Menu
What's new
By:
Filters

The earthworm thread

BrushyPines said:
Great article, thanks for sharing SD! So since fertilizer harms earthworms, would you even recommend adding fertilizer to a TNM plot that is in year 2 of the journey? Also, does lime harm earthworms like fertilzer?
Click to expand...
I put lime in my worm bin occasionally and they do well with it.
 
OK but lets just say someone wanted to kill the earthworms without tilling. How would you do that?

Grub killer doesn't work. And killing grubs doesn't make moles go away because moles eat worms....
nothing against worms but yard is a mole heaven....
 
Bill said:
OK but lets just say someone wanted to kill the earthworms without tilling. How would you do that?

Grub killer doesn't work. And killing grubs doesn't make moles go away because moles eat worms....
nothing against worms but yard is a mole heaven....
Click to expand...
You just need to fish more!
 
BrushyPines said:
Great article, thanks for sharing SD! So since fertilizer harms earthworms, would you even recommend adding fertilizer to a TNM plot that is in year 2 of the journey? Also, does lime harm earthworms like fertilzer?
Click to expand...
I wouldn't add any fertilizer, but I'd make sure you've got the big 3 food groups (grass, legume, broadleaf) represented all throughout the growing season. Worms need some legume residue to eat all year. They also need some high carbon residue to live under that will protect from sun, rain, and predators. Calcium is always good for worms, lime is fine too. Just mind your pH so you don't overshoot it and create a chalk layer. I just came across that gem in a book I'm reading now.

I make it a practice to throw on at least 200lbs/ac per year of gypsum while I'm getting the system going. After 3-4 years, you could probably quit with the gypsum because you'll be naturally cycling back all the calcium and sulfate you need out of the parent materials in your soil.
 
Bill said:
OK but lets just say someone wanted to kill the earthworms without tilling. How would you do that?

Grub killer doesn't work. And killing grubs doesn't make moles go away because moles eat worms....
nothing against worms but yard is a mole heaven....
Click to expand...
You got me stumped on that one. A herd of heritage breed pigs would take care of your mole problem, but you wouldn't have a yard left.
 
What about chickens for the mole problem? I know they will eat mice, bugs, worms, I dont see why they wouldnt go after a mole as well?
 
4wanderingeyes said:
What about chickens for the mole problem? I know they will eat mice, bugs, worms, I dont see why they wouldnt go after a mole as well?
Click to expand...
Guinnies if you lived on th place.....but how many do? They are great for a farm site tho....keep all the rodents away.
 
Bill said:
OK but lets just say someone wanted to kill the earthworms without tilling. How would you do that?

Grub killer doesn't work. And killing grubs doesn't make moles go away because moles eat worms....
nothing against worms but yard is a mole heaven....
Click to expand...
You can shock the ground to force them out, then collect them for sale or move them.
 
SD51555 said:
I wouldn't add any fertilizer, but I'd make sure you've got the big 3 food groups (grass, legume, broadleaf) represented all throughout the growing season. Worms need some legume residue to eat all year. They also need some high carbon residue to live under that will protect from sun, rain, and predators. Calcium is always good for worms, lime is fine too. Just mind your pH so you don't overshoot it and create a chalk layer. I just came across that gem in a book I'm reading now.

I make it a practice to throw on at least 200lbs/ac per year of gypsum while I'm getting the system going. After 3-4 years, you could probably quit with the gypsum because you'll be naturally cycling back all the calcium and sulfate you need out of the parent materials in your soil.
Click to expand...
My fall plots usually consists of WW, oats, WR, CC, and AWP. Spring plots usually consists of BW, Cowpeas and Milo. Is this a good mixture or should I be adding something else to either plot?
 
My BIL was a farmer and big into cover crops. He always preaches a mix of "Grains, Legumes, Brasica". I would add some Radish and PTT and Red Clover to your fall mix.
 
BrushyPines said:
My fall plots usually consists of WW, oats, WR, CC, and AWP. Spring plots usually consists of BW, Cowpeas and Milo. Is this a good mixture or should I be adding something else to either plot?
Click to expand...

How do you transition from the WW and WR to the spring mix?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
BrushyPines said:
I use a crimper.
Click to expand...
What month are you crimping in Mississippi? Do you plant "green" into your grains?

I bought a crimper and will take delivery this spring....I am hoping to crimp after planting my summer mix into the standing Rye from last fall. My guess is the rye will be ready to crimp in Mid-June in Minnesota. First time at this.....so it's a bit of a guess for me.
 
Foggy47 said:
What month are you crimping in Mississippi? Do you plant "green" into your grains?

I bought a crimper and will take delivery this spring....I am hoping to crimp after planting my summer mix into the standing Rye from last fall. My guess is the rye will be ready to crimp in Mid-June in Minnesota. First time at this.....so it's a bit of a guess for me.
Click to expand...
I just got my crimper as well. I've had it ordered for well over a year and it just came in in January due to supply chain issues. What I did before was similar to a crimper, I would weigh down a cultipacker and run over the standing vegetation. It would lay down the majority of the vegetation. The problem I had was some of the vegetation would still be alive, so I had to spray gly on it. If I'm not mistaken, gly also harms earthworms. So I'm glad I'll finally get to use the crimper and get away from gly.
 
BrushyPines said:
I use a crimper.
Click to expand...
That's about perfect. After a few years of that, you could probably take one scoop with a spade shovel and get all the worms you need for a day of fishing.
 
BrushyPines said:
I just got my crimper as well. I've had it ordered for well over a year and it just came in in January due to supply chain issues. What I did before was similar to a crimper, I would weigh down a cultipacker and run over the standing vegetation. It would lay down the majority of the vegetation. The problem I had was some of the vegetation would still be alive, so I had to spray gly on it. If I'm not mistaken, gly also harms earthworms. So I'm glad I'll finally get to use the crimper and get away from gly.
Click to expand...
I urge everyone to stop using glyphosate. Gly is harmful to all soil life and our health. There are a lot new scientific papers coming out about all the damage gly is doing to our environment and ultimately human health from the blatant overuse of it for so many years. I can go into further details but I try to refrain on here.

The key to crimping is doing it at the right growth stage, with rye it needs to be at anthesis, and you need so many stems per foot to get a good crimp/kill. But, with food plots even if you don’t get a perfect termination that’s okay, it doesn’t need to be picture perfect. Just some thoughts.
 
I took this April 24 last year. Was wet morning turkey season. As sun came up oak tree was alive with worms by the time it was light enough to take this picture over half were falling off. Zoom in on photo. I’ve talked to several biologists none had ever heard such a thing. I’d say they climbed 6 foot. Entire tree was covered with 1000s of them.
 

Attachments

  • 4747DAE1-EE5C-4260-97D9-F553EE53D889.jpeg
    4747DAE1-EE5C-4260-97D9-F553EE53D889.jpeg
    2.5 MB · Views: 39
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top