DE and earthworms

[Ga Chicken Mom]

DH and I are having trouble with slugs on our cabbage and would like to use diatomaceous earth but we are worried it will kill all of our lovely earthworms. Will DE penetrate the soil?
Also we got our seed catalog order today and the baby chicks are arriving this week. Hooray!

 

[thistlebloom]

Hi Mom, to answer your question, no, DE will not penetrate the soil. It is useful only as a contact insect killer, and only as long as it's dry. Once it becomes wet it loses it's dehydrating function which is how it kills bugs. It does contain micro-nutrients so even when it has become wet it's still good for your garden soil. Eggshells, crushed fine and sprinkled around your veggies also make a good slug barrier, as they don't like to crawl over abrasive materials, and they still are effective even after a rain or watering.

 

[ninnymary]

Wifezilla mention that she uses oyster shell around her veggies to keep snails/slugs out. Apparently they don't like the sharp pieces.

I buy it in a 50lb. bag. I'm going to try it this spring.

Mary

 

[Ga Chicken Mom]

Thanks for the ideas, I have crushed oyster shell and egg shells. Trying those with the DE should work.

 

[hoodat]

As to your original question; no DE won't hurt earthworms. They purposely injest abrasive substances to help them grind up their food, much as chickens do.

 

[Greenthumb18]

I've always wondered if DE would hurt the worms, I wouldn't want to use it if they could kill them. But now that you're saying they don't hurt the worms I can feel good about using it in the garden without feeling guilty.