Lots of worms a good sign?

17 years ago

Well, I know worms are good. But the previous owners of this property probably used chemicals on the lawn and garden. It's been three years probably since they did anything with the soil, and I have tons of worms in my yard. Almost every day I come out to see more worm tracks and piles of worm castings. They're everywhere in the yard.

I'm making the assumption that if I have that many worms burrowing through my yard that the dirt's fairly healthy. Am I correct? I'm thinking that if it was saturated with chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, etc. I wouldn't have so many healthy, happy worms.

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Comments (7)

justaguy2
17 years ago
Contrary to what you may have heard, most of the chemicals do not deter worms in the least. I don't know if you are aware, but golf courses sometimes do things to try and kill worms because of the little poop piles they leave on the course.

Most golf course management programs consist of fungicide, pesticide, synthetic fertilize and repeat.

I can't know about the health of your soil, but if the worms like it then it probably isn't too bad. Worms are never a bad sign in soil (unless you manage the greens at a golf course).
Kimmsr
17 years ago
Whether you will have worms or not depends lees on not using synthetic fertilizers than it does on whether you are adding organic matter each year. Soils with little to no organic matter will not have earthworm populations while soils with lots of organic matter will have large populations of earthworms which can be an indication of soil healthy along with good, reliable soils tests. All the presence of earthworms indicates is that there is at least enough organic matter in the soil for them to digest.
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pnbrown
17 years ago
No doubt about that, and it has largely to do with soil type.

At my florida place, which is pure sand dunes (albeit tens of thousands of years old), there are absolutely no worms in the fields. Even under the forested areas in the leaf-mold they are vanishingly rare. The OM just desintigrates so fast in the sand that there is nothing to support worms. It'll be interesting to see when I'm able to build up OM in planting beds if worms will be sustainable.
naplesgardener
17 years ago
Not trying to be a downer but I read (I think the NYTimes) that some areas have too many worms which caused problems I think actually killing plants and trees. I wish I could remember more but I never knew there could be too many worms until I read that.
I also live in FL and add my kitchen veggie waste to my garden which has encouraged worms in my lasagna beds on top of the pure rock and sand "soil".
Kimmsr
17 years ago
The organic matter is not just disintigrating it is being devoured by starving soil bacteria faster than it is being replaced. You need to add more organic matter more often, and then once you get enough in that soil you will see earthworms.
pnbrown
17 years ago
Another factor in florida and other hot climes with sandy soil is aridity. Florida experiences a version of the tropical wet/dry seasons, as well as a mild version of the temperate winter/summer season. A combo of fast-draining sand, little rainfall for five months, as well as dry air and hot mid-day winter sun means very arid conditions on all but the lowest areas. Up-lands are deserts of dormant bahia-grass or pine-barrens.

Simply not friendly conditions for any kind of worm. Worms obviously require a fairly high level of moisture - more OM leads to better moisture-retention, but areas that are naturally arid for much of the year will produce very little OM in the first place. Not native worm habitat.
pablo_nh
17 years ago
naples: non-native earthworms have reduced the forest litter in some areas. Some trees rely on a thick layer of leaves, and have suffered from the worms eating it. In some places (MN, for example) the worm populations are highest near fishing lakes/ponds where fishermen release live bait at the end of the day.

Lots of worms a good sign?

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justaguy2

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