Earthworms appear in moist, organic soil. They like peat soil the most. Pests attack plants when we water them too often and the pots do not have drainage. In such wet soil, females lay eggs from which the larvae hatch, which pose a serious threat to the specimens.
As mentioned, it is the larvae that are most dangerous to plants. They feed in the soil, gnawing the roots of flowers, which leads to their weakening, stunted growth and even death.. If these parts are severely damaged, the specimens have trouble absorbing water and nutrients.
The larvae make potted plants more susceptible to fungal diseases. Due to all these factors, they lose their appearance – they have yellow leaves and deformed flowers. We also notice their gradual wilting.
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Earthworms spread rapidly. That’s why we need to move quickly to fight them. So how do you get rid of these pests? We need to take several steps.
First of all, we should limit watering potted plants. It is therefore worth drying the substrate to reduce the pest population. Therefore, we water the specimens only when the soil is completely dry. However, remember that not every flower tolerates temporary droughts well.
- Replanting an infected plant
In the event of a large pest invasion, it is necessary to transplant the infected plant to a new substrate. First, we remove the specimen from the pot and clean its roots with water and soap. Then we put it in new soil and a clean pot. Let’s make sure it has drainage. Thanks to this procedure, we will remove the larvae and eggs.
In gardening stores you can find various preparations for earthworms. They effectively destroy larvae and prevent the development of new ones, and at the same time do not harm potted plants. They should be used for several weeks and for all specimenseven if you can’t see the little black flies.
This method prevents further reproduction of earthworms. Their intense yellow color attracts insects, which are immobilized by the sticky surface. We recommend using these traps in combination with chemicals.
We will prevent the development of ground beetles if we do not water potted plants “in stock”. Therefore, we must constantly check the moisture of the substrate and water it only when it dries out.
We also recommend roasting the soil before planting the specimensthanks to which it will become sterile, resistant to small, black flies and even to . How to do it?
Pour the soil onto a baking tray and put it in an oven preheated to 90 degrees Celsius. The soil should be roasted for 30 minutes.
