A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Worms is worms?

I think I may have messed up.

So I'm pulling weeds in my yard not too long ago, and I notice there are worms around the roots. I think "Great! Earthworms!" ('Cause they're in the EARTH. And they're WORMS

Worms are great for your garden and worms is worms. To a point. However....worms in pots is not so good as they cause drainage problems.

the worms are great up here! i've never seen such enormous ones! in fl the "dirt" was mostly sand. so my gardens there were sandy with top soil added in. anyhow when we planted this garden here i was out one summer with my mom poking around and saw a HUGE worm- we both about freaked out! i swear the thing had to be 8 inches long and FAT too! blew my mind!

Got any pictures?????

Geesh, that's seems pretty long even for a night crawler, but maybe they grow bigger in other other parts of the country.

patches

I'd call that a snake!

One day, when my oldest was about 3, and out in the garden, he was in the back 40 area and I in the middle 40 area... and all of a sudden, I hear this blood curdling scream, SNAKKKEEEEEE MOM, AHHHHHHHH....
Welllllllllll, needless to say, I was scared, *not knowing what kind it was, and picturing a cobra type standing up staring at him, and tongue twitching*....

I got over there, and he's pointing at it, and it was a night crawler, "IN MOTION", and when in motion, going somewheres..
It was at least 8" to 10", when moving, it was stretched alllll out...

And boy was I soooooooo relieved to find it ONLY a night crawler...whewwwwwwww, I didn't know what I was going to do, if it was a real bad snake..

LOL- maybe that's what mine was too- the thing was huge! no- i didn't get a picture- taking a picture of a worm wasn't my first reaction.

Why are earthworms good for the garden?

**Every winter while I clean my garden and I let my chickens for the first time enter my garden. I let them do what ever they please to do. (their poop is very good for my plants!!) I dig around loosing up the soil and there are fat looking worms and my chickens really love them!..

But now after thinking what are worms good for the garden them making holes under the ground?... Please, any help would be appreciated.

They not only aerate the soil with their tunnels,
but their poop, is the one of the purest, nicest bestest stuff for the quality of soil...
It's nutritious, and makes the soil very pliable
and fluffy..

And chicken poop on the ground, encourages worms
to come more, they love to encorporate that stuff back into the ground too...

when we used to go fishing all the time on a lake here,there were piles of leaves that we'd always go bait hunting for worms to fish with and there were always TONS AND TONS AND TONS of worms there!well anyway sometimes we'd find those REALLY long worms and my mom and dad always said that they were some type of snake worms or worm snakes! I'll have to go do some research and see what I can come up with to see if such a thing really exists!

ok so I went looking and found that there is a snake called a worm snake but apparently wasn't what I was talking about but I did find this site about earthworms and it says.... woah! so I'd say that the long worms ya'll are talking about are regular ol' worms! I know I'd REALLY freak out if I found a 22 foot long worm in my yard!! THAT THING COULD EAT MY CAT AND ME!!

Is there a difference between a night crawler and an earthworm?

Yes.
Size would be the only difference that I would know of off hand!!

Nightcrawlers eat different stuff than red worms.

well, i guess all i know about worms is that up here they are huge, they are good for the garden, and i just let them be! LOL thanks for more info guys!

oh hey- once i start my compost pile can i just buy some worms from the bait store and dump them in there and let them multiply? i mean worms are worms right?

I was thinkin' of that after I posted last
and takin' my kid to school...

I find the other worms alot in my leave piles,
and I only find night crawlers in the dirt...

I was tryin' to remember if I've ever seen a NC
in my leaf piles..

I thought of you all tonight ... I was watching Fear Factor, and they had to drink NightCrawler shakes!!!!!

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!
I'd loose if I was on there, and had to do that..
I'd be scoopin' the worms out and putting them
in my pockets and going HOME *and putting those guys in my compost piles of leaves.. *

The one's where they do the maggots reallly gross me out...

Or how about the LIVE Madagascar hissing cockroaches?

Could you even IMAGINE?!?!

If I ever saw a WORM 22 feet long you'd here me screaming all the way in Australia!!! Holy moly! In Michigan we can grow some whoppers but that's hilarious!!

How about the scorpions GAG ohh the rotten fish
I think eating is one thing but when they have to lay in all those snakes I would freak out!!!

Now the scorpions - THAT'S real fear. Seems to me that lately fear factor is more "physical challenge factor" or "gross-out factor".

But try to get me to let scorpions crawl on me ... I'd have to being a second pair of underwear. Not for $50K NO WAY!!! One of my biggest fears.

Discusting! Huh