How to Repel Garden Worms
Garden worms damage garden plants by eating their leaves and burrowing into stems and fruit. Common garden worms that appear in gardens throughout the United States are cabbage worms, cabbage loopers, tomato horn worms and squash vine borers. While there are products available at garden centers to kill garden worms on contact or after the treated plant material is ingested, there are a variety of ways to repel garden worms without applying biological or chemical sprays. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Plant herbs and flowering companion plants throughout the garden that repel the moths that lay eggs that will become plant-eating worms, and include companion plants that attract beneficial or bug-eating insects. Examples of beneficial companion plants are artemisia, aster, chervil, chrysanthemums, dill, calendula, mint, nasturtium, oregano, tansy, thyme, sage, rosemary and borage.
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Rotate crops every year so that the same crops are not planted in the same location as the previous growing season. Crop rotation is done by dividing the garden into four sections and rotating the crops clockwise. Worms and other pests will spend the winter in one location, expecting the same plant to show up in the spring. By rotating the crops, you disrupt these pests' eating and breeding cycles so that the worms must search for their favorite food, which leaves them vulnerable to predators.
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Avoid planting the same plant in long uninterrupted rows. Long rows of the same plant attract egg-laying insects that produce plant-eating larvae, or worms. By diversifying the plants placed in a row, worms that eat one type of plant cannot work their way down the row without disruption. They will be repelled from the row once they have contact with a plant they don't like. For example, if a worm does not like rosemary but likes squash, it will work its way down a row of squash until it gets to the rosemary, when it will leave the row in search of other squash plants.
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Mulch the soil around plants. A 1- to 2-inch layer of mulch around the plants creates a home for beetles that eat harmful insects and worms. It also repels the moths that lay eggs in the soil around the plants, such as squash vine borers and cut worms.
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Add compost to the soil. Compost helps build the population of beneficial microbes in the soil. The microbes in the soil attack insect eggs buried in the soil and help control insects and damaging worms, such as cutworms.
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Fertilize as necessary to keep the soil healthy and productive so healthy plants are produced that repel insect and worm damage. The best way to find out exactly what your soil needs to remain healthy is to take a soil test. For soil testing assistance, contact your local county agricultural extension office. The soil test will help prevent over-application of fertilizer and soil amendments that can destroy the health of your soil and weaken plants, making them susceptible to worm infestation.
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Control weeds around garden plants by hand or by cultivating with a hoe. Weeds harbor a variety of insect pests, including garden worms. Also, when a garden is covered by weeds, birds and other natural predators of garden worms cannot see their prey.
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