Guest Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 I've got ants living in the pots that have my goji berry bushes growing in them, they're harming the plants, how do I get rid of them without hurting the plants? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 don't want to have to resort to repotting. been reading ants hate mint, do you think if i get a load of mint leaves from my mint plants and soak them in water to make a sort of minty water solution then use that to water the plant, will that get rid of them do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 Try peeling a cucumber and laying strips around the plant. They aren't fond of it either. Not heard about mint, but worth a try! Rosemary is supposed to put them off too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 cucumber and mint, shall i mix them a Pimms? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 just read that if you soak pipe tobacco overnight in warm water, strain and then pour the water over the ants nest, it kills them. Might try that too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 Diatom kills ants doesn't it? Worth giving them a dusting of that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..lay a little egg for me Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 I'm sure the chooks would be only too happy to sort out your ant problem. Unfortunately, you might not have any plants left afterwards though!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 I bet they are after all the greenfly around at the moment... another bumper year for pests I feel. Diatom has always worked well against ants here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 (edited) the trouble is, they've made a nest/colony under the plants, around the roots. Diatom might work to stop them coming and going from the nest but I want to get rid of them full stop. Diatom won't get to the root of the problem, so to speak. I'm trying the tobacco tea thing tomorrow, got DH on the hunt for some pipe tobacco, no idea if you can buy it as readily as cigarettes. I also need to act quickly as my plants are looking very poorly, see these pics http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=213747&id=568396756&l=bff45919d6 Edited May 18, 2010 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 The only thing that will definitely kill them is ant powder that contains permethrin, but bear in mind that it's toxic to cats and other animals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 after further research i've read you can't use tobacco tea on solanaceous plants, of which wolfberry (or goji) is one of them and it's possibly not a good idea to use nicotine on something you're going to eat anyway, so tht's £4 on baccy wasted (I've already made it into a tea) I did the minty water today and we've also soaked the pots with lots of water to try and drive the ants out. We'll keep doing that every day this week (the soaking that is) and if i still see ants or there's no improvement, I'll get DH to move the bushes to the garden instead of having them in the pots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 Well hopefully it will persuade them to move on if nothing else - ants seem to prefer dry, sandy soil don't they Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 The soaking ought to work, if my plants are beset by ants, I stand the saucer in a bigger one full of water, then they can't get into the pot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
