Out, damned ants
 

Actually I LIKE ants. My friend has a beloved umbrella tree in a huge
pot, that has been outside for the summer (zone 7). It has become
infested with ants, on the leaves and especially in the soil of the
pot. My friend doesn't want ants in the house, as they crawl on him
when he's meditating and in general disturb his domestic tranquility
:-) I'd like to offer him an alternative to poisoning the little
critters.

I want to suggest a brisk spraying of the leaves, then thoroughly
soaking the pot in water and leaving it out (on the ground, not on the
deck) for a couple of days. Does that sound like it will do the
trick?

TIA,

stella

Trick or treat?

Why not get yourself an anteater?

If not, how about a horned toad?


"stella" wrote in message
om...
Actually I LIKE ants. My friend has a beloved umbrella tree in a huge
pot, that has been outside for the summer (zone 7). It has become
infested with ants, on the leaves and especially in the soil of the
pot. My friend doesn't want ants in the house, as they crawl on him
when he's meditating and in general disturb his domestic tranquility
:-) I'd like to offer him an alternative to poisoning the little
critters.

I want to suggest a brisk spraying of the leaves, then thoroughly
soaking the pot in water and leaving it out (on the ground, not on the
deck) for a couple of days. Does that sound like it will do the
trick?

TIA,

stella

"stella" wrote in message
I want to suggest a brisk spraying of the leaves, then thoroughly
soaking the pot in water and leaving it out (on the ground, not on the
deck) for a couple of days. Does that sound like it will do the
trick?

Maybe. They might get flooded out, but you can't count on it. It would be
best to follow your flooding treatment with repotting the plant. You may
find that the ants have carried of a good bit of the potting soil to make
room for their colony. You can hose off any remaining ants, trim the roots
a bit if it's rootbound, and give it some fresh soil. It's probably due for
a repotting anyhow, right?

Sue

--

www.suereno.com
http://www.art2mail.com

great suggestion Sue! It's not potted so well anyway, with soil up to
the very rim of the pot so it's hard to water.

If that doesn't work, I shall consider anteaters, horned toads, and
yellow-shafted flickers.

By the way, does anyone know if these umbrella trees take well to
pruning? This thing has gotten leggy as all getout, and flops all
over the place. Sort of charming because it has a big space indoors,
but maybe I can trim it at the same time it's being repotted.

s

"SugarChile" wrote in message ...
"stella" wrote in message
I want to suggest a brisk spraying of the leaves, then thoroughly
soaking the pot in water and leaving it out (on the ground, not on the
deck) for a couple of days. Does that sound like it will do the
trick?

Maybe. They might get flooded out, but you can't count on it. It would be
best to follow your flooding treatment with repotting the plant. You may
find that the ants have carried of a good bit of the potting soil to make
room for their colony. You can hose off any remaining ants, trim the roots
a bit if it's rootbound, and give it some fresh soil. It's probably due for
a repotting anyhow, right?

Sue

Try good old fashioned cinnamon! It stopped ants coming into the my house,
but I don't know if it will work with a potted plant, but it's worth a try
and wouldn't hurt the plant. I would just sprinkle it top of the soil, use
quite a bit. Let me know if this works!

--
gloria - only the iguanas know for sure