My Catt is Antsy

[charlesf6]

Latest edition to my collection is a giant Cattleya in a 6" pot purchased from Hausermanns in April.

There are a brigade of tiny ants all carrying egg sacks surfacing & scattering as I water the plant tonight while trying to acclimate this orchid to the outside for the past week.

All advice appreciated. It was planted so nicely with roots on top of roots everywhere and sitting very pretty and neatly in it's pot.

[Dollythehun]

Soak it in water.

[charlesf6]

Is what I am doing. Soapy? What is too long to soak plant?

[Dollythehun]

I've soaked mine for hours to kill snails.

[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.

[Leafmite]

I grow many types of plants and the ants love to colonize my pots (My soil is usually peat, sand, perlite, sometimes pine bark--perfect for ant nests). I am not a fan of ants.

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.

To get rid of ants in general, I use Terro baits. This takes a little time to work, though. When putting it outside, I usually put it in the path that I see the ants taking. If rain is predicted, I take measures to protect it from the rain.

Another quick, effective method is to sprinkle Sevin on top of the soil/medium and then water it in. There are some types of ants that resist the soapy water soak and the ant baits but the Sevin will kill them immediately.

---------- Post added at 09:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:43 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

I've soaked mine for hours to kill snails.

Sevin kills snails, too, even bush snails.

[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!

[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.

[charlesf6]

It had three new growths when I set it outside, one has turned black & fell off, another darkening up. Is that attributable to the ants or the outside environmental adjustment?

Thoughts?

[Leafmite]

Has it been raining where you live? If so, the Cattleya may need extra Calcium as this tends to wash out of the medium easily. In the past, when I put my orchids outside, I added a tablespoon of powdered milk to my water each time I watered during the summer. If we had rain, I would water the orchids right after the storm. Doing this should help with the future new growths. If you have eggshells, you can put them in the pots and, by winter, they should be decomposed enough to help add a steady supply of Calcium.

Another trick is to make certain that the orchid is planted on top of the medium and only the roots are in the medium. The Rhizome and pseudobulbs should be above the medium. This keeps the eyes/new growth from rotting. Instead of messing with the current set of roots, you can gently remove some of the medium around the pseudobulbs.

Good luck!