I've heard several people tell me they are going to buy worms from the store and spread them out in their soil to loosen it up. There are a few problems:
1- If you are buying worms, chances are good they will not do well in the soil you are going to release them in.
2- If you are using chemicals, your worms will die or leave.
The answer is to make the conditions desirable to attract worms. They will appear, as if by magic. I have experienced this first hand; Once I stopped using pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizer, the worms started appearing in abundance. This article from Texas Worm Ranch has some excellent information about this subject:
http://blog.txwormranch.com/2010/02/10/how-to-attract-deep-burrowing-earthworms-to-your-yard-and-garden.aspxtext from article:
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HOW TO ATTRACT DEEP BURROWING EARTHWORMS TO YOUR YARD AND GARDEN
We Sell Red Wiggler Worms, Pre-made Worm Bins and Texas Worm Ranch Worm Wine (TM).
Please visit us at:
www.txwormranch.comRed Wigglers are not natural deep burrowing "yard" earthworms. They are a variety also known as "manure worms" that are surface dwelling composters. They would quickly die or escape in most warm climate yard environments. Even releasing a more suitable deep burrowing earthworm variety has it's drawbacks, as your yard might not have the microbial ecosystem to support them and they might "move on" . What you are wanting to do is actually attract the local, native worms to be more plentiful in your yard and garden beds.
I have attracted several native varieties to my yard (which was a worm free zone 7 years ago when we bought this house--too much chemicals from previous owner). Now, we are 100% organic and have dozens of worms in every square foot of dirt on our property.
How to get earthworms in your yard or garden:
1) No chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides in your yard. Earthworms and beneficial microbes are too sensitive too these
2) Mulch in any grass clippings instead of bagging
3) Mow and mulch in leaves instead of bagging
4) Consider applying a thin layer of compost and very thin spinkling of dry molasses over your yard, water this in. This will encourage living, beneficial microbes which will, in turn, increase the suitability of your soil for native burrowing worm populations.
5) Apply a (Red Wiggler) worm compost tea like Texas Worm Ranch Worm Wine (TM) or your own homemade worm tea. This brew will have millions of beneficial microbes, fungi, and other sources of "food" attractive to the deep burrowing earthworms.
6) Use natural, plant-based fertilizers like alfalfa meal, corn gluten meal, soybean meal or cottonseed meal
7) Always keep garden beds mulched. Instead of blowing the fall leaves out of your beds (the perfect deep burrowing earthworm food), mow them up and use them as a free, earthworm friendly, mulch
The deep burrowing earthworms provide free fertilization through their worm castings and aerate your root zones with their burrowing. Pretty soon, you will have the healthiest and prettiest yard on the block AND it will be safe for you, the kids and the pets! Furthermore, this safe and environmentally friendly yard will help repel fleas, as you attract beneficial insects that will eat the flea larvae and protect you from fire ants, that are attracted to environments with little microbe activity (and I don't know the science behind that, but it is true).
Posted by Heather Rinaldi at 2/10/2010 9:28 AM
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: vermicompost organic gardening worm compost earthworms
