Where have all my worms gone?

[Highlander]

Well to be honest I can't say that I had any to start with, let me explain.

We moved here 5 years ago and I decided to turn an area of "rockery" to vegies. Dug out over 2 tonnes of large stones which turned out to be the walls of the cottage that stood here years ago, I know that because there were identifiable bits included in the pile such as window cills, air grates and roofing tiles. Anyway after 4 years of adding home made mature garden compost (I don't get worms in that either!) and careful use of the hoe I dug an area over this morning to incorporate more compost and could not find a worm! This is not a suprise as I don't think I have ever seen one. I know it was cold today and they could be deep but that doesn't explain not seeing one at other times.

The soil is a good loam with plenty of organic stuff added and is not waterlogged (sorry to you folk in the south), it has never really been bone dry either and in every other respect (other than being wormless) it is better than many allotments I have worked over the past 30 years or so. I can grow good crops, don't use chemical fertiliser or weedkiller.

Any suggestions listenned to with interest.

[WendyC]

The worms you get in compost are not the same as earthworms, they are sometimes called brandling worms and are quite small and red.
Have you ever found ant New Zealand flatworms?
See rogues gallery Image Gallery

These are widespread in Scotland, which is where I am guessing you are and can have an effwect on the earthworm population. And compost worms if they are in there too. I've never seen one as I am almost as far South as you can get without getting my feet wet!

[Aberdeenplotter]

Is it possible that you have New Zealand flatworm in the garden? To check, put a shovel full of soil in a carrier bag and set this down in the area you want to check. If they are present, there's a fair chance you will find them sheltering underneath your carrier bag.

[Aberdeenplotter]

snap Wendy

[KittyColdNose]

I was going to suggest the same.

[WendyC]

What we need to know now is whether we were right! I've never seen one and am quite happy for that to remain the case.

[Bill HH]

Snap here too, they can decimate a worm population then move on, so this may have occured some time ago, if your worm population returns i expect the New Zealand worms will come back and do it all again. They are a real disaster.

[Highlander]

Thanks guys. I have not seen one but will do the carrier bag thing in a couple of spots tomorrow and also look under some timber I have laying on the beds. If they live under stones I will not have a chance of getting rid of them.
Is there a solution or do I just live with them?

[Aberdeenplotter]

It's reckoned the population diminishes if not dies out as the earthworm population disappears. Then is the time to really load the garden with fym to encourage the earthworm recovery.

[Highlander]

Just found this page on theScottish Natural Heritage web site.

New Zealand and Australian flatworms in Scotland

[WendyC]

My cat brings in earthworms as "gifts". I usually put them back outside, but I could save you a few if you'd like. Some are enormous. Found a crispy one the other day that I had missed for a few days. Was still alive!

[Two_Sheds]

after 4 years of adding home made mature garden compost (I don't get worms in that either!)

I dug an area over this morning... and could not find a worm!

You won't find any, in winter. They'll have buried themselves down deeper in the soil until spring.

Compost worms are not the same as earth worms, and they have different diets (I'll let you hazard a guess as to what each one eats )

You'll have red brandlings in the uncomposted stuff, so long as you give them enough bedding (shredded newspaper is ideal), but when they've eaten everything, and it's turned to good soil, they will disappear.

[Highlander]

You won't find any, in winter. They'll have buried themselves down deeper in the soil until spring.

Compost worms are not the same as earth worms, and they have different diets (I'll let you hazard a guess as to what each one eats )

You'll have red brandlings in the uncomposted stuff, so long as you give them enough bedding (shredded newspaper is ideal), but when they've eaten everything, and it's turned to good soil, they will disappear.

I know that compost worms are different to the worms I would normally expect to find in the garden and I realise that the earthworms would be deeper in winter (I think I said that in my original post) although I have garden compost in bins, leaf litter (4 years old) in a mesh cage and grass cuttings (4 years old) in a pile in the wood but I have no worms anywhere at any time of the year!! My point is that I have NEVER seen any worms in this garden over the past 4 years since we moved here.

[Two_Sheds]

I have no worms anywhere at any time of the year!! My point is that I have NEVER seen any worms in this garden over the past 4 years

I don't know what you know and what you don't, so please don't take offence if certain advice is irritating/simple/obvious.


So, what I do that guarantees worm visits: in the warmer weather, water a patch of loose ground (not compacted lawn) and cover it with black polythene for a day or two. When you remove the plastic you should find all kinds of beasties in the upper layers of soil, if not on the surface itself.

[Bill HH]

I don't know what you know and what you don't, so please don't take offence if certain advice is irritating/simple/obvious.

If you read the original post it quite clearly states Highlander has no worms now or at any other time of year, they are deceased, bereft of life, gorn.