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Ant infestation on salix

steve49steve49 Posts: 2
in Problem solving
I Have an ant infestation on my salix tree/shrub and many leaves are going brown.does anyone have any tips please
Steve

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  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited July 2021
    Hi @steve49
    and welcome to the forum 😊

    As ants don’t eat trees I suspect they are farming aphids on the soft new shoots. 

    Ants like to live in dry soil so if they’re around your Salix it is likely that the soil is dry … as Salix need their roots to be constantly moist, this also likely to be causing the browning foliage, so give the soil around your tree three buckets of water today (even if it’s raining), poured slowly over the root area so that it penetrates the soil at a depth of at least two feet … and then two buckets of water twice a week from now until the end of September.  Start again in early March next year and you’ll have a happy Salix and keep the ants away. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • steve49steve49 Posts: 2
    Thankyou dovefromabove :)
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