let's start bringing light into the dark.
Here are the answers to the questions that we are asked again and again and maybe. floating around in your head too.
A brief summary of the most frequently asked questions:
1. The Terrabox is not a biowaste bin, but a compost. Therefore, not everything should be pure, but it doesn't stink either. And in the end, pure soil comes out that you can use as fertilizer for all your plants.
2. The Terrabox is designed for indoor use because worm composting requires constant temperatures between 15 and 25 degrees.
3. 99% of the time no worms come out. If so, then they dry up after about 1 meter. We are working to make it 100% tight!
4. A worm box works through the interaction of worms and bacteria. Therefore, a worm box must first be started slowly so that the necessary bacteria can form. When they're there, things really get going.
5. You get liquid fertilizer and pure humus from the Terrabox. You can give both directly to all your plants, but diluted with water. You'll be amazed at what they've got!
6. A Terrabox lasts for years with proper operation. Even in the unlikely event that your worms die, you can simply buy a new starter set and continue with the same Terrabox.
Now everything in a little more detail! If you have any questions, please contact us via Instagram or email! We look forward to the exchange with you.
Is a compost the same as the organic waste bin?
No. A compost bin is fermented without oxygen and using energy and processed into a combustion fuel (biogas). That is why animal products, leftovers and citrus fruits are also allowed in organic waste bins. However, you can't use any of it for yourself, it's so easy.
We don't want to demean the organic waste bin, but we want to ensure that you benefit from your own organic leftovers and at the same time experience one of the most exciting and important processes in nature up close. A true circular economy in your home.
A compost and a worm box uses oxygen to turn a lot of organic waste, but not all, into pure soil/humus. Just like nature intended. So it's about producing the best humus or, as we also say, the best flower power fertilizer from mother nature for mother nature and making all plants happy, including you.
Only raw fruit (no citrus fruits) and vegetable scraps (no onion types), unprocessed cardboard, coffee and tea grounds belong in a worm box.
We see the Terrabox as a great addition if you have an organic waste bin and a mega solution if you don't have an organic waste bin at all. Because then you can save a lot from the residual waste bin, where it really doesn't belong!
Can the Terrabox stand outside?
Yes it can, but we do not recommend it. Why not: Compost worms need a constant temperature to convert compost waste into humus constantly and at high speed. This temperature is between 15 and 25 degrees. The seasons in Germany and Europe fluctuate too much. Especially in winter, when it freezes, all the worms can die and then you have to stop composting, which in our opinion makes no sense at all. Other worm boxes, which supposedly can also be outside, then have to be brought in. However, these are usually not specially designed for indoor use and, above all, do not look good.
The Terrabox was created for composting in your kitchen, living room, hallway or even in your bedroom (e.g. shared flat). Because only then does it make sense for the whole year. That's why we paid extreme attention to the design during construction. But if you can guarantee all factors and the Terrabox is protected from the weather outside, then feel free to try it out.
Does the Terrabox stink?
No, worm boxes don't stink! Why? Because they work with oxygen and the microorganisms are so fast that no rotten smells can develop. It smells more like picking up leaves in the woods and smelling them. That is also logical, because exactly the same processes take place there. composting with oxygen.
However, a worm box can tip over if you don't follow a few simple rules and use a worm box like a bio-waste bin and just dump everything in without thinking. The most important thing with a nature system like a worm box is to keep an eye on it in order to react quickly to changes.
Do worms come out of the Terrabox?
99% no. But it has happened very occasionally. But we are working day by day to make it 100% safe soon. This is a major challenge though as worms can get through 1mm gaps and real wood lives and works.
And in general, the worms feel right at home in the Terrabox. Who would like to escape from Cockaigne, right? However, if you observe that many of the worms want to flee, this is a sign of nature that something is wrong. With such questions, we will help you in all cases with our Terrabox service for all our customers, of course free of charge.
BUT, with 250-400 worms there can always be one or two who want to explore everything. However, once they come out of the terrabox, they will dry up within the next 1-2 meters. This is unsightly, but they will never crawl around in the apartment or house. The fear of escaping worms is therefore completely unjustified. Of course we understand that :)
How does a worm box work?
So we hope you are now interested in a little biology ;)
A worm box works just like our digestive system. After our teeth and then our stomach have broken down the food (i.e. created a surface), the bacteria in our intestines get to work and break down the individual nutrients. That is why an intact intestinal flora is so important for us.
It's exactly the same with a worm box/compost. We shred the compost waste with a knife or tear paper with our hands, creating a higher surface. Then the bacteria come first and break down our compost waste into individual parts cell by cell. Now the compost worms come and suck up the bacteria and the broken cells and process them into pure humus in their stomach. So you can see that in nature so many things work the same way, even though we can't see it. Isn't that fascinating?
When you start your Terrabox, the first thing to do is to develop the intestinal flora/bacteria. Unfortunately, the compost worms and the humus in which they were/were not allowed to be fed with compost waste, but with controlled worm food. Therefore, a worm box and the Terrabox need about 8 weeks until they really get going. That's why you have to make sure at the beginning that you put small amounts of different things into the Terrabox and then wait until at least half of it has been composted. This is the only way to ensure that the necessary bacteria have actually formed.
Once set in motion, a worm box can last forever and also keep getting better and more resilient. And exactly this process is so cool to design yourself. Then you also live in the city and in your apartment in harmony with nature.
What do I get out of the Terrabox and how do I get there?
You get two real natural products out of the Terrabox:
1. Flower Power Juice or Compost Coffee or Worm Tea:
During the composting process, the water contained in fruit and vegetables escapes. This seeps through the humus, absorbs all the nutrients and bacteria, is filtered through a special membrane and then collected in the drip tray. So it's just like a coffee, only for plants! This coffee for plants can be added directly to the watering can. In any case, it has to be mixed with water because it's so concentrated that it would be a shame if only one plant benefited from it. The special thing about Flower Power Juice is that all plants can absorb it immediately. Therefore, the use is particularly well suited, for example, for a plant that is suffering from acute diseases.
2. Pure Humus or Black Gold or The Shit!
We have given special thought to how you can get the humus and make all your plants happy. We are particularly proud of this as we are the only ones who make the extraction of hummus so easy and worm-free.
We had the following thoughts in advance: All wooden worm boxes work with a harvest basket or a two-chamber system. With these systems, it either takes a very long time before you can get at the hummus or you have to really get your hands on it and sort out the worms. We wanted the humus to be available when you want it or when your plants need it. And secondly, that you come into contact with the compost worms as little as possible, since this is not the nicest thing for the worms either.
That's why we came up with something very innovative. The experience window of the Terrabox is not only for observation, but can also be pushed up. Because the best humus is at the bottom of a compost. We also take advantage of the fact that the compost worms move backwards as soon as they stand in the light. So we work with nature and her natural instincts. After a few minutes in the light, you can push the experience window up a bit and then scoop out the pure hummus with a spoon, using the drip tray to collect it.
You can mix the humus again in very small quantities with your irrigation water or mix it directly with your potting soil, for example when repotting, or simply put it on top of the soil of your plant. With each watering process, nutrients and, above all, living bacteria are flushed into the soil.
How long does a Terrabox last?
A Terrabox can last forever. A little care and love here and there and we guarantee that the Terrabox will last for years. We like to compare a terrabo with a good winter jacket. Yes, it costs more, but it lasts!
How about fruit flies
The Terrabox is of course delivered without it. However, in summer it can happen that you put some in through the fruit bowls without wanting to. On the other hand, a few simple tricks help to prevent a plague. If one or two come out, it probably won't bother you. But we don't expect hundreds of them to develop. So how do you do this:
In summer you should keep an eye on it and it is best to store the fruit in the refrigerator or with a fruit fly hood. Then fewer eggs are laid.
The hemp mat that we supply ensures that the fruit fly cannot reproduce properly. This must always be on top of the compost so that the fruit flies cannot hatch properly.
If you don't want any flies at all, you can put your fruit in the freezer overnight and then put it in the next day. So the fear fly eggs die.
In the end it just makes a keen eye. Then you really don't have any problems with it!