Earthworm Benefits in Organic Lawns.

Jun 1

It will be difficult to deny the probability that every particle of earth… has passed through the intestines of worms.
– Charles Darwin

One of the cheapest and easiest ways to keep your lawn green is to keep it full of earthworms! Throughout the course of one day an earthworm can dethatch your lawn, distribute water, fertilize your lawn, and prevent lawn diseases.

Dethatching.
Thatch is created when soil has been compacted full of material like dead grass and leaves, stems, and grass roots. This dense mat does not allow water to flow through properly. As earthworms move through the soil they break up thatch and create tunnels, allowing water to flow freely though and reach plant roots.

Organic Fertilizer.
An earthworm consumes mostly dead plants and leaves. The waste they produce – called castings – is rich in nutrients which help to improve the quality of the soil and grow a healthier lawn. Earthworm farming and composting, or vermiculture, are great ways to use the nutrients earthworms excrete to benefit your lawn.

Pest Control & Disease Prevention.
Among the pests living in soil, nematodes can be one of the most harmful to a lawn- they feed on the roots of plants. Earthworms feed on nematodes, their presence in soil can help to decrease the numbers of harmful pests. This will help to keep your lawn green, even, and healthy.

Earthworm populations within a lawn are very easy to maintain and generally do not become too large, however the chemicals in inorganic fertilizers will kill them. Managing an earthworm friendly lawn simply means limiting the amount of chemical fertilizer you use and leaving plenty of lawn clippings for the earthworms to eat!