Where have all my worms gone?

[george356]

A brickbat is the old term for a cut brick which was sometimes needed at the end of a course in order to allow a full brick to be used to turn the reveal. In days gone by (when I was at college) buildings were never designed using modular components so things like windows and doors sometimes meant that stretcher bond would not fit between reveals without needing a cut brick (brickies could cut a brick to size with one hit from the edge of their trowel). Building sites always had bits of brick which had been cut - brickbats - which could be thrown at the apprentice or hod carrier to keep them in line. H&S put a stop to that little passtime.

On the Ph theme, I finally got round to testing samples from 5 places today and all were Ph 7.0 so the old lime mortar must have washed away over the 30 years since the cottage was demolished.

So that demolishes my theory, David.

Well, now I am stumped - unless your mate has emptied the cricket field and has started on your garden

[rary]

Building sites always had bits of brick which had been cut - brickbats - which could be thrown at the apprentice or hod carrier to keep them in line. H&S put a stop to that little passtime

On the Ph theme, I finally got round to testing samples from 5 places today and all were Ph 7.0 so the old lime mortar must have washed away over the 30 years since the cottage was demolished.

Highlander, if the ph is ok my thoughts go to you, sadly, having flatworms in the garden, set traps as AP. has said and check daily
ps. H&S has a lot to answer for

[shushkin!]

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.

What a fascinating thread. I wondered if you had got to the bottom of your lack of earthworms? Is there anyway of overcoming the alkalinity of your soil? Earthworms are very important to soil health so I do hope so.

[gardening_gal]

We have no normal worms here either. Year before last we had an explosion of NZ worms. First time I'd ever seen them. Horrible things (imo) and the eggs are shiny black things almost like very small beads.

My money is on the probability that the OP's normal worm friends have been decimated by the intruders.

Just noticed the date on this thread. Wonder if he ever did find any worms, be they NZ or otherwise.

[Bill HH]

We have no normal worms here either. Year before last we had an explosion of NZ worms. First time I'd ever seen them. Horrible things (imo) and the eggs are shiny black things almost like very small beads.

My money is on the probability that the OP's normal worm friends have been decimated by the intruders.

Just noticed the date on this thread. Wonder if he ever did find any worms, be they NZ or otherwise.

Me too....

[bario1]

Definitely flatworms. I've never seen earthworms on my plot, but i have seen flatworms hiding in stacked up plant pots. So how does the soil get conditioned if there are no worms?

[ButternutSquash]

I have heavy clay soil which the neighbours complain about. I spread one inch of sharp sand on the dead lawn and rotavated it in. I saw almost no worms. The soil was heavy and compacted. Within weeks of rotavating, worm hills popped up. The soil is now lovely, and alive. My veg beds were heavily composted and are alive too. It might simply be that the soil is compacted and lacks organic matter.

Apparently compost worms do live in the soil, but in small quantities. Create a compost heap on soil, and brandling worms thrive.

[Highlander]

Just to update everyone - yes I have found New Zealand flatworm but on a positive note now that I have covered the garden with home made garden compost to a depth of at least 12 inches I have attracted earthworms back. I keep trapping the flatworms and disposing of them so it looks a lot brighter than it did a year ago.
Thanks for your advice.

[Two_Sheds]

I have attracted earthworms back.

hurrah!

[rary]

I keep trapping the flatworms and disposing of them so it looks a lot brighter than it did a year ago.
Thanks for your advice.

Just came across this post again, out of curiosity how many flatworms have you found

[bario1]

Weirdly, although in three years I have never seen a single earthworm on my allotment (where the soil has been constantly improved by myself), in my garden 1 mile away, which never gets any real attention, and is mainly a very compacted lawn, there are plenty of big fat earthworms anywhere you care to dig!

??

[Two_Sheds]

I removed the winter mulch to plant onions yesterday, and there was pretty much a worm in every trowel-full

[Madasafish]

I have thousands of worms - yes thousands in my daleks which compost kitchen waste.

My compost heaps have a lot as well...

[bario1]

I have plenty of worms in my compost, but they're not earthworms, they're red worms. I'm talking the proper pencil sized earthworms.

Do you think the flatworms can be persuaded to eat slugs instead? And anyway, what are the flatworms living on now that there are no earthworms??!!