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Too many earthworm mounds

FlappersFlappers Posts: 24
in Problem solving
Hi my garden is being ruined by earthworms. There are so many the mounds are joining and creating a big mud pie. Can anyone please help ? 
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  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576

    Earthworms are a sign of good healthy soil, and they are keeping it aerated for you, not ruining it!  The usual advice is to brush in  worm casts on the lawn but it's not so easy when it's wet - see https://www.lawnsmith.co.uk/topic/pests-diseases/worms-worm-casts for some other ideas (I'm not sure I approve of all of them - just throwing it out there).  In borders/beds they'll be fine left alone, but spread them out if its the shape of the little casts that bothers you.


    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • FlappersFlappers Posts: 24
    Thank you Jenny .I've looked at the PH values and took a pic, can anyone please advise.  Its not just when it's wet, and I know their a help but these are big healthy worms. I need to create a more acidic soil? 
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Leave the worms alone.  They're essential to soil and planet health and you're lucky to have so many.  Just brush off wormcasts as and when.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    If you think your garden is ruined by too many worms, you'd be even more alarmed at the state of it if you had none.
    I'd leave them alone.
    Devon.
  • MeomyeMeomye Posts: 949
    So glad to hear worms are a good thing I have lots of casts. I must be doing something right. 
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    You need some starling nest boxes or good blackbird nesting habitat. I've only got a tiny bit of lawn and I'm amazed by the amount of worms the birds extract from it during the nesting season. They take quite a few normally too though as long as the ground is damp enough.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    OH is not happy if l walk on the lawn and squash the worm casts. There are so many it's impossible to avoid them, and this time of year they are pretty wet. My reply is that worms are good - and watching the blackbird having a tug of war with one is entertaining (for me, but not the worm, obviously ).
  • FlappersFlappers Posts: 24
    Thanks for all your replies. Can anyone comment on the acidity of the soil please ? 
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Acid is good for rhodendrons, azaleas, skimmias, camellias and a whole host of other ericaceous plants.   You don't want it more acid than it aready is.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • steephillsteephill Posts: 2,841
    If the meter is accurate your soil has a value of pH4 which is already very acid. Cheap pH meters are notoriously inaccurate though so you may want to try a soil test kit where you dissolve some soil in a buffered test solution and check the colour against a pH scale.

    Trying to change the pH value of your soil is something of a forlorn quest as it will always revert to its natural state. You can't just sprinkle some chemicals on to get a permanent change. Best to learn to live with what you have, including worms.
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