Gardening
Related: About this forumI like to put night crawlers in my garden.
How can I tell if they are doing any good?
rzemanfl
(30,288 posts)Ptah
(33,493 posts)Lint Head
(15,064 posts)Ptah
(33,493 posts)Ferrets are Cool
(21,957 posts)Several species of helpful earthworms will magically appear as you dig compost and other forms of organic matter into your soil. The most important species in terms of soil improvement is the night crawler (Lumbricus terrestris), which specializes in taking organic matter from the soils surface and storing it in underground middens, which are combination food supply/trash heaps. As these middens decompose, they become nutrient-rich hot spots in plants root zones. In addition, night crawler tunnels create open channels for water and plant roots, which can make a huge difference in tight clay soil.
Using mulches will encourage night crawlers, as will creating grassy mowed pathways, which you might think of as night crawler reservoirs. But the best thing you can do to increase night crawler populations is to place piles of compost and mulch in or near your garden. More night crawler activity goes on around the edges of compost and mulch piles than anywhere else in your garden.
Chances are good that providing habitat for night crawlers will attract them in noticeable numbers, but if you want to import worms to colonize your new garden area, you can use night crawlers that are sold as fishing bait. Mother Earth News
If you put them there, they will do good things.
Ptah
(33,493 posts)The places I put them have some compost and are growing well.
Ferrets are Cool
(21,957 posts)I have a compost bin close to it where I grow earthworms. The Koi love them as treats.
BlueTexasMan
(179 posts)Here in my area the Red Wiggler is recommended for its ability to work in the upper soil layers. They work shallow and horizontally doing a better job of loosening the soil than the deep vertical tunnels of the Night Crawler. I've ordered them by mail before and they do just fine.
csziggy
(34,189 posts)Kaleva
(38,175 posts)When digging a trench for my Hugelkultur garden.
Ptah
(33,493 posts)Kaleva
(38,175 posts)Ptah
(33,493 posts)It does look productive.
Kaleva
(38,175 posts)NutmegYankee
(16,311 posts)All earth worms in New England are exotic/invasive species. The glaciers wiped them out and as they get introduced they damage the forest floors.
Kaleva
(38,175 posts)This would cost me nothing but my time and labor as I already have a number of 5 gallon buckets and the tools needed to drill holes in them.