Do rototillers kill worms?

[sixdogs]

It's a tough question but do large rototillers kill earthworms by chopping them into little pieces?
I have a six ft tiller I use to chop up and bury standing sweet corn stalks and residue. It takes two passes going slow at 540RPM and I don't till very deep.
I never thought about it but am I pulverizing the worms along with everything else? If I was, I suppose I could try to leave strips untilled every given number of feet?
Anyone have any ideas about this?

 

[johnrex62]

Yes, you are killing worms. I wouldn't get overly worked up about it, there are lots more that will come in to the loose soil to replace them. Leaving santuary strips will save some worms, but only those not in your tilled areas. I do not know what depth your worms will be resting in or where they will be moving when the vibrations from the tiller begin.

My advice would be to feed your surviving worms well and keep the population high enough to withstand your periodic genocide.

 

[Haywire]

I wish they would kill moles.. I'd buy 2.

 

[D33r3 6r33N]

I noticed a definite decline in the number of worms after I used my new tiller last year. It is reverse rotate so I don't know if that makes any difference or not. I plan on leaving untilled strips in mine this year also. Partly because the tiller leaves it so fluffy it feels like you are walking across a mattress, and the mulch will much less muddy.

 

[Onthesauk]

If you've got worms, you've got egg casings for worms. If the ground is rich, they will be replaced. Have read somewhere that there are worm egg casings everywhere on earth.

 

[Don87]

When a worm is cut in half, the tail dies, the front part will grow a new tail.

 

[bilrus61]

When a worm is cut in half, the tail dies, the front part will grow a new tail.

Are you sure about that???

Anyhow if your tilling shallow most worms will be too deep for the tiller to reach. If your soil has humus for them to consume they will bounce back pretty fast. Worms move around pretty good. Much more so than folks think. Tilling under food will make them move in and eat just like folks do at Outback.:confused2:

 

[mjncad]

"Do rototillers kill worms?" sounds like the beginning of a GEICO TV ad.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

"Do rototillers kill worms?"

If they don't , you need a bigger tractor

 

[Skyco]

Uh oh....here comes PETE with their protests....