Chivas
1283819505
Posted 1379176267
Reply with quote #1
I went outside this morning and I had a fig tree drooping, it was a bit dry so I watered, now I found several more, upon inspection they have plenty of water and roots look good, but I found a bunch of ant eggs at the bottom of the pots. The new growth is all that is wilting and the green stems are soft, not all branches but just the tallest ones. Has anyone had a problem with plants wilting due to ants in their pots? The soil is cold as well so I am also thinking possibly the roots aren't active enough after a cold day and night but I thought I would ask about ants and see if that is a culprit.
cobb4861
1375370895
Posted 1379176939
Reply with quote #2
I haven't noticed ants damaging plants when they've gotten into my pots before. Just a pain when I go to up pot or move them around. Amdro works great for that problem!
james
1189185103
Posted 1379177512
Reply with quote #3
What type of ants do you have? I had a problem once with rolly pollies (pill bugs) in a container. They created large pockets where the growing mix washed out to lay eggs. I think some snails will do the same.
2016 Wish List: Dārk Pōrtuguese, Grānthāms Royāl, Lātarolla, Negrettā, Nōire de Bārbentāne, Rockāway Green, Viōlet Sepōr , Viōlette Dā uphine . Iranian figs are always welcome.
WillsC
1348087628
Posted 1379178715
Reply with quote #4
Have never really noticed the ants harm anything. Have picked up pots that had fire ant nests in them and that is always fun as the ants swarm up your arms stinging as they go.
elin
1360863025
Posted 1379183311
Reply with quote #5
i am thinking about insulating my pots with some fabric from top to bottom to fight ants.
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Chivas
1283819505
Posted 1379193139
Reply with quote #6
Thanks for the feedback, the plants came back fine within an hour or so so I am going to have to keep a close eye on them, the ants I have are just common red/black ants, they only have bitten me if I really mess with their nest but it takes quite a stir to make them angry and quite a bit of time, so far it seems they are only at the bottoms of the pots.
cobb4861
1375370895
Posted 1379195880
Reply with quote #7
yea, I don't think fire ants have made it that far north yet. Although they don't sting, Crazy ants are rather bothersome too.
Chivas
1283819505
Posted 1379203118
Reply with quote #8
The worst ants I dealt with was in the Philipines, they come up your legs and bite you for no reason other than being near them, they go on food, they don't affect taste though.
Figaro
1360799941
Posted 1379345024
Reply with quote #9
FYI...I've used "Orthoboric Powder" pretty succesfully. It's basically boric acid. There are several ways to apply it. The method I heard was "best" (I know it's a matter of opinion!) and the one I've been using is to mix 1/3 orthoboric with 1/3 peanut butter and1/3 honey (I guess ants sometimes like sweet and sometimes like salty and the mixture is a "catch-all"). 1 tsp. of each is usually more than enough since a little goes a very long way! The ants will invade, and being diluted, it doesn't kill them right away but gives them time to bring it back to the nest to kill the whole colony.
[B]Figaro Zone 10b - South Florida[/I] Growing: Black Mission, Strawberry Verte, LSU Hollier, LSU Purple, LSU Scotts Black, Cajun Gold, Panachee, Excel, UCR 291-4, UCR 143-36, Violette de Bordeaux, Ronde de Bordeaux, Calvert, Black Madeira, Col De Dame Blanc
Chivas
1283819505
Posted 1379348468
Reply with quote #10
Thanks for the tip Figaro, I have always just put borax with honey mix with water, but it always cakes up, the peanut butter is a great idea to keep it from doing that, I will have to give it a try.
