My Catt is Antsy

[estación seca]

I bet you're underwatering. When they get that big, most of the roots might be on the outside of the pot.

[charlesf6]

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

I've soaked mine for hours to kill snails.

A couple of hours last night in a yellow soapy (Dawn detergent) pail.

I do not see those little guys this a.m.?

---------- Post added at 11:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:34 AM ----------

Originally Posted by estación seca

I bet you're underwatering. When they get that big, most of the roots might be on the outside of the pot.

Well I am quite terrified of overwatering which is a general occurence with my vegetable / herb gardening for a number of years.

[Roberta]

For Catts, one can avoid overwatering by using large bark and using basket rather than pot. If it's a big plant and basket isn't practical, you can put a small put upside down in the middle of the pot, then bark around it. A problem with big pots is that they stay too wet in the middle - which can rot roots. The small pot creates an air space in the middle of the pot, so that you don't end up with soggy bark there.

[charlesf6]

Are they gone?

[dounoharm]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

Personally, with my plant pots, I use fresh leaves of my Artemisia absinthium to clear ant colonies out of my pots. The ants scramble out of the pots as if the soil is on fire. Best of all, it works on all the types of ants that I have gotten in my pots.

Sevin kills snails, too, even bush snails.

I love the artemisia trick leaf....I will try that, as I grow artemisia everywhere! I will try a tea of it too....

sevin is a great product, but it will kill our honeybees! I use it as a dust in the early early mornings (before the bees get up, lol) sometimes with diatomaceous earth dusted on top....and I use it in a liquid with peppermint soap, all on the organic veggies, or my whole property!...you just have to use it early! if you use it in the greenhouse, or inside the house, of course it wont kill honeybees!

[berthabloom]

Can you claim your garden is "organic" if you use Sevin on it any time of the day?

[Leafmite]

Originally Posted by dounoharm

I love the artemisia trick leaf....I will try that, as I grow artemisia everywhere! I will try a tea of it too....

sevin is a great product, but it will kill our honeybees! I use it as a dust in the early early mornings (before the bees get up, lol) sometimes with diatomaceous earth dusted on top....and I use it in a liquid with peppermint soap, all on the organic veggies, or my whole property!...you just have to use it early! if you use it in the greenhouse, or inside the house, of course it wont kill honeybees!

I hope the Artemisia works as well for you as it does for me. It is how I clear out my pots before bringing in the plants and, as long as I do all the pots on the same day, I am good. In the past, when we had a rabbit, it worked well for fleas, too. During the spring, when the birds are actively building nests, they strip leaves from mine, probably to deter bugs in the nests. How they know to do this, I have no idea.

You are right about the Sevin. It does tend to kill anything and should be used very cautiously.

[dounoharm]

Originally Posted by berthabloom

Can you claim your garden is "organic" if you use Sevin on it any time of the day?

yes, sevin is one of the few that qualify for organic gardening,

[Pamhanson]

Cattleyas is often a sign of insufficient water.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by dounoharm

yes, sevin is one of the few that qualify for organic gardening,

I came across this while trying to recall the ratios for the borax-based ant control recipe I recommended in an earlier post on this thread.

I have no opinion on whether Sevin dust is a good thing or a bad thing. It probably doesn't matter at all unless you are selling the produce, or giving it to someone that cares a lot about whether their produce is organic. However, if officially organic matters to you, USDA does have a list of what is (and isn't) allowed in organic farming:
eCFR — Code of Federal Regulations

I couldn't find Sevin, or the active ingredient Carbaryl, on the allowed list.