Expert: Greg - 8/5/2007

Question
I was watching Gardening by the Yard, specifically a segment on earthworms and got curious, in your opinion, would you consider the use of earthworms, a natural way of helping to rejuvenate a septic leach field, specifically, opening up a packed field. Could earthworms damage the field.?

Thank You!

Answer
Hello Peter

First of all, I like this show. Paul James is a fantastic host.

I see no way that Earthworms could damage anything, in any way. The only possible way that anything bad could happen is, that as they work their way through matter, chew it up, it could cause the Soil to lower, causing a Leveling issue.

You mentioned a packed field, does this mean its a heavy clay soil? Do you have Horses or Cows that roam this area? If so, then this could cause a part of the Soil to lower during heavy rains, and the remote possibility of an Animal pushing a weak spot down and hurting themselves.

That would be the only thing I could possibly think of.

Earthworms are the good guys in Composting, the more the merrier.