My good friend K.D. has been having issues with dead earthworms on her driveway and in her garage. How does this happen? Soil is comprised of about 25% air space and earthworms live in these soil spaces. When it rains, the soil spaces are filled with rain which drives out the worms. Worms breathe through their skin and to avoid drowning they emerge. Then the big question is where to go? Well, that driveway looks like a nice place to hang out until the rain stops.
Then as the rain stops and the moisture begins to evaporate, the worm needing moisture to move, is trapped to its death as it dries out on the concrete. Sad. Creating an edging like a gravel bed along the driveway may help to deter them if you are serious about them. Simple solution — look up, not down!
If I see them in time while they are still alive, I just pick them up and move them back to the garden. For the unlucky ones, birds or some insect will eventually find the carcasses and be happy for the meal.
Protect you garden from salt
With winter moving in, icy sidewalks and driveways are sure to follow. Sidewalk/road salt has a way of killing almost everything it touches. The salt usually ends up in either your turf or garden beds next to the walkway or driveways. Either it washes there when snow melts, or it gets thrown there when you shovel or by the snowblower. One option would be to use sand instead of salt products, or other salt free products.
Another solution would be to install bark or stone covered beds along the walkways and affected areas. The bed should be wide enough to catch all the potential salt, about 4 feet. I prefer bark mulch over rock, easier to freshen up in the spring. Some plants are salt tolerant and work great as edging plants along these sidewalk or driveway areas: most all types of daylilies, some hostas, roses, heucheras and ornamental grasses. You should check individual varieties for salt tolerance.
Pests will ride inside on your plants
If you brought any outdoor plants in, you may be dealing with bothersome insects or fungus gnats. Fungus gnats can often appear with poinsettias or other indoor/outdoor plants and are obvious as they fly around the plants. The adults live on or near the soil surface, so inspect all plants before purchasing.
There are chemical soil drenches you can purchase to kill the eggs that are hatching in the soil. Another method is to let the soil get as dry as possible, without killing the plant before watering. This will help to kill some of the eggs through dehydration (kind of like the poor earthworm). Larval stages of the fungus gnat feed on the roots of your plants for about two weeks, pupates and emerges as an adult to lay 100 or so eggs on the soil surface and the process repeats and repeats. So just ignoring the problem won’t fix it.
When purchasing poinsettias or other indoor plants there are few key indicators to look for. Misshapen leaves can be an indicator of white fly or other “piercing-sucking” type insects. Check the undersides of leaves for insect eggs. Tap the pot/container a couple of times to see if any insects fly off. Checking for webbing and egg cocoons on the sides of pots. You should always take a minute to investigate as you don’t want to introduce insects to your other plants at home.
Bags of bird seed and other similar items can also introduce unwanted insects into the home. Many years ago, I opened a bag of bird seed that was full of pantry/meal moths. It took years, yes, years to get rid of them all. You can purchase sticky traps that contain a sexual pheromone that attracts this insect.
Taking my pantry moth advice, another good friend C.D., has an issue with them and purchased some traps. Even as she was opening the package containing the traps, the moths were chasing her down! Yes, they are very effective. Insects can be at all stages of egg laying, hatching etc., so keep trapping!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone — I am thankful that we are not having snow storms for the holiday!
The outdoor Mankato Farmer’s Market days are done for the season! Winter markets will again be at Bomgaars on the first and third Saturday of each month, from 9 a.m. — noon, November — March. Shop your locals!