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No worms in soil

  • 22-10-2011 4:35pm
    #1
    zagmund
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,501 ✭✭✭


    We moved into our current house last year and have put a bit of work into reclaiming some of the large garden since then. I dug out a few plots, turned them over, added what little compost there was and worked away for the summer.

    We planted first early potatos & onions and they cropped pretty well through the summer. Mrs Zag planted some cabbage & broccoli seedlings back in August and they are doing really well with little or no attention. So far, so good.

    The problem (or is it one ?) is that the soil doesn't appear to have any worms in it. If I remember my basic gardening, you need worms for a combination of breaking stuff down and, err, something else.

    Should I be worried about the lack of worms, or just be happy that the soil appears to be 100 times better than it was in the last house ? I plan on the usual "introduce plenty of organic matter" over the winter - will that be enough to get the worms to start doing their thing ?

    z


Comments

  • #2
    ei.sdraob
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,376 ✭✭✭ei.sdraob


    I thought I was in a similar situation,
    they don't seem to like well-drained bits,

    but recently when digging beds founds loads in a part of garden that was wet, had more soil, had plenty of weeds and had grass-clippings along the edge, they seemed to have been digesting the grassclipings, maybe they just need something to eat...


  • #3
    redser7
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,730 ✭✭✭redser7


    If you can get your hands on some rotted manure and dig it in that will bring them up


  • #4
    slowburner
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 5,223 Mod ✭✭✭✭slowburner


    Worms don't like dry soil or disturbed soil. Chances are that they've gone deep in response to the digging you've been doing. They are hypersensitive to vibration. Disregarding the last couple of days, it has been a dry year overall, believe it or not; worms will go deep in dry weather. When things settle, they'll come back.
    If you want to check the population you can go out on a damp, warm night and search the ground with a torch or you could leave a bit of old carpet undisturbed for a few weeks - if there are worms, they'll camp under it.
    Good cropping indicates that there is no problem.

    The 'something else' that worms do is improve soil structure and improve aeration - without them, all we would have is rank clay :)


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