Earthworm- Super Hero

It's great to have all the benefits of a worm farm such as nutrient rich castings and tea. It's even better to encourage worms into your garden beds where they can get to work directly improving your soil.

Think of the humble earthworm as the main super hero in your gardens soils life.
They offer many heroic services including: greatly increasing nutrient availability, better drainage, and a more stable soil structure, all of which help improve plant health and productivity.

·  Improved nutrient availability
Worms feed on plant debris (dead roots, leaves, grasses, manure) and soil. Their casts are many times richer in available nutrients than the soil around them. Nitrogen in the casts is readily available to plants. Worm bodies decompose rapidly, further contributing to the nitrogen content of soil.

Worm casts release four times more phosphorus than does surface soil. They often leave their nutrient-rich casts in their tunnels, providing a favourable environment for plant root growth. The tunnels also allow roots to penetrate deeper into the soil, where they can reach extra moisture and nutrients. Their  tunnelling can help incorporate surface applied lime and fertiliser into the soil.

·  Improved drainage
The extensive channelling and burrowing by earthworms loosens and aerates the soil and improves soil drainage. Soils with earthworms drain up to 10 times faster than soils without earthworms. 

·  Improved soil structure
Earthworm casts cement soil particles together in water-stable aggregates. These are able to store moisture without dispersing.  Earthworms rebuild topsoil. In favourable conditions they can form a layer 5 mm deep annually.

·  Improved productivity
Research has found earthworms introduced to worm-free perennial pastures produced an initial increase of 70–80% in pasture growth, with a long-term 25% increase, so imagine how much better you’re vegies will be with soil rich in worms.

How to encourage earthworms to multiply in your garden.

·  Increase organic matter
Mulch, mulch, mulch.
    Worms feed on soil and dead or decaying plant material, including straw, leaf litter and dead roots. Animal dung is also an attractive food for many species of earthworms. So keep adding lots of compost, straw leaves and any other organic matter to your beds.

·  Keep soil moist

Earthworms are active when the soil is moist and inactive when soil is dry so keep those babies happy with nice damp soil.


Check out this video of   'The Power of Worms' It covers the benefits of both worm farms and worms in your garden beds.

And be sure to check out this video below on Australia's giant earthworms.

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Pruning

Pruning Fruit Trees

The past couple of months I've been out pruning with the 'Growing Abundance' group. We formed the group with the intent of harvesting all that delicious fruit grown in backyards but in the past has gone to waste because the owners have been either unable to harvest it themselves or have had too much fruit for their own use.

We distribute the fruit to anyone who needs it including schools and day care centres. We also keep a portion for our own use and can be found canning, stewing, drying and eating to our hearts content come harvest season.

But right now it's winter so we go back to prune the fruit trees and give them any TLC that's needed.

 I would encourage anyone to either participate as a grower or harvester or to start up a similar group to reap the abundance in your own area.

The Growing Abundance group: http://www.cch.org.au/growing-abundance/

There are many different ways to prune fruit trees. Just ask a dozen different people and you will get a dozen different answers. But remember, fruit trees are forgiving so relax and have a go. The tree will keep growing regardless of how well you do the job.

Basic Pruning:

• Remove broken or diseased branches
• Crossing limbs
• Any branches growing inward to the tree's centre
• Any growing vertically or straight down
• Thin out enough new growth to allow light to filter into the canopy when the tree has leafed out so the fruit can ripen and color properly
• Shorten any branches that are too long to avoid leggy growth

Pruning Methods to Encourage Fruit.

Peaches and nectarines produce fruit on last season’s laterals so when pruning make the cut at a triple bud. Last season’s fruiting laterals should be cut back to the basal leaf buds.

Apricots.  Many professionals don’t prune apricot trees. If you never prune them, growth appears to be slowed down but once you start to prune an apricot tree, you’re then bound to continue pruning because of the vigorous regrowth.

Japanese plums produce flower buds on last season’s laterals and short spurs on older wood. Prune to shorten the older laterals and thin out the spurs.

European plum trees develop permanent spurs on two year old laterals. Prune long laterals to half their length.

Pruning apple trees can be a complex exercise because different varieties have different fruiting habits. Some trees bear mostly on laterals (Jonathan apples) so shorten these by about half their length.

Other apple varieties produce fruit on spurs (Granny Smith). Thin out congested spurs and shorten or remove strong laterals. Keep the shorter laterals for future spur development.

Pear trees are pruned similar to apple trees. Thin out old spur clusters, cut back strong laterals and keep the short ones.

Citrus trees do not need pruning to produce fruit. Prune to shape, clear away dead wood, or to thin out if tree is overburdened with fruit.

Note:  While trees will recover from bad pruning, they may or may not recover from disease so always sterilize your pruning equipment. To sterilize wipe tools with a cloth dampened with a little bleach or metholated spirits.

This article was also seen on The Prairie Homestead blog: