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muddykoinz

Lack Of Worms

muddykoinz
14 years ago

My garden lacks worms. In fact, I've yet to see one. How do I attract or do I need to bring some in? Please help.

Thank you.

Comments (7)

  • greenbean08_gw
    14 years ago

    I think having plants (and of course organic material) attracts them. When digging in bare areas in my backyard, I almost never see a worm. This week I dug out and moved the tulips & phlox out front and actually found a quite a number of them.

    The worms in my veggie garden (I think they're red wigglers) were in the horse manure I got last year. They have reproduced prolifically.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Tales of a Transplanted Gardener

  • bpgreen
    14 years ago

    The soil in much of the RM area is low in organic matter. Worms need organic matter. If you want worms, you'll need to increase the organic content of your soil. Start a compost pile, mulch mow your lawn, go to Starbucks and get the grounds for the garden (if there are any Starbucks near you). I use the grounds in my compost, on my garden (never more than 1/2 inch thick) and on my lawn as a mild fertilizer. But my main goal is to increase the organic content.

    In the fall, mulch mow your leaves into the lawn. Have your neighbors give you their leaves and mulch mow them, add them to the compost, pile them on the garden.

    There are probably a few worms or eggs, but they're waiting for food.

  • jclepine
    14 years ago

    You can have some of mine! We have zillions!

    :)

  • austinnhanasmom
    14 years ago

    I found the same problem when I expanded my plot this past year.

    I bought some eggs (cocoons - European Nightcrawlers) and tossed them into my veggie garden, then covered them with leaves and aged food. I bought cocoons because I read that transplanted adults don't thrive. I need worms to love the environment and multiply - like rabbits...

    I did notice that under every WS jug, there were worms!! Even inside the jugs too.

    Never again will I toss out leaves nor collected grass. From now on, back into the garden it all goes.

  • Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
    14 years ago

    I don't need to any more because the soil has been worked, but when we started I'd ride the bike down to the reservoir and on the way back pick up a cup o' worms.

    Dan

  • david52 Zone 6
    14 years ago

    Worms do not like chemical fertilizer, and if you are applying it to your lawn/garden, the numbers will be down considerably. As others have said, organic matter is what they love, be it grass clippings left on the lawn, manure, even wet newspaper mulch, once they find it.

    As an aside, I decided to quit using fertilizers on my 2 acres of lawn, and over-seeded it with Dutch White clover last summer. Quite a bit came up this year, and where it is established, it is pretty impressive. There is a very productive earth-worm / clover / pasture thing they do in New Zealand, and I'm trying it here. Feels like walking on a sponge.

  • Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
    14 years ago

    Hi Muddy,

    I have a couple suggestions for "attracting" worms to your garden! I discovered both of them quite by accident!

    First, if you have somewhere to build a compost pile, and if you build it directly on the ground, the worms that are in the soil under it will migrate up into it and PROLIFERATE! I never dreamed this would be a side benefit when I started my compost pile, but my constant supply of worms from the compost pile is now as important as the actual compost I get! HereÂs a link to the compost thread I started last year. The info about the worms is in the first and sixth paragraphs under the first picture.

    And I also discovered, this past winter, that when I left large garbage bags full of leaves laying on the bare soil of my veggie garden, that the worms live and thriveÂand procreateÂunder them all winter long! This year I just happened to leave a few bags laying around that I didnÂt have room for on the compost pile, but next winter I am definitely going to save some bags just for the purpose of providing "worm incubation chambers" over next winter. HereÂs a pic of just a few of the worms that were under one of the bags when I lifted it up this spring. As soon as you lift it, most of them disappear down into their holes, so the pic really only shows a fraction of what was there.

    Lest you think there were already a bunch of worms here when I moved in here, there werenÂt! Where the plastic bags were laying was sod over pretty heavy clay, and worms were few and far between. As IÂve gradually added organic matter and made the place hospitable for them, theyÂve been blessing me with their bounty. With a little bit of "worm food" and TLC, you can grow your own supply.

    Happy worm growing,
    Skybird

    Here is a link that might be useful: Reflections on Compost!

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