Anybody see the July 7 article about earthworms in the Wall Street Journal? It seems that people are finally learning that worms are not the wonderful things the worm dealers would have us think.
FACT: Earthworms do not create good soil, they migrate toward good soil. After finding good soil, they attract moles.
of living. They occupy a niche in the soil ecosystem. A good topsoil supports a host of organisms and is naturally a good habitat for the worms as well. A good topsoil is highly fertile provided the system is balanced. A few inches of topsoil are all that stands between us and extinction.
That certainly sounds like the reporter may not have done thorough research and may very well have started out with a bias, a big no-no in professional journalism.
Fact: I haul in horse manure mixed with leaves. That is not soil, it is horse manure and leaves . . . organic, yes, but not soil. A good supply of earthworms comes with it. The manure that is left in the manure bin (a surround of concrete blocks) is beautiful, highly fertile soil in the spring. From my personal observation, there is no question the earthworms (and incoming buddies) have converted the manure and leaves to soil, or more properly called, worm castings.
At Hanford, Washington, they conducted experiments with earthworms to "clean up" radioactive soil. It seems that everything that goes through an earthworm's body is detoxified. The soil passed through the earthworms' body did, indeed, become non-radioactive; however, they had no way of disposing of radioactive earthworms, experimentation abandoned. (Information from our composting classes.)
My grandfather farmed and made certain to keep a good supply of vegetative material in the fields when he harvested, the reason? Earthworms to break it down for more fertilizer for next year's crop. He was also a rotation crop person, taking a lesson from Ben Franklin.
I read sometime last year that Australia has a crisis building. They have been invaded by a tapeworm that eats earthworms and is becoming a major problem. Without the earthworms, the soil is not being "worked" and the agricultural industry is in jeopardy. Perhaps some of our Aussie friends on the group can fill us in about the particulars of that; I have lost track of the current status of that problem. Seems logical to me that moles are not so discriminating in their food supply that they would ignore tapeworms and starve, ya think?
As for moles, there are a lot of good soil areas that do not have moles. My own garden is one of those. Moles are attracted by more than earthworms.
Do you think that perhaps all the other critters (beetles, etc.) that are also working the soil the earthworms are working could be attracting moles as well? But maybe those smaller critters aren't as obvious as earthworms and didn't catch the reporter's fancy. Perhaps the reporter will go after ladybugs next time and tell us they really don't eat aphids?
I'll tell you for sure, between moles and earthworms, I'll take the earthworms any day even it means moles too. I can trap the moles but I cannot live without the earthworms . . . none of us can. Throw a load of organic material, leaves, manure, whatever, onto a spot of clay and you will have soil. As they say, compost happens. Earthworms are a major element in the compost happening . . . soil built.
No, I am not a worm dealer and have no financial interest in earthworms except my survival as a member of this planet. I am smart enough, however, to observe my worm bin which has only redworms and kitchen scraps that, without my help or any additions of anything else, becomes beautiful, rich soil that gardeners strive to achieve. Without the worms, it becomes a smelly, stinking and unhealthy mess.
There are many tiny critters involved in composting, but the earthworm is the one that is universal and most effective. It leaves the question in my mind if the reporter is one of those poor souls afraid of earthworms.
Oh, by the way, earthworms attract gulls as far as 400 miles inland from the ocean, just ask any farmer plowing his field. Did the reporter mention a gull problem? They also attract Robins to entertain us with their food gathering.
Yes, I will try to remember to read the article, but I doubt it will convince me that all earthworms are good for is attracting moles. I also doubt it will change anything I've said here; reading will tell.
Glenna
Nope. Don't get my agricultural advice from the WSJ, or my financial advice from the Johnny's seed catalog.
Malarkey.
Odd. I cannot dig a trowel of soil out of my garden without pulling up at least one earthworm, and I have neither moles nor poor soil quality. The worms are part of my low-till strategy, aerating the roots of my plants -- almost every plant in my garden has earthworms entwined in its roots, where the aeration is needed most.
Any vermicomposter can tell you that most plants will thrive in a bed of nothing but worm casings.
I've always taught my kids: Feed the worms, and you're feeding yourself; starve the worms, and you're starving yourself.
Be well.
I do seem to be using quite a bit of compost in my garden... hmmmm... I'll bet the sneaky little devils are eatin' it!
I'm far more loyal to the worms than I am the folks who gave me the stripes, medals, and eventually an honorable discharge.
I'm a-skairt. Don't want to get caught transporting pinko commie invertebrates across state lines. :D
snipped-for-privacy@pmug.org (Glenna Rose) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@pmug.org:
don't know if this is what you are thinking of, but I saw on PBS (i think it was Nova special on the origins of life, but it could have been Nature) that England was invaded by a planarian (a flatworm?) from New Zealand. Might have also hit the US. Details about it hunting earthworms is similar.
-- Salty
Get a morticians license. In this heat, they'll be dead before they get very far.
Bill
You must have gotten misinformation or only part of the answer. Earthworms are a very good soil enhancer. Number 1 - they leave castings (poop) that is one of the richest fertilizers AND Number 2 - they aerate the soil by tunneling through and allowing oxygen to plant roots.
Yes, moles eat them, as well as grubs. Very good for us and moles tunnel and aerate the soil also. The biggest culprit in ruining plants are VOLES which eat the plant roots and destroy them. Moles are actually beneficial, but they do leave some tunneling on lawns - not too pretty.
I had some massive tunneling going on last fall when I moved to my new house, but my cats got at least 3 huge moles and numerous voles. Not a problem this year.
Actually, this is rather humoresque -- the July 7th edition of the WSJ is currently on my new bed, covered by about 3-4 inches of mulch. I used it as a weed barrier/grass smotherer in lieu of digging the bed out. :)
Let's eliminate a few bits of fluff from the article and get to some key points.
1) "The Worm Turns: It's Down To No Good off Home Turf / Interloper in Northern Forests Devours Undergrowth Other Fine Creatures Need"This is the title of the article. Note that it starts off by suggesting that worms are no good when they get out of their habitat -- i.e., gardens and farms -- and into forests.
2) "To be sure, on farms and in gardens, earthworms can be beneficial. They help stir the soil and replace nutrients."I do not think anything further REALLY needs to be said about this. Most gardens and farms are not quite the same as a forest so this makes good sense.
3) "But they're exotic creatures in vast stretches of North America, including nearly all of Canada and the northern U.S. The reason: About 10,000 years ago, glaciers retreated from these areas, leaving the region earthworm free. For thousands of years thereafter, forests and other ecosystems in these parts evolved in a state of wormlessness."Makes sense again -- here we have an ecosystem that does not have earthworms. This same ecosystem does not have quite a few other things as well. To paraphrase the article -- earthworms were moved into these ecosystems by man, much like many species of plants that have proven to be bad news, or animals that runwithout predators (can you say feral cats in Australia?). The earthworm populatoins came with settlers as ballast in their ships as well as in their plants and even their animals, fishers dump leftover bait along the shores of fishing areas, etc..
4) "For centuries before the worms arrived, fallen leaves and other forest litter decomposed slowly, creating a spongy layer of organic material, called duff, which provides habitats for plants and ground-dwelling animals. Now the earthworms are getting to the duff first, and eating it out from under species that rely on it. Earthworms typically eat more than 10 times their body weight each month. Studies have shown that when worms invade, the duff layer is devoured in three to five years."Now, here we see WHY earthworms pose a threat to these ecosystems -- the very same behavior that makes them so beneficial to home gardens and farming make them devastating to forest ecosystems.
To summarize all of this -- the article is sound as is the journalist's research HOWEVER it is a directed topic. This has absolutely NOTHING to do with gardens or farming -- it is STILL recognized that earthworms are highly beneficial to gardens and farming. It has, however, been found that when earthworms are transplanted to a different ecosystem, such as native forests, they have an undesirable effect on existing life-forms in that ecosystem. In the case at hand, that effect is on plant and animal life that rely on "duff". This is to be expected whenever an alien species is introduced to a new environment.
Noting Darwinian theory, these life-forms may well be selected for extinction now that another has invaded their ecosystem. Alternatively, they may adapt and survive. Either way, homeostasis will be achieved.
James
mmmm....duff
Dan
And moles destroy the ever-sacred suburban lawn. You simply want to justify dumping chemicals everywhere and making the equivalent of a green desert.
Dan (a lawnocracy heathen)
Did I say that?? Gee thanks for telling me.>
My sentiments and experience exactly, and no golphers either. I've found that any soil that does not have worms doesn't seem to grow plants worth a hoot. IMO they go hand in hand, more worms, better plants.
Time to call in the American Robin Patrol, they'll take care of those hidious creatures>
Hi All, yes it is true that the planarian came to England in a pot plant from New Zealand. it was in the news at the time, but I do not know if they found a cure for it. hope this helps you.
Richard M. Watkin.
Glenna -- The poster failed to give the details of the article. In fact, it was well supported. The article was not in reference to gardening or farming though -- it referred to a specific ecosystem, namely native forests, where earthworms disturb a balance that has been in place for millenia. I quoted a few bits from the article in my response to the original poster.
Glenna, I like your idea with the concrete blocks. SOmeday when I get some land I am going to do just this! Imagine the wonderful fertile beds! Roz az usa
The message from "rmw" contains these words:
It`s also not quite the death to all earthworms as we did the same back and there`s more of our earthworms in NZ than Flatworms in England.
Moreover, the worms are generally beneficial to all plants, including trees in the forest. That is good for humans and fights global warming. Ecological disasters are rated mostly in terms of how they can affect our long term survival. Possibly the worst, at least in our country, was the disappearance of a few billion chestnut trees, and the attendant disappearance of 100 billion pounds of quality and free food at the onset of each winter (as well as the choice timber tree in the East). But the worms is one of those rare things, together with dandelions or zebra mussels, where we have done ourselves and many other species a favor.
Also of note is the fact that earthworms propagate very slowly, no more than 20-30 feet per year if they have to do it themselves. There are large tracts of not previously farmed land where they have not appeared yet.
Don't you hate it when Mother Nature changes things?
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