Pacific Composting Living Material

Beneficial Biology for Your Composting Systems

At Pacific Composting we are biology-obsessed - because we know that better biology = better results! We use a wide variety of carefully-chosen materials and amendments in all our systems to support that biology as best we can. One very important category of material we always use is what we refer to as “living material” (LM). This is well-decomposed organic matter that is teeming with beneficial microorganisms and helpful composting invertebrates.

Some common examples of LMs include:

Different types of compost (and compost screenings)
Decomposed fall leaves (“leaf mold”)
Old livestock manures
Rotten wood chips and other decomposed woody wastes

Our blog post, What is “Living Material”?, provides a much more in-depth look at the topic as a whole - but this resource page focuses primarily on our new (spring 2026) Living Material, and Living Material Plus (LM+) products.

The “WHY”

Ever since launching Pacific Composting we’ve been constantly shouting praise for the value of living materials, and strongly encouraging our followers to use them in their composting systems. This is a great option for those who have good access to a wide range of resources, and enough experience to determine what’s well-suited - and not so well-suited - for use as an LM. That said, even the most resourceful and experienced among us can still end up with seasonal bottlenecks.

So, we decided to add high-quality living material products to our line-up!

This way customers know they are ending up with exactly the sort of LM we are encouraging them to use, along with the education on how to use them!

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The GOAL

Simply put, we want to help a lot more people enhance their composting efforts through the use of these biologically-beneficial materials!

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The PRODUCTS

Living Material - This is an unscreened, biology-loaded habitat material mix that comes from mature vermicomposting systems (and includes some worms and cocoons). We purposely leave it “chunky” to provide even more food/habitat for the ecosystem it contains and the system it will be added to. It comes in 3 sizes: ¾ cup (50 g), 1 litre, and 2 litres.

Living Material Plus (LM+) - As the name suggests, this is our Living Material product with more Red Worms (all adults) included. It is designed for those who are looking for a more gradual, natural way to grow a population of composting worms (vs adding them in bulk quantities) - but one with a bit more ‘oomph’ than is found in our standard Living Material. This product comes in a bigger 4 L bag, and includes 50 adult Red Worms in addition to the worms and cocoons that are already in the material.

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Benefits of PC Living Material

If you’ve purchased bulk worms from another supplier, our Living Material can help ease their introduction into your new system. Instead of putting them in a relatively sterile environment (especially stressful when worms have been shipped) you are providing them with a habitat that feels much more like “home”.
It can help you hit the ground running towards faster castings harvesting. The material itself is like a precursor of quality worm castings - and the ecosystem it contains can greatly assist in improving the efficiency of your system.
It can help to balance out common new-system-mistakes such as overfeeding.
You can think of it as a sort of “biological sponge”, absorbing excess moisture, gases, and harmful compounds - helping to maintain a more worm-friendly environment.
Both of our LM products can serve as “slow” worm composting starter cultures - allowing you to start or boost a population of composting worms in a system. (naturally, our Living Material Plus product is the best choice if this is your goal - but do keep in mind that it will still take some time to build up a large population of Red Worms).

NOTE:

PC Living Material is NOT well suited for use in large-scale thermophilic (hot composting) systems, bokashi systems, or any system you don’t want composting worms in - but can still be used in backyard composters - see FAQ below.
These materials contain a diverse ecosystem of other beneficial invertebrates apart from the worms. (So, you will likely notice other critters crawling around).
The appearance/contents can vary somewhat from one batch to the next (due to the variety of starting materials used) - but the benefits will always be the same!

FAQ

What’s the difference between Living Material and compost activator/accelerator products?

Store-bought activators are usually sold in the form of a dry powder - something that has likely been sitting on a shelf for many months, if not years. PC Living Material is literally bursting with life and activity because it is harvested from active systems and stored in a way that supports the biology until it is shipped/handed to our customers. It contains an active ecosystem of organisms - including composting worms - that are ready to get to work in whatever system they are added to. There is really no comparison!

I see little creatures crawling around in my bag of Living Material. Is it still ok to use?

Living Material contains a rich ecosystem of different beneficial composting organisms - some of them visible to the naked eye. Don’t be alarmed - be excited! These creatures will play an important role in helping the composting process along.

How long can a bag of Living Material sit and still be OK to use?

We highly recommend using your bag of Living Material as soon as you can, simply because the organisms it contains require a moist, oxygenated environment and food sources in order to really thrive. That said, both our Living Material products should be ok to sit for a number of days (under a week is best) in a location with cool to moderate temperatures, out of direct sunlight. If you do need to let your bag of LM sit before use, make sure to check on the contents periodically to ensure they aren’t drying out (especially important with LM+).

Is Living Material a type of worm food?

While there is some nutritional value in PC Living Material, we don’t recommend thinking of it as a “food” - but rather as an ecosystem inoculation for your compost bin. That said, the bigger microbial population it introduces will in turn help to boost the available nutrition for the worms (and other organisms) in your system.

Can I use Living Material as my main worm bin habitat material?

Certain types of living material can be excellent habitat materials (e.g. partially decomposed cardboard/straw etc), but our LM products are designed to be used along with other safe habitat materials, such as shredded cardboard and coco coir.

How is Living Material different from Worm Castings?

Worm castings are in fact a type of living material, but they tend to be more mature and a lot more refined - usually with most of the bulky materials screened out, and fewer worms/cocoons. PC Living Material has more bulky, unprocessed “browns” and compost aggregates, as well as more worms and cocoons (obviously even more in the “Plus” version). This makes it much better suited for use as an inoculant and system conditioner than as a compost.

Can I Add Living Material to My Backyard Composter?

Yes, absolutely! Our Living Materials are well suited for any established backyard composters or (especially) ones you are in the process of getting set up - as long as you are comfortable having a population of composting worms in them. We do always recommend adding composting worms to backyard composters, since they can improve the efficiency of these systems considerably and leave you with an even higher quality end product. See our “Backyard Composters” section towards the end of the article for more information about this.

Can I add Living Material to my bokashi bucket?

Living Material is not well suited for a bokashi bucket, since it contains aerobic organisms such as the composting worms, while bokashi is an anaerobic fermentation process. That said, our standard Living Material (one without extra worms added) would be great to use when your bokashi precompost is ready for the “Phase II” aerobic composting stage. Living Material and bedding (or organic potting soil etc) mixed with the precompost and left to sit for at least a couple of weeks can leave you with a valuable end product that can be further enhanced in a worm bin or backyard composter - or even added straight into your garden. (Be sure to check out our “Soil Factory” blog post for more information about all of this)

Will one bag of Living Material Plus be enough to start a worm bin?

Yes - but with some important caveats! It’s very important to realize that this is not the same thing as say ½ lb of Red Worms - it is a very different product. From a worm composting perspective, you will definitely need to be more patient since there will be a lot fewer adult Red Worms in your system initially. But the trade-off is that you will likely have quite a few cocoons and smaller worms (in addition to the 50 adults we add) - along with the Living Material itself, which contains a diverse ecosystem of other organisms that will help the process along. We always say “let the worms be your guide” when advising about how often you should feed your system - and this is even more important when starting a system with our Living Material Plus.

How fast do Red Worms reproduce?

The good news is that a population of Red Worms can grow in size quite quickly. For perspective, our “Worm Guru” (Bentley) conducted a population growth experiment starting with only 25 adult Red Worms. After 11 weeks the system had 193 adults, 1656 juveniles and 476 cocoons (which release an average of 3 baby worms each). In other words, starting a system with 50 adults, along with other worms and cocoons already in your starter material will almost certainly result in even more impressive results! 😉

If I am buying composting worms from someone else, which LM product should I use?

It’s totally up to you, but if you’re already paying a lot for composting worms, it might make sense to simply opt for the standard Living Material. The only thing to keep in mind is that our Living Material Plus product contains about twice as much Living Material as the largest bag of our standard LM.

Is Living Material Plus the only way you sell composting worms now?

As of May 2026, we are no longer selling Red Worms by weight. Living Material Plus will likely be our only option for buying composting worms during spring/summer of 2026, but we are aiming to roll out a new starter culture product (containing a much larger, well-established population of Red Worms) by late summer or early fall. Stay tuned!

Using PC Living Material to Start a Worm Composting System

Plastic bin to make your own worm composter

Both of our LM products contain the necessary inoculum to easily grow your own thriving population of Red Wiggler worms, but it’s important to be aware of the limitations when attempting to start up a new worm composting system with them.

This is an approach that definitely requires some patience!

Although Red Worms can reproduce rapidly (see related FAQ in previous section), realistically, even with Living Material Plus, you should expect to wait a few months before you see a big, thriving population of worms.

The good news, though, is that your system can still break down waste materials! Apart from the worms, there are countless other beneficial composting organisms in your Living Material that will help the process along.

Some of the Advantages of PC Living Material vs Bulk Worms:

Much More Natural - Composting worms are resilient, but concentrating them and (often) shipping them in a relatively small amount of material is very stressful for them. Using much lower densities, in a rich, protective habitat material virtually eliminates these issues.
Includes Amazing Habitat and “Future Worms” - Many worm suppliers ship bulk worms in fairly sterile materials like coco coir or peat moss. With Living Material, the worms’ “home” literally comes with them. Plus you end up with cocoons - which, on average, result in 3 hatchlings each - and smaller worms, both of which can surprise you by creating what seems like a “population explosion”.
Perfect for “Set and Forget” Systems - If you are a helicopter worm “parent”, Living Material might not be your best choice for starting a new system! 😂 But for anyone who loves the idea of getting a system set up and then mostly leaving it alone - this could be your perfect path to worm composting success!
It’s Less Expensive - Buying bulk worms (especially in Canada) is not cheap! “Slow vermicomposting” with Living Material offers a more laid back, and affordable (yet still very effective) way to test the waters with worms!
You End up With the Perfect Worm Population For Your System - Composting worms are literally designed to quickly take advantage of available resources and favorable conditions. This is the subtle beauty of starter cultures - you’re not just tossing a gob of worms in a bin, you’re allowing the ideal population to develop naturally, based on the environment and resources they are provided with. These are worms literally “programmed” to succeed in your system.

Setting up a New System with Living Material

We recommend our “3 Zone” approach for setting up any type of worm composting system. With LMs, the set up process becomes even easier since the worms are already included with one of your key habitat materials. There are still some important things to keep in mind, though - especially when working with smaller and larger (than a standard worm bin) systems.

Worm Bins

With a tub or bag system (e.g. Urban Worm Bag), start with a “false bottom” of bulky, absorbent bedding material. Your “worm zone” can then be set up either by mixing (gently) your bag of LM with lots of damp bedding materials in a separate container and then adding it to the system, or simply by adding alternating layers of damp bedding and Living Material until the system is about ¾ full. You can then add a small amount of easy-breakdown kitchen scraps - like cut up banana peels, melon chunks or leafy greens (good idea to cover the food lightly with some of your habitat material as well). Lastly, top everything up with a thick layer of dry cover bedding - which could also include a hemp worm blanket if you happen to have one.

If you are using a stacking system, especially one of the smaller models, a bag of Living Material Plus (~ 4L) will likely take up a fair amount of volume in your first tray. We recommend starting by lining the bottom with 1 or 2 sheets of damp newsprint (or kraft paper), adding a thin layer of loose bedding like shredded cardboard, and then adding the contents of your LM bag. At this point you will have a good sense for how much space this material is going to take up and you can then gently mix in enough damp bedding to bring the level up to about ¾ full. Add your small quantity of easy-breakdown kitchen scraps and top up with cover bedding in much the same way as was just described for the tub/bag systems.

Backyard Composters

Our Living Material products are very well suited for backyard composting systems (especially since these systems tend not to be micro-managed the same way as indoor worm bins), but there are some important recommendations/caveats to keep in mind.

Firstly, we highly recommend using Living Material Plus rather than our standard Living Material - primarily because of the bigger volume (about twice as much material as even our biggest bag of regular LM) - and of course the extra composting worms are a perk as well.

With systems of this size - particularly when they are first being set up - there can be a lot more heating than in regular worm bins, so it is very important to add your Living Material strategically.
One option is to simply set up the system and then let it age until the heating phase is finished.

If you would prefer to add your LM the same day as the system is being set up (e.g. you already have your bag of LM and don’t want to leave it sitting for a long time), we suggest adding it very close to the bottom (along with some food), or very close to the top of the system.

It is important to note that backyard composters intended for vermicomposting should be set-up, and managed in a way that supports the worms and the process as a whole - not the way that many people use these systems (basically as garbage cans for yard wastes). Using plenty of bulky, absorbent bedding materials, along with water-rich kitchen wastes is a great step in the right direction.

It’s also very important to note that we don’t include compost tumblers among the backyard composters that are suitable for vermicomposting. To learn more about our stance on these systems (including where we do think they shine), be sure to check out: “Are Compost Tumblers REALLY The Ultimate Way to TURN Your Wastes Into Black Gold?”.

For more in-depth information about setting up worm composting systems, be sure to refer to our Helpful Related Resources section below!

Ongoing Feeding & Maintenance

Indoor systems started with Living Material (instead of bulk worms) should be mostly left alone for at least the first 3 to 4 weeks. Attempting to feed more often can result in pest outbreaks and other hassles.
Just generally, let the system be your guide! Any food deposits that get added should be mostly gone before any new food is added - it’s as simple as that.
With bigger backyard systems there is a lot more leeway! Apart from making sure you’ve set them up properly for vermicomposting (as touched on earlier), you can continue adding new materials on a regular basis without any concerns. NOTE: monitoring internal temperatures periodically isn’t a bad idea, though - especially if the system is sitting in a sunny location.

SUMMING UP

PC Living Material offers an easy, reliable way of inoculating your composting systems with a rich population of beneficial microbes and other composting organisms (including Red Worms). It can greatly help to ease the introduction of bulk composting worms into a new system, or even offer a much more natural option for growing your own population of composting worms from scratch!

Stay tuned for more content and updates relating to PC Living Material!

If you have any questions about these new LM products, or the topic of living materials in general, don’t ever hesitate to drop us a line. We love hearing from you, and helping you on your composting journey!

Living Material Links

What Is “Living Material"? (article)
Living Material (pdf product guide)
Living Material Launch News Release
Buy Living Material
Buy Living Material Starter Kits

Helpful Related Resources

Bedding - The Most Important Material in Your Worm Bin?
Smelly Worm Bins - Possible Causes and Effective Solutions
Setting Up and Managing Your Urbalive for Worm Composting Success!
DIY Plastic Worm Composting Bins
Setting Up Your Urban Worm Bag for Worm Composting Success!
Setting Up Your GeoBin for Worm Composting Success
Outdoor Vermicomposting 101

PC Living Material