Should I add earthworms to my garden beds?

Can adding earthworms to my flower garden %26amp; to my vegetable garden help in the overall growth of my plants?



I was basically going to buy nightcrawlers from a bait %26amp; tackle shop. But which types of worms should I use?



Lastly, I plan on using compost %26amp; a compost bin in my garden this year. What other natural/organic tips can I use for my garden?

Should I add earthworms to my garden beds?
Buying worms from a bait shop might be a little expensive. There are a number of sources on line such as Acme Worm Farm- http://www.acmewormfarm.com/nightcrawler...



For information on organic gardening and compost, take a look at our web site's page on Organic Gardening-



http://www.gardening-at-the-crossroads.c...
Reply:Yes, adding them will help, however you may want to search for "Earthworm Eggs/Cocoons" online. You'll get way more bang for your buck that way especially if you have a large garden.



Check into "Companion Planting" to assist the garden naturally too.
Reply:If you don't already some, then yes you should. If I remember correctly, you want red worms. Try asking someone at your local nursery.
Reply:It will greatly increase your production. I'm talking thousands! Not a little container to go fishing with.



Do a web search for earth worms.



http://www.wheatgrasskits.com/worm.html?...



http://www.thewormfarm.net/



Or this to google it for others:



http://www.google.com/search?q=earthworm...



Worm casings are one of the best fertilizers you can get, plus the worms aerate the soil. And if you get a hankering to go fishing, it is real easy to get them.



On your compost pile. It will help to inoculate it, but not necessary. Just remember to turn it over and don't let it dry out. Don't drown it either!
Reply:Yes they aerate the soil
Reply:Worms are found naturally in moist, fertile soil. With the addition of compost you will encourage your current population to grow but with out healthy soil to feed them adding more worms will be of no benefit. Add as much compost and organics to your soil as you can afford. It is impossible to add to much.



Feed %26amp; weed organically



Organic Fertilizer for Irises;

1 c. alfalfa meal

1 c. fish meal

1 c. greensand

1/2 c. bone meal

1 c. gypsum (wear a dusk mask!)

Mix well and apply 1 - 2 c. two times a year.



OR:

1 part kelp meal

2 parts alfalfa meal

4 parts any combination cottonseed, fish and/or soybean meal

1 part rock phosphate

Wear a dusk mask and use gloves!

Mix well. Apply 1 - 2 c. per clump twice a year



University of Pennsylvania's Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia:

In a large bucket combine

1 cup alfalfa meal

1 cup fish meal

1 cup greensand

1 cup gypsum

1/2 cup bonemeal.

Mix well. Sprinkle the fertilizer around the base of your roses, and gently scratch it into the soil with a hand cultivator. This makes enough for one large rosebush or several small ones, and it's best applied in early spring. You can store the leftovers in an airtight container.



Alfalfa While at first glance it would appear that nitrogen is the big benefit from alfalfa (Meal: 5-1-2; Pellets: 14-4-8), with a good dose of iron and trace elements, the real benefit comes from a fatty acid alcohol called triacontanol, which occurs, naturally in the waxy surface of the plant’s leaves. Triacontanol is a root stimulant which, when used in small quantities, can increase yields in garden plots by 30 to 60%. It can be applied to roses straight out of the bag or box, or applied in an "alfalfa tea."

For direct application, sprinkle up to a cup of pellets, a half-cup for small shrubs, around each bush and water. The pellets then swell up and break apart. Then scratch the alfalfa into the soil or cover with mulch. If you leave the alfalfa on the surface, it will mold, and, when it dries, it will turn hard and crusty…work it in. Don’t use more than a cup, or its effectiveness will drop.

Orchid and rose growers use alfalfa tea as a foliar spray. If you grow delphiniums and irises, they also love alfalfa tea. Some iris growers mulch their beds with alfalfa meal. And an additional benefit for delphiniums is that the Epsom salts in the tea help to ward off slugs and snails.

For alfalfa tea, add 10 to 12 cups of alfalfa pellets to a 32 gallon garbage can, add water, stir and steep for 2 or 3 hours to a couple of days. You can add 4 to 6 cups of Epsom salts and 8 ounces of fish fertilizer as a "fortifier", if you wish. Apply a gallon per bush, 1/3 gallon per miniature. Stir often to keep it mixed. You can pour the slurry on the bottom of the garbage can onto some of the roses, or add it to your vegetable garden.



Slugs are attracted to chemicals given off by the fermentation process. The most popular bait has been beer. However, not all beers are created equal. In 1987, a study at Colorado State University Entomology Professor Whitney found that Kingsbury Malt Beverage, Michelob, and Budweiser attracted slugs far better than other brands.



The range of slug traps is only a few feet so you need to supply a few throughout your garden. Never, sink the containers with their rims flush with the soil level or you run the risk of drowning ground beetles, important slug controllers. The rims should be 1" above the soil's surface.



Insecticide Garlic Spray:



3 oz Garlic soaked in 2 tsp of mineral oil for at least 24 hours.

Slowly add 1 pint of water that has 1/4 ounce liquid soap or commercial insecticide soap mixed into it. Stir thoroughly and strain into a glass jar for storage. use at a rate of 1 to 2 Tablespoons of mixture to a pint of water. If this is effective, try a more dilute solution in order to use as little as possible.



Alcohol Sprays

The idea of using rubbing alcohol as a spray for plants pests has been around for years. Can cause leaf damage on African Violets, and Apple trees.

Protection offered: Alcohol sprays work on aphids, mealybugs, scale insects, thrips and whiteflies. Alcohol sprays have been used successfully on houseplants and tropical foliage plants. Most of these have heavy, waxy cuticles that are not easily burned.

How to Make: Use only 70% isopropyl alcohol(rubbing alcohol): mix 1 to 2 cups alcohol per quart of water. Using undiluted alcohol as a spray is very risky for plants. You can also mix up an insecticidal soap spray according to the dilution on the label but substitute alcohol for half of the water required.

How to Use: Since alcohol can damage plants always test your spray mix on a few leaves or plants first. Tests results should show up within 2 or 3 days.



MILK AND FLOUR

Here's one for an insecticide against red spider mite and azalea lace bug. Mix together a quarter-of-a-cup of milk and four cups of flour. Add this to 20 litres of water and stir well and constantly. This makes enough to treat several plants. It should be sprayed on to all surfaces of the plants every two days, until the mites or bugs have gone. As with any milk-based recipe, it is best to make only as much as you need each day, for the storage life is very short.





Spray milk on roses with black spot or mildew

Dilute it 1:7 Dried milk is fine.



Floating row cover

The easiest method of pest control is to prevent damage in the first place. Using a physical barrier like a floating row cover will prevent insect pests from reaching your plants and chewing them or laying their eggs on them. I find floating row covers a must when growing carrots to prevent carrot rust fly damage and when draped over my broccoli, I prevent cabbage worm from defoliating my plants.
Reply:do you not already have earthworms in your dirt? earthworms are a good sign for dirt and gardens.

my mom use to have tons in her yard, it didn't matter where we dug, we found em and used them for fishing:) and now she doesn't have as many...