Which creature is largely responsible for making the Earth's soil rich in health and structure? Here are some hints: It is eyeless, legless, has 2 stomachs, possesses both male and female sex organs, and has false teeth...
Earthworm is the correct answer. Darwin said, "It may be doubted whether there are many other animals in the world which have played so important a part in the history of the world than the earthworm." There are approximately 3,000 earthworm species, not all of which are in your backyard; for instance, in South Africa one can find a certain species of earthworm that can grow up to 22 feet long! However, there are 3 earthworm species that typically live in the backyards of most people. Among these are the: Nightcrawler (Lumbricus terrestris), Redworm (Lumbricus rubellus) and Red wriggler (Eisenia Fetida). All of these worms hold a high place in your garden.
Earthworms generate green plant power
Earthworms live below the soil surface where it is cool and dark. As they maneuver through the earth, the tunnels they leave behind help air, water, and plant roots travel more readily down into the soil. The tunnels are coated with bacteria and digested leaf litter that is bonded into place by a mucus secreted from the worms. The increased oxygen in the soil stimulates aerobic bacteria activity, which in turn helps organic matter break down faster. Water traveling down into the tunnels prevents the surrounding soil from becoming waterlogged and act as water conduits. Plant growth benefits from these tunnels too, because there is less soil compaction so plants roots can penetrate deeper.
It's in the poop
It is the earthworms' waste that does the most for the plants in your garden. Earthworm poop, also known as earthworm castings, are super rich in nutrients. Worm castings contain 5 times more Nitrogen, 7 times more Phosphorus, plus 1,000 times more beneficial bacteria than original soil. To boot, it is also high in calcium and iron too. Consequently, plants grow faster, bear more flowers and fruit, and are also less prone to diseases. On record, plant productivity and yield is 30 percent higher than plants living in soil without earthworm castings. Worm castings also discourage plant diseases by promoting pathogen-eating nematodes to live in the soil around your plants.
Earthworm conservation
Protect the earthworm population in your garden by reducing pesticide-to-soil contact and cultivating the soil less often. The common pesticide, Carbaryl, is particularly lethal to earthworms, with a mortality rate of nearly 100 percent. To protect the soil from pesticide drippings, cover the ground with a plastic sheet around the plants being sprayed. Soils that are not tilled annually, are occupied by many more worms. It is best to till the soil every couple of years. More damage is done when a motorized tiller or a plow are used in lieu of cultivating by hand. To minimize the need to till, adding rich organic matter to the soil yearly is ideal.
Worms eat your kitchen scraps
Worms will eat a variety of kitchen scraps. You can either bury the scraps in your garden beds or add them to a worm bin to feed your worms. They will digest these food scraps, and in turn, you will get compost that enriches your soil. Each U.S. resident produces around 4.6 pounds of solid waste each day, so lighten the load that goes to the landfill and feed the worms some of your scraps! Worms love to eat vegetables, fruit rinds, breads/grains, tea bags, coffee grounds and coffee filters. You can put egg shells and corn cobs into a worm bin, but they will take much longer to break down. As a rule, cut or crush food into smaller pieces before placing in a worm bin. Food scraps that are not good for your worms include: meat, fish, bones, oily foods, cheese and other dairy products. Worms will consume half their body weight each day.
Build worm-topia
Find a plastic storage bin that is at least 8 inches tall with a lid. Drill holes (1/4-1/2" bit) around all sides of the storage bin. Place the holes 4-5 inches apart. Fill bin with moistened newspaper that has been torn into 1-2 inch pieces. Keep the newspaper bedding 3 inches below the rim. Add an inch topdressing of compost to the newspaper. You can shake some cornmeal into the worm bin to provide the worms something to eat if food scraps are scarce. Use red-wriggler worms (eisenia fetida) for your worm bin, which can be bought at a worm farm or bait shop. Release approximately 2 pounds of worms on top of the bedding. Just add more newspaper and compost after things start to break down. If you apply coffee grounds, sprinkle a tablespoon lime every few months to keep acidity levels down. If the environment gets soggy, open up the lid for ventilation. If contents are too dry, just sprintz and close the lid.
Harvesting worm castings
After 6 weeks, you can begin harvesting the worms' castings. Just push aside one half of the bin up by using a piece of cardboard. Scrape out the castings that should be on the top. Fill the empty half of the bin with new, moist bedding. Add food only to the new bedding. After a few weeks, many worms will have moved over and then the older half can be dug out. The worm castings will need to be dried out before you can work with it in your garden. Place in a container to dry out opening in the air. Then you can sift the castings by shaking them through a plastic collander, which will create a nice fluffy composition!
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