Please help me identify this worm in Phal medium!!!

[MrHappyRotter]

Originally Posted by Roberta

Question... if this is a fresh repot, what are you repotting it in ??? I have never seen earthworms as a contaminant in new orchid bark. When the bark breaks down and becomes dirt-like is when they might show up.

I think Bloom was saying that they were planning to repot (once), and wanted to avoid having to repot a second time, for instance if the worms were something harmful that had to be treated and would need a second repot to eliminate. But I also could have misread or misinterpreted it as well.

I think what you're saying is what happened. The bark as well as the moss have broken down into a fine detritus. There may also have been some peat in the mix that's decayed enough to start falling apart. Moisture retentive and fine, organic particles are excellent conditions for earthworms who can find their way into pots in a variety of ways (birds drop them, pots sitting on the ground, etc).