killing the worm???

what makes one presume.. it wont go out the bottom... there have to be drainage holes ...

and what are they going to eat.. other than your media.. which you state.. is going to be there a long time????

i have found worms in pots ... they found their way themselves... i never thought of putting them in there ..
ken

Can't think of any particular benefits in a pot. Put the worms in the ground. ;-)

-Babka

I've found earthworms in pots before,that I didn't put there. What do you mean,there is no benefit? They enrich the soil with their castings in normal earth! I don't understand the question? I always find earthworms every time I plant a new hosta,and I'm glad to see it. Phil

yes phil.. i presumed OP was thinking of worm castings ... and thinking why not have them producing such in the pot ...

but my point.. was.. what will they be eating in the pot ... to create the end product .... all that will be there .. is the media you put in ....

but i am still fixated on OP saying they will be in the pot for some time ...

media in pots wear out ... it has to be changed every so often [2 to 4 years???] ... and too many peeps might think its just a nutrition issue ..

when it is actually a water management issue ...

hosta are heavy water users.. and they really need the water to flow thru the whole media.. instead of to the edge .. down.. and out .... this is where you win or lose ... if there is a big bone dry wad of media.. right in the middle of the pot ...

so i see no negative with some worms ... as i said.. i never thought of it ...

but media needs to be changed.. when water management becomes an issue.. worms or not ...

ken

ps: and i am presuming.. OP [original poster] .. is NOT using dirt on a pot ... with worms ....if so.. then she might not even know what i mean by media ...

Hey guys/gals! Thanks for the input. I hadnt put a whole lot of thought into this when posting. I was just digging in the yard next to all my potted hostas...noticed tons of worms and decided to throw a few in the pots and the question came to mind.

Didnt think about them just shooting right out the bottom and maybe they will if they dont like their new environment.

I have mixed pine-bark nuggets in my mix like you all suggest and figured maybe they would facilitate in breaking some of that down more over time?

I will certainly be changing media within the 2-4(probably more like 1-2) year period but to me that is still "some time".

Wasnt doing extra work to put worms in each pot just saw an abundance and figured it couldnt hurt!

If they are the work-horses of our soil why not let them work a little magic in the pot!

The OP is a HE! And yes I know what media is! Ill give a good story on that too!

I started out using a Mircale Grow potting soil and then adding some perlite,vermiculite, peat moss and pine bark nuggets.

Then I asked one of my local experts what they use and they pointed me towards Fafards so I got a bag of that. To my surprise it felt just like the mix I had come up with without the pine bark nuggets.

So.....now to use up what I have..I have been using half of the Fafards and half of my blend. So far not a single plant has complained.

We always put a handful or two in our gallon pots of hostas in our nursery. This way the plants take much less water with compost in the bottome.

Always find worms in the bottom of the pots when we take a hosta out of the pot.

Earth worms help add a few casing which will help the plant.

I don't see any need to add worms to my pots. Worms find their way inside if they want; I leave the choice up to them.