to the soil, which has lost its fertility due to excessive introduction of chemicals, increases the content of useful elements in it, improves the structure of the soil, and neutralizes increased acidity. This allows you to create an environment in which those participating in the formation of a fertile soil layer are able to live. An increase in the concentration of humus in the most direct way affects the quantity and quality of the resulting crop.

Raw material base

Intensive Agriculture, which we see today, leads to severe depletion of soils and reduces the content of vital organic matter in them. As a result of mechanical treatment of soils, along with the harvest, a significant part of the organic substances in them is alienated, in turn, increasing the proportion of minerals. Soil mineralization occurs so intensively that the process becomes simply irreversible and the soil loses its fertile properties forever.

For this reason, agricultural enterprises and farms forced to look for new ways to preserve soil fertility. And the best alternative to traditional types of fertilizers, in particular manure, is vermicompost - a universal natural fertilizer that contains soil antibiotics, enzymes, vitamins and microelements so necessary for all plants. Vermicompost is very easy to use, and most importantly, it is a cheap fertilizer. It is logical that the demand for vermicompost in the near future will only grow ...

A number of advantages of vermicompost over traditional types of fertilizers can be distinguished: - perfectly keeps moisture in the soil; - significantly improves the quality of vegetables and fruits; - increases the productivity of plants and prolongs the flowering period; - does not contain pathogenic microorganisms (unlike manure); - reduces the percentage of plant diseases. At the same time, one of the main advantages of vermicompost as a fertilizer is low price... To achieve the same effect with traditional agrochemistry methods, the farmer will require a significant investment. The use of vermicompost is intended to reduce these costs by several times. Biohumus, as a fertilizer, can be used everywhere: in gardens, vegetable gardens, for feeding ornamental plants, in farms and on an industrial scale. Convenient packaging of vermicompost (in bags) allows you to purchase fertilizer, both for private and commercial purposes. The shelf life of vermicompost is not limited! Vermicompost is introduced in the spring before planting in doses of 3-5 tons per hectare. The increase in yield is: for grain crops up to 15 centners per hectare, for potatoes up to 60-80 centners per hectare, for vegetables up to 70% increase per hectare. If you increase the dose of vermicompost application, you can achieve even higher yields. At the same time, it is impossible to overfeed the soil with vermicompost! It is known that in the United Arab Emirates, where there is nothing but sand, thanks to biohumus, up to three or more crops of ecologically clean products are harvested. Thus, this country is not an importer, but an exporter of vegetables and fruits.

How much can you earn on the production of vermicompost

You can earn money in the production of vermicompost in two ways. The first direction is the actual processing of organic matter and the sale of ready-made vermicompost. The wholesale price of vermicompost by region ranges from 7,000 to 10,000 rubles per ton. The cost of production, according to the calculations of economists, is no more than 3,500 rubles (costs for heat, electricity, workers' wages, raw materials). Thus, we get a profit from one ton of 3500 - 6500 rubles. The second source of income is the sale of the California worm. The main customers are fishing shops and small wholesalers. The calculation is something like this: a box of 50 worms at the wholesale price costs 30-40 rubles. From one ton of organic matter in a month, you can get up to 10 thousand worms. Hence, the additional monthly income will be 6,000 - 8,000 rubles per ton.

A step-by-step plan for opening a vermicompost production

To start a business for the production of vermicompost, three components are required: a premise, a raw material base (organic fertilizers) and a Californian worm - the same magical organism that turns ordinary "manure" into an extremely useful fertilizer called Vermicompost. To reduce risks and start at a minimum cost, you can use the basement of a private house or a regular barn as a breeding room for breeding stock. The main thing is that the room is heated so that the worm does not freeze in winter. Recommended action plan for beginners: 1. Purchase a Californian worm breeding stock. There are many ads on the Internet for the sale of a worm, the average price is 1000 rubles for 2000 worms. 2. Within a year, in a warm room, increase this livestock 200 times, that is, get 400,000 worms. This can be done with the right temperature, humidity, acidity and good nutrition. California worms are hermaphrodite and multiply at such a rate that they double their population every month. 3. Then, in the summer, plant the grown worm in the prepared heap of organic matter - the process of obtaining Biohumus has been launched!

Vermicompost production technology

A common design for producing vermicompost is a shallow trays lined with bricks (or other material) with a side height of up to 30 cm. A mixture consisting of fermented manure, earth and straw cutting is placed in the trays. You can add a little lime flour to ensure the acidity of the medium in the range of 6.5-7.5 pH. The substrate is moistened to an optimum moisture content of 80%. Then Californian worms are placed in trays with a substrate based on a density of 3-5 thousand individuals per 1 m2. The ideal temperature range for keeping worms is from +25 to +30 degrees. To maintain the humidity at the proper level, the contents of the trays are periodically watered, and the trays themselves are covered with breathable material. The full cycle of processing organic matter and converting the substrate into vermicompost takes 5 months. By this time, the population of worms has increased five ... ten times. To speed up the process of reproduction of vermiculture, it is recommended to separate adult worms from the substrate every 2 months. Thus, processing 5 tons of manure within 5 months will require about 50 thousand worms. The output of vermicompost from the total mass of the substrate will be about 50%.

Business realities and pitfalls

With the organization of the production itself, a number of problems may arise that at first glance seem to be trifles. Firstly, it is a land plot. Since the main raw material for production is organic waste, it will not work to locate the enterprise next to the housing stock. The sanitary zone is at least 300 meters, but this is the minimum. In general, it is recommended to organize the production of vermicompost on the outskirts of the settlements in order to avoid any complaints from residents. The second issue is the transportation and storage of semi-liquid organic fertilizers. How and by what means will you deliver semi-liquid manure from farms, how to remove solid inclusions, how to store manure, how to decontaminate and how to unload it from manure storages. In most cases, manure will be delivered on tractor trailers of universal value. But keep in mind that the losses with this delivery method are very large. The third question is the packaging of vermicompost. It is good if you have several regular large clients to whom you will sell large quantities of fertilizers. But in most cases, you will have to look for ways to sell vermicompost in small batches. Your clients are farms, small wholesale resellers, specialty shops, plant nurseries and flower pavilions. These clients will not be able to sell vermicompost "in bulk" - appropriate packaging is required. Most often, vermicompost is packed in polyethylene bags of 1, 5, 10 and 20 kg. To do this, you will have to purchase the appropriate filling equipment, which will result in additional costs at the start.

Raw material base

And finally, the fourth question is the availability of the same raw material base. Where will the organic matter come from if there are livestock farms in your suburb? Best of all, if these are cattle breeding enterprises. It is logical to assume that if there is not a single similar enterprise within a radius of at least 50 km, opening a business for the production of vermicompost is a pure gamble.

A step-by-step plan for starting a business for the production of vermicompost

Sales market analysis.
Drawing up a business plan
Equipment of containers with optimal conditions for growing worms.
Preparation of a heated worm breeding facility.
Purchase of rotted cattle manure.
Harvesting of dead leaves, hay, silage.
Purchase of worms (Californian or Vladimir).
Inoculation of worms in cooked manure.

How much money is needed to start a business

To start a business you will need:

Equipment for packaging vermicompost - about 100 thousand rubles.
Purchase of raw materials - 50 thousand rubles.
Preparation of premises, installation of a heating system - 50 thousand rubles.
Other expenses - 10 thousand rubles.

Initial costs can be reduced to 100-120 thousand rubles using a used line or increasing volumes gradually. It is advisable to open a business for the production of vermicompost for farmers, where there is an opportunity to save on raw materials.

Which OKVЄD to indicate during registration

15 - production of fertilizers and nitrogen compounds.

What documents are needed to register a business

To register a business, you must register as an individual entrepreneur, open a bank account for cashless payments... You can issue an individual entrepreneur at the tax service at the place of registration of the applicant by providing:

Application in the prescribed form;
A photocopy of your passport;
Receipt for payment of the state fee.

Which taxation system to choose when registering

A simplified taxation system is best suited when starting a business for the production of vermicompost.

Do I need a permit to open a production

There is no need to issue special licenses and certificates to run a business for the production of vermicompost. If the products will be sold through large stores, it is advisable for veterinary pharmacies to issue quality certificates. A simple document will attract more buyers of vermicompost.