Attracting Earthworms to My Garden in Central Texas

Help from Earthworms

• As earthworms feed on the organic matter in the soil and dig, improving soil structure, their excretions release nitrogen and other nutrients to plants. Both the process of digging and the castings contribute to control of water runoff and erosion. The beefy night crawler ingests soil at a daily rate equal to its body weight. The red earthworm, on the other hand, shuns the soil for compost bins and sites with leafy litter. Besides relieving soil compaction and improving drainage, earthworms discourage insect pests and diseases.

In the Heart of Texas

• Being a large geographical area, Central Texas includes a diversity of soil types, many of which are problematic. Alkaline clays dominate the hill country, but stony soils exist there, as well. Even in the eastern portion where some slightly acidic loams can be found, they often cover clay subsoils. Limestone, granite, gneiss or schist bedrock lies under other Central Texas soils. Soil fertility is often a concern. Gardeners in the area can take steps, however, to up their chances of attracting and keeping earthworms to aid them in their soil enrichment efforts.

Earthworm-Friendly Gardens

• To entice earthworms, stop using any synthetic fertilizers, herbicides or insecticides. These products make your soil too toxic to support the beneficial creatures. Provide food for them by applying a 2- to 4-inch layer of compost or other organic matter, like leaf mold, over your garden area. Regularly water the ground to keep the mulch damp; worms require moisture and favorable temperatures. If an earthworm's skin dries out, it will likely die. In case your attraction efforts fail to bring many worms to your property, consider jump-starting the population by ordering earthworms in egg form through the mail. Scatter the eggs over the ground and in about three months, they will begin their work in your soil. Alternatively, add them to raised beds you have built and filled with fresh, loamy soil, if yours is exceptionally poor.

Anatomy of an Earthworm

• These diminutive beings have distinctive characteristics not shared by many other forms of life. For example, they do not slither like snakes but move by expanding and contracting the 150 segments of their bodies. The primitive creatures can replicate lost segments, depending on the extent and location of the injury. Replacing a lost tail section may be possible; replicating a lost head is doubtful. Surprisingly, since earthworms have no eyes, they sense light, particularly at the head end. If they feel light's presence, they move away, as they will become paralyzed if exposed to light for as long as an hour. Although earthworms are hermaphroditic, possessing both male and female reproductive organs, they mate by exchanging sperm with another worm. Under favorable conditions and with few predators, an individual earthworm may share an acre of land with a million more of its kind.