Earthworms in our gardens: useful properties, breeding. Are earthworms good or bad for plants?! Earthworms benefit or harm

Everyone has seen earthworms, but how many people know that these are the guarantors of our well-being and health? In the minds of most people, there is still an ignorant idea that worms are worthy of only contempt - they can be crushed, destroyed, poisoned. No one was blamed for this until the irreparable happened ... But more on that later.

Rain (earth) worms are large invertebrate soil animals - saprophages that feed on plant debris. In the soils of our country, there are about 97 species. Passing a large mass of dead plant tissues through their intestines, saprophages destroy them, digest them and mix them with the ground. They also have the merit in the processing of composts, which after some time turn into a free-flowing, friable material consisting almost exclusively of granular excrement of worms. These are water-resistant, water-intensive, hydrophilic structures that make up the most valuable forms of humus in the soil and are centers of microbiological activity. The fact is that in the intestines of worms, the processes of polymerization of low-molecular decay products of organic substances develop and molecules of humic acids form, forming complex compounds with the mineral components of the soil, primarily with calcium (humates calcium). The latter persist for a long time, make the soil structural, which prevents wind and water erosion.

Rummaging in the ground, the worms absorb not only humus, but also bacteria, algae, fungi with their spores, the simplest organisms of the animal world and nematodes.

The number of bacteria in the soil is enormous. One gram of podzolic soil on virgin lands contains 300-600 million, and one gram of cultivated chernozems and gray soils - up to 3 billion. Their total live weight per hectare of the arable layer is 5-10 tons. In manure composts or well-fertilized soil with manure, the number of microorganisms is even greater. Soil microflora and microfauna are the main source of protein nutrition for earthworms. It is almost completely digested in their digestive canal and is practically absent in coprolites (kopros - feces, cast - stone). But it contains a huge amount of its own intestinal flora. The soil microflora and the microflora of coprolites are not passive biomass. It contains a wide variety of enzymes, antibiotics, amino acids, vitamins, and other biologically active substances that interact and self-regulate, disinfecting pathogenic microflora. This is facilitated not only by worms, but they dominate, accounting for 50-72% of the total biomass of soil invertebrates. On one hectare of well-groomed meadows or pastures, their total number (before chemicalization) ranged from 1 to 200 million individuals (about 20 million on average), while the weight of biomass was from 2 to 5 t / ha, which is almost 100 times the biomass of terrestrial animals in a given area.

Soil is a living organism, where microorganisms fix chemical elements in their cells, while earthworms (and other soil invertebrates) help to remove these elements from plant organic matter and microbial biomass. In this circulation of substances, they act as regulators of the activity of microorganisms, as orderlies and deodorizers of the soil, which, moreover, is enriched with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, balanced among themselves according to natural technology. With a high number of worms in composts, they process it into a highly effective humus fertilizer. In coprolites of worms of natural populations, the humus content is 11–15%, and in artificially bred ones, up to 35%. Such a fertilizer is “bread” for plants. It restores and improves soil fertility better than manure, guaranteeing a greater yield increase.

Worms also have another specific feature that is very useful for agriculture. It is connected with their unique ability to form, improve and structure the soil, which can be illustrated by the following examples. Over the summer, a population of 100 worms per square meter lays a kilometer of passages in the soil, making it loose, water and breathable. It has been established that the worm passes through the alimentary canal an amount of earth with organic matter equal to the weight of its body per day. If we accept the average weight of the worm as 0.5 g, and their number per 1 m2 is 100 pcs. (1000,000 individuals/ha), then per day they will miss 50 g per 1 m2, or 0.5 t/ha. The active activity of the worms continues in the middle lane 200 days a year, which means that the amount of soil that has passed through their alimentary canal will be expressed as a mass of 10 kg / m2 (100 t / ha). If the population density of worms is greater, then, accordingly, there is more humus. What modern means can be used to create and move so many humus fertilizers to the fields during the year?! No other animals and even agro-meliorative methods can not be fully compared with worms here. It is they who, utilizing annually countless amounts of organic bio-mass of plants and animals, created the most favorable conditions for all living things on earth. Basically, their activities created our once-famous black earth.

It can be seen from the above that the presence of earthworms is the most natural indicator of the health and fertility of the soil.

Understanding the role of earthworms in the life of the earth's biosphere has been recognized quite recently. And before that, a total chemical war was declared on them. The essence of this war is due to the possibility of a sharp increase in productivity with the help of chemical fertilizers. For every kilogram of such fertilizers applied to the soil, they began to receive 10 kg of grain. So the most dangerous conclusion was made - the more mineral fertilizers, the more bread, vegetables, feed, meat and milk. They proclaimed the slogan: "Communism is Soviet power plus electrification, plus chemicalization of the national economy." And it began!... The less the land gave yield increases over the years (in the mid-eighties, only 2.5 kg of grain per kilogram of chemical fertilizers applied), the more chemical fertilizers had to be applied. It was proposed to fertilize the fields with dehydrated ammonia, ammonia water, ammonium carbonate and other chemical fertilizers harmful to the soil - the strongest poisons for all living things. It is worth noting that surgeons use a 0.25% ammonia solution to disinfect the skin of the hands before surgery. Already this weak solution almost instantly destroys the microflora and makes the hands sterile.

Soil in the fields treated with ammonia has become just as sterile. What about productivity? It barely makes up for the cost. The situation worsened with the beginning of the widespread use of pesticides. As a result, we came to the destruction of the soil, the loss of humus, to the destruction of everything living in these artificially created disaster zones.

More than a hundred years ago, the founder of scientific soil science, V.V. Dokuchaev, calling black soil the greatest strength and hero, warned that this hero could one day overstrain. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened, as with other soils that have been under the influence of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and a plow for a long time. The country has slipped into a food crisis, from which it is extremely difficult to get out, as the soil is restored slowly - about one centimeter in a hundred years.

Relatively quickly, amateur gardeners and owners of household plots can restore or increase the fertility of the land. Today they provide about 30% of vegetables and fruits from their small plots. They can give more. To do this, you need to learn how to breed earthworms and prepare humus fertilizer from composts with their help. And it is possible to speed up the restoration of the fertility of the poisoned fields by reconstructing the life of the soil community of animals in their soils.

To be satisfied with the results of his work, the gardener must know a lot about the soil and overcome a number of difficulties. His primary concern is the cultivation of the soil.

The technological properties of the soil are determined by its friability and density. There is a whole detachment of helpers who improve and ennoble the soil. Biological life is represented in it by the products of vital activity of useful and harmful living organisms: microorganisms (molds, lower fungi) and macroorganisms (earthworms and arthropods, moles, mice and gophers). Traces of vital activity of soil organisms are visually visible in the humus horizon of the soil. In fertile soil per 1 m? there are 1000-200000 macrofauna units. Their main role is to crush, crush and destroy plant and animal residues in the soil, as well as to eat and damage plants.

The most common beneficial representatives of soil macrofauna are earthworms. For one year, they process up to 0.1 kg of plant residues per 1 m2. At the same time, 2.5 kg of soil passes through their digestive tract, which, as a result, acquires a new property and structure. In addition, earthworms make channels in the soil, thereby increasing its porosity, air and water permeability. To a large extent, ants, springtails, centipedes, two-winged flies and their pupae, butterfly caterpillars and some vertebrates also loosen the soil.

Most people still have the idea that worms are only worthy of contempt - they can be crushed, destroyed, poisoned. Everyone has seen earthworms. But does everyone know that these are the guarantors of our well-being and health?

Earthworms are large invertebrate soil animals - saprophages that feed on plant debris. In the soils of our country, there are 97 species.

Passing a mass of dead plant tissues through their intestines, the worms destroy them and mix them with the ground. They also have the merit in the processing of composts, which after a while turn into a free-flowing, friable material consisting mostly of granular excrement of worms. These are water-resistant, water-intensive, hydrophilic structures that constitute the most valuable forms of humus in the soil and are centers of microbiological activity. The fact is that processes develop in the intestines of worms in which low-molecular decay products of organic substances are converted into molecules of humic acids. The latter form complex compounds with the mineral components of the soil - calcium humates. And they, as you know, make the soil structural, preventing wind and water erosion of the soil.

Worms absorb not only humus, but also bacteria, algae, fungi and their spores, the simplest organisms of nematodes.

The number of bacteria in the soil is enormous. 1 gram of virgin soil contains 300-600 million, and one gram of cultivated land contains up to 3 billion bacteria. In good compost or manure-fertilized soil, the number of microorganisms is even higher. Soil microflora and microfauna are the main source of protein nutrition for earthworms. It is almost completely digested in their alimentary canal. Their waste contains a wide variety of enzymes, antibiotics, amino acids, vitamins, and other biologically active substances that disinfect pathogenic microflora. This is facilitated not only by worms, but they dominate, accounting for 50-70% of the total biomass of soil invertebrates.

Earthworms act as regulators of the activity of microorganisms, as orderlies and deodorizers of the soil, which is enriched with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, balanced with each other by natural technology. With a high abundance in composts, they process it into a highly effective humus fertilizer. In the excrement of worms of natural populations, the content of humus is 11-15%, and in artificially bred - up to 35%. This is a wonderful fertilizer for plants. Their composition is nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium: 5-5-3. Abroad, this fertilizer is sold at garden centers for $25 per pound. To grow three earthworms, the land must receive annually half a kilogram of high-quality organic fertilizer. A worm-friendly garden can have up to 25 earthworms per square meter. This is facilitated by tons of nutritious organic mass.

There is another specific feature of worms that is very useful for the soil. Over the summer, a population of 100 worms per 1 square meter lays a kilometer of passages in the soil, making it loose, water and breathable. It has been established that the worm passes through the alimentary canal an amount of earth with organic matter equal to the weight of its body per day. The active activity of worms continues in the middle lane 200 days a year. The amount of humus is directly dependent on their amount. No other animals and even agro-meliorative methods can not be compared with worms.

In the distant past, a caged bird was used to test the toxicity of the air in a deep mine. Until the bird died, the miner knew that the mine had good air to breathe. Earthworms are a reliable natural indicator of the health and fertility of garden soil. Dig into your garden. Look for at least five fat earthworms in one cubic meter of earth. Small, skinny earthworms, or worse, their absence, are an indication that the earth is in need of organic material.

Earthworms help neutralize soil acidity by releasing calcium carbonate. They prefer neutral soil acidity. Kilometer-long burrows of worms deep in the ground are filled with air and moisture. They develop plant roots. Worms exterminate the thatch that covers the lawn and reduce the number of harmful nematodes.

Direct sunlight can kill earthworms within minutes, so they only come out of their burrows at night in search of food. They favorably treat the soil with a temperature of 10...15°C, retreating to their deep burrows on hot days. Earthworms avoid unfavorable soil conditions, flee or die quickly. Even if the distribution of these "garden canaries" is small, the ground probably contains many dormant eggs. Therefore, try to create a reliable home for the worms and favorable conditions for their development.

Ensure sufficient food supplies. Earthworms are very fond of rotted leaves, grass clippings, compost, rotted cow or rabbit manure, kitchen waste - vegetables, fruit scraps, egg leftovers, etc. Kitchen waste creates a very acidic environment similar to pickled food. If you add ash or other powdery material to the ground, then it should be moistened with water beforehand, since dry material can kill earthworms.

Reduce or abandon deep tillage. The roots of plants, rotting, create food for earthworms, as well as channels through which air and moisture enter to great depths. Over time, earthworms rise from their deep burrows, overcoming several tons of earth, creating channels. As a result, the soil becomes breathable. Its moisture content increases.

Digging with a shovel or pitchfork, and even worse, deep plowing, destroys all the work of worms, eliminates all channels created by worms and roots, and worsens the fertility and quality of soils. After the rains, the soil becomes compacted. As a result, oxygen does not enter the soil, organic matter does not decompose. Aerobic bacteria, located within 10 cm of the topsoil, cannot live without oxygen. Anaerobic bacteria, on the contrary, live in the deep layers. Oxygen is detrimental to them. Both are useful in doing the work of creating soil fertility.

Deep digging of the soil deprives both of them of comfortable conditions, they die, and the soil becomes sterile. Thus, the desire to loosen the soil as deep as possible actually turns into sabotage. Of course, when developing virgin lands, one-time digging is inevitable. In subsequent years, it should be excluded.

The soil should be cultivated to a depth of no more than 5 cm. That is, only loosen, since living beneficial bacteria, worms and free channels for air and moisture are deeper.

A shovel and pitchfork are used to prepare planting pits, holes, and landscaping. Organic fertilizer is applied superficially, followed by loosening the soil to a depth of no more than 5 cm. Annual application of organic material, that is, mulching the soil, covering it with straw, peat, grass, sawdust, paper, compost or any other material, leads to an increase in the fertile layer. Mulch delays heat transfer between the soil and the atmosphere. The amplitude of temperature fluctuations is significantly reduced. In addition, mulched soil retains worm-friendly moisture. There is no need for worms to rise from the depth. They work within the development of the root system of plants and immediately benefit. This also contributes to the sowing of green manure. But do not allow green manure to grow above 30 cm. They should be cut at a depth of 2-5 cm with a flat cutter or weeder. The cut earth is left in its original place. The grass acts as a mulch. The remaining roots without nutrition will die, creating new channels for air and moisture, as well as for the roots of newly planted cultivated plants.

Avoid chemicals. Worms breathe through the entire surface of the skin. Therefore, they are sensitive to pesticides, fungicides and other chemicals that are used to repel and kill pests and diseases. Chemical fertilizers are the strongest poisons for all living things. Reducing the amount of organic matter leads to the destruction of the soil, the loss of humus.

Keep the soil moist but not wet. Earthworms must be kept moist at all times. They cannot live or hatch eggs in dry ground. In a few centimeters of kitchen waste, in decayed leaves, mowed grass, there is food for worms. For these useful creatures, food must always be in sufficiently moist soil.

Farm worms. The earthworms that live in your garden soil and compost waste are not the same thing. Compost worms are sometimes referred to as "house worms". They are specially bred in the warm conditions of compost heaps. They will die of starvation if placed in the ground. Composting with earthworms happens everywhere - from the garden heap to the bin, box, trash can. Under favorable conditions, they multiply rapidly.

Kitchen waste with a wealth of organic matter is one of the best natural fertilizers that ennobles the soil, increasing its fertility.

The easiest way to improve soil is to preserve and propagate earthworms.

V. Danilova, candidate of biological sciences T. Barkhatova, gardener

Despite the fact that in the eyes of people, earthworms are the quietest and most useful creatures, in fact, they wage cruel wars of conquest all over the world. And although their role in maintaining soil health is simply invaluable, the general laws of ecology are nevertheless the same for everyone. Therefore, even the most beautiful and most useful earthworm, when it enters a foreign ecosystem, becomes, first of all, an enemy that threatens the stability of this ecosystem. This statement can be confirmed by the example of the forests of North America, in which earthworms simply did not exist before the arrival of Europeans. And, according to environmentalists, it would be better if these worms never appeared here.

The fact is that not so long ago, experts made a statement that earthworms violate the carbon and nitrogen balance of the soils of North American forests. According to experts, the main culprit is the European worms of the Lumbricidae group. However, it is possible that these could be Asian species from the genus Amynthas, which were also repeatedly seen on another continent, thanks to overseas travels. Moreover, numerous studies in this area have shown that Amynthas worms can also change the ratio of nutrients in the soil and even displace other species from the ecosystem.

In the journal Soil Biology & Biochemistry, an article was published by scientists from the University of Georgia in the USA, which describes the relationship of the Asian earthworm Amynthas agrestis with soil centipedes from the bipedal class, the oldest inhabitants of North American forests. Researchers in the lab recreated an area of ​​local forests with fallen leaves, where they settled together worms and centipedes.

During the experiment, it turned out that both types of insects compete for the same food. But at the same time, the worms were in a more advantageous position: when food disappeared from the surface of the earth, they went underground in search of it. Centipedes could not do this, and they died without food. Thus, due to lack of food, all centipedes disappeared three months ahead of schedule. Although, it cannot be said unequivocally that only worms had advantages. For example, scientists have noticed that in order to control the number of worms, centipedes eat their eggs. However, in the absence of arthropods, nothing prevented the worms from multiplying. Scientists have come to the conclusion that by supporting centipedes, it is possible to limit the rights of dangerous worms.

Although, it should be noted that such invasions of worms are not always harmful to the environment. For example, last year an article was published in the journal Soil Biology and Biochemistry, which talked about how useful invasive worms of the same genus Amynthas turned out to be for tropical forests. An article appeared in another edition of Pedobiologica, which reported that alien worms were very useful for Amazonian soils, where mass deforestation had previously been carried out and active agricultural activities were carried out. The authors of the article reported that the worms increase the level of nutrients in these lands and contribute to the rapid growth of plants. True, some ecologists believe that in the future, perhaps, the advantages from these newcomers will not be able to be blocked by the disadvantages, since once they appear, new species will not leave, and the other species that they have displaced will not return.
Thus, the apparent benefit to the soil, however, comes at a price in the form of outcast species that often disappear altogether.

Role earthworms in nature and in human life is difficult to overestimate. The noble earthworm is an indispensable participant in the creation of fertile soil, and, consequently, the creation of food - the livelihood of mankind. Although we do not often think about it, but without earthworms, our existence could become more complicated.

Earthworms: description

-it is a segmented tube-shaped worm. It lives in moist soil and feeds on organic matter. Its average life span is 4 to 8 years. Depending on the type of specific soil inhabitants, an earthworm can sometimes live for more than 10 years. The digestive system of the worm runs along the entire length of its body, and the movement of a set of muscles of the intestinal line contributes to the digestion of food.

In addition, this small earth dweller has a central and peripheral nervous system, and is also able to breathe through the skin. In the body of an earthworm, connective tissues (bones or cartilage) are completely absent. Its long, fluid-filled body functions as a hydrostatic skeleton. Circular and longitudinal muscles on the periphery of each segment allow the indicated invertebrate to move.

Did you know?The structure of the body of an earthworm allows us to confidently call it one of the strangest inhabitants of the soil, becausehe has no eyes, no ears, not even lungs. At the same time, it has several hearts, and the mucous liquid covering the skin of the wormprotects it from predators, as it has an unpleasant taste for them.

Types of worms

earthworms - This is a large group of species that belong to different families. Varieties of the earthworm can be found on all continents of our planet. In total, there are more than 2000 species. Of these, about 40 are widespread in Europe, and the most famous are: the common earthworm (Lumbricus terrestries) and the dung worm (Eisenia faetida).

common earthworm can reach 30 cm in length; has a brown or red body; lives in fields, orchards and orchards. He very intensively digs deep passages in the ground (up to 3 meters deep).

Muckworm slightly smaller than normal (from 4 to 14 cm in length). Its body is rusty in color with yellow stripes around the rings. The name of the dung worm speaks for itself: it is found exclusively in compost soil. To survive, this invertebrate needs land enriched with organic material. The ideal temperature range for the dung worm is +15...+25°C.

Earthworms are also distinguished by biological features, that is, by types of food and habitat in the soil.

Based on these signs, two main types are distinguished:

1. worms that live on the surface of the soil;
2. worms that live in the soil.

Did you know? The "earthworm" got its name back inXVI century.Most likely, people gave it such a name due to its active life: in rainy weather, the worm comes to the surface, asotherwise, you risk drowning.

Features of the life cycle of earthworms

The life cycle of most earthworm species can be broken down into four stages:

• The first stage: hatching of worms from a cocoon. The process of egg maturation takes from 2 weeks to 3 months, after which the embryos leave their cocoons. The warmer the climate, the faster new individuals will hatch, and in very warm weather, eggs fully mature within 14 days (for comparison, in cold conditions, this process takes about 60 days).
• Second stage: withmaturation of adults. Already in the early stages of life (after 2-3 months), young worms begin to develop their own reproductive system, and within one year a new adult organism is fully formed.
• Third stage: reproduction. Earthworms are hermaphrodites, meaning each individual has both male and female reproductive organs. Despite this fact, worms must mate in order to reproduce. The two worms stick together and form a shell that gives them space to exchange sperm. Fertilization occurs in both bodies.
• Fourth stage: aboutweaving a cocoon. After the fertilization process is over, the worms separate and form cocoons inside their bodies, after which they roll into the soil for further maturation. A standard cocoon contains 1 to 5 embryos.

What are useful worms in the garden

Breeding and promoting earthworms in the garden brings great benefits to the soil. If they are contained in the ground in sufficient quantities, they can play a decisive role in the successful cultivation of plants. These gentle invertebrate creatures are the gardener's best friends. Some gardeners even refer to them as "nature's first agricultural technicians" because the richer the soil, the more earthworms you will find in it. But what specific benefit do worms bring to the soil? Firstly, they will do all the hard work for you, as they are able to loosen the earth, improve its structure, preserve and increase fertility.

As they move through the garden, they create tunnels that, like plowing, allow air and water to reach the seeds and roots of plants. In this way, earthworms act like tiny, invisible plowmen. Moreover, they provide plants with nutrition and protect them from pests and diseases. Worms are the main producers of stable humus, as they feed on organic matter such as rotten leaves, grass clippings, and even dirt.

Digesting food, these spineless form organic feces rich in phosphorus, calcium, nitrogen and magnesium, which help further enrich the soil and plant growth. Therefore, finding a lot of worms in your garden and wondering if they are harmful to the garden, the answer will be no.

Did you know? Few people know thatCharles Darwin (famous naturalist who proposed the theory of natural selection) was interested in earthworms. The scientist observed and studied worms for 40 years and as a result published a book about them called "Formation of the vegetative layer of the earth by the activity of earthworms and observations on their lifestyle" (1881).

How to increase the number of worms in the garden

Earthworms and soil fertility levels are closely related. Gardeners wishing to increase the number of earthworms in their garden soil can do so by adding more organic matter to the soil. In particular, soil mulching will also help to attract earthworms. A variety of materials are used as a surface coating for the soil: humus, fallen leaves, mowed grass, manure, manure compost.

Breeding worms in a wormhole

Earthworms need only a few conditions in which they will thrive and reproduce: adequate moisture, darkness, and food. The best time to organize a worm hive is spring or early summer, since in this case the worms will have time to multiply and get stronger before the onset of winter. So, let's figure out how to breed worms in the garden.

How to make and prepare a worm

As a dwelling for worms, you can use any container - a box, a large trough, an old bath. Suitable conditions for earthworms can also be provided on open compost, which has its advantages. However, in this case, you need to take care of additional protection of invertebrates. The plot of land allocated for the worm is usually protected with a metal mesh, and covered with a special fine mesh on top.

For convenience in the further care of the worm, its size should not be too large. At the bottom of the future house for worms, you need to lay out compost (a layer of about 40 cm) and pour it well with warm water (preferably rain). Next, you should cover the litter with straw, and let it brew for 5-6 days. The home is now ready to move in.

Settlement of worms

Earthworms for settlement can be found in your own garden (individuals collected immediately after rain take root best) or simply buy. For a good worm, which will constantly provide you with biohumus, you need from 500 to 1000 individuals per 1 m². Let's start the settlement process. In the center of the dwelling, it is necessary to make a hole and knock over a bucket of worms there. Then carefully distribute the worms and cover with straw or burlap on top. The first results can be assessed in a week. Periodically observe how the worms feel in the new conditions. If they are mobile and hide from daylight, then everything is in order.

Important! So that earthworms can easily adapt,feeding should be started only after 3-4 weeks after settling, and before that, do not forget to regularly water the worm with warm settled water.

How to care for worms in a wormhole

The answer to the question "How long do earthworms live?" Directly depends on the correct care for them and the conditions created. For a normal existence, worms need moisture (their place of residence periodically needs to be watered) and relative coolness, so the dwelling must be moved to the shade. Invertebrates also love it when a little sand is added to the compost, and crushed eggshells are scattered on top. In addition, they need to provide enough food, so once every two weeks, do not forget to add fresh food to the worm. However, you should never overfeed worms.

For those who are wondering what earthworms eat, we note that they eat almost any organic material that is available in the garden. The only requirement is that the food must be crushed, as worms do not have teeth. Also try to maintain a consistent feed composition.

Important!Before adding a new batch of food to the wormhole, make sure that the worms have eaten the previous one, as it is necessary to avoid an excess accumulation of uneaten food. Food leftovers in worm-infested compost can significantly increase its acidity, thereby creatingdeadly conditions for your worms. In addition, excess food can attract pests such as mites.

How to collect biohumus worms

The main purpose of breeding earthworms is the production of vermicompost. Biohumus or vermicompost- uh This is an organic, environmentally friendly fertilizer obtained as a result of the processing of household and industrial waste by worms. In other words, through a natural digestive process, earthworms turn various waste products into natural fertilizers. For wild plants, vegetables, flowers and trees, manure processing by worms is a good chance to get quality fertilizer.

The worms mainly live in the upper layer of the soil, while the vermicompost produced by them accumulates in the lower layer. To collect it, you need to carefully remove the top layer with worms and transfer it to a new prepared container. The bottom layer is sieved and laid out on the beds.

How to protect the worm for the winter

Cold weather can adversely affect the success of breeding earthworms in the country. Therefore, in winter there is a certain set of tasks when caring for the worm.

The following list presents the main measures for protecting and processing wormwood at low temperatures:

1. Feeding reduction. During the period when the temperature around the wormhole drops below +2...+3°C, it is desirable to radically reduce the amount of food. Around the same time, the worms themselves stop eating and fall into hibernation.
2. Moving the worm to a warmer place. Frosts are very dangerous for the worm, as worms can die from low temperatures. Therefore, the dwelling of the spineless must be moved to a warmer place. Try to keep the temperature around the wormhole above +4°C. Also, do not forget about the ventilation of the room. Worms need oxygen and fresh air, and they quickly get sick from their lack.
3. Controlling the movement of worms. In cold conditions, the worms begin to move actively. If you have a large number of pets in your wormhole, this can create a huge mess. The worms will tend to leave the wormhole en masse in search of more optimal living conditions, but the trouble is that you will eventually find them dead on the floor. Therefore, be vigilant and watch the movement of your wards.

As you can see, breeding earthworms is not a very troublesome business, but it is rewarding. These useful earth dwellers provide a natural fertilizer - vermicompost, which is often called the unique and most valuable fertilizer of the new generation, which once again proves the irreplaceable role of worms in the soil.

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How earthworms moved around the world. Yes, earthworms, as migrants, follow along with humans. Earthworms migrated to the American continent from Europe. So most of the earthworm species of the American Northeast come from Europe. All local species of worms died there, during the Ice Age, and when the ice receded, worms from the southern regions began to populate the northern regions. But before them, immigrants from Europe arrived there. The settlers who rushed after Columbus brought with them domestic animals, flowers and seedlings of fruit trees. Together with plants and soil, earthworms were also brought to America. They endured the journey well and successfully settled and bred throughout the North and East of the continent. Since then, the Mason-Dixon line has also conditionally separated the habitats of European and American earthworms.

Earthworms are great workers. They are human helpers, and if chemicals and herbicides are not applied to the soil, earthworms will become home inhabitants for many years to come. In garden plots, they are everywhere, and especially in wet places, there are many of them in plots with raspberries, which are often watered and do not dig up the soil. By the way, it is there that you can dig excellent rain .

Worm "Prospector"

Earthworms are good, but "prospector" dung worms are better. This is a specially bred species of worms, called the Prospector worm for its work. This worm is a real hard worker, he produces a huge amount of humus. In a day, one worm is able to produce biohumus more than its own weight.

Therefore, the “prospector” worms are kept, bred, sold and bought.

Having bought several worms "prospector" by the summer, you can get a whole family of workers for the production of humus. A family of worms, consisting of 1000-1500 thousand individuals, produce about two tons of excellent unique fertilizer over the summer.

Prospector worms do not leave their habitat and do not scatter around the site if there is enough food on it, although it is possible to limit their habitat with strong barriers, they can process wood into humus. In the allotted place, constantly put measles for worms. And the food for prospector worms is various plant remains, waste from the processing of vegetables and fruits, even rabbit litter and other pets, household and household waste. Worms will not cope only with metal and plastic.

The prospector worm works well at a temperature of 8 to 30 degrees Celsius the rest of the time or falls into a stupor or dies.

To keep the "prospector" worms in winter, they are placed in a warm room in cellar or basement with positive temperatures. In the spring, re-release on the site, they will quickly breed, and there will be a whole family ready for work.

How does an earthworm live? Worms are very cautious and are nocturnal. The worm digs a mink in the ground, and sits in it motionless all day, with its head towards the entrance. The entrance is covered with soil and leaves, grass. With the onset of dusk, the worm revives and gets to work. It crawls out of the mink, stretching to its full length. The front end of the body makes circular movements, rising above the ground and feeling the soil around. The worm travels all night, they are not able to return to the old mink, and with the onset of dawn they dig a new mink and crawl into it.

Rain can drive an earthworm out of a mink. Sometimes you can observe after rain the accumulation of earthworms in open places, they sit in groups or crawl along . These worms will not return to their burrows and will die. What is the reason? So far it has not been possible to solve it. The experiments carried out did not confirm any of the versions of the reasons why earthworms leave minks during rain and die.

However, a high survivability of earthworms has been established. If you cut an earthworm into two parts and put the halves together again, they will grow together perfectly and the worm will continue to live. For experiments, three identical worms were taken and the head part was cut off from the first, the tail from the second, and the middle part from the third. Having folded all three parts and pressed them tightly, they got a new worm to each other. The segments grow together perfectly after a few weeks. The worm leads a normal life for him.

Like a worm digs a hole. The worm does not have legs and even antennae, how does it dig its moves? If the soil is soft, he drills it with the sharp end of his body, resting on the ground, wriggling and spinning like a spindle. If the soil is too dense, he swallows pieces of earth, stuffing his stomach and intestines with it. Passing the earth through itself, the worm from time to time throws it out behind itself and lumps can be observed on the surface of the soil that look like excrement. So gradually the worm burrows into the ground.

The benefits of earthworms. Charles Darwin said that the plow is a great invention of man, but earthworms began to plow the earth before the plow. Earthworms play an important role in the formation of the earth's crust. They live in almost all wet places, they are numerous and very strong, although you cannot tell by looking at them. Worms pass several tons of earth through their body during their life, they perfectly prepare the soil for plants. They loosen it and thereby enrich it with oxygen, which is extremely important for plants. Worms mix the soil, passing it through themselves, they, capturing leaves and parts of plants, crush them and enrich the soil with them, eating them and releasing them back into the soil. Where earthworms live, the soil is much more fertile, and the yield is much higher.

It is interesting to know that giant earthworms 1-2 meters long are found in the tropics of South America and Australia. The Australian giant megascolides worm has a body length of up to 2 meters and a thickness of 1.5-2 cm. The giant earthworm burrows into the ground, swallows it and passes it through the intestines in the form of excrement. Always lives in its holes and sometimes exposes the front of the body, if you take it to the surface, the worm becomes completely helpless and inactive.