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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. |
| Author: Jackson Porter |
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Author Bio:
Jackson Porter is a staff writer at Home Garden Enthusiast and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including Environmental Central. |
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