Why are Worms spoiling my Lawn?

The gardening section of the daily newspapers are great sources for information relating to caring for a garden and this appeared recently in The Telegraph in one of their gardening Q&A.

'My lawns are covered in worm soil casts, too damp to brush with a besom. I have tried to remove them with a trowel and given up.

The lawn now looks worse. My lawn care contractor will treat them with chemicals – but should I allow this?'
Marjorie Masterman - via email

Helen Yemm, The Telegraph gardening guru replied to the question.  Annoying as the problem of worm casts is on lawns around now, just as they have a final damp flush in early autumn, I feel it is not something to get you too hot under the collar. Worms should be regarded as our best friends: their activities aerate the topsoil and they also drag leaves and organic debris into the ground. This all helps to create a soil structure vital to plant life.

For the few weeks in autumn and spring when worms “come up for air”, you might find their casts easier to disperse on dry days. I use a plastic lawn rake upside (flat side) down, using a circular motion that reduces casts to smaller lumps or even fine powder.

I talked with my own lawn care contractor (greenthumb.co.uk): the “chemical” they use is carbendazim. It does not harm the worms, it just puts them off and they go elsewhere (into borders etc). For small lawns there is a sulphur-based product called CastClear, from garden centres.

Article from Helen Yemm in The Telegraph

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