Topic: Worms don't like my garden.

[SueM]

First of all, I'm relieved that other people on this site don't have allotments. This is such a good forum I'd hate to be excluded because I 'only' have a garden.

Now for the question. Does anyone have any ideas about why I have hardly any worms? I live in Fife. Garden 21ft by 200ft. Soil acid, about 12-18 inches of nice dark rather silty loam over clay. We've been in this house about 16 years and in that time I've seen only about 2 dozen worms in the garden - nice fat, healthy ones, but lonely.

Compost, mushroom compost and horse manure have regularly been added to the soil - but no increase in worms. Brandling worms introduced to the compost heap vanished without trace.

About 10 years ago I had a couple of those worm-eating flatworms, but have never seen any since. Died of starvation I expect!

Any ideas anyone?

Sue

[Garden Manager]

Cant really help in solving the problem Sue, though i can offer something by wat of an explanaion (i think - some one feel free to correct me).

I think the soil acidity has something to do with the lack of worms, I beleive they are less numerous on acid soil than on neutral or alkaline. I garden on alkaline chalk and my soil is full of them (pity i cant send you any  ;D). I have even found them in the very stony.chalky subsoil underneath.

As I said dont know what (if any thing) you can do to increase them, except keep adding organic matter to the soil to keep those you have got happy and fed (perhaps they'll then breed?)

If anyone can ad to this feel free.

Hope this helps a bit  :) :-\

[SueM]

Thanks Richard. I had wondered about acidity. Add more lime perhaps? No rhodos or camellias in the veg patch so might give it a go.

Sue

[john_miller]

When I first moved over here I was surprised how few worms there were in the soil. I had always put this down to the relatively low soil moisture here, especially during the summer, and to the base acidity of the soil. Even fields that have been worked for decades remain low in worm population. I found out two years ago that in fact the low worm population is a result of the last ice age. For some reason, which I don't think is well understood, worms have been unable to become well established in these soils since. Perhaps it is the same in Fife?
A soil low in worms is not infertile incidentally, if that is also causing you some concern. Most decomposition throughout the world is done by bacteria and fungi. If your garden is producing healthy plants then you may be best advised not to try to alter it's characteristics. Has the organic material you added disappeared? Even if you do raise the pH of your garden the chances that the inhospitable soil is confined to your garden is small and no worms will cross to yours. What may happen though is that you kill the existing microfauna and flora (which will consist of species adapted to the present pH) without them being replaced adequately.

[Muddy_Boots]

Please John, post if I'm wrong but, Sue, if you can get hold of some nettles and mix em with water in airtight container (and cope with smell when you open it up after few weeks) think might help.  Worms and nettles love each other!  However, as John says, if things are still growing, why worry?

Most of us manage by trial and error and, luckily have peeps like John, Hugh, Stephan and Eric amongst many others, too many to name, to give us help when we need it.  Trust your instinct to begin with and don't worry about those kind of details.  We learn every day and every year!

Just enjoy your gardening, is the most important thing  :D

[SueM]

Thanks John and Muddy Boots. I don't have nettles, but perhaps comfrey might substitute?

I'm not worried about the fertility, which is ok. It's more to do with drainage and soil structure generally. Not that the soil is waterlogged, but with increasingly wet winters I've noticed moss growing in places where it didn't a few years ago, and in places the surface looks a bit compacted by the spring. I suppose I'm lazy and would rather the worms did something about it.

Intriguing about the last Ice Age. I'd love to know more about that.

Sue

[Muddy_Boots]

Again, need help here but think if soil is not too compacted you will have more success with wormys but don't worry to much if is well fertile, you won't have too many probs  :D

[gavin]

Just a thought - probably wide of the mark?  Have you never had earthworms - or have they disappeared?  Since you found the flatworms?

If the latter, it looks like you're doing the right thing - according to http://www.hdra.org.uk/factsheets/pc21.htm.

Good luck - Gavin

 

[Hugh_Jones]

If it`s any consolation SueM, there are quite a few areas on the North West Coast of Scotland where there are either very few worms, or no worms at all.  For instance the area around Lochinver is completely devoid of them and visiting anglers from Glasgow have got into the habit of taking their own in bait cans.  The local pundits quote exactly the same reason as does John - i.e. the last Ice Age.

[SueM]

Thanks very much to everyone who helped me on this. I'm so glad I found this forum. I feel a lot better about my lack of worms now.

Sue