EARTHWORMS!!!! HELP!! - Orchid Board

801229001 · #1 02-01-2015, 12:49 PM

okay.I have had scale, mealybugs and other bugs in the past but i have been able to eradicate all of them. And i am not afraid of them. And also part of the reason i chose to grow orchids and other epiphytes was that none of the pests (good or bad) included worms (earthworms to be specific).I have this horrible fear of worms and try to avoid walking outside on rainy days. So yesterday i was picking up a cattleya quadricolor that had some nice fat buds when a little red earthworm dropped out of the bottom of the pot! Needless to say, i was horrified and dropped the plant, luckily it was only about a few centimeters above the ground and the plant was perfectly fine but I was not. I haven't been in the room since the worm incident

SO, does anyone have any suggestions for ways to COMPLETELY DESTROY AND ERADICATE ALL SIGNS OF WORM WITHOUT REPOTTING THE PLANT SINCE I AM AFRAID THERE ARE MORE WORMS? Im even not sure how the worm (or worms) got there since i wash all my medium and nuke it in the microwave and repot my plants as soon as i get them!
I do water quite a lot though but not enough to rot anything. And I NEVER bring my plants outside for this very reason. So anyways, sorry for this huge amount of text .

MamaLiberty · #2 02-01-2015, 01:11 PM

Doesn't sound like an earthworm at all. May need to get someone to help you turn that plant out of the pot so you can actually see what the critter is. Take a picture.

So sorry you have a phobia over earthworms. They are marvelous creatures and most welcome anywhere in my gardens.

801229001 · #3 02-01-2015, 01:19 PM

it was definitely an earthworm it had these little rings and a band near one end that all earthworms have and it looked exactly like the ones that come out during the rain

MamaLiberty · #4 02-01-2015, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 801229001

it was definitely an earthworm it had these little rings and a band near one end that all earthworms have and it looked exactly like the ones that come out during the rain

Very strange. In any case, they can't hurt you or the plants. In fact, it might even be beneficial. But if it is a red earthworm, you only have to wait for a little while and it/they will die. Earthworms need plenty of organic material to feed on, so unless you add something, they'll run out of food and be gone.

I'd suggest getting someone to help you repot. Would solve the problem and you wouldn't need to kill anything. Just dump the old soil out onto the garden somewhere. Wash the pot and roots, and use all new medium. That's should do it.

cbuchman · #5 02-01-2015, 02:04 PM

I'd suggest sitting the pot in water up to its rim for 30+ minutes. If there are any more worms in the pot, they will come to the surface and you can get someone else to pick them off

)

801229001 · #6 02-01-2015, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbuchman

I'd suggest sitting the pot in water up to its rim for 30+ minutes. If there are any more worms in the pot, they will come to the surface and you can get someone else to pick them off

)

thats a good idea! will it get rid of the eggs too?

cbuchman · #7 02-01-2015, 02:47 PM

No it won't get rid of eggs. Need to do it regularly ro get rid the buggers buggers.

801229001 · #8 02-01-2015, 02:48 PM

ok thanks so much! i will definitely try that

Cym Ladye · #9 02-01-2015, 03:11 PM

If your plant was outside on or near the ground, I suspect the earthworm was merely under the pot, not in it, seeking moisture. You obviously need help here from a friend without your paranoid fear of worms.

801229001 · #10 02-01-2015, 03:18 PM

right now , where i live, it is -10 degrees celcius and there is snow everywhere so I can't have plants outside. My plants have been inside since i have gotten them. I dont even know How they got there?