Many 2cm Long White Worms? - bonsaiTALK Community

25-Mar-2004

Tiny-Plant

Growing...

Join Date: Jul-2002

Location: Helsinki

Country: Finland

USDA Zone: 5

AHS Heat Zone: ?

Posts: 241

Many 2cm Long White Worms?

Hi,
Today, when I was looking at my buxus I noticed lots of white worms. They are 1-2cm long. I don't think they are worms of fruit fly's, because they seem to be of different size. I have the buxus outside. The tempereture is around +5 now. The soil is regular potting soil, and not that well draining. I have placed some fertilizer cakes on the soil a week ago. How would i treat them? Are they harmfull? The picture was taken through a magnifier glas.

Could it help to repot and change to a well draining soil mix? Or could I place te pot in water to drown the worms?

Attached Images

worms.jpg (20.7 KB, 181 views)

__________________
The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single cup of tea

Last edited by Tiny-Plant : 25-Mar-2004 at 11:55 AM.

Sponsor Message	Many 2cm Long White Worms?
Advertisement Forum Sponsor	<a href='http://adserver.bonsaitalk.com/adclick.php?n=ac8bc944' target='_blank'><img src='http://adserver.bonsaitalk.com/adview.php?what=zone:4&n=ac8bc944' border='0' alt=''></a>

25-Mar-2004	#2
Ralph BonsaiTalk Master B.S.er Join Date: Jun-2002 Location: Richardson, Texas Country: God Bless America USDA Zone: 8 AHS Heat Zone: 9 Posts: 1,285	Infestations usually occur when the plant/tree is under some kind of stress due to the environment. Your soil you mentioned may be a cause, as could lighting conditions. You should treat the infestation but also make changes to correct the overall issue. It would be a good idea to consult with a local nursery/ bonsai club about treatment.

25-Mar-2004	#3
Tiny-Plant Growing... Join Date: Jul-2002 Location: Helsinki Country: Finland USDA Zone: 5 AHS Heat Zone: ? Posts: 241	Thank you Ralph. I could easily have count up to 30 worms, and propably with some effort to 60. They are everywhere.... I will tomorrow go to a nursery, we don't have any bonsai clubs here=( Hopefully I will find out why those maggots are there... I will be posting here soon to tell how the infestation progressed. __________________ The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single cup of tea

25-Mar-2004	#4
TreeBay Tips:5¢ Advice:Free *MODERATOR GROUP* Join Date: Aug-2001 Location: Silicon Valley Country: USA USDA Zone: 9 AHS Heat Zone: 4 Posts: 9,743	That soil looks like it contains a lot of fines. You probably want to sift it next time because it creates an ideal climate for those little worms, who need to consume organic material that is smaller than they are. If nothing else, you can scrape away the top 1/2" of soil medium and replace it. Is this tree indoors? Enclosed environments tend to create havens for infestation. There is typically poor air circulation, no natural predators, etc. Overwatering can cause problems, too. Do you allow the soil to dry partially between waterings or are you overwatering? These worms don't look like nematodes or the maggots of fruit flies or other winged insects, but are there adults present, hopping and buzzing around the surface? If not, they may well be harmless, but they do indicate that need to look at your cultivation aspects a little more closely. Fruit fly larvae look like this - they are much fatter http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/fruit...ntal_larvae.htm Soil particle size Air circulation Location, Location, Location Watering practices Regards, Matt __________________ Want to be a seller on bonsaiAUCTIONS? Get authorized today! bonsaiTALK: Over 100,005.36 Megabytes Served this Month!

25-Mar-2004	#5
TreeBay Tips:5¢ Advice:Free *MODERATOR GROUP* Join Date: Aug-2001 Location: Silicon Valley Country: USA USDA Zone: 9 AHS Heat Zone: 4 Posts: 9,743	Sorry, you did write that your tree is located outdoors. Good! Regards, Matt __________________ Want to be a seller on bonsaiAUCTIONS? Get authorized today! bonsaiTALK: Over 100,005.36 Megabytes Served this Month!

25-Mar-2004	#6
Tiny-Plant Growing... Join Date: Jul-2002 Location: Helsinki Country: Finland USDA Zone: 5 AHS Heat Zone: ? Posts: 241	Hi TreeBay, Yes. This tree was potted in the soil before I knew about proper soil mixes. I sieve all the small particles away thesedays. I think i will be repotting it allso tomorrow, after I have asked at the local nursery because it has allready been in the container for 2 years, and it shows some signs of root bound. I have watered it really carefully, because the water stays in the soil for a long time because of our low temps at this time of the year. The tree is actually not really outdoors. It's in a cold frame. But that is about the same thing? I will soon put it really outside when we don't anymore get temperetures below zero degrees celcius. __________________ The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single cup of tea

25-Mar-2004	#7
TreeBay Tips:5¢ Advice:Free *MODERATOR GROUP* Join Date: Aug-2001 Location: Silicon Valley Country: USA USDA Zone: 9 AHS Heat Zone: 4 Posts: 9,743	Ah, the truth comes out! It is not outdoors... Cold frames have very little circulation and the same problem with containment. It's a necessary situation in winter, but if you have worms thriving in the soil, I wonder if those trees still need to be in cold frames? At the minimum, open the coldframes during the day. It will help acclimate the plants, too. Regards, Matt __________________ Want to be a seller on bonsaiAUCTIONS? Get authorized today! bonsaiTALK: Over 100,005.36 Megabytes Served this Month!

25-Mar-2004	#8
Tiny-Plant Growing... Join Date: Jul-2002 Location: Helsinki Country: Finland USDA Zone: 5 AHS Heat Zone: ? Posts: 241	We had this week -5C at the night. So I don't know if that is too cold? At days we have about +5 when it's cloudy and if it's sunny it can bee closer to +10. We still have snow here and it snowed here allso today. I could try to put them outside before I go to school and place them in the cold frame to the night? Could that solve the air sirculation problem? __________________ The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single cup of tea

25-Mar-2004	#9
TreeBay Tips:5¢ Advice:Free *MODERATOR GROUP* Join Date: Aug-2001 Location: Silicon Valley Country: USA USDA Zone: 9 AHS Heat Zone: 4 Posts: 9,743	I don't know what kind of cold frame you have, but most of them are constructed so that they can be opened during the day. If yours opens, you don't need to remove the plants; just open it and chock the lid up like it shows in the picture: http://www.canadianhomeworkshop.com...cold_frame.html Regards, Matt __________________ Want to be a seller on bonsaiAUCTIONS? Get authorized today! bonsaiTALK: Over 100,005.36 Megabytes Served this Month!

26-Mar-2004

#10