Re: mediterranean type nitrogen fixing plants

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You're right, compost worms (usually redworms, Eisenia foetida) flourish only where there is abundant moisture. But also, the worms that live in compost stay close to the surface, especially if you have a layer of moist mulch. They are not the same as the earthworms (usually Lumbricus terrestris) that live deeper in the soil, making tunnels to aerate the soil. I add lots of homemade compost to my vegetable garden (which often includes many redworms), and the only worms I ever come across when I'm digging a hole to add new plants are the larger, muscular Lumbricus.

If you want redworm activity, one possibility is to dig your kitchen waste directly into your soil. I don't do this (I'm still having too much fun with my collection of compost bins), but I've known people who fertilized backyard fruit trees by systematically digging kitchen waste (4-6 inches deep) around the dripline of the fruit trees. If you have more than a couple trees, by the time you get back to the first tree, the kitchen waste should already have been digested.

If you are growing only low-water landscape plants, I'd instead do research into mycorrhizae. If any of your plants are native to your area, look for a local population where you can dig a spoonful of soil (for a mycorrhizal inoculum specific to that plant). Or you can buy mycorrhizae, though these are often generalists or include a wide range of species.

Tanya Kucak

Palo Alto, Calif.

At 12:03 PM +0200 11/27/06, de Winnaar, Charl wrote:

I have been trying to establish earthworm nodes ( dumping vermicompost in particular areas, mulching heavily on top of it and watering sporadically) but with little success although there seems to be activity in winter. The main problem is that the topsoil (sand) retains little, if any, moisture - even the mulch breakdow seems static in summer hence little, if any, activity - bacterial or otherwise. The penalty of living where I do, I guess.