On 7/5/2009 2:27 PM, Phisherman wrote:
On Sun, 05 Jul 2009 09:05:10 -0500, "Douglas R. Hortvet, Jr."
wrote:

All,

Just found this group - what a stroke of luck.

Have a nice sized gardenia in a pot - last week or so most all leaves yellowed and started
falling off.

This after a light application of sulphur and fertilizer.

When collecting the fallen leaves for disposal - observed the soil was heavily infested
with ants.

Called in to the local garden talk show and was advised to use Spinosad - had heard of
this before however never used the product.

In researching the net - find this is an ingredient, rather than a named product one can
purchase.

Recommended application method for ants is a drench - so need a water soluble form.

Has anyone used a Spinosad product on gardenias with success?

Any recommendations for a brand name product are greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

Doug


The ants may be a sign or result of another issue. Ants are not
particularly harmful to Gardenias, but I'd put some Tero (or a Tero
trap) near the pot. I found Tero to be very effective at killing out
a colony because they feed the queen, plus you don't have insecticides
to deal with. Ants dislike powdered chalk, cinnamon, and mint.

They can't dislike mint very much. I have a 12" pot of peppermint in my
garden, sitting on a path that separates my lawn from my beds. It seems
that I have to eradicate an ant nest from the pot almost every year. I
have a similar problem with adjacent pots of oregano and tarragon. On
the other hand, the ants don't seem to bother the sage, thyme, or bay,
all of which are also in pots.

Ants themselves rarely harm plants. However, they protect aphids,
scale, and a few other sucking insects. These are insects that suck the
sap from a plant and then excrete a sugary syrup, on which the ant feed.
The sucking insects can indeed damage a plant severely.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary