Helpful Benefits Of Earthworms
Jackson Porter
Earthworms are of great value when it comes to the health of
your garden. The several benefits include : converting organic
materials into absorbable nutrients, loosening of the soil
enabling healthy root growth as ell as enhancing water and air
circulation. They dig out deep-rooted minerals and other
nutrients, making it easier for plants to absorb them.
Apart from their invaluable contribution to plant life,
earthworms are a good source of food for songbirds during early
spring, before seeds and berries become ripe. If stored in a
dark container with moist peat moss, earthworms can live up to
2 weeks.
Known by names, more than a thousand species exist of
earthworms. Their names depend on the species and the
geographic location they are found. For instance they are
called : night crawlers, field worms, red wigglers, red worms,
red hybrid, and rain worms. More than one species can be found
in one garden.
Earthworms are found in a variety of colors and size. They can
be reddish, maroon, dark gray, or black. While most earthworms
are 2 to 10 inches long, some species found in Australia are 12
feet in length. Damp soil, rich in organic material make the
best home for earthworms. They live on partly decomposed
animals and insects. Lettuce is one of their favorite foods.
Watermelon rind is also one of their favorites. They love
manure.
Eating habits of earthworms vary according to species. Night
crawlers do not live on the surface but come up after dusk
hunting for food. They live on small portions of organic matter
including grass blades. They normally drag the food particle to
their burrow where they eat it mixing with soil. Red wigglers
and other species live on the surface. They don’t eat food
which is either highly acidic or alkaline.
If you want earthworms to thrive, keep on adding organic
material to the soil. When the organic material is finished,
earthworms either leave the garden or die. After death, their
body, full of protein decomposes into nitrogen which gets added
to the soil. This of course provide short-term benefit to the
soil but definitely does not compensate the loss caused by the
death of this beneficial reptile.
The food which the earthworm eats first goes to the gizzard
where it is mashed and ground. After grinding, the food travels
to the intestine where it is digested with the help of the
worm’s own enzymes. Some of the nutrients in the food is used
for their growth, while the balance is excreted in the form of
granular cast, which is rich in nutrients. Castings of the
earthworms contain 5 times more soluble nitrogen, 7 times more
phosphorous, 3 times more magnesium, and 1.5 times more calcium
than was contained in the food the worms eat.
Winter makes the earthworms inactive. They usually move below
the frost line in areas which freeze. It takes 2 minutes to
kill an earthworm during frost. Spring is their peak activity
time, when the temperature gets a little warmer and there is a
lot of rain. This is their mating as well as egg-laying season.
In one year two mature and healthy earthworms may produce a few
hundred off springs. Again during summer, the earthworm becomes
inactive. Because of lack of food, many earthworms die during
summer.
An earthworm’s chance to live also depends on the moisture
level of the soil. It increases when the soil is moist. They
die when the soil is dry. Fall sees an increase in activity.
They lay more eggs and remain active till winter. This life
cycle repeats every year.
While most earthworms can live up to 10 years, there are many
elements which threaten their lives. These include, the danger
of being eaten by birds and moles, food scarcity, harsh
weather, and the rampant use of pesticides. These result in
some earthworms living only for a few months.
About The Author: Jackson Porter is a staff writer at
http://homegardenenthusiast.com
and is an occasional
contributor to several other websites, including
http://www.environmental-central.com
See Also:
All About Organic Gardening
Index of Gardens & Gardening
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