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A Guide to Keeping Worms In Your Garden Soil

Worms are nature’s fertilizer and serve a number of important functions that can help improve the quality of your garden soil. In addition to increasing nutrient quality, worms also improve water drainage and soil composition. If you have recently purchased worm dirt and you want to know how to keep worms in your garden soil, the following article will offer you the tips you need.

Add Mulch and Compost

Mulch keeps worms in garden soil for two reasons. First, mulch helps keep the temperature of your soil cooler, which allows for a more conducive climate for worms. Secondly, it helps keep worms well nourished by giving them a plentiful supply of organic waste to eat. Compost is another great source of organic waste. Spread some compost onto your garden to keep worms while improving the soil quality.

Keep Leaves on the Ground

Resist the urge to clean up your garden if a few leaves fall onto the soil. Worms love to feed on leaves, and not having any leaves or grass cuttings in your garden is not helpful if you want to keep the worms in your garden. This spring, leave grass cuttings and leaves on top of your garden rather than throwing them in the trash or onto your compost pile to encourage worms to stay in your garden soil.

Add More Worm Dirt

When worms consume soil and other organic materials, they secrete a pheromone through their mucus that attracts nearby earthworms. One of the easiest and least expensive ways to keep worms in your garden is just to increase the pheromone content of your garden soil by adding more worm dirt to your garden. In time, more worms will come to your garden.

For more helpful advice on keeping worms in your garden soil, call Kurtz Bros., Inc. at (216) 503-7128. Our landscaping company has been serving the Cleveland area for 65 years, and we look forward to helping you get what you need to improve your garden soil. To find out about the worm dirt and other landscaping products and soil services we offer, visit us on the web.

3 Ways That Worms Enhance Your Garden Soil

Introducing worms and encouraging worm populations in your garden is one of the best ways to improve the health of your garden soil. A garden with worms oftentimes has more nutrients, improved drainage, and better root growth than a garden without worms. Learn more about the advantages of having worms in your garden soil by reading the following article.

Worms Add Nutrients to the Soil

Earthworms consume soil, manure, and plant debris. After a worm has digested these organic materials, they produce nutrient-rich casts. These casts contain nitrogen, phosphorus, and a host of other essential nutrients that plants are able to quickly and easily consume. Worms oftentimes leave these casts in their tunnels, providing an ideal environment in which plant roots can grow. And when a worm dies, its body decomposes and provides even more nitrogen to the soil in your garden.

Worms Improve Soil Drainage

Earthworms are constantly burrowing into the soil to look for organic materials to eat. This creates a system of tunnels that improves soil drainage. With an adequate population of earthworms, soil will drain roughly ten times faster than soil without worms. Worm irrigation channels also increase water infiltration and provide a path for lime, which further enhances soil health.

Worms Improve Soil Composition

Because earthworms are constantly moving back and forth between the surface and deeper layers, they are very efficient at mixing soil and all of the organic materials contained in it. This process is especially beneficial for garden soil, as it allows nutrients in the lower strata to reach the surface for plants to consume. Researchers found that earthworms consume so much soil that they are able to remove the top six inches of soil in a span of only ten to twenty years.

For more tips on attracting worms to your garden, or to purchase worm dirt to improve the health of your garden soil, call Kurtz Bros., Inc. at (216) 503-7128. Serving the Cleveland area, we have 65 years of experience in the landscaping business. Visit us on the web to take a look at all of the high-quality landscaping products and services we offer.

The Difference Between Rain Gardens and Traditional Gardens

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 70% of all water pollution is caused by storm water runoff. The rain garden system was introduced 23 years ago as a natural way to remove the environmentally toxic materials from storm water runoff before it reaches a city’s water supply. Keep reading to find out the chief differences between rain gardens and traditional gardens, and how you can use a rain garden to reduce water pollution in your area.

Rain Gardens Offer Increased Water Infiltration

Though it looks beautiful and attracts birds and insects like a traditional garden, a rain garden’s goal above all else is to absorb and drain rainwater. To promote water infiltration, rain gardens are lined with tillage, sand, compost, and other materials that encourage water to drain rather than stick around. Because of their ability to drain water in 12-48 hours, rain gardens offer protection against flooding, water pollution, and mosquito breeding.

Rain Gardens Are Specially Placed

In order to encourage water infiltration, rain gardens must be constructed in a certain way. Before making a rain garden anywhere, a professional will determine the ideal location that will catch the most storm water runoff from your driveway, lawn, or roof. The ideal location is usually on the downside of a slope, at least ten feet away from the foundation of a building, and away from utilities and septic tanks. Furthermore, the plot of land upon which rain gardens are built needs to be roughly 20% of the size of the area draining into it for optimal infiltration.

Rain Gardens Must Have Certain Plants

Rain gardens must be composed primarily of native plants with decent root systems. These plants don’t require fertilizer, and are more effective at absorbing water. Wildflowers, shrubs, and perennials work best in rain gardens.

To find out more about how a rain garden can benefit your home, business, or commercial space, call Kurtz Bros., Inc. at (216) 503-7128. Our eco-friendly landscaping experts have experience adding rain gardens and storm water management systems to a variety of spaces. To find out more about what environmentally friendly landscaping services we offer throughout the Cleveland area, visit our website.

What Kind of Environmental Toxins can Be Picked Up by Storm Water Runoff?

When a trash bin isn’t completely secured before a rainstorm, storm water runoff can carry the garbage into the closest storm drain or body of water. Sadly, this is only one of a large number of other things that can be carried away by storm water runoff. Read on to find out more about the variety of toxins that storm water runoff can pick up.

Auto Products

Storm water runoff frequently picks up the soaps, detergents, oils, grease, and other products that are used to clean or service automobiles. To reduce the amount of auto products that storm water runoff picks up, properly dispose of these products or go to a professional facility that recycles or treats its runoff.

Bacteria

Storm water runoff commonly picks up the bacteria and viruses from poorly maintained septic tanks. It can also pick up bacteria that are found on pets. If you are walking your pet, be sure to bring a bag to properly dispose of its waste. It’s also possible for storm water runoff to catch the environmentally toxic bacteria carried by animals, which is why farmers are always encouraged to keep livestock away from moving water.

Gardening and Cleaning Chemicals

Using fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides just before a rainstorm is bad for the environment, as it ensures that storm water runoff will pick it up. Other household products like paint, cleaners, and detergents used to keep the house clean can also get carried away by storm water runoff if not disposed of properly.

To limit the amount of environmental toxins picked up by storm water runoff in your area, call Kurtz Bros. Inc. of Cleveland at (216) 503-7128. We have over six decades of experience in the eco-friendly landscaping industry, and are happy to help you make your home or business greener. Visit our website to see the storm water management solutions we have to offer you.

Why You Should Use Native Plants In Your Rain Garden

If you want an eco-friendly water management system that reduces water pollution and helps protect your property from flooding, plant a rain garden. These systems work by using native plants to filter out pollutants that are carried by storm water runoff. In the following video you will find out why native plants are so important to the effectiveness of a rain garden.

Native plants are adapted to your local ecosystem, which means your rain garden won’t need fertilizer or extra watering beyond the first couple of weeks. With their long taproots, plants native to the Cleveland area are great at filtering out pollution. A professional will help you assess which plants are most suitable given the characteristics of your rain garden, such as size and exposure to sun and rain.

Kurtz Bros., Inc. is a leading supplier of rain gardens and a variety of other landscaping services and materials to the Cleveland area. Call us at (216) 503-7128 or visit our website to learn how a rain garden can improve your residential or commercial storm water management practices.