Today, there are two kinds of gardeners.
There’s plenty we can all do to throw obstacles in the path of this explosively expanding new invasive threat. (See the detailed description in the October 2023 NOT WANTED, on the Drummer website or at GranbyInvasivePlants.weebly.com.)
In May, the poppyseed-size cocoons, deposited by adult worms before they died in the fall, hatch after a string of 50+-degree days. Tiny, pale at first, but with characteristic snake-like movements, unlike common earthworms, they then begin devouring leaves, mulch, and anything else they find in the top few inches of soil. By summer, they will be large, energetic, snake-like wigglers with a distinctive milky band near their heads.
There’s no chemical cure at this time, though panicked researchers are working hard to find one. Drop live worms in a bucket of water with dish detergent to kill them right away. It’s gross but worth it: each mature adult produces 100 more for next year. Make a trap by spreading some leaf mulch, their favorite food, and covering with a sheet of moist cardboard, weighed down. Check it regularly and pick them out one by one, dropping into dishwater. Cultivate bare soil periodically in May; the babies are vulnerable to being tossed about in dry soil.
Buying soil, compost, mulch?
Ask vendors how they can ensure it’s free of jumping worm cocoons. Phone calls to a sample of nearby soil suppliers found NOT ONE aware of and taking appropriate precautions to prevent their spread.
Buying or exchanging plants?
Ask nurseries and other plant sources what they do to guarantee plants are free of the nearly invisible cocoons. Unfortunately, the only way to be sure is to remove and wash all the soil off the roots, purify the removed soil, and replant in worm-free soil.
Purify soil.
Whether you buy soil or wash it off purchased plants, here’s how to make it worm-free. Lay out plastic sheeting on a driveway in full sun. Spread the soil to a depth of less than six inches. Spread a second layer of clear plastic over the soil and – most important – fold and tape the two layers together all the way around so the worms cannot escape the heat. Leave it to steam and roast in the sun for several days. Soil over 105 degrees over time kills the worms and destroys the cocoons.
Crazy, huh?
Yup. But taking these precautions might allow you to stay Gardener #2. And that will have made all the difference.
Best Resource:
Jumping Worms (Megascolecidae: Pheretima) in Connecticut. Dr. Gail Ridge, CT Agricultural Extension Service. September 28, 2023 portal.ct.gov/-/media/caes/documents/publications/fact_sheets/entomology/jumping-worms-in-connecticut.pdf
- Gardener #1: have experienced an overwhelming, sickening infestation of jumping worms.
- Gardener #2: have not ... yet.
There’s plenty we can all do to throw obstacles in the path of this explosively expanding new invasive threat. (See the detailed description in the October 2023 NOT WANTED, on the Drummer website or at GranbyInvasivePlants.weebly.com.)
In May, the poppyseed-size cocoons, deposited by adult worms before they died in the fall, hatch after a string of 50+-degree days. Tiny, pale at first, but with characteristic snake-like movements, unlike common earthworms, they then begin devouring leaves, mulch, and anything else they find in the top few inches of soil. By summer, they will be large, energetic, snake-like wigglers with a distinctive milky band near their heads.
There’s no chemical cure at this time, though panicked researchers are working hard to find one. Drop live worms in a bucket of water with dish detergent to kill them right away. It’s gross but worth it: each mature adult produces 100 more for next year. Make a trap by spreading some leaf mulch, their favorite food, and covering with a sheet of moist cardboard, weighed down. Check it regularly and pick them out one by one, dropping into dishwater. Cultivate bare soil periodically in May; the babies are vulnerable to being tossed about in dry soil.
Buying soil, compost, mulch?
Ask vendors how they can ensure it’s free of jumping worm cocoons. Phone calls to a sample of nearby soil suppliers found NOT ONE aware of and taking appropriate precautions to prevent their spread.
Buying or exchanging plants?
Ask nurseries and other plant sources what they do to guarantee plants are free of the nearly invisible cocoons. Unfortunately, the only way to be sure is to remove and wash all the soil off the roots, purify the removed soil, and replant in worm-free soil.
Purify soil.
Whether you buy soil or wash it off purchased plants, here’s how to make it worm-free. Lay out plastic sheeting on a driveway in full sun. Spread the soil to a depth of less than six inches. Spread a second layer of clear plastic over the soil and – most important – fold and tape the two layers together all the way around so the worms cannot escape the heat. Leave it to steam and roast in the sun for several days. Soil over 105 degrees over time kills the worms and destroys the cocoons.
Crazy, huh?
Yup. But taking these precautions might allow you to stay Gardener #2. And that will have made all the difference.
Best Resource:
Jumping Worms (Megascolecidae: Pheretima) in Connecticut. Dr. Gail Ridge, CT Agricultural Extension Service. September 28, 2023 portal.ct.gov/-/media/caes/documents/publications/fact_sheets/entomology/jumping-worms-in-connecticut.pdf
NOT WANTED: Granby Conservation Commission's campaign to educate about and take action on invasive plants