Fairly recently working an allotment bit by bit and now able to dig reasonably since we've had some rain. I'm concernend for our worms. We never saw any last year but now with some donkey droppings and stuff they are BIG. While digging I worry and feel guilty that so many get divided.

If, hypothetically, there are 100 worms in a bed when I start to dig and, when I've dug it, every worm is chopped in two, how many worms would there be in the near future? Is it zero because all die or is its 200 'cos tails and heads grow new bits or the same number (100) because pointy ends grow new tails but the tails die (or vice versa) or something else?

I think I like worms because I read that they 'do the digging for you' (up to 1% or 2% of it, perhaps, based on the performance of ours last 9 months to September).

"GavinR" wrote in message
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Worms query
Fairly recently working an allotment bit by bit and now able to dig
reasonably since we've had some rain. I'm concernend for our worms.
We never saw any last year but now with some donkey droppings and stuff
they are BIG. While digging I worry and feel guilty that so many get
divided.

It depends on the earthworm species, some can, in general they can regrow a
new tail, a few can regrow a new head, and in theory create 2 new worms. The
few that you dig up and accidently cut are a tiny fraction of the total
worms on the property, so i wouldn't worry about feeling guilty.


If, hypothetically, there are 100 worms in a bed when I start to dig
and, when I've dug it, every worm is chopped in two, how many worms
would there be in the near future? Is it zero because all die or is
its 200 'cos tails and heads grow new bits or the same number (100)
because pointy ends grow new tails but the tails die (or vice versa) or
something else?

I think I like worms because I read that they 'do the digging for you'
(up to 1% or 2% of it, perhaps, based on the performance of ours last 9
months to September).

Worms do all kinds of good things for the soil, their tunnels soften the
soil, and bring water and air further into the soil. Worm castings (poop) is
a good source of nitrogen. Worms bring surface leaf litter further into the
subsoil, and other things that would be impractical or impossible for a
human to replicate.

-S

Many thanks for info Snooze. I shall sleep better now. I just went to Wikipedia and I see there's enough there to do a Masters in worms (5,500 kinds of earthworm) so perhpas I'll be up all night studying now. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthworm ; if interested.
Gavin