They are usually discovered by chance when watering: worms come to the surface of the potting soil. Basically, worms, especially earthworms, are not pests because they loosen the soil. But the flowerpot is not the right place for them.
How do I remove worms from the flower pot?
Worms in flower pots often get in accidentally and are usually not pests. To remove earthworms, place the pot in a water-filled bucket, wait for the worms to come to the surface and relocate them to the garden.
Why do worms get into the potting soil?
These animals end up in the flower pot by chance, for example because
- he stood outside on the terrace or in the flowerbed for a while
- the worms crawl in through the drain hole
- Instead of high-quality potting soil, simple garden soil was used when planting
- they already go into the plant container with the purchased potting soil
Are these pests?
Earthworms are not plant pests, on the contrary. They loosen the soil, eat dead plant material and fertilize the soil with their droppings. They have enough space in the garden to spread out. It quickly becomes too crowded for them in the flower pot and they can no longer find food. In this case, they begin to eat the fine roots of the potted plants. The plant is no longer adequately supplied and dies.
Every now and then echytraea, which are small white worms, also appear in the flower pot. They are also harmless to the plant, but are an unsightly sight. They are brought in with the potting soil from the garden supply store and are still developing in the packaging.
Removing worms from potting soil
You can get rid of echytraea if you repot your flower and then plant it in high-quality soil (€12.00 on Amazon). To be on the safe side, you can also sterilize the soil in the oven.
Earthworms can be removed from the potting soil as follows:
- Fill a bucket with water.
- Put the plant in the pot. The earth must be completely covered.
- Wait for some time, the worms will crawl to the surface as they don't like flooding.
- Collect the earthworms and relocate them to the garden.
- Take the plant out of the bucket and let it drain well. Watering is no longer necessary for a few days.
