I can't comment with any great authority on the merits of worms in indoor plants, as that is a bit of a new adventure for me, but I have been growing absolutely thriving outdoor plants in containers for years..... and every time people ask me what my secret to thriving pot plants is I tell them just add worms and sheep poo! Yes is does change the soil structure but my plants thrive in it. I was agast reading comments of people ridding obviously outdoor plants like fruit trees of worms! I have very high yielding lemon, orange, lime and mandarin trees in pots and are absolutely full of wigglers. Not to mention all the veges, palms, ferns and flowing plants. In the larger fruit tree pots I've never had a problem with drainage and if I ever do in smaller pots I simply repot with new homemade potting mix and a healthy dose of the original worm filled soil. I regularly buy the marked down "sad" plants from the nursery that look like they're on their last legs and have about a 95% hit rate for reviving them and turning them into healthy, lasting plants...which, you guessed it, I do in my worm filled potting mix! I hope that newer gardeners reading this don't turn off worms in their outdoor potted plants as they are wonderful! I understand the effect they have on soil structure but at the end of the day the proof of their benefits (in outdoor potted plants) is on the pudding (or in this case my thriving garden). These forums are a wonderful medium for sharing knowledge but try different things out for yourself to see what works for you. Why not do a little experiment with 2 identical (outdoor) pots and plants and try adding worms to 1 and leave the other alone and see what happens? After reading this forum and the differing opinions re indoor plants I'm currently trying the same thing with some indoor plants as as I mentioned that's a bit of a new gardening adventure for me and I'm still discovering what works for the temperamental little buggers! Happy gardening!

Earthworms are a relatively common occurrence in houseplants which have been given summer vacations outside. It is also very possible that eggs (also known as cocoons) were in with the castings. They would be easy to miss. This is not an ideal time to be repotting your plants. I'd give the pots a good soaking. Place the plants in a container that will allow you to fill with a few inches of water while you drench your plant. You want the entire soil volume to become totally saturated. Then, empty the water vessel and let the plant sit overnight. I'll wager that you'll find some captured worms in the morning. If you post this same question in the Houseplant Forum, you'll get lots of other suggestions, too. It comes up fairly often over there, especially at this time of year.

I'd move them outside, and they may have come from cocoons you included if you used any worm compost to make up the potting soil - I add worms to outside containers because there's always some when I spread the worm bin compost around, but outside if they want to get away they can just go out into the yard - the ones in your house plants are small and sad because redworms are heavy feeders and need an environment rich in organic material - truck'em to the compost :) Bill

When you use a soil that's so water-retentive you can't water correctly (so you're flushing the soil of accumulating salts when you water) w/o the plant suffering from extended periods of soil saturation, odds are you're going to be leaving a LOT of your plant's potential lying on the table unrealized. Also, if you can't water correctly, making sure your plants are getting what they need, nutritionally, when they need it, is little more than a dream ...... especially if you're depending on soil amendments or the soil proper as a source of nutrients. In the end, focusing on your soil's structure (its ability to consistently provide your plants with a favorable ratio of air and moisture) and ability to maintain that structure is far more important than the soil's ability to feed the plant. With the right fertilizer and a soil you can water correctly, it takes less than 5 minutes to learn how to put in place a nutritional supplementation program that gives you complete control over what plants get, how much, and when they get it. It just doesn't make good sense to use a soil you have to compete with for control over your plants' vitality. Al