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More worms

HI

We have a very productive compost system but do not seem to have many earthworms in the garden soil. I read up on wormeries but found you cannot use earthworms. How can I increase our earthworms, maybe we do have lots but they hiding!

Advice please

Celia

 

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Posts

  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618

    In dry weather they will go down deeper.  A soil with lots of fibrous material in it will attract earthworms. Try adding compost on the surface, or well rotted farm yard manure.

    Wormeries use brandlings, a different type of worm.

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385

    Earthworms eat dead plant material, mainly by pulling it down from the surface, so you could try providing them with ideal conditions and mulch the surface of your soil with compost. This is actually the essence of the "no dig" system.

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385

    Evolution, waterbutts.  A sphere has the smallest possible surface area for any given volume of earthworm, so they have evolved to 'knot' themselves into as close to this shape as possible to avoid water loss.  They probably plug the entry hole and cover the inner surface with slime to seal it.

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • Zoomer44Zoomer44 Posts: 3,267

    There is a way of finding out if you have lots of earth worms in your soil, watched it on a gardening programme and as we don't have many of those....me thinks it was on the A to Z of Gardening, under E for earthworms or W for...you guessed it...Worms.

    If you can get the programme back on the internet, I recall something is mixed with water which when poured on soil doesn't harm worms but brings them up to the surface.     

    If you want to increase their number give them stuff they like to eat, mulch your soil with compost, they are one of the good guy's after all. 

  • Many thanks for all your replies. They are fascinating creatures. We do mulch with the compost and put well rotted manure down. They must be there but deeper as fidgetbones suggested.

    Celia

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    Bob- is there anything you don't know? image

    Fascinating facts - isn't Ma Nature clever....who thinks the human race is the highest form of intelligence?

    Not me! 

    It makes sense Celia doesn't it? They like damp - and there isn't much damp soil around just now so they have to look for it. I've been doing a lot of digging recently and they are much deeper than you'd expect. Even a foot down the soil's bone dry here.

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385

    Hi FG, There's plenty I don't know (I'm not the worlds best plantsman for instance - others here have much wider knowledge!)  However, I've always researched quite deeply into anything I find interesting, especially anything science/nature related - I'll have to admit being quite a bore about that sort of thing.image  I dislike political and religious subjects immensely though and go out of my way to try and avoid knowing anything about those at all - if I woke up one day and all politicians had been "recycled", I doubt I'd even notice except for wondering why the news was suddenly a lot shorter! image

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    Bob image

    My ex partner and I once watched a fascinating programme about weeds -b****y rosebay w. herb so it was relevant as we were inundated with it!

     Made everyone at work laugh when I told them!!

    Recycled politicians - would that be to the great compost bin in the sky?.....image

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385

    FG, One can only hope! image

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    I don't like to say waterbutts...I am a lady....

    They could be used for pavement  resurfacing- then we could get to walk all over them for a change!! image

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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