How can I persuade worms to cast their casts in garden spots other than my
lawns?
Alistair

On 14/1/07 12:08, in article ,
"Alistair Macdonald" wrote:

How can I persuade worms to cast their casts in garden spots other than my
lawns?
Alistair


You can't. But they're doing your lawn a lot of good by being in it so
don't try to banish them. Just gently rake the wormcasts out over the grass
and they'll disappear. Put out bird feeders to attract wild birds into your
garden which will also enjoy the occasional worm feast if you've really got
masses of them.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

"Alistair Macdonald" wrote in message
...
How can I persuade worms to cast their casts in garden spots other than my
lawns?
Alistair

You can't really. Well you can by making the lawn so inhospitable (high
acidity) that the worms leave it alone but at that stage the grass will be
so bad that your next question would be "How to improve a bald lawn"

Thanks for the advice, but once upon a time I seem to remember spreading
(watering can) a chemical on the lawn which attracted worms to the surface.
Raked them up and dumped them on the compost heap.
I could be wrong, but I note that the acres of greens on golf courses are
devoid of worm casts.
Alistair

"Alistair Macdonald" wrote in message
...
Thanks for the advice, but once upon a time I seem to remember spreading
(watering can) a chemical on the lawn which attracted worms to the
surface. Raked them up and dumped them on the compost heap.
I could be wrong, but I note that the acres of greens on golf courses are
devoid of worm casts.
Alistair



Yes, you are correct. I don't know if there is a modern day equivalent but
at one time Lead Arsenate was used to rid lawns/greens of worms.
Not a nice chemical and I guess it was banned decades ago.
I've had a quick Google and there is a bit of info here about "Worm
Slaughtering"
http://www.oxfordcroquet.com/care/se....asp#WPTOHTML5

"Alistair Macdonald" asked:
How can I persuade worms to cast their casts in garden spots other than my
lawns?
---
I remember being told that worm casts on a lawn indicated that the said lawn
was in good condition. Follow Sacha's advice, I do the same.

MikeCT

"Alistair Macdonald" wrote in message
...
How can I persuade worms to cast their casts in garden spots other than my
lawns?

Golf courses use a proprietary fluid which is diluted to a specified rate
for a specified area. It is quite expensive for what it does, and usually
preferential for the greens and surrounds etc. Stings a little if in a cut
so possibly acidic.

Worm casts are very useful for planting in. If you have loads then as others
state use them in your compost
Other than that
http://www.oxfordcroquet.com/care/worms/index.asp

On 14/1/07 14:57, in article , "Robbo"
wrote:


"Alistair Macdonald" wrote in message
...
How can I persuade worms to cast their casts in garden spots other than my
lawns?

Golf courses use a proprietary fluid which is diluted to a specified rate
for a specified area. It is quite expensive for what it does, and usually
preferential for the greens and surrounds etc. Stings a little if in a cut
so possibly acidic.

And golf courses have green keepers who use specialised equipment to aerate
the lawns. And golfers wear shoes with spikes in them to ditto. In the
lawn, the worms are helping to do that job for you and don't even require
payment or feeding!
snip
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

I appreciate all the advice given, and have noted all the "watch its"
However it becomes the lesser of two evils. I have high worm casts at more
than one per square foot. If they are still there, and still wet when the
time comes to carry out my first mowing, I know from past experience that my
rotary blades will deposit vast quantities of mud inside the covering - not
good for the machine nor for my knees.
Alistair

Alistair Macdonald wrote:
I appreciate all the advice given, and have noted all the "watch its"
However it becomes the lesser of two evils. I have high worm casts at more
than one per square foot. If they are still there, and still wet when the
time comes to carry out my first mowing, I know from past experience that my
rotary blades will deposit vast quantities of mud inside the covering - not
good for the machine nor for my knees.
Alistair

Alaister, I sympathise with you. Some years ago at our last house, I
bought a preparation at Notcutts to kill worms in lawns, I can't
remember the name. I was villified by my family for carrying out such
an act but for an entire growing season, there wasn't a worm cast in
sight. Worm casts are fine when they are dry and can be brushed away
but in wet or damp weather I found them an absolute pain as they were
greasy! and almost necessitated inventing mudguards for mowers!

I have a feeling there was a posting on this product from Notcutts some
time in the recent past and I have a notion that the stuff is no longer
sold - sorry I can't be more helpful.

Judith at home in England

"Alistair Macdonald" wrote in message
...
Thanks for the advice, but once upon a time I seem to remember spreading
(watering can) a chemical on the lawn which attracted worms to the
surface.
Raked them up and dumped them on the compost heap.
I could be wrong, but I note that the acres of greens on golf courses are
devoid of worm casts.
Alistair

There is such a product, but (and its a big one!) without the worms golf
courses have to do all the work the worms do in order the grass can grow, so
you can get rid of the casts but it will cost a lot of time and money to
have a nice lawn without any, or you can invest in a birch broom or similar
and simply quickly whisk over the surface before using the mower.
--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea

On 14/1/07 15:58, in article ,
"Alistair Macdonald" wrote:

I appreciate all the advice given, and have noted all the "watch its"
However it becomes the lesser of two evils. I have high worm casts at more
than one per square foot. If they are still there, and still wet when the
time comes to carry out my first mowing, I know from past experience that my
rotary blades will deposit vast quantities of mud inside the covering - not
good for the machine nor for my knees.
Alistair


Rake them out first, Alistair. Don't try to mow over them. But above all,
if you value your lawn as clear you do, don't try to rid it of worms!
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

On 14/1/07 17:22, in article , "Charlie
Pridham" wrote:

snip
you can invest in a birch broom or similar
and simply quickly whisk over the surface before using the mower.

So useful when the car breaks down, too........ ;-)))
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

On Sun, 14 Jan 2007 15:20:33 +0000, Sacha wrote:

And golf courses have green keepers who use specialised equipment to aerate
the lawns. And golfers wear shoes with spikes in them to ditto. In the
lawn, the worms are helping to do that job for you and don't even require
payment or feeding!

I had a pair of lawn spiking shoes but I kept getting stuck because
the spike were too long.

"Charlie Pridham" wrote in message
...

"Alistair Macdonald" wrote in
message
...
Thanks for the advice, but once upon a time I seem to remember
spreading
(watering can) a chemical on the lawn which attracted worms to the
surface.
Raked them up and dumped them on the compost heap.
I could be wrong, but I note that the acres of greens on golf
courses are
devoid of worm casts.
Alistair

There is such a product, but (and its a big one!) without the worms
golf
courses have to do all the work the worms do in order the grass can
grow, so
you can get rid of the casts but it will cost a lot of time and money
to
have a nice lawn without any, or you can invest in a birch broom or
similar
and simply quickly whisk over the surface before using the mower.

In any case, killing earthworms is quite as much against the spirit of
gardening as shooting thrushes.

--
Mike.



--
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