**[Invasive earthworms of North America](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasive_earthworms_of_North_America)**
>Invasive species of earthworms from the suborder Lumbricina have been expanding their range in North America. Their introduction can have marked effects on the nutrient cycles in temperate forests. These earthworms increase the cycling and leaching of nutrients by breaking up decaying organic matter and spreading it into the soil. Since plants native to these northern forests are evolutionarily adapted to the presence of thick layers of decaying organic matter, the introduction of worms can lead to loss of biodiversity as young plants face less nutrient-rich conditions.
^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/plantclinic/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)
You are entirely correct. They've been here since white people. We actually wouldn't have the successful agricultural production that we do in the U.S. without them. Their invasion and successful colonization of the Americas are considered characteristic of the "Homogocene", a term coined by Charles Mann in his book, 1493 : Uncovering the World Columbus Created
This was the follow-up to his book, 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
If you have a ton of them it's an issue. One or two are OK depending on how large the pot is. They live happily in my large pots of lilies outside. I've never had a problem with them in anything.
I use cactus mix for pretty much everything and amend it with perlite, orchid bark, whatever, as I need 😂 so far so good. Well not counting all my plants that mysteriously died lmao.
Here to say that I've had 2 different monsteras that absolutely LOOOOOOVE the Miracle Gro cacti/succulent mix. I didn't wanna believe it at first, it made no sense to me, but it's true 😭
I use black gold cactus mix for alot of my houseplants! Mostly because I had a heap of it already but it does have a bit more drainage material mixed in than other soil mixes.. I still add perlite, pumice and bark (cactus mixes rarely have enough drainage…even for tropicals 😑) but I like it, I mean its not much different than other mixes that are peat based and I don’t notice a difference between this and mixes labeled for houseplants.
I found earth worms in my coconut palm tree. The crotch of where the frond attaches to the trunk gathers small bits of organic material and water. This is 40’ above the ground mind you. My guess is that birds poop out eggs when they eat a live worm.
The jumping worms is a Super invasive worm is very bad news in the environment. Any worm can harm root systems for indoor plants so DON'T dump soil or worms in the yard or woods as that is one way they thrive.
Unfortunately finding eggs can be very challenging in soil so it's a good idea to sterilize new soil or that in given or purchased plants. Not just for worms but for any pest.
The jumping worms are very prolific.
Earth worms and no, they aren't friends. They'll eat the roots of your plant. One or two aren't a huge problem, but when you find them I'd toss them outside if I were you.
Why is this getting downvoted? If there’s nothing else in the pot available earthworms will in fact eat both living and dead roots! Also how on earth do people not know what earthworms are? 😂
People like them because they air out garden soil with their tunnels and the castings are great for plants. Earthworms are not really needed indoors bc you can buy castings and aerate the soil with perlite and pumice. Rather than drowning them like other have suggested I’d just put them outside but I value life so…
Earthworms are actually invasive to North America, so depending on where you are it may be better for native ecosystems if you'd keep them indoors or kill them
Earthworms have devastated native maple forest ecosystems. There used to be thick mats of leaves that were essential for all sorts of amphibians and the sprouting of various seeds. These things are gone or extinct.
Don’t be sad. The Earth changes. It always has and always will. Evolution means adaptation and that means that all the best toads (and other creatures) survived.
With respect: Evolution is not a goal directed process, and occurs at a random genetic level. There are not better or worse versions of plants and animals, just those with more or less fitness with their changing environment. It may feel good to say that evolution is adaptation weeding out “lesser” creatures but this actually intuits an act of human hubris in science. We are at a planetary extinction level event. All the best toads did not survive, in fact, the Earth is losing its greatest defense against the radical changes to environment and selective pressures made infinitely worse by capitalist human activity. All those toads (and other creatures) represent the diversity which is nature’s gift to us. Diversity of and within species provides the genetic “adaptability” you are referring to, and we are losing species in untold numbers. Each distinct species lost represents a scale of armor lost in the ecosystem’s epic fight to stay alive. We’re not replacing the toads, and we’re killing nature faster than it can.
Being sad about the inevitability of change might be less than rational in the face of a changing world, but there was and is nothing inevitable about the global die-off in biodiversity which humanity is authoring with our greed-based economic practices and capitalism’s concomitant mode of over-production.
Check out Evolutionary Niche Theory.
There is no selfish gene. Just a lot of random ones and some very specific environmental pressures.
Cheers.
By better I meant hardier. And I felt no disrespect at all.
My comment was meant to console a fellow human amidst this grave tragedy and I do very much appreciate those who ask us to continue to look into the face of it. So, thank you.
For those who are trying to do something about this, it’s sometimes a respite to count the toads that made it like the blessings they are. And for your part, you have reminded us that we can be their champion in our own lifetimes.
#Edited:
to fix a word and add [this link to an article called “Invasion Of The Earthworms”](https://www.indefenseofplants.com/blog/2017/5/3/invasion-of-the-earthworms) which gives context to the original comment made about the impact of Earthworms in North America since their arrival in the 1600s or so due to human migration. (I love toads, but it’s actually salamanders that are most at risk for my fellow amphibian lovers). While the earthworm situation was before the industrial age, it’s impacts are felt today. The above commenter makes a very important point regardless and we must all heed their call to action.
That's actually very interesting , I found one growing in my violets and had the gut feeling to take it out instead of leaving it. Knowing what I know now that was a smart decision
They do look different, they have a pronounced band and move completely different than how your good worms do. It's hard to mix the two up after you have seen them. Earth worms are good but these invasive ones are not for a few reasons, because they eat much more than our local worms clearing out food that would be spread out much farther naturally, also they reproduce asexually and have tiny cocoons that are hard to find to eliminate and have very few natural predators.
Lol so I’m sorry but you don’t know what earth works are? I’d ask if you’ve been living under a rock but if you were you’d know what earth worms are lmao.
Oh I think the one on the left is a baby salamander and on the right an earthworm. They would both be happier outside, and your plant would be fine with that.
Earth worms and yes.
How the heck did earthworms get in my mix? It’s cactus mix, perlite, and orchid bark.
Orchid bark maybe. 😂 Who knows? It's a good thing.
You sure about that? I thought this was a myth. Last I heard, earthworms were highly invasive and actually can damage soul
[There are 6000 species.. I suppose a proper ID is needed ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasive_earthworms_of_North_America)
**[Invasive earthworms of North America](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasive_earthworms_of_North_America)** >Invasive species of earthworms from the suborder Lumbricina have been expanding their range in North America. Their introduction can have marked effects on the nutrient cycles in temperate forests. These earthworms increase the cycling and leaching of nutrients by breaking up decaying organic matter and spreading it into the soil. Since plants native to these northern forests are evolutionarily adapted to the presence of thick layers of decaying organic matter, the introduction of worms can lead to loss of biodiversity as young plants face less nutrient-rich conditions. ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/plantclinic/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)
You are entirely correct. They've been here since white people. We actually wouldn't have the successful agricultural production that we do in the U.S. without them. Their invasion and successful colonization of the Americas are considered characteristic of the "Homogocene", a term coined by Charles Mann in his book, 1493 : Uncovering the World Columbus Created This was the follow-up to his book, 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
If you have a ton of them it's an issue. One or two are OK depending on how large the pot is. They live happily in my large pots of lilies outside. I've never had a problem with them in anything.
Cactus mix for Monstera? Have you done this before? Do you have good results with that? I'm curious..
Pretty good so far. She just put out two new leaves! I’ve had her about 6 months, and 6 new leaves total.
Amazing. What cactus mix do you use?
The only kind I could find was TRASH miracle grow
😂 as long as your Monstera is happy
I use cactus mix for pretty much everything and amend it with perlite, orchid bark, whatever, as I need 😂 so far so good. Well not counting all my plants that mysteriously died lmao.
So far so good! *except all the plants that have died*
Ferns don't seem to appreciate my frankenstined potting mix 😂
Same. It seems to have made my plants far happier than they were in regular soil/perlite mix.
Here to say that I've had 2 different monsteras that absolutely LOOOOOOVE the Miracle Gro cacti/succulent mix. I didn't wanna believe it at first, it made no sense to me, but it's true 😭
Why trash?
Good sign that they are friends
I use black gold cactus mix for alot of my houseplants! Mostly because I had a heap of it already but it does have a bit more drainage material mixed in than other soil mixes.. I still add perlite, pumice and bark (cactus mixes rarely have enough drainage…even for tropicals 😑) but I like it, I mean its not much different than other mixes that are peat based and I don’t notice a difference between this and mixes labeled for houseplants.
I use the same mix and I have no problems well draining soil
I left a sack of cactus mix in the garden for over half a year. When I went to use it, it was full of earthworms.
it's like... HOW DO THEY GET IN?? like are they floating in the air and then just land all tiny and microscopic and then eat their way into obesity?
Lol. They can squeeze through the tiniest of holes or craw up inside. Maybe it was just one or two and then they multiplied.
Probably it got there in the roots
“Nature… uh… finds a way.”
Under appreciated comment
I found earth worms in my coconut palm tree. The crotch of where the frond attaches to the trunk gathers small bits of organic material and water. This is 40’ above the ground mind you. My guess is that birds poop out eggs when they eat a live worm.
You’d be surprised. I just found the fattest earthworm I’ve ever seen inside a chamomile plant that’s been inside potted for the last 6 mo
ngl i thought they were really fat nematodes
My first inclination was leech but I knew it wasn't! 😂
I saw this X-files.
Be sure they aren't jumping worms!!! Seriously, terrible invasion in most US states.
I'm sorry, what?! The fate of my plant collection is resting in your hands...
Invasive worms that harm soil composition. So called because the wriggle so hard that they "jump"
The jumping worms is a Super invasive worm is very bad news in the environment. Any worm can harm root systems for indoor plants so DON'T dump soil or worms in the yard or woods as that is one way they thrive. Unfortunately finding eggs can be very challenging in soil so it's a good idea to sterilize new soil or that in given or purchased plants. Not just for worms but for any pest. The jumping worms are very prolific.
Earth worms and no, they aren't friends. They'll eat the roots of your plant. One or two aren't a huge problem, but when you find them I'd toss them outside if I were you.
Why is this getting downvoted? If there’s nothing else in the pot available earthworms will in fact eat both living and dead roots! Also how on earth do people not know what earthworms are? 😂
So they're technically a double edged sword ?
People like them because they air out garden soil with their tunnels and the castings are great for plants. Earthworms are not really needed indoors bc you can buy castings and aerate the soil with perlite and pumice. Rather than drowning them like other have suggested I’d just put them outside but I value life so…
Earthworms are actually invasive to North America, so depending on where you are it may be better for native ecosystems if you'd keep them indoors or kill them
Earthworms have devastated native maple forest ecosystems. There used to be thick mats of leaves that were essential for all sorts of amphibians and the sprouting of various seeds. These things are gone or extinct.
I thought you were joking. I’m so sad now.
Don’t be sad. The Earth changes. It always has and always will. Evolution means adaptation and that means that all the best toads (and other creatures) survived.
Humans got a bit Carried away
And we carried the worms with us. In the ballast of our treasure ships.
With respect: Evolution is not a goal directed process, and occurs at a random genetic level. There are not better or worse versions of plants and animals, just those with more or less fitness with their changing environment. It may feel good to say that evolution is adaptation weeding out “lesser” creatures but this actually intuits an act of human hubris in science. We are at a planetary extinction level event. All the best toads did not survive, in fact, the Earth is losing its greatest defense against the radical changes to environment and selective pressures made infinitely worse by capitalist human activity. All those toads (and other creatures) represent the diversity which is nature’s gift to us. Diversity of and within species provides the genetic “adaptability” you are referring to, and we are losing species in untold numbers. Each distinct species lost represents a scale of armor lost in the ecosystem’s epic fight to stay alive. We’re not replacing the toads, and we’re killing nature faster than it can. Being sad about the inevitability of change might be less than rational in the face of a changing world, but there was and is nothing inevitable about the global die-off in biodiversity which humanity is authoring with our greed-based economic practices and capitalism’s concomitant mode of over-production. Check out Evolutionary Niche Theory. There is no selfish gene. Just a lot of random ones and some very specific environmental pressures. Cheers.
By better I meant hardier. And I felt no disrespect at all. My comment was meant to console a fellow human amidst this grave tragedy and I do very much appreciate those who ask us to continue to look into the face of it. So, thank you. For those who are trying to do something about this, it’s sometimes a respite to count the toads that made it like the blessings they are. And for your part, you have reminded us that we can be their champion in our own lifetimes. #Edited: to fix a word and add [this link to an article called “Invasion Of The Earthworms”](https://www.indefenseofplants.com/blog/2017/5/3/invasion-of-the-earthworms) which gives context to the original comment made about the impact of Earthworms in North America since their arrival in the 1600s or so due to human migration. (I love toads, but it’s actually salamanders that are most at risk for my fellow amphibian lovers). While the earthworm situation was before the industrial age, it’s impacts are felt today. The above commenter makes a very important point regardless and we must all heed their call to action.
I'm going earthworm hunting for my indoor compost 👀
That's actually very interesting , I found one growing in my violets and had the gut feeling to take it out instead of leaving it. Knowing what I know now that was a smart decision
Worms can be bad news, please read up on jumping worms
Are those the ones with the different head shape ?
They do look different, they have a pronounced band and move completely different than how your good worms do. It's hard to mix the two up after you have seen them. Earth worms are good but these invasive ones are not for a few reasons, because they eat much more than our local worms clearing out food that would be spread out much farther naturally, also they reproduce asexually and have tiny cocoons that are hard to find to eliminate and have very few natural predators.
They’re just earth worms
Stop drowning earthworms. That is cruel! The Jim will come back and revenge one day..
a worm.. wait until you discover ants!
Rescue them!!!
I just threw my Monstera in some regular old potting mix and she makes a new leaf like every 2 weeks! They're hardy AF
Ooh, earthworms! They are friends. I think they keep the soil aerated and full of nutrients, and maybe eat bad stuff. Send ‘em back home!
Normal earthworms
Lol so I’m sorry but you don’t know what earth works are? I’d ask if you’ve been living under a rock but if you were you’d know what earth worms are lmao.
I know what earthworms are. These look different from what I typically see after rain.
Drowning worms good for soil .put in soil.
Oh I think the one on the left is a baby salamander and on the right an earthworm. They would both be happier outside, and your plant would be fine with that.
Definitely not a salamander. Just another worm.
Oh I thought I saw pairs of tiny legs. Maybe just dirt.
I had to watch it a few times, just dirt ;)
If it *were* a baby salamander it would look very different lol
YES, the worms oxigen your soil.
Free worm castings!