“I know cardboard makes for good bedding, but what about plain paper. Should this be soaked, shredded etc?” ~ Brad Tisdale
Hi Brad,
For the other readers, shredded cardboard makes a great bedding material because it provides a carbon source which can be broken down slowly while it becomes the home for the worms to bury through and work on. It is also light and fluffy allowing oxygen to pass through so that the wormery system wouldn’t go anaerobic and smell.
Shredded plain paper can also be used as bedding and is great as a carbon source.
The only problem is when wet, the paper tends to clump together and get matted down. It is then more difficult to feed and may sometimes prevent oxygen from getting through requiring the need of fluffing the contents up by hand. Paper will need to be shredded into smaller pieces to help its breakdown and to prevent a thick wet paper layer from forming.
Many regard plain paper as a great cheap source of material for bedding, and many use shredded newspapers too!
Some wonder if newspaper is suitable as bedding with the fear of the ink being toxic to worms.
With most black ink being carbon and vegetable oils, they are safe for worms. Colored ink may sometimes contain heavy metals which can be a problem, however with environmental regulations being as tough as ever, most printers will not use harmful chemicals to print on newspapers anymore.
If you are in doubt then stick to low colored papers.
