is this earth worm?

[gmp]

Help me to identify this worm. It was deep into the soil near the roots in a container. I dig the soil I found this and tried to take it with a stick. It jumped into the soil. trying to escape into the soil. Please tell me who he is?

[gmp]

so sorry I forgot to add the photo.

[Dillbert]

sure looks like yer' Mark I Mod 0 earthworm....

[rainbowgardener]

Yup, earthworm. They are good to have in your soil. Some people deliberately put an earthworm or two in with their potted plants, to help break down the nutrients in to forms the plants can use.

[gmp]

foolish me! I got scared and threw that. not one, many

[mattie g]

It's good to have many earthworms, gmp. They help the soil a lot!

[gmp]

Yes, I know earthworms are good for soil. I have read about vermi composting also. But the problem is, I didn't know for sure that these are earthworms. I must have waited for the replies before I threw it out.

[goingreenhouse]

there are places to get earthworms online but if you only need a few find an area in your yard and dig a shovel full up and I bet you will find at least one if you want one.

[rainbowgardener]

there are places to get earthworms online but if you only need a few find an area in your yard and dig a shovel full up and I bet you will find at least one if you want one.

Both the ordering and the soil may not be the same in Singapore.

[gmp]

Thanksa lot for the replies. Hurray!!!! I found many of these guys in another container. This time I didn't throw it. Thank you all. I have distributed them.

[applestar]

That's great!
Was the container another flowerpot?

In my area, it gets too cold/freezes during the winter and the earthworms delve deep in the ground where the freezing temperature on the surface doesn't reach. In spring after the ground thaws and warms up, when I bring my plants back outside, I like to put my potted plants directly on the ground. Then the re-surfacing earthworms move in from the drainage hole.

During the summer, if the potting mix in the containers gt too not, they migrate back into the ground through the drainage hole, so keeping the container shaded to keep down the temperature is a good idea. But I prefer tht they find a safe haven if the container isn't livable for them. In drought conditions, they need to delve deep again. Here, autumn rains flood them back out of the ground and they seem to move back into the containers where it stays somewhat drier and warmer.

In the fall, if I put my container plants back inside before the potting mix in the containers and the ground beneath gets too cold, the earthworms continue to live in the flowerpots all winter and keep my plants fed.

If they run out of food in the container, they might decide to move out. You can keep them happy by putting mulch (dry grass, leaves, etc.) on the surface of the potting mix and/or occasionally burying vegetable and fruit peelings, used coffee grounds and tea leaves.

They also move out if they get flooded, so be on the look out for escaping earthworms if the containers get saturated by heavy rains or from overwatering.

[gmp]

Thanks a lot for the information applestar. Its so interesting. So many facts about earthworms. Hope you have done a lot of research about these guy's behaviour. I am trying to put something for them to eat. The other container is also a flower pot.

[gmp]

I live in an apartment. So I cannot put my plants on the ground!!!! But I love to.

[tomc]

Where there are earthworms, there will also be earthworm eggs.

Keep up on supply of organic material for worms to eat and they will reproduce.

[gunsmokex]

More specifically than an earthworm, which it definitely is, it looks like about the size of a nightcrawler. Or basically the king of all earth worms lol. Great for fishing with but usually in the spring time after a good rain at night I'll see literally 100's of them here. You can literally smell the worms after a good soaking, its a great smell lol. They usually have kind of a snot slime on them too, but I think that's only when the worms get horny lol.

[gmp]

thanks tomc, for helping me think that way. I will put some food for them. By the way is the there any connection between earthworms and ants. I could see many small red ants in the pot where I have earthworms. I could neither see earthworms nor ants in the other pots.