Unwelcome guests

I took the opportunity last Sunday (Jan 22nd) to start cleaning the greenhouse.  In the end I managed to clean the whole of the inside before the light went but just after my hands had gone numb with the cold.  Quite an achievement though.  

This was marred by the discovery, early in the process when I was moving the pots full of compost around in the greenhouse and pondering whether to empty the pots into the garden bed or retain and mulch for the coming year’s crops, of what seems to be Australian flatworm (Australplana sanguinea).

When I lifted the first pot to see what was underneath, I saw several worm-like creatures but as these looked unusually salmon-coloured to me (se photo below), I looked them up on the web.  They quite clearly fit the description of the Australian flatworm.  Bad news given the rate at which they gobble up earthworms and, as the RHS suggests, on their website, have a negative impact on the soil ecosystem.  It is an offence in England to release them into the wild.  

I do not generally kill critters in the garden but, given the risk they pose, I did collect all those I found into a yogurt pot and poured over salt water.  As well as being under every pot in the greenhouse, they were also under the pots outside by the car, which had been in the greenhouse during Summer/Autumn.  

As this stage, I am unsure whether a) they have always been here despite not noticing them before (which would kinda explain why I have never seen many worms in the garden beds) b) came with the top soil I received from a neighbour and used for some of the pots c) came from a plant I took in from elsewhere (can only think of the dahlia I bought from a local charity plant sale d) came in the compost I’ve been buying.  These flatworms are apparently widespread in the South of England now so could have been here for ages.

So, what now?  I bagged up the compost from the pots and am acutely aware there is likely to be flatworms in there somewhere.  Nevertheless I don’t want to dispose of them elsewhere and spread the problem.  I plan to spread these in the back garden only and lay down some folded up compost bags, weighed down with bricks, in a couple of places in the beds.  This will hopefully provide a good spot for flatworms in the bed and I can check and dispose every few days to lower numbers.  The RHS suggests this won’t make a dent in the population but it will help me to understand how big the issue is.  

I have pots full of compost on the patio and a quick check last week didn’t turn up any flatworms underneath those but I’ll empty those too and wash all the pots to start afresh this season.  Expensive but sensible I think.  I also turned the compost in the left-hand bin last week and it looks like there is progress but it is not ready to be used yet (see photo below).  That will be used in the front garden beds and for pots - I have no idea of the flatworm status of the compost bin contents or the front garden.  I may try trapping some flatworms in the beds out front to see if there are any readily near the surface.

Apparently ground beetles sometimes predate the flatworms so spreading good compost should be a priority in the coming months, when I have more available.  

For this weekend, I will attempt to clean the outside of the greenhouse.  I noticed that tomorrow may be a good day (according to the moon phase) to sow fruiting plants.  It will take some willpower not to break away from my plan and sow aubergines and sweet peas.  I need to buy some secateurs and seed potatoes so a trip to the garden centre is in order.  I’ll also check on the plot if time.