Invite earthworms into your garden
Are your soils suitable for earthworms to thrive in? Soil pH, moisture levels and temperature are particularly important.
• Worms don’t like soils that are too acid or too alkaline, preferring a pH of 4.5• Worms don’t like it too wet or too dry either. They lose about 20 per cent of their body weight every day in castings and mucus, so moist conditions are important. • are very light and prone to dry out quickly. Add compost and manure to increase soil fertility and water-holding capacity to encourage and feed worms. Use organic mulch to retain soil moisture in lighter soils during hot summer months. The worms will break it down into nutrients that plants can access. • are prone to being cold and wet, and dry out very hard in summer, making it difficult for earthworms to move around. Apply gypsum (calcium sulphate) to help break up clay soils, making them more friable, and adding calcium at the same time. Add organic matter and manure to help break up these soils and make them warmer and more crumbly. Loosen or drain soils that are too wet. • Earthworms don’t like soils that are too hot or too cold. Add compost to stabilise the soil environment and reduce the effect of weather extremes. • Cut down or stop using all artificial fertilisers, and pesticides (an overall term that groups together insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, molluscicides, algaecides etc.). Fungicides are particularly deadly to earthworms, especially products containing copper and any that contain carbendazim. Check the back label for the active ingredients. Artificial fertilisers are very acidic and detrimental to worm health as they lower soil pH.
