WORMCASTS

Over the last three years my once beautiful lawn has been devastated by wormcasts, They appear in there hundreds regulary at anytime of year including winter.

It was once a pleasure to cut my luxuriant, lush, grass but now the mower simply flattens the wormcasts slimy mess which kills the grass.

From the internet I have discovered that worm deterents are only available under licence. (Golf clubs etc.) I have tried treating with - Sulphate of Iron & Sulphate of Lime with no effect. My lawn is in permanent shade so casts are always wet & never fully dry out. So it is not possible to wait till they dry out & then brush them off.

If I do get a reply please do not say that worms are good for the soil & casts are rich in nutrients. To me they are just one big slimy mess that I am desperate to eradicate. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

I used to work on bowling greens and everyday we had to remove the casts off the playing surface. I don't know how big your lawn is but I think it could be useful if you purchased a lawn swish (a hollow tube with a fibre glass rod inside which you run across the surface of the lawn and it disperses the casts and also removes the dew which can lead to fungal infections and prevents any seeds germinating in the worm casts. I know they are expensive (about £70) but well worth it.

only thing i could think of is same as above really, wait for a dry day and use a broom to break down the casts? not very practical on a large lawn. I know people used to use arsenic etc. probably best avoided! problem may be down to constant shade perhaps? do you cut and lay or pick up your cuttings?

enzo

I have tried brushing casts off with a swish. Sorry it doesn't work. Swish just flattens casts resulting in slimy mess. The lawn is at the front of the house (north facing) approx. 40 sq. metres. I cannot wait for a dry day as casts are always wet due to shade. I pick up all mower cuttings.

I have a strict regime for feeding the lawn. Winter low nitrogen feed to encourage root growth. Spring high nitrogen feed to encourage grass growth. Occasional (once in summer) application Sulphate of Ammonia. I suspect this may be the problem that maybe worms like a good fertilised soil??????

Thanks for your help but I think I will just have to accept defeat. Worms 1 BILLY C a big fat zero. 

You need to wait unil the casts and lawn are completly dry before brushing them away. You can also make sure you reduce the amount of food available by removing grass clippings and leaves regulary. Worms are benficial to the garden though, as they inprove aeriation and drainage of the soil. So its not all bad.

To donutsmrs - Sorry you seem to be missing the point entirely. Unless we have a red hot long, long summer the casts never have a chance to dry out. Read my reply I do remove all mower clippings & leaves.

David Barker - Please read my reply. I do feed in winter , spring & summer. You are lucky to have no wormcasts. I live in the N West - Chester area & wormcasts over the last 3 years have become a major problem in this area. My sons lawn - 1 mile away - has a large infestation. Many other lawns - some up to 15 miles away - are also infested.

There is no simple solution to this problem. I have tried everything I know all the solutions posted have been tried.

I need a botanical expert. Anyone out there????????

http://www.landscapejuice.com/2007/01/controlling_wor.html

Everyone one on this forum are trying to help and give what knowledge they have, there is no need to be so rude. Maybe you should try concrete, that would solve your problem.

well said up51r if itd that much in the shade its a lost battle grow something else

i do synpathise with our problem of worm casts, as i to have them all over my lawn, a nightmare, its a mess and ive tried everything...so i understand your frustration x

how do i rid the worms completely from my lawn

is there a natural chemical i can use to control the amount of worms in my lawn.?

Please forgive me if I sound rude it is not my intention. However it would help matters if the problem was understood in the first place.

It is no use telling me to "wait for a dry day" to brush off casts when I have already said that they are permently wet due to shade. Neither is it any use telling me to fertilise the lawn when I  already do this.

up51r - Going by your comments I would suggest that you are the one bing rude.

moonchild2 - Please read my posts. I once had a beautiful almost golf green standard lawn so it is certainly not a lost battle. Your comments are simply unhelpful & some, of the more cynical, might say rather rude. 

HOLEDIGGER - Thank you for your comments. I don't think this will work but once again thank you.

denise butcher - Thank you for your sympathy at least you have first hand experience of the problem.

jim ansell - Chemicals are available to deter, not eradicate worms, from lawns. But, to my knowledge, only under licence.(golf clubs, bowling clubs)

Once again thank you for your help. Well most of you anyway. Lets put this to bed now. The worms have won.

Sahira Ward - Thank you for this web page. At last a possible chemical solution. But albeit a very costly one. Intend exploring use of Sulphur95 & Carbenzamin. Whatever these products are.

Hi Billyc!! Not wanting to sound like I know everything, coz I sure don't! But having to look after my Mothers garden as she sadly past our way 2 years back! She too had this very same problem! She too had a regime with fertalisers n feeding stuffs!! n with three lawns looking on three different asspects, I decided to stop feeding! I scaryfy n airiate in early spring, give a good top dressing of a 50/50 mix of good garden compost n sharp sand n have to say, after a two year period, problem solved! Wondering if overfeeding is your problem? 

I suggest a solution is to apply a worm cast control product in late September/October. The control product does not kill the worms but creates a barrier in the soil that the worms are not keen to pass through, as the control product is an irritant to their system. The worms will stay deeper in the soil and not cast.

Thank you Fonzie. I have explored the use of chemical deterrents but unfortunately they are far too expensive for me. I have followed Dean Lovett's advice & have not yet applied any fertiliser. I have also applied Sulphate of Iron to hopefully act as a irritant as you describe. Up to now I have not seen any wormcasts. Fingers crossed. What happens when I apply fertiliser (I must do as the grass is virtually nonexistent) is anyones guess. Thanks for the advice

The garden centres are selling a lawn worm cast suppressant called CastClear.