They don’t have ears, a nose or eyes. They breathe through their skin, rather than through lungs. And in one acre there may be more than a million of them.
They ingest soil, digest the organic matter present in it and excrete soil full of plant nutrients. It is the most fertile soil there is as worm casts can contain five times more nitrogen, seven times more phosphorus and 1000 times more beneficial bacteria than the original soil.
Worms are so vital to our planet, that some have said they are more important than humans.
According to the Soil Association, worms play a number of key roles, over and above recycling nutrients and creating the best soil in the business.
- They improve soil structure by loosening, mixing and oxygenating soil as they create little burrows. This leaves space for water to be drained away and stored within the soil itself rather than on the surface.
- They repair damaged soil because as they wriggle and burrow, they are also distributing micro-organisms which break down environmental pollutants.
- They are vital in the food chain, providing protein-rich snacks for birds, hedgehogs and frogs.
These little garden helpers are pretty amazing. And now there’s a way to encourage these worms into your own garden, thanks to an ingenious eco product form Envii.
What if there was a spark plug that could trigger the natural biology of your garden, helping it to spring into life?
Meet Activearth from Envii, a probiotic soil fertiliser designed to turn tired soil into a fibrous and nutrient-rich growing medium, home to many earthworms and reaching down more than one metre into the subsoil.
Activearth delivers three essential minerals – magnesium, potassium and calcium – in a carefully balanced formulation. As well as increasing earthworm activity, as worms will be attracted to this rich environment, Activearth speeds up the composting of organic matter and microbial biomass.
It is 100% organic and safe to use around pets and wildlife.
Activearth is a unique and natural way to provide a long-term improvement to garden soil, giving plants, lawns, fruits, vegetables and young trees the opportunity to develop to their full potential whilst improving the fertility and texture of garden soil.
It is not an instant cure and Activearth should be top dressed twice a year for up to three years for maximum benefit. An annual top-up treatment will maintain all the benefits.
The retail price of a 1.2kg compostable carton of Activearth from www.envii.co.uk is £17.99 including UK p&p. It will treat up to 30 square metres of vegetable garden or herbaceous border per treatment in spring and autumn.
How many worms have you spotted in your garden this month?
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Helen Dennett
I took on an allotment plot in a brand new site in March. The soil was.totally.sterile and there wasn’t a worm in sight. Just 1 treatment with Active Earth and I had worms just a few weeks later!