Earth’s mightiest heroes: How worms help us and why we should help them

We need worms

It may be easy to see a worm and say “ew.” When we see worms we should really say “yay” instead. Worms are underappreciated and often overlooked as being just slimy critters invading otherwise insect-filled dirt.

Worms are great for fishing bait and they are easy to pass off as this being their only purpose. However, worms are arguably the most vital and important piece of terrestrial health, and thus, plant growth.

Let's familiarize ourselves with worms before we appreciate their benefits. There are all kinds of worms, a few of which are beneficial for soil health and compost, such as lumbricus, eisenia fetida, red wigglers, and roundworms, which will be referred to as earthworms. While there are appropriate worms to “ew” at, these are the lovable, helpful worms we want.

Overall, these worms break down organic matter in different ways to promote soil health, but before appreciating these further, it is important to note undesirable worms. These include invasive worms (amynthas species), pests, and parasitic worms.

Not only do we benefit from earthworms, but we arguably require their presence. Life as we know it would struggle to survive without them.

Worms are at the foundation of soil health

As aforementioned, earthworms’ importance for humans and the world involves their benefits to soil health. Earthworms hang out in topsoil where much of plant growth takes place, aerating soil by burrowing, thus benefiting fertility, water infiltration, and positive microbial activity.

By eating all manner of biological matter, they decompose mass amounts of materials, recycling nutrients and fertilizing soil. As does anything that eats, earthworms poop, and this is called worm castings, which contain this influx of nutrients.

Earthworms’ simple movement every day strengthens soil. Their burrowing and digging as they travel through the soil provides a better structure. By leaving gaps in the soil, they provide drainage opportunities for water instead of allowing flooding.

Their movement through the soil also moves around micro-organisms. This encourages bioremediation, which is the breakdown of pollutants that cleans the soil. Without earthworms, these activities simply would not occur and our soil would be significantly worse off.

Soil health isn’t just important because earthworms make it so. The health of our soil determines how able plants are to grow.

Like all life on Earth, there is a cycle in which both ends depend on each other. Healthy soil sustains the presence and diversity of life in the soil which in turn benefits the soil even more by including earthworms.

How to avoid bad worms

It is vital to understand the difference between earthworms and the previously discussed bad worms. First, it is important to identify them correctly.

Consider where you find the worm, how it moves, and any visible effects on the area you find it in. Beneficial earthworms are found in relatively moist environments and not in dry soil. They are also always found in the soil and not attached to plants.

Earthworms also slowly inch along as opposed to bad worms. Invasive worms (amynthas species) for example thrash and move wildly. These worms will also leave the area they are found in a clearly unhealthy state. The best way to avoid these worms is by rotating crops

How to protect good worms

As good as earthworms are, they are currently in decline. A large reason for this is pesticide use. To avoid this decline, it is first important to avoid using pesticides. There are also several other variables to consider for attracting earthworms into your soil.

Even though earthworms break up and aerate soil, they require already relatively aerated soil. To fix this, introduce organic compost to soften the soil and allow earthworms to travel freely. Earthworms also do not enjoy acidic soil. To raise the soil pH above 4.5, use lawn lime, which has ingredients that naturally lower acidity. Lastly, they do not enjoy disturbances either, so it is important to limit shifting around soil.

Overall, the presence of life depends on earthworms, and even though their populations are struggling in some places, earthworms are Earth’s mightiest heroes!