how do I put worms into topsoil to get the best survival rate?
 

I have several pounds of worms coming and 420 sq ft of raised bed to put
them in. Should I :


a: just drop them on the surface and let them drill down?

b: use a broomstick handle to drill holes and drop them in?

c: dig little trenchs , 2-3" deep, and put them in them?

Thanks for your help.


MK

how do I put worms into topsoil to get the best survival rate?
 

theakson said:

I have several pounds of worms coming and 420 sq ft of raised bed to put
them in. Should I :


a: just drop them on the surface and let them drill down?

Put them on the surface (make sure it is well watered) and cover them with
a bit of light mulch (shredded leaves or straw). Be sure to wet the mulch, too.

If these are composting worms (red worms, Eisenia foetida) they won't be
very happy living in the soil. They prefer aging compost, leaf litter or
old manure piles. They don't live in soil burrows like nightcrawlers or
garden worms. They are best put to use in in vermicomposting or
'finishing' bulk compost.
--
Pat in Plymouth MI

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

how do I put worms into topsoil to get the best survival rate?
 

Thanks God she has more then enough worms in her soil as it is lol. Best thing
I ever did was go 100% organic a few years ago :o) Funny thing is I have less
problems all around then when I was living with chemicals.

Colleen
Zone 5 Connectcut

how do I put worms into topsoil to get the best survival rate?
 

Hey, Theakson, don't worry "planting" the little suckers in full darkness. Do it
anytime after about four o'clock. You just want to avoid exposing them to a warm
full sun. (Its pain in the butt to coat 1500 red worms with #35 UV protection.)
The other problem with doing it during the day is ....... carnivorous robins.
Those red breasted buggers have a sixth sense about them when it comes to
locating a tasty cache of food. So the later you spread them out in smorgasbord
fashion, the better. Be sure to cover them with the damp stuff you've already
mentioned.

Oh, and by the way, the 3 hours thing is probably a bit too conservative. Those
shipping companies have to protect their butts somehow. They would probably keep
very well in the refrigerator until the next day. The guys who sell them as
fishing worms keep them in the refrigerator for weeks. Only problem is, keeping
them in the refrigerator with a wife in the house results in rather harsh
retribution.

Harlan

theakson wrote:

It seems I can't the company delivering advise to use them within 3 hours of
delivery. Night in Chicago is around 22:00 so that would be a little late.

T

how do I put worms into topsoil to get the best survival rate?
 

In article ,
says...
:) The other problem with doing it during the day is ....... carnivorous robins.
:) Those red breasted buggers have a sixth sense about them when it comes to
:) locating a tasty cache of food. So the later you spread them out in smorgasbord
:) fashion, the better.
:)
That was my concern ont the night release..the robins.
--
Good judgment comes from experience,
and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.


Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!

how do I put worms into topsoil to get the best survival rate?
 

"Harlan Davis" wrote in message
...
Hey, Theakson, don't worry "planting" the little suckers in full darkness.
Do it
anytime after about four o'clock. You just want to avoid exposing them to
a warm
full sun. (Its pain in the butt to coat 1500 red worms with #35 UV
protection.)
The other problem with doing it during the day is ....... carnivorous
robins.
Those red breasted buggers have a sixth sense about them when it comes to
locating a tasty cache of food. So the later you spread them out in
smorgasbord
fashion, the better. Be sure to cover them with the damp stuff you've
already
mentioned.

Well, I planted them at 12:00 :-) BUT I dug little trenches for the
pampered l'll things. Laid a nice bed of damp leaves that had been
composting nicely for 6 months. The worms came in bags full of their
original bedding so they were already bedded in. I put this on the leaves
with the worms inside. I then covered the worms with earth. I then strung
birdex netting over the raised beds.


Oh, and by the way, the 3 hours thing is probably a bit too conservative.
Those
shipping companies have to protect their butts somehow. They would
probably keep
very well in the refrigerator until the next day. The guys who sell them
as
fishing worms keep them in the refrigerator for weeks. Only problem is,
keeping
them in the refrigerator with a wife in the house results in rather harsh
retribution.

Harlan


I agree but I'm taking no chances so I got them in within 1 hour of
getting them. Given that I bought them from ex-gang members who are trying
to start a business, I am not making this up, I figure that I won't be
complaining anytime soon :-). Chicago's like that. I stored a fake alien
embryo in the deep freeze we use in the guest apartment, I then forgot about
it until we had guests. They used ALOT of toilet paper that night.



theakson wrote:

It seems I can't the company delivering advise to use them within 3
hours of
delivery. Night in Chicago is around 22:00 so that would be a little
late.

T

how do I put worms into topsoil to get the best survival rate?
 

Thanks for the helpful answer.

ps. I live in Chicago IL not MD. The only organic in my garden is a guy
called Vinnie.

how do I put worms into topsoil to get the best survival rate?
 

Tyra Trevellyn said:

I'll tag my question onto this thread, but it's about common earthworms
("fishin' worms," etc.)

I have a currently cold compost pile with a good earthworm population of its
own. Is there any reason not to leave them there.....if the pile ever heats up
will they escape into the surrounding areas?

I've watched them come wiggling out when a newly-made compost pile
starts heating up. If it get's too hot, they will move.

Is this wrong-think? Do earthworms generally survive if you move them from one
environment to another? (I'm careful to include some soil/compost from their
previous home, make sure I've roughed up the new area a bit, and put some dried
crumbled leaves over them for shade.)

Young worms will sometime migrate in search of greener pastures; mature
worms prefer to stay at home. A large nightcrawler, for instance, has a
permanent burrow that it built while it grew and sticks to it most of the time.
(It does come out at night to pull in food or seek out a mate.) It would be
severely stressed if you tried to transport it far from home, and might not be
able to make the transition.

Treat your soil gently to be kind to the worms. Once a garden is dug and
established, the most you should aim to do is fluff the soil a little bit. A lot
of deep tillage can wreck havoc on the worm population.

Organic mulch on the soil surface will feed the worms. In the spring you
can often find the surface openings of nightcrawler burrows; the worm will
have pulled bits of dead vegetation and leaves into its burrow from all
around. Nightcrawlers also have 'latrine' areas where they cast waste
and soil from the burrow. In clay soils these large castings can be a
real nuisance, getting rock hard when they dry, leading some people to
try and rid their soil of worms.


Alfalfa meal or pellets will feed the worms and your plants.

A couple of general-knowlege worm links:

http://www.soils.umn.edu/research/ars/mn_worm.htm
http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/NEWSLTR/v3n1/sa-9.htm

Finally, while nightcrawlers (and some other now common worms) are welcomed
by farmers andgardeners, they are not native to North America and are associated
with problematic changes to the leaf litter and habitat of the forest floor and the
spread of invasive alien plants in areas where no native worm species occurred.
(And in areas which had native worm species, they have also been problematic,
driving down the population of native worms in southern forests.)

http://www.invasiveplants.net/impsal.htm
--
Pat in Plymouth MI

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

how do I put worms into topsoil to get the best survival rate?
 

(Pat Kiewicz) wrote:

Tyra Trevellyn said:

I'll tag my question onto this thread, but it's about common earthworms
("fishin' worms," etc.)

I have a currently cold compost pile with a good earthworm population of
its
own. Is there any reason not to leave them there.....if the pile ever
heats up
will they escape into the surrounding areas?


I've watched them come wiggling out when a newly-made compost pile
starts heating up. If it get's too hot, they will move.


Is this wrong-think? Do earthworms generally survive if you move them
from one
environment to another? (I'm careful to include some soil/compost from
their
previous home, make sure I've roughed up the new area a bit, and put some
dried
crumbled leaves over them for shade.)


Young worms will sometime migrate in search of greener pastures; mature

worms prefer to stay at home. A large nightcrawler, for instance, has
a
permanent burrow that it built while it grew and sticks to it most of the
time.
(It does come out at night to pull in food or seek out a mate.) It would
be
severely stressed if you tried to transport it far from home, and might
not be
able to make the transition.

Treat your soil gently to be kind to the worms. Once a garden is dug and
established, the most you should aim to do is fluff the soil a little bit.
A lot
of deep tillage can wreck havoc on the worm population.

Got it. Once my beds are dug and planted, I usually dig only to amend small
areas that are being replanted, or to enlarge the beds (I'm always trying to
get more space). This I do almost entirely with a hand trowel and thus I can
grab whatever worms I see, put them nearby so I can continue in that area
without maiming them. I'm probably ruining their setup anyway, but at least
they've got more of a chance than if I chopped 'em. But I'm not going to try
any major relocation anymore. I add organic matter to established areas by
mulching, mostly, no digging involved.


Organic mulch on the soil surface will feed the worms. In the spring you
can often find the surface openings of nightcrawler burrows; the worm will
have pulled bits of dead vegetation and leaves into its burrow from all

around. Nightcrawlers also have 'latrine' areas where they cast waste
and soil from the burrow. In clay soils these large castings can be a
real nuisance, getting rock hard when they dry, leading some people to
try and rid their soil of worms.

I must have an even larger population than I thought....I see those crumbly
castings showing up again very quickly after heavy rains. (My soil is sandy
clay.)


Alfalfa meal or pellets will feed the worms and your plants.

A couple of general-knowlege worm links:

http://www.soils.umn.edu/research/ars/mn_worm.htm
http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/NEWSLTR/v3n1/sa-9.htm

Finally, while nightcrawlers (and some other now common worms) are welcomed

by farmers andgardeners, they are not native to North America and are
associated

with problematic changes to the leaf litter and habitat of the forest floor
and the
spread of invasive alien plants in areas where no native worm species
occurred.

(And in areas which had native worm species, they have also been problematic,
driving down the population of native worms in southern forests.)

http://www.invasiveplants.net/impsal.htm
--
Pat in Plymouth MI


Thanks so very much, Pat, for the info and the links.

Best,
Tyra
nNJ usa z6b

how do I put worms into topsoil to get the best survival rate?
 

Red worms prefer the same conditions we do, so as long as they're fed
they'll do fine until you can add them to the soil. Good food stuffs
include wet newspaper, banana peels or any other vegetable leftovers and
shredded bills (I wouldn't have any idea how I know that they eat the
last)




susan

theakson wrote:

It seems I can't the company delivering advise to use them within 3 hours of
delivery. Night in Chicago is around 22:00 so that would be a little late.

T

how do I put worms into topsoil to get the best survival rate?
 

"Susan K. Wehe" expounded:

Red worms prefer the same conditions we do, so as long as they're fed
they'll do fine until you can add them to the soil. Good food stuffs
include wet newspaper, banana peels or any other vegetable leftovers and
shredded bills (I wouldn't have any idea how I know that they eat the
last)

Hello, Susan, long time no read! Now if Jesse would show up......it'd
be old home week!

--
Ann, Gardening in zone 6a
Just south of Boston, MA
********************************

how do I put worms into topsoil to get the best survival rate?
 

Hi Ann,
My health got in the way for awhile there, but I'm feeling a bit better
now. I really missed this group and all my widely scattered friends!



susan, who does have a worm bin in her Master Bathroom, not that anyone
could tell at a glance though...

Ann wrote:

"Susan K. Wehe" expounded:

Red worms prefer the same conditions we do, so as long as they're fed
they'll do fine until you can add them to the soil. Good food stuffs
include wet newspaper, banana peels or any other vegetable leftovers and
shredded bills (I wouldn't have any idea how I know that they eat the
last)

Hello, Susan, long time no read! Now if Jesse would show up......it'd
be old home week!

--
Ann, Gardening in zone 6a
Just south of Boston, MA
********************************