Odd pellet shapes on soil surface
- Thread starter BigBallerBonsai
- Start date
cbroad
Omono
Looks like it could be dried earthworm castings (dried earthworm poop), or dried organic fertilizer (sometimes a chicken manure based fertilizer looks like this dry).
Wires_Guy_wires
Imperial Masterpiece
It's poop from a tiny creature. Could be grubs, could be worms.
If you put a fork in your pot and wiggle it around a little, worms might surface after two minutes of wiggling.. If not, investigate to see if it's not some kind of grub (but those rarely poop out in the open).
If you put a fork in your pot and wiggle it around a little, worms might surface after two minutes of wiggling.. If not, investigate to see if it's not some kind of grub (but those rarely poop out in the open).
BigBallerBonsai
Seedling
is it a problem that I have a worm in my soil or is it something I shouldn’t worry about?
Wires_Guy_wires
Imperial Masterpiece
I don't worry about them. They eat dead stuff, process it, then release the nutrients and some dirt to the soil. If your soil is coarse enough, that poop should just wash out during waterings.
When I place pots on the ground outdoors, worms can get in and drop dirt they've collected in the ground. This can be problematic, since there's more mud/dirt ending up in my soil than there was before. This can clog the holes and stop the air flow. I do some checks in spring to see if certain pots need a good soil flush. Usually it's not that much of a problem. Worms can increase percolation too! I see them as a net-positive thing.
Japonicus
Imperial Masterpiece
Hey @Wires_Guy_wires I've been thinking about this lately for open Winter storage
where I have constant freeze thaw cycles and place pots on the ground.
Through the rest of the year we're cautioned against ground placement.
My main issue is pill or mealy bugs I hear can cause damage, but I'm not so sure.
If I had more a constant frozen situation no big deal, but do these bugs and worms descend
for the Winter in general?
Wires_Guy_wires
Imperial Masterpiece
Mealy bugs are a spring and summer thing, they hibernate as eggs. Grubs usually stay dormant in winter and don't move much; if the soil freezes and they're not protected, they'll die from ice crystal formation - with a few exceptions.
Earthworms stay mobile, they come up during thaws and drag leaf litter and other material into their tunnels where they degrade and become edible for the worms. But worms can also be semi-dormant, I think it's called suspended hibernation or something.. They move an inch a week or so.
Wood lice can be a serious issue though. They eat live tissue and f- my air layers up. They will attack healthy trees and chew the bark right off. They're crustacians, so most insecticides do not work. I'm experimenting with biocides against silverfish bugs, since those have been mentioned in literature in the past. But I haven't checked for results yet.
Earthworms stay mobile, they come up during thaws and drag leaf litter and other material into their tunnels where they degrade and become edible for the worms. But worms can also be semi-dormant, I think it's called suspended hibernation or something.. They move an inch a week or so.
Wood lice can be a serious issue though. They eat live tissue and f- my air layers up. They will attack healthy trees and chew the bark right off. They're crustacians, so most insecticides do not work. I'm experimenting with biocides against silverfish bugs, since those have been mentioned in literature in the past. But I haven't checked for results yet.
