How to Exterminate Earthworms
Earthworms benefit the garden by enriching and aerating the soil. However, in some parts of the garden like the lawn, the worms deposit digested earth worm casts. These casts look unsightly in a well-manicured lawn. Earthworm casts can blunt the blades of a lawn mower. Weeds grow on earthworm casts and pose a hazard for other plants in the garden.
Fertilize the lawn regularly. Fertilizer has properties to control earthworms. Fertilizer applied to a well-irrigated lawn will control earthworms effectively.
- Earthworms benefit the garden by enriching and aerating the soil.
Apply pesticide to the lawn. Pesticide may kill earthworms rather than prevent earthworm infestation. If the lawn suffers excess damage by earthworms, pesticide will effectively exterminate them. Chemical vermifuges like potassium permanganate or formalin will not kill earthworms but effectively bring them out so that they can be swept away.
Water the lawn sparingly. Earthworms thrive in moist soil. They breathe through their skin and constantly require moisture. If the soil is dry, they bury themselves deeper into the soil to find moisture and do not come to the surface.
- Apply pesticide to the lawn.
- If the lawn suffers excess damage by earthworms, pesticide will effectively exterminate them.
Mix dry mustard and water and apply to the soil in the evening. The pungent smell of the mustard repels earthworms. Unlike chemical pesticides, mustard will not kill earthworms. Mustard is also a safe vermifuge, unlike chemical pesticides or chemical vermifuges.
Install a bird feeder in the lawn. Birds not only feed on the nuts and seeds placed in the feeder but also on earthworms. When birds frequent the lawn the population of earthworms will dwindle.
- Mix dry mustard and water and apply to the soil in the evening.
- The pungent smell of the mustard repels earthworms.
Rid Of Earthworms
Earthworms are part of the growth machine that operates unseen in your lawn. If you eradicate the earthworms, you upset natural processes like nitrogen fixation and conditioning actions such as aeration. Using a pesticide to get rid of earthworms in your lawn is akin to using a flamethrower to light a candle -- you'll light the candle, but you'll incinerate it along with your house. Sweep away the dry worm casts during spring and summer, and rake and remove grass clippings. Removing the organic matter lowers the nitrogen in your lawn, and it also decreases earthworm activity. You can add the worm casts to the compost. Earthworms feed heavily on thatch, and removing it makes your lawn less hospitable to them. Check your soil's pH. If necessary, amend it to under 6.0 using ammonium sulfate. Run a heavy lawn roller across your lawn in perpendicular directions if earthworms have created a bumpy surface, and then aerate with a core cultivator.
- Earthworms are part of the growth machine that operates unseen in your lawn.
- Removing the organic matter lowers the nitrogen in your lawn, and it also decreases earthworm activity.
Rid Of Earthworms
Earthworms are part of the growth machine that operates unseen in your lawn. If you eradicate the earthworms, you upset natural processes like nitrogen fixation and conditioning actions such as aeration. Using a pesticide to get rid of earthworms in your lawn is akin to using a flamethrower to light a candle -- you'll light the candle, but you'll incinerate it along with your house. Sweep away the dry worm casts during spring and summer, and rake and remove grass clippings. Removing the organic matter lowers the nitrogen in your lawn, and it also decreases earthworm activity. You can add the worm casts to the compost. Earthworms feed heavily on thatch, and removing it makes your lawn less hospitable to them. Check your soil's pH. If necessary, amend it to under 6.0 using ammonium sulfate. Run a heavy lawn roller across your lawn in perpendicular directions if earthworms have created a bumpy surface, and then aerate with a core cultivator.
- Earthworms are part of the growth machine that operates unseen in your lawn.
- Removing the organic matter lowers the nitrogen in your lawn, and it also decreases earthworm activity.
Related Articles
References
- Oxford Croquet: Removing Worms from Lawns
- Worm Digest: Earthworm Castings Creates Maintenance Nightmare
- North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension Service: Earthworms as Pests in Home Lawns
- University of Colorado Extension: Earthworms and Nightcrawlers in the Home Lawn
- North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension Service: Earthworms as Pests in Home Lawns
- University of Colorado Extension: Earthworms and Nightcrawlers in the Home Lawn
Writer Bio
Marie Lowe has been writing since 1995. Her work appears in the "Durant Democrat" and various online publications. Lowe has a Master of Arts in journalism from the University of Central Oklahoma.
