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Gary350
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My Garden has no worms ?

I have been meaning to mention this for a long time but keep forgetting.

2 years go I tilled 10,000. lbs of organic material into my garden soil, it now looks like black best potting soil ever. Soil looks as good as the garden at the other house 40 years ago when I had city garbage trucks dump 7 compacted garbage trucks full of tree leaves on my garden. Garden at the other house had billions of worms, 1 shovel of soil had more worms than I could count. Garden I have now has no worms. Mole population has exploded and moles are every where in my garden. I wonder if moles are eating all the worms?

Is there any advantage or disadvantage to having or not having worms?
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pepperhead212
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There's definitely an advantage to having worms, and I'm surprised that you don't have any, since your soil has turned so dark. Have you been turning more organic matter in, since that large batch? Don't have any mole experience, KOW, but do they have something to do with this? Somebody else can chime in about that. I remember you talking about a method you use to control weeds - 'tilling several times in a row, until no more weeds pop up. Maybe this has something to do with the worms, maybe going deeper? Some say that 'tilling is bad for worms and other organisms in the soil ecosystem, but I have no problems with 'tilling once or twice in the same rows - worms are there at all times

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Gary350
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pepperhead212 wrote:
Sun Jan 10, 2021 6:38 pm
There's definitely an advantage to having worms, and I'm surprised that you don't have any, since your soil has turned so dark. Have you been turning more organic matter in, since that large batch? Don't have any mole experience, KOW, but do they have something to do with this? Somebody else can chime in about that. I remember you talking about a method you use to control weeds - 'tilling several times in a row, until no more weeds pop up. Maybe this has something to do with the worms, maybe going deeper? Some say that 'tilling is bad for worms and other organisms in the soil ecosystem, but I have no problems with 'tilling once or twice in the same rows - worms are there at all times
I read online moles eat, termites, grubs, wasp larva, ants, bugs, eggs, worms, just about every thing they can find. I looks like moles are meat eaters. I use to not see mole tunnels in the sun moles don't like hot soil. There use to be no moles in the garden until plants were large enough to make shade which keeps soil cool. I assume sense moles are all over the garden now something has attracted them so that could be why there are no worms. Grandson was trying to find worms to go fishing this summer but no worms could be found. I have wondered many times if moles are the reason potato crop is so small there are tunnels everywhere in the potatoes. Moles may be digging for food in the potatoes, maybe not eating potatoes but maybe doing root damage that causes a smaller potato crop. A few years ago mole population was almost gone but now it is several times bigger than it ever was. Cats & dog hear moles digging then dog digs them up, cats dig them up too, I think I will stop trying to keep dog out of the garden. I think it is strange there are no worms, not even baby worms, it is rare to find a white color grub & no cut worms either.

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TomatoNut95
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Moles are pests, I'd let the cats and dogs have them or set traps for them.
Earthworms are important to the soil since they fertilize it and help areate it. You might consider buying some nice big fat worms off eBay and start a worm bed.

Grub worms are a different story, I'd go use them for bird food or fishing bait.

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Gary350
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TomatoNut95 wrote:
Tue Jan 12, 2021 11:04 am
Moles are pests, I'd let the cats and dogs have them or set traps for them.
Earthworms are important to the soil since they fertilize it and help areate it. You might consider buying some nice big fat worms off eBay and start a worm bed.

Grub worms are a different story, I'd go use them for bird food or fishing bait.
Aerate,..... every one has a different opinions about aerate. Some say you can damage soil if you till. Compost requires aerate or it does not compost. Compost must be tilled in to soil. BAD soil must be tilled to add good things to make it better. Hard soil is too hard for roots it must me aerated. Grandson bought fishing worms to go fishing then left over worms we put in a certain spot so we could check see if they are still there or near by, the next day worms no where to be found. If I find grubs I put them in bird feeder.



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