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ants under huge pots
Heather 4
Posts: 1
We have 2 very large glazed pots with box in them. There is now earth piling up around them, which must be ants. We can't move the pots. Any idea how to get rid of the ants. Some of the plants now look damaged.
Heather
0
Posts
Put down some ant-traps around the bottom of the pots. The ants will take the poison back to the nest which will then be destroyed. Keep the compost well watered - ants thrive in dry soil conditions. Good luck
It indicates that your pots are on the dry side. You can put down poison traps as indicated by Lesley but you need to stop them coming back too.
Give the pots a thorough soaking several times to make sure the compost absorbs the moisture instead of it just running through. Keep them watered well in future. I read somewhere that one inch of water on the top of the pot will soak down 9 inches. Adjust your regular watering accordingly and water every couple of days in the growing season.
Once the compost is thoroughly moistened you can also water on a solution of one small bottle of essential oïl of cloves diluted in 10 litres of water. The ants can't stand the smell and move on.
If you can, raise your pots onto special feet or even just bricks in order to ensure they drain well and aren't waterlogged, especially in winter. Give your plants a feed or two of liquid rose or tomato feed to help them recover as their roots will have been damaged by the ants' nesting activities so they'll be having a hard time taking up enough moisture and nutrients.
An other organic control is Nemasys No Ant nematodes
The ants will be in with the plant. They like that because it's nice and dry compared to the ground. I don't think the plant will appreciate boiling water
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