My gardens are full of ants. The ants are also in the pots and are harvesting aphids - this may explain why the camelia look so poor as the aphids infest the new leaf buds.
Can I use ant powder in the pots? I google it and the advice seemed to be 'no' as the powder is so toxic, but it seems that this old thread implies it's ok and the powder doesn't effect plants.
Ant powders contain neurotoxins. It is said that they are specific to insects. I’m not taking that risk.
I keep pots well-watered,I hoe borders with ants nests in them, and use Ex-ants … a herbal deterrent, to keep them out out of the house. It works here and there’s lots of ants in the light soil in this area.
I'm not against ants - they're all over the place in the garden and have no visible effect. BUT, with the camelias, they are effecting the new leaf shoots by harvesting aphids that are then causing leaf curl.
I'm not sure water stops them (ie wet ground) - as I say they're all over the garden (and I'm ok with that) and survive deluge after deluge throughout winter.
I sprinkle powder under containers if I see the tell-tale powdered soil on the ground. I leave them in the grass or the paths so long as they're away from the house. I'm going to do the clove oil thing in the porch
Is the clove oil thing 'true' or is it like spiders don't like conkers? Has anyone actually tried it and seen that it worked?
Presumable I could boil up some old cloves I have in the cupboard and make a smelly solution if it's just the 'smell' they don't like (and not some other chemical in the oil).
I used to use a garden flame thrower and went into my local B&Q for a new canister. I was told they do not sell them any more because a customer came in complaining he had badly burned his toes while using one with flip flops on.
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Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
2. Ants don't like wet ground.
3. Put a tiny amount of ant-killer just where they enter the house. (They will try another route.)
4. Oil of cloves. New to me, worth a try.
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."