roots sticking out of drainage holes + ant problem
 

hi group,

i have a few plants that i transplanted into clay pots 6 weeks ago:
3 alpine strawberries in a 12" azalea pot (height is 3/4 of
diameter)
combo of herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage) in a 10" standard
pot

i checked under the pot the other day because i saw ants crawling
around them & noticed that some roots were sticking out of the
drainage holes. i didn't realize that these guys would grow so FAST!
i chose these pot sizes based on suggestions from some book sources.
one book i read told me to plant 3 alpine strawberries in a 12" azalea
pot. another book told me that the herbs need minimum 9" pot depth.
all plants seem healthy & happy for now.

the alpine strawberries are very bushy & have just begun to flower.
my question is: should i transplant the strawberries into a deeper &
wider pot now or should i wait until they've finished giving fruit?

also, i think it's possible that the 3 strawberry plants are too
crowded in together. if i transplant them, should i take the 3 plants
apart & plant them farther apart? i'll probably end up tearing some
of the roots when i separate them from eachother.... but as they are
now, they're very cramped.

and... as for the herbs, i have the same questions. should i
transplant now? and should i separate them?

now, the ants are another problem... i have the pots sitting on clay
saucers. and where the pot meets the dish, there are ants running
about. there are ants in the pots, also, but not as many. the ant
problem seems to be love the strawberry plants, in particular. what
can i do about these ants?

thanks for your help!
-hj

roots sticking out of drainage holes + ant problem
 

I suggest you leave well alone till long after fruiting is finished. They
probably flowered so well because they were crowded. Given totally ideal
conditions many plants will make masses of growth and few flowers. The ants
will not be a problem.
Best Wishes
"hjl" wrote in message
om...
hi group,

i have a few plants that i transplanted into clay pots 6 weeks ago:
3 alpine strawberries in a 12" azalea pot (height is 3/4 of
diameter)
combo of herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage) in a 10" standard
pot

i checked under the pot the other day because i saw ants crawling
around them & noticed that some roots were sticking out of the
drainage holes. i didn't realize that these guys would grow so FAST!
i chose these pot sizes based on suggestions from some book sources.
one book i read told me to plant 3 alpine strawberries in a 12" azalea
pot. another book told me that the herbs need minimum 9" pot depth.
all plants seem healthy & happy for now.

the alpine strawberries are very bushy & have just begun to flower.
my question is: should i transplant the strawberries into a deeper &
wider pot now or should i wait until they've finished giving fruit?

also, i think it's possible that the 3 strawberry plants are too
crowded in together. if i transplant them, should i take the 3 plants
apart & plant them farther apart? i'll probably end up tearing some
of the roots when i separate them from eachother.... but as they are
now, they're very cramped.

and... as for the herbs, i have the same questions. should i
transplant now? and should i separate them?

now, the ants are another problem... i have the pots sitting on clay
saucers. and where the pot meets the dish, there are ants running
about. there are ants in the pots, also, but not as many. the ant
problem seems to be love the strawberry plants, in particular. what
can i do about these ants?

thanks for your help!
-hj

roots sticking out of drainage holes + ant problem
 

Try putting ground cinnamon where the ants are (between plant and bottom
saucer - not in the soil). This will not hurt your plant. I know this
works with several types of ants due to my own experience. Hope this helps.

--
gloria - only the iguanas know for sure

roots sticking out of drainage holes + ant problem
 

Hi Bonnie Punch,

Plants in the ground are more easily able to tolerate ants around
the
roots, but not plants in containers.

From what I read, plants in the ground will actually benefit from the
tunnels created by ants, since tunnels will increase infiltration(air
and water), plants will do better.

regards,
Wong

roots sticking out of drainage holes + ant problem
 

In article ,
says...
I suggest you leave well alone till long after fruiting is finished. They
probably flowered so well because they were crowded. Given totally ideal
conditions many plants will make masses of growth and few flowers. The ants
will not be a problem.

Ants can definatly be a problem in pots. It depends on what they're
doing - they might just be setting up an aphid farm, which can be kept
under control by an occasional hosing with water. If that's all they're
doing then it's no big deal. Ants living in the pot are another thing.
If the ants are present in large numbers, they will remove the soil
from the pot to create tunnels, and they will chew through finer roots.
Water will quickly drain through with very little being taken up by the
plant. I have had more than a few plants killed by ant infestations.
Plants in the ground are more easily able to tolerate ants around the
roots, but not plants in containers.

BP