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egyronin

worms in my soil?

egyronin
11 years ago

hi,this is a disgusting topic.cleaning up my hanging basket,i move the soil around a bit i find some of these worms(pic attached)just hanging in there.should i worry?throw the soil and repot the plant? .any help will be appreciated.

Comments (9)

  • nil13
    11 years ago

    it' fine for worms to be in potting soil.

  • Ohiofem 6a/5b Southwest Ohio
    11 years ago

    People pay top dollar for worm castings. Many of my large houseplant pots have some earthworms in them even though they've been inside since mid October. They come to the surface sometimes when I water the pots. They won't hurt your plants and may even contribute a bit to aeration and fertility. Earthworms are great in the garden, so I'm quite fond of them.

  • egyronin
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    thankx for the quick respond.so this is earth worms?thy dont have that the link in the middle(clitellum) that is common to earth worms.ya thy do come up when i water the soil.dont want to infect the rest of my plants u kno.

  • nancyjane_gardener
    11 years ago

    Looks more like a red wiggler, that loves to eat your vege scraps. Pop them into your compost pile and they will re-produce like crazy!
    Earthworms are more in an in ground garden I believe. Nancy

  • egyronin
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    thankx nancy,no compost pile here on the fire escape lol.i live in the cement heaven brooklyn,ny but thy do look like red wiggler.oh thankx a lot i was worried.good no need to change the soil or throw away the plants.

  • nycgarden
    11 years ago

    I'm also in NYC. You could start a worm bin, which is like a mini compost pile for indoors. You could build your own for next to nothing and have worm castings as a great soil amendment for your plants.

  • Ohiofem 6a/5b Southwest Ohio
    11 years ago

    Red wigglers are not native to North America. And the kinds of earthworms who are native here are not recommended for vermicomposting. I guess it would be possible to have red wigglers in your pots if you used worm castings from someone who was growing them. But I know the ones in my pots came from the ground in my yard. There is a GW forum on this subject if you're interested in trying it.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Quick facts about worm composting

  • egyronin
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    nycgarden-intersting thought i do consume lots of vegs and fruit.good idea to start the worm bin may be down the road i will.atleast it is a good way to take care of kitchen scraps.

    ohiofem-yes i did buy worm casting for all my soil i mixed them with soil into the pot thy went.that gotta be the way thy got to my pots.great website love.thankx.oh man another project for me.i wanna get into bonsai always been intersted in it.multitasking is the way.thankx all.

  • nycgarden
    11 years ago

    Another option for your veg. scraps is to collect them and deposit them at your local farmers market. The Union Square FM has a collection for kitchen scraps that they then turn into compost and sell.

    We keep ours in a bag in the freezer and then take it with us when we go to the farmers market.

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