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We need worms…

Article by Kate Southworth

Gardeners can help the planet in so many ways, we have looked at growing plants and trees to absorb carbon dioxide, give out oxygen, and absorb harmful pollutants in the air. But to do more, we need to know and understand our friends!

Let’s look first at the long, thin and wriggly army!

What mattered so much that Darwin studied them for years? WORMS! Darwin called worms the most important animal in the world. Without them, the fertility of our soil reduces to a low level, and our plants will not thrive. Cleopatra (Queen of Egypt between 51BC and 30BC) understood this, protecting worms by law, declaring them sacred, and anyone caught taking them out of the country would be put to death! The fertility of the Nile valley was so important to her.

Modern day garden expert Monty Don has described them as the perfect composting machines. Worm populations have fallen dramatically in recent years, especially on agricultural land. Gardens can provide the perfect sanctuary to encourage worm life, improving plant health and helping wildlife.

SO HOW DO WORMS HELP US?
They eat vegetable matter…pulling it into their holes. During digestion the waste collects microorganisms from the worm’s gut, which makes their excretions 8 times more beneficial.
The excreted worm casts, those little piles of earth you may see on your lawn, are super high in nutrients. They contain humic acid which stimulates plant growth even in low concentrations and help control plant diseases. Brush these into your lawn or save them. Humic acid contains nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, iron and magnesium in a soluble form ready for plants to use immediately. Some people use worm castings to put around potted plants to improve their growth.

Worms are a vital part of the food chain, birds, moles, frogs, hedgehogs and toads to name a few, all depend on worms as a staple food.
As the worms wriggle and work their way through the soil, they distribute useful microorganisms, and excavate long tunnels which aerate your soil, providing paths for roots to use, and water to drain down. The tunnelling helps to loosen compacted land into a more sponge like consistency, which is then able to absorb more water, especially heavy rain a protection against flooding. Research has shown that soils with very few earthworms can be up to 90% less effective at soaking up water. Worms can help clean up contaminated soil, they eat and break down pollutants, converting them into non-toxic molecules.

HOW TO HELP OUR WIGGLY FRIENDS?
Mulch…. mulch…mulch…cover your soil with bark, home compost, mushroom compost or leaves.
Do not use chemicals in your garden, worms are very sensitive to these. Reduce digging, as this disrupts the soil.
Use a fork rather than a spade to cause less harm to the worms… rarely will an earthworm regrow if cut in half, spare them please.

Help your worms and do something really significant to help both your garden and our planet!