1

Running head: EFFECT OF EISENIA HORTENSIS ON THE GROWTH OF MARIGOLDS

AND CUCUMBERS

Effect of Eisenia hortensis on the growth of Marigolds and Cucumbers

Ellary Hackworth
Harrison High School
December 2020
 2
Running head: EFFECT OF EISENIA HORTENSIS ON THE GROWTH OF MARIGOLDS
AND CUCUMBERS

Abstract
This project is an experiment conducted to determine if Eisenia hortensis help Marigolds

and Cucumbers grow faster and healthier than plant food. There is no research done comparing

the effects of plant food and earthworms on growing plants. It is commonly known that

earthworms are good for the soil, but this project is focused on proving that they are just as good

or even better, for plants. There are four buckets in this experiment. One has worms and

marigold seeds in it, the other marigold bucket is sprayed with plant food. The cucumber buckets

have one with worms and one sprayed with plant food as well. If putting extra chemicals into the

soil could be prevented, it could help grow healthier gardens and keep the vital nutrients in the

soil. Unfortunately, this project failed due to an unknown cause. All of the experimental buckets

were kept in the same growing conditions. It could have been over watering the plants, or the

environment may not have been favorable for the plants and earthworms. No accurate data was

collected; however, in the first few weeks of the experiment, the buckets with the worms were

ahead in growth. It can be hypothesized that the worms would have had better growth results in

the end, but there is no way to know for sure. It is hoped that the experiment will be able to be

continued next year to collect accurate results.

 3
Running head: EFFECT OF EISENIA HORTENSIS ON THE GROWTH OF MARIGOLDS
AND CUCUMBERS

Effect of Eisienia hortensis on the Growth of Marigolds and Cucumbers

The purpose of this experimental project was to prove the hypothesis that Eisenia hortensis

fertilize the soil so buckets containing European Nightcrawlers will have a healthier appearance

and faster growth rate. Many people can say that they know that earthworms are good fertilizers

for the soil, but little research has been done comparing them to generic plant food people will

buy at the store. A study on observing different types of soil and the number of earthworms that

live in each type “found that the niche an earthworm lives in depends on the type of earthworm

and the conditions of the area” (Hub, 2020). If the conditions of a garden are not favorable for

earthworms, they will not want to live there. If gardeners have a compost garden or do not put

extra chemicals in gardens, then earthworms will come. They will want to live in those appealing

gardens and then in turn, they will fertilize the soil and nourish the plants for them to grow. This

projects’ purpose is to prove that using natural resources like earthworms are more beneficial to

gardens and the earth. If people do not put extra chemicals in gardens, the soil will be healthier

for longer.

Literature Review
Ginot, Loassi, Blouin, Dillehay, Nusinowitz, and Wallace (2009) all conducted a study to

determine if plant-earthworm interactions are controlled by the aspects of soil, would the

feedback of plants to earthworms should depend on soil type. The hypothesis that says, the type

of soil determines they species and behavior of earthworms found in that specific area, was

tested to see if it was true. The claim that earthworm effectiveness decreases as soil nutrients and

mineralization increases was disproven. Additionally, Ransom (2017) was trying to find out

whether native or invasive earthworm species are more popular in North America. The study
 4
Running head: EFFECT OF EISENIA HORTENSIS ON THE GROWTH OF MARIGOLDS
AND CUCUMBERS

shows that characteristics in the soil determine whether or not non-native earthworms will be

able to survive and thrive there. However, Ginot, Loassi, Blouin, Dillehav, Nusinowitz, and

Wallace (2009) concluded that the soil aspects such as fertility, did not have an effect on the

earthworms’ behavior. Both of these sources study the effects of soil characteristics on the

earthworms that live there. The conclusions for each are opposites; however, the experiments

were slightly different, and the data can also be specific to certain locations.

The climate and vegetation influence where earthworms live and if they are attracted to

gardens. Everyone knows that earthworms live in the soil, but they aren’t everywhere. There are

many different factors that have been researched to see how they effect earthworms’ decision of

where to live. Hub (2020) researched how do different types of soil and locations in the soil

influence where different types of earthworms live. Similarly, the Department of Primary

Industries (2013) experimented to find data on finding out the benefits of earthworms and what

attracts them to people’s gardens. Hub (2020) found that the niche and earthworm lives in

depends on the type of earthworm and the conditions of the area. The location of earthworms

also determines their role in the ecosystem. The Department of Primary Industries’ (2013) can

use Hub’s (2020) research to see how they can translate that environment to home gardens. Both

of these studies were conducted to find out how different earthworm species liked different types

of soil environments.

Earthworms are attracted to places with desirable soil conditions, but they can adapt to

undesirable conditions too. Sweetser (2020) conducted a study to see what conditions are most

desirable to earthworms. To do this they went out into the field and took note on what the soil,

climate, and vegetation status was in locations with the largest number of earthworms. Vinjie
 5
Running head: EFFECT OF EISENIA HORTENSIS ON THE GROWTH OF MARIGOLDS
AND CUCUMBERS

(2019) studied how worms survive through the freezing temperatures of winter. He concluded

that earthworms burrow deep into the soil, curl up tightly and form this slime-like mixture

around their bodies to keep warm. The readers can infer from Sweetser’s (2020) study that the

environment created for a garden does determine whether or not earthworms will inhabit it.

Vinjie’s (2019) experiment shows readers that it is okay to have a cold garden in the winter,

because earthworms adapt to freezing temperatures. These experiments were conducted for two

completely different reasons, but they are connected because they show that it is possible to

make a garden accommodate the needs and “expectations” of earthworms so they will want to

stay in the garden and fertilize the soil.

Method
Materials:
 Miracle Gro All-Purpose Garden Soil
 Miracle Gro Water Soluble All-Purpose Plant Food
 5 gal. buckets
 1 cup measuring cup
 Water
 Marigold petite yellow seeds
 Market Moore Cucumber Seeds
 Drill
 Gloves
 Goggles
 Sharpie
 Uncle Jim’s European Nightcrawlers
 Grow light
 Grow light timer
 Pen
 Ruler
 Notepad/ data tables
Part I
1. Put on gloves and goggles for safety.
2. Mark 40 evenly spaced dots on the bottom of 4 buckets.
 6
Running head: EFFECT OF EISENIA HORTENSIS ON THE GROWTH OF MARIGOLDS
AND CUCUMBERS

3. Drill small holes where marked spots are.

4. Stack those 4 buckets into the other leftover 4 buckets. This will act as the drainage
system.
5. Label the 4 pairs of buckets (Bucket #1—Cucumbers w/ plant food, Bucket #2--
Marigolds w/ plant food, Bucket #3— Cucumbers w/ worms, Bucket #4—Marigolds w/
worms).
6. Fill buckets evenly with soil.
7. Put 35 worms in the 2 buckets labeled “w/ worms”. Mix them around and spread them
out.
8. Scatter marigold seeds into buckets #2 and #4.
9. Scatter cucumber seeds into buckets #1 and #3.
10. Spray bucket #1 and #2 with plant food.
11. Water all buckets with 3 cups of water.
12. I will also set up the timer on my grow light. 12 hours on 12 hours off--to mimic day and
night.
13. Set plants under grow light.
Part II
1. Water the plants 3 cups of water every day.
2. Every other day spray buckets #1 and #2 with the plant food.
3. Take note every 7 days on plant height, color, and picture for data.
Part III
1. Organize data into data tables.
2. Draw conclusions from research and experiment.
Data Analysis
This experiment started off great. All the plants were sprouting and growing like weeds.

All the growing conditions were the same for each bucket and they were all flourishing. The

buckets with the worms in them were growing slightly faster and taller than the ones given plant

food. This is what was hypothesized so these early results were very pleasing. Then, when I was

away from the plants for a week, they were continued to be taken care of and watered, but they

did not look the same when I returned. It was never determined if they were given too much

water, or not enough. It could have been something else entirely, but at the time it was thought

the experiment could still be saved. The soil was excessively dry, so the plants were watered

with four cups of water every day for a week. Then, when they did not seem to improve, it
 7
Running head: EFFECT OF EISENIA HORTENSIS ON THE GROWTH OF MARIGOLDS
AND CUCUMBERS

switched back to three cups each day the next week. They were looking worse and worse every

day, so research was done, and it said that the plants were most likely already dead. On top of

that, my buckets started to wreak. My parents asked me to move them outside because our entire

basement started to smell. It was devastating that my experiment had not gone at all how it was

planned. However, many things have been learned from this year and I would love to try again

next year.

Height (cm) of Plants in each Bucket Over Time

15
10
5
0
Sept. 20 Sept. 26 Oct. 11 Oct. 25
Bucket 1 Bucket 2 Bucket 3 Bucket 4

Discussion
The few accurate results obtained at the beginning of the experiment do support the

hypothesis that the buckets with worms will grow faster. Because the experiment was not able to

be finished with accurate results, it will never be known if the worm buckets would have finished

ahead. It is hoped that this experiment will be able to continue next year by starting a new set of

data, but with the same variables. With a better environment to grow the plants in there wouldn’t

have been problems with the smell. Hopefully, next year they will be able to be kept in a

controlled environment for the complete duration of the project. If the plants are watered the

same every day, no matter how they are reacting more accurate results will be collected. If this
 8
Running head: EFFECT OF EISENIA HORTENSIS ON THE GROWTH OF MARIGOLDS
AND CUCUMBERS

project will continue next year, once all the chaos created from COVID is gone it will be allowed

to have access to a place to create a more sufficient habitat for the project.
 9
Running head: EFFECT OF EISENIA HORTENSIS ON THE GROWTH OF MARIGOLDS
AND CUCUMBERS

References

Department of Primary Industries. (2013). How earthworms can help your soil. Retrieved from

https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/soils/biology/earthworms#:~:text=By%20their

%20activity%20in%20the,which%20help%20improve%20farm

%20productivity.&text=Worms%20feed%20on%20plant%20debris,grasses%2C

%20manure)%20and%20soil.&text=Nitrogen%20in%20the%20casts%20is%20readily

%20available%20to%20plants.

Ginot, A., Loassi, K. R., Blouin, M., Noguera, D. C., & Barot, S. (2009, June 30). Earthworm

effects on plant growth do not necessarily decrease with soil fertility. Retrieved from

https://web.a.ebscohost.com.proxygsu-scob.galileo.usg.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?

vid=3&sid=c77afba6-ce0c-4136-a233-7ba3798698c1%40sdc-v-sessmgr02

Ransom, T. S. (2017, April). Local distribution of native and invasive earthworms and effects on

a native salamander. Retrieved from

https://search.proquest.com/openview/9d72757f6102d6549ce5e3a29fb4c62c/1?

cbl=43403&loginDisplay=true&pq-origsite=gscholar

Science Learning Hub. (2020, June 12). Niches within earthworms' habitat. Retrieved from

https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/7-niches-within-earthworms-

habitat#:~:text=Endogeic%3A%20topsoil%20dwellers,surface%20to%20search%20for

%20food
 10
Running head: EFFECT OF EISENIA HORTENSIS ON THE GROWTH OF MARIGOLDS
AND CUCUMBERS

Sweetser, R. (2020, April 8). How to attract worms to your garden. Retrieved from

https://www.almanac.com/news/gardening/gardening-advice/how-attract-worms-your-

garden#

Vinje, E. (2019, August 24). What happens to worms in winter?. Retrieved from

https://www.planetnatural.com/worms-winter/