Allotments 4 All

While digging over a patch of my allotment I've unearthed a few dead and dying worms. They're mainly small and bleached-looking and limp, like they've had all the stuffing knocked out of them. I also found a big one that wasn't as pale but similarly empty and limp. It's quite disturbing as I've never seen anything like it before. The soil is quite waterlogged and clay-ey as it hasn't been cultivated for a while and the previous holders got rid of weeds by skimming the top soil off and dumping it elsewhere. Is it just the poor, stagnant quality of the soil that's killing off the worms (I'm trying to improve it by incorporating garden compost as I go along) or something more sinister? I've found plenty of healthy worms as well by the way.

Hi Em I've never seen or heard of worms in this condition, I would get the soil tested. :-\ ;D ;D ;D

It does sound as though it's either waterlogging or something poisoning them. If you need to buck up your soil add loads of organic matter, it doesn't necessarily matter what.

         
                New Zealand Flatworm


                  have a look at this

These worms just sound like they've been drowned in the waterlogged soil to me. Have similar problems in certain very wet areas of my plot, but there's plenty of happy earthworms come summer, so I don't worry about it too much.

thanks, yes I thought it was probably just the quality of the soil. I haven't seen any new zealand flatworms but I'll keep my eyes peeled! i'll try not to panic in the meantime...

Quote from: emilene on January 24, 2007, 13:56:44
thanks, yes I thought it was probably just the quality of the soil. I haven't seen any new zealand flatworms but I'll keep my eyes peeled! i'll try not to panic in the meantime...

They are nasty buggers - you have to report them if you do find them!

Louise

To whom? Louise....
???

Saddad: the lovely folk at three bases of the UK's Central Science Laboratory are collecting New Zealand flatworm specimens.

Alive if possible, and posted in a solid container "such as a film container" (what do we use now that we've all gone digital?  :o )

Here's the link with the postal addresses: http://flatworm.csl.gov.uk/gotone.htm

And for anyone who wants to see the horrible things up close... http://flatworm.csl.gov.uk/gallery.htm

What are these worms supposed to do that makes them important?
Somebody has just posted a thread on 'Basics' and it sounds like she could have one on her plot.

Rosemary

They eat earthworms, and can have a serious impact on populations. Nobody knows yet how serious it's likely to be.