Flatworms

[dreamingofsun]

Hi - does anyone have experience of flatworms? Especially the Australian ones. I have found some on my allotment. Never heard of them before. Doesnt sound as if there is much i can do to minimise grief?

We’ve never had them on our allotment as far as I know, but I think they are considered to be unwelcome. I think they prey on our garden earthworms. Any advice I have ever read in garden magazines about them says to kill them, but I would find this too difficult. I’m not sure if there are any other options. They do look pretty gross.

I noticed them about five years ago in my fairly large garden, when I come across one I give it to the chickens but I'm glad to say I haven't really noticed a huge increase of them (a couple a year) over those years and I only ever find them in that one flower bed..

Plenty of earthworms there too so it doesn't seem too out of balance and I wouldn't panic but get rid of any you can as horrible as that seems (perhaps on a bird table so it's still something of a natural food chain..)

@myvolvohasavulva glad you still have earthworms as that was my main worry.

Any further good news stories, or tips on dealing with them welcome.

No problem with killing them as they are a predator that shouldnt be here.

Some of the flatworm varieties, like Planaria, can be cut into two, and they will make two other flatworms. They are used as experimental models.

We have New Zealand flatworms and they are a menace. Hardly any earthworms left and our soil is so badly aerated. I put down plastic traps and then kill them I'm afraid. I usually find about 10 or 15 a day. They have no natural predators and are an invasive species.

@Chouette77 historically i've done no dig, but i am wondering if soil compaction will become an issue. do you find 10-15 all year round? by plastic traps, do you mean some black plastic sheets....as that is what i've been finding them under

Yes plastic sheets with bags of compost on them. I've not tried no dig but I'd like to. Mostly 10 - 15 all year round, except when it's very warm or cold. I think that's why you don't find them in South England - too hot for them!

New Zealand and Australia are full of British earthworms, despite the presence of their native flatworms. So either they will eventually settle down into a balance or they have some other predator or controlling agent which we don’t have.

Can’t be heat, as NZ and Australia are warmer than we are.

Interesting article here from the RHS

I take two messages from this - no point in killing them, it’s like trying to empty Loch Ness with a bucket. And “plastic sheets with bags of compost on them” sounds like flatworm heaven

We have N.Z flatworm, although not many of them at all.. Very very few earthworms, despite adding compost, manure, etc. Only been here a couple years, and Ivthink previous owner was quite free with the pesticides & chemical ferts, so hoping the worms will come back!
Don't handle them.

I’m starting to think it might be worthwhile starting a wormery for earthworms to increase numbers and give them more of a chance.

@Patterncarmen would creating a wormery just give them more food though and increase flatworm numbers though?

I've read all the info i can find online, but there is a surprisingly low amount of info or proper research on these in the UK

@dreamingofsun I do know that I bought some compost which came from a firm that has a wormery, and the compost came with casts and live worms, and I experimented top dressing a flower bed with it. The bed absolutely exploded with life…the flowers were prolific, which led to more pollinators, and the birds did pretty well out of it too.

Some people have tried raising the wormery up on legs on a platform and greasing the legs and that seems to stop the flatworms invading the wormery. Charles Dowdling said that he heard by persistent trapping (wooden boards) it was possible to eradicate flatworm.

I can doodle around on some databases and see if I can find any studies, as there are not a lot with a google.

@Patterncarmen Thats interesting. If you can find any more info on databases that would be great, as i've read everything i find via google but it doesnt realy help that much.

Also good to know about charles dowdling. I'll continue trapping/killing.

Its a shame that none of the gardening programmes have featured these at all - it would be useful even for those that dont have them currently.