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Worms in containers

CrushnYuba

Well-known member
Has anyone used worms directly in their pots?

I have done some vermicomposting but not added worms directly to soil. My interest is with composting worms bringing amendments from the soil surface 6" below in my outdoor containers. The only thing it's the way i amend and use green manures, my soil it's on fire at the beginning of the year right before i plant and i think it would kill them. I COULD add them when i plant.... But how many Worms do i need to be really affective? And how would i raise enough Worms to colonize hundreds of yards of soil.

A plant is in the ground for 6 months... It would be nice to be able to get non water soluble amendments past the top inch of soil.
 

Big Nasty

Active member
i used to farm worms for fishing,it's easy:a wooden container,dirt,vegetables(lettuce,potato peel,etc.,not agrumes),newspaper or cardboard.Then you have to find worms:after a heavy rain in the evening you can find them easily near fields or even on concrete,look for the big ones,you can buy them in a bait store and try to farm them.I think they're not going to stay in the pot for a long time,they like slightly humid soil,not flooded so when it rains or when you water the pot there's a chance that they would go away.btw the most difficult part it's when you have to pick them out of the container without killing them.
 

Streft

Member
In nature bacteria and microbes would eat/breakdown all non soluble nutrients at the top i.e. compost the material then rain or water passing through said material would create a compost tea and leach the nutrients down to the roots so I think your stressing abt something that is already happening. With that said I'm starting an indoor no till 50 gallon container and adding some of my worms to it but I'm also building the soil with my worms in mind so I'm adding bedding and making the soil a good food source for the worms. My thought is if the worms are happy and eating, my plants will be happy and for a longer duration than if I didn't add the worms. Best of luck!!
Have an awesome day!
 

CrushnYuba

Well-known member
That's a good call. I know it is happening naturally... But i think it could be better. My top layer is way biologicaly active, but once roots are established, it stops much from getting past an inch or so. I want a fatter 6" layer closer to tilled amendments for the non soluble stuff.
 

Streft

Member
If u observe the need in your container for worms and feel worms will help u achieve your goals then u definitely need to do it. Worms in no till indoor containers and beds are very popular. Quick Google search or YouTube I've seen alot of others doing it and it makes sence. Plus it's also a quick search to find that worms won't eat living roots. So I really don't see any negitives in having worms in there. Worst case they die and even then still fertilize the plant.
Btw what containers are u using?
 

CrushnYuba

Well-known member
I use smart pots or mounds of soil on top of native clay. Both are a couple yards of soil. I have seen people do it in their no till pots.
I guess i am trying to figure out if the juice is worth the squeez. I wouldn't want to convert to no till for that volume of soil. I wouldn't be able to keep up with the frequent top dressing or tea labor. Maybe i can't have it both ways. So no one uses worms unless they are no till?
 

Weird

3rd-Eye Jedi
Veteran
I have had worms in my containers since I have been recycling and imho it isn't LOS without them



they are also the proverbial canary in the coal mine


mine all came from castings which is a sign of casting quality as well


picture.php
 

CrushnYuba

Well-known member
O. I get it. Thanks. It's anyone running worms and tilling or is it kind of exclusive to no till?
My containers are about 2 feet deep. When i till my green manure/cover crop at the beginning of the year in my top foot of soil and it heats up and starts rapidly decomposing, do you think the worms can retreat to the colder lower soil for a couple weeks?
 

St. Phatty

Active member
Has anyone used worms directly in their pots?

I have done some vermicomposting but not added worms directly to soil. My interest is with composting worms bringing amendments from the soil surface 6" below in my outdoor containers. The only thing it's the way i amend and use green manures, my soil it's on fire at the beginning of the year right before i plant and i think it would kill them. I COULD add them when i plant.... But how many Worms do i need to be really affective? And how would i raise enough Worms to colonize hundreds of yards of soil.

A plant is in the ground for 6 months... It would be nice to be able to get non water soluble amendments past the top inch of soil.

The worms do most of the work. They colonized the Earth, they could handle a few hundred yards of soil no problem.

At this point most of my grow containers have worms in them and some of that gets re-used so there's always worms.

I started out adding a few handfuls of worms from the compost pile.

They would swim away from soil that's too hot.

I don't worry much about that. I think they don't like pockets of dry stuff, e.g. dry wood ash. Very alkaline.
 

PaulieWaulie

Member
Veteran
Many of the worms that end in my pots from my castings come out the bottom of the pot after I water, and then when that water in the saucer dries up they get stuck under there and die. I always water till I see run off, that way I know everything has gotten equally wet.
 

PaulieWaulie

Member
Veteran
The worms do most of the work. They colonized the Earth, they could handle a few hundred yards of soil no problem.

At this point most of my grow containers have worms in them and some of that gets re-used so there's always worms.

I started out adding a few handfuls of worms from the compost pile.

They would swim away from soil that's too hot.

I don't worry much about that. I think they don't like pockets of dry stuff, e.g. dry wood ash. Very alkaline.


Germans actually brought worms into north america, strange enough.
 

St. Phatty

Active member

DTOM420

Member
This is an interesting thread. I’m waiting on my first order of worms for a worm bin. I hadn’t thought about putting them into my containers but it sure makes sense. I ordered Alabama jumpers because they do better in our hot summers and because they like clay soil (which they’ll aerate) but I may just do a second, smaller bin of wrigglers since it’s cooler now - I’m guessing they’re probably better for small (5-7 gallon) indoor grow bags and raised beds?
 

wetdog

New member
This is an interesting thread. I’m waiting on my first order of worms for a worm bin. I hadn’t thought about putting them into my containers but it sure makes sense. I ordered Alabama jumpers because they do better in our hot summers and because they like clay soil (which they’ll aerate) but I may just do a second, smaller bin of wrigglers since it’s cooler now - I’m guessing they’re probably better for small (5-7 gallon) indoor grow bags and raised beds?


Jumpers just don't do well in bins at all. That's the main reason they're so expensive, they have to be wild caught. Release them into your soil garden or a flower bed or similar with clay soil under it & outdoors. You could sprinkle some dry amendment like soy meal, alfalfa meal, etc., on the surface to kinda keep them from s'plorin for food till they establish themselves.

I'll be ordering some next spring for both my comfrey bed and soil raised bed both on top of SC red clay. The comfrey bed is especially well established (7 years), with plenty of decomposed comfrey to keep them happy. The RW and Euros that are added from fresh VC just have never done really well dealing with the clay but are going gangbusters in my 6 indoor bins and containers outdoors. Overall, I'm liking the Euros more and more over the RW's for my style and climate.

HTH

Wet
 

PaulieWaulie

Member
Veteran
Wigglers are preferred because they are happy in containers and don't wander out of bins, through doorways and into your bed while you are sleeping.
 

PaulieWaulie

Member
Veteran
So I was semi right


https://www.idiv.de/news/news_single_view/news_article/beneficial-h.html

"In Europe, they are classified as beneficial organisms, but many North American ecosystems are not adapted to these subterranean burrowers. This is because almost all earthworms became extinct there during the last ice age, which ended about 12,000 years ago. When the ice retreated, new ecosystems that are adapted to soils without earthworms emerged. But by now, several earthworm species live again in North America. They were introduced by European settlers and spread by anglers. An earthworm invasion is making its way through the forests at approximately five metres per year and is altering the physical and chemical properties of soils. Earthworms mix soils and build extensive burrows, which interrupts the symbiotic relationship between plants and fungi (mycorrhiza). The mixing also affects soil pH: the best-known earthworm in central Europe, the Lumbricus terrestris, carries alkaline soil upwards from deeper layers. On the forest floor, the leaf litter vanishes as it is eaten up by the worms and turned into humus. As a result, the nutrients stored in the leaves become quickly available to the plants. Furthermore, the soils dry out easily as water drains away readily."
 

wetdog

New member
Germans actually brought worms into north america, strange enough.


I'll go with St,Phatty on this. The Germans may have brought more worms, but it was the English (mainly), starting in the 1600's and mostly from the dirt ballast in ships that was offloaded to load up cargo from the colony's. Some were in the dirt of fruit and nut saplings brought from England to plant in the settlements and spread them out a good bit, but there were tons of ballast in each ship.

There were no worms in N America after the ice age ended and now they are everywhere except the desert SW. Not bad for 400 or so years. :tiphat:

Wet
 

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