Guest Blog: Jumping Earthworms

According to today’s guest blogger, Dan Baxter, not all earthworms are friends of the garden. This article previously appeared in the Sumter (SC) Master Gardener newsletter, The Sandhill News, and is reprinted with permission. Photo credits are indicated in the captions.

Jumping worms are here. Jumping worms are there. Jumping worms are everywhere. Jumping worms are an invasive type of earthworm native to East Asia and have been spreading throughout the United States, including South Carolina. They are now found in over 38 states. They are also known as Snake Worms, Alabama Jumpers, and Georgia Jumpers.  They are called jumping worms because of the aggressive movements when disturbed or picked up. They are often brown in color with a cream saddle that completely encircles them and is flush with the body. They are different from the hammerhead worm which is a flat worm.

The jumping worm consumes organic matter as do regular earth worms, but they do so in a way that depletes the organic matter more quickly. Then through the process, they change the soil structure and nutrient content of the soils for the worse. This has a cascading effect to our plants health and other organisms that live in the soil.

According to the Cornell Cooperative Extension, “jumping worms grow twice as fast, reproduce more quickly and can infest soils at higher densities” than other earthworms.

They destroy the soil layer quickly, turning it into what looks like a cross between hamburger meat and coffee grounds. It has lost its holding ability and the plants are unstable in the ground. There is nothing there for the roots to cling to and thrive.

Adult jumping worms die in the winter but leave behind cocoons of eggs that are so small that they are almost invisible to the naked eye.

Are there any controls for these jumping worms? The options are slim. Removing by hand is one. Dry summers seem to reduce the number, but wet summers increase the number. Solar covering your beds in early spring, which will raise the soil temp has been shown to have some positive effects. One product called BotaniGard has had some good results. BotaniGard is a fungus (it occurs naturally in the soil). It is a granular product that you irrigate in. It has been around for a while but it will also affect other soft bodied pests and organisms.

The outlook is not good. Be diligent by always checking any new plants that you are introducing to your garden.

Happy Gardening!
Dan Baxter, Guest Blogger

Amsonia - A Two-Season Star

Amsonia hubrichtii, (pronounced am-SO-nee-yuh hew-BRIK-tee-eye) is flowering right now. This Arkansas native’s soft blue flowers are held at the top of tall stems that waft gracefully on the breeze. Leaves are narrow, leading to the common name Threadleaf Blue Star. Its fine, feather-like texture contrasts well with broad-leaf perennials like Black-Eyes Susans or Coneflowers. It also looks pretty when planted next to burgundy foliage plants like Ninebark, Smokebush, or Loropetalum.

While the spring flowers are pretty, Amsonia’s best season is fall. Those narrow leaves turn a golden yellow that glows in sunlight. For maximum impact, pick a site where the late afternoon sun provides a backlight.

Amsonia is undemanding. Give it full sun or mostly sun and it will be happy in zones 5-8 . Too much shade or excess water will cause it to flop. In rich soil, it may grow so tall that it opens up in the center in late summer. It takes at least a year or two for Amsonia to reach its potential. Don’t pull it up prematurely. Mature plants will reach heights of three feet, with a equal spread. Prevent the flopping or center separation by pruning it back to a height of six inches immediately after flowering ends. Cut to ground level just before spring growth commences.

Amsonia hubrichtii was the Perennial Plant Association’s “Plant of the Year” in 2011. Amsonias look great planted in masses. Flowers attract butterflies, and deer don’t seem too interested.

The blue flowers of Amsonia float at the top of thread-like foliage.

This Amsonia is just beginning to show hints of fall. In a few weeks, it will be a mass of butter-yellow leaves.