Re: Creatures of the deep

From: Chris Teichreb (cteichreb@hotmail.com)
Date: Thu Nov 16 2000 - 08:22:27 PST


Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2000 08:22:27 PST
From: "Chris Teichreb" <cteichreb@hotmail.com>
To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com
Message-Id: <aabcdefg3315$foo@default>
Subject: Re: Creatures of the deep


>
>Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2000 13:57:47 EST
>From: HmrTheHrmt@aol.com
>To: cp@opus.labs.agilent.com
>Subject: Re: Creatures of the deep
>Message-ID: <c9.a5c0f50.274436ab@aol.com>
Hi all,

   Very strange thing. I noticed that a message I sent to the
listserv about a week ago just showed up in the last digest. Ah,
the pleasures of free e-mail ;-)!

>
>I find that my Sarracenia pots also get aquatic-compatible
>earthworms in them, although not as long as yours, perhaps only
>three inches long at most. They are also very dark red in color,
>almost a burgundy. I assume that they probably eat rotting organic
>matter in my pots, such as decaying peat and old, dead Sarracenia
>roots, and help aerate the soil, so I've never worried about
>them.....
>
>Hamir the Hermit
>

   These 'earthworms' sound like they might be larval chironomids
(midges) and not earthworms. The common varieties (there's literally
thousands of genera) are quite tolerant of low oxygen levels and
do feed off of organic matter. The adults look similar to mosquitoes
from a distance, but they don't have any actual mouthparts.

   While they won't harm the plants, they definitely don't aerate
the soil like earthworms do. Still, they're harmless and make
a good food source for cp's as larva and emergent adults!

Happy growing,

Chris



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