Why would I be Interested in the fact that you have worms in Your Soil?
Earth Worms numbers in your soil profile are one of the best indicator of a healthy soil, A healthy soil has all sorts of critters running around breaking down organic matter and moving it around in the soil profile, but Earth Worms tell me that you have a healthy soil full of microbes, Most Farmers and Gardeners believe earth worms consume organic matter, when in actual fact worms consume or graze on microbes, remember worms don’t have teeth so are unable to bite pieces out of organic matter, the worms are actually consuming the microbes that are living on the organic matter but some organic matter is consumed in this process
Why Don’t I have Earth Worms in my soil then
If your soil is worm free or you have very few earth worms in your soil profile this is an indicator of low or poor soil fertility some of the reasons for low worm numbers would be no soil moisture, no organic matter in the soil profile and no food source.
If the problem was soil moisture the worms would go deeper and then return when conditions are correct, organic matter very few soils have no organic matter, microbes are not in the soil Why? Chemical abuse of your soils kill off the micro-biology in the soil profile as most man made chemicals are Salt Based and normally have Extreme PH levels, there is also the pollution that falls out of the atmosphere polluting the soil and plant surfaces killing off even more microbes.
Using Chemical Fertiliser, your actually killing off the beneficial soil microbes with this chemical each and every time you use them once the microbes are gone so will the worms.and so will your soil fertility
How do you get the worms back into your soil
Building earth worm numbers is as easy as building Microbe numbers you only need a food source (Microbes food for Worms) organic matter ( food and a home for Microbes) and moisture. So by feeding the soil organic matter and then inoculating the soil with a product like Wormtec Worm Extract Organic Microbial Fertiliser you can build microbe numbers very quickly once the Micro-Biology is back in your soil the worm eggs in your soil profile will hatch and your worm population will start to return.
Microbes in the Soil what do they do?
Microbes in the soil are essential for healthy soil and plant growth, Microbes consume nutrients and minerals in the soil profile and solubalise these compounds so the plant can absorb these compounds through the root cell wall if these compounds are not soluable the plant is unable to use these nutrients and goes hungry with slow and stunted growth followed by stress and then Pest and Disease attacks, Microbes also break down organic matter and move it around in the soil profile building a healthier soil, So yes Soil Microbes are essential for soil plant health