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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] Earthworms in Clay

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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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  • From: Dieter Brand <diebrand@yahoo.com>
  • To: Healthy soil and sustainable growing <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Earthworms in Clay
  • Date: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:33:45 -0800 (PST)

Mitch,
Earth worms love clay soil; they don’t mind if it is hard.  I remember a Swiss study that showed that there are more earth worms in soil compacted by tractor wheels than in soil that is relatively loose.  I have heavy clay soil which is stone dry for most of the year.  When the soil gets too hard for them to move, the earth worms will huddle up into little balls inside spherical cavities in the soil to pass the dry season in a state of dormancy.  As soon as the soil gets wet again, they start moving about and multiply.  They do find food even though there is no recently decomposed organic matter visible to the eye.  But you may find that they don’t like the fungal environment of forest soil.  They don’t of course like sandy soil either.
Dieter


--- On Mon, 11/9/09, Smittyctz6 <cityhomesteader@gmail.com> wrote:

From: Smittyctz6 <cityhomesteader@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Earthworms in Clay
To: "Healthy soil and sustainable growing" <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
Date: Monday, November 9, 2009, 3:23 PM

Worms are funny creatures.. Only the Good Lord knows why they do what they do, but count it a blessing they are there.  When we moved here the land was shot, not a worm to find even in our wood let.
Now it is teaming with all sorts of soil building critters. I used remedial wood chips and Horse Bedding to build the soil.  That an let the leaves lay where they fell. My Paw paws, Persimmon's, bush cherries, beach plums, and service berries are taking hold down there now. I have red currents and a zillion mushrooms of all kinds down there.

On Sun, Nov 8, 2009 at 4:26 PM, Emery Mitchamore <emitch@att.net> wrote:
After an extreme drought the last few years, rains resumed and we received about 20" of rain in Sept and Oct.  After waiting a while, I resumed the planting of my Forest Garden.  I found many fat earthworms in every spot, in heavy clay that I had assumed was devoid of organic matter.  What does this mean?  Do I actually have earthworm food in there?

E. E. "Mitch"  Mitchamore








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