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Ants in container
beginnergardner
Posts: 14
I am so sorry as I am sure this has been covered before and believe I saw a post on just such a subject but for the life of me cannot find it.
What can I do about Ants in a huge container, have added feet to raise it, did I see somewhere about using dry coffee grounds or am I imagining it.
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Hi Beginnergardner and welcome
What are you growing in your container? I find that usually keeping the compost moist is enough to deter them so as long as the plants are happy being moist (not boggy) the ants should move on
I think someone did mention dry coffee grounds - I'll try to find the thread for you ...
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I can't find the thread I was looking for, but this old one mentions coffee grounds and also polenta. http://www.gardenersworld.com/forum/talkback/talkback-ants/100.html
and also a load of other suggestions.
I can't say that I've tried any of them - as I said I find that keeping the soil moist keeps them away. However, no problem in trying some of the ideas, can't do any harm (except insecticides - I'd only use them if there was a problem in the house. I don't use them in the garden.)
Good luck
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Super thank you Dovefromabove. Raspberries are growing in the container.
Raspberries like plenty of moisture, so it shouldn't cause a problem keeping their toes damp
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thanks for all the information, I was all set to put to the test later when while trimming a honeysuckle behind the pot I noticed the Ants are actually eating Blackfly which is on the plant. My dilemma is do I leave the Ants to their feast or do I try and tackle the Ants and then the Blackfly?
My garden seems plagued by Aphids at the moment.
Thank you Edd there was me thinking they were eating them and really they are best buddies. Will give the soapy spray a whirl.
Generally, if you can get the ants to move on, then aphid problems also disappear. I often see ants attacking ladybirds which are feeding on the 'herds' of aphids which the ants have carefully moved around to the juiciest parts of a plant. Once the ants have gone, the ladybirds can get on with the job at hand. As already said, a good regular drenching usually does the trick.