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asacomm
08-01-2009, 03:16 AM
Hi all,

I usually grow bananas in a 60 littre plastic container, and recently I found
so many earthworms in the containers.
It is generally told that the soil where earthworms live is fertile and good
for bananas' growth. Could I simply believe in this?
Any different opinions?

Jack Daw
08-01-2009, 03:55 AM
Hi all,

I usually grow bananas in a 60 littre plastic container, and recently I found
so many earthworms in the containers.
It is generally told that the soil where earthworms live is fertile and good
for bananas' growth. Could I simply believe in this?
Any different opinions?
That all depends. If there's too many of them, it's a problem. But a few, say 5 or 6 a 60 litre pot shouldn't be that bad. But it at least says, that you don't water the bananas sufficiently. ;)

Lagniappe
08-01-2009, 08:54 AM
That all depends. If there's too many of them, it's a problem. But a few, say 5 or 6 a 60 litre pot shouldn't be that bad. But it at least says, that you don't water the bananas sufficiently. ;)
Where did you get this information/ratio?
Worms are great to have in containers and are a good indicator of healthy soil.
I add worms to my pots by the handfuls. They keep the soil aerated , help to break down organics, proliferate beneficial microbes in their gut, and inadvertently consume and destroy pathogens.
You could place a slice of papaya on the soil surface of a worm-rich pot and have that same amount of nutrient-rich soil (castings) in a day or two, so they're great workers for replenishing the mix.
Worms love a moist environment and are sometimes added to aquaponic beds/filter beds to break down the bacterial sludge.

hydroid
08-01-2009, 09:01 AM
I have alot of worms in my yard and I can tell you that my bananas do very well here.
hydroid

bencelest
08-01-2009, 10:56 AM
I concur with Pete. I usually gather earthworms after the rain on the street and take them in my yard. And if I can find where to buy them I will. They break down leaves and now I soaked old newspapers, cut them by hand bury them in my yard for earthworms to eat. I also saved coffee grounds and fruit and veggy leaves and skins to bury for the worms.

Ohio'sBest
08-01-2009, 11:46 AM
I remember as a kid growing up in Texas my friend's dad would lay refrigerators on their backs underneath the rabbit cages. The waste would fall to the worms. I don't remember what he got for the mixture, but he said it more than made up for the rabbit feed.........LOL. Sold the worms, the rabbit meat, and the amended mulch mixture.

bencelest
08-01-2009, 12:05 PM
Your dad is a smart man Chris. I always had that in my mind as my friends did it but never got around to it. But I had a compost bin made and there are so many worms there happily eating away..

Ohio'sBest
08-01-2009, 01:32 PM
I am surprised on how much household waste those little hermaphrodites will go through. Pooping out gold.

Worm_Farmer
08-01-2009, 01:56 PM
Worms are good! I put a sick plant in my worm bin and the worms ate all the mold that was growing in the pot, and pruned out all the rotting roots. And now it is going well all green again.

Worms in the pots is also good, I like to mix a lot of horse manure into my potting soil so that the worms I drop in the pots of plenty of food, and the plants have plenty of food.

bencelest
08-01-2009, 02:12 PM
I am surprised on how much household waste those little hermaphrodites will go through. Pooping out gold.

ha-ha-ha.
That's a good one Chris.

conejov
08-01-2009, 06:25 PM
I agree with pete. I think if theres lots of worms in your soil means the soils is healthy.