Tomatoville® Gardening Forums


Notices

General information and discussion about cultivating fruit-bearing plants, trees, flowers and ornamental plants.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old May 15, 2013   #1
SmittenGarden
Tomatovillian™
 
SmittenGarden's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: So California
Posts: 75
Default ants nest in lemon tree container

We bought my husband a meyers improved lemon tree last year. but it needs repotting. its actually shameful of how we haven't looked after it.

while i was just looking at my zucchinis and toms and giving them water...I noticed a lot of ant activity on the patio. But as its on the edge of the garden I assumed that they were in the grass somewhere.

then I went to give the trees pot a little misting. It was then I noticed that around the drain holes of the pot were clay like dirt piled out in what look like play doh spaghetti forms. Its looking like they have nested inside the pot under the tree.


what should I do? its already trying to form fruit. I've read online I may have been under watering it? but I thought you could easily over water fruit trees.
what is the right amount of watering?
SmittenGarden is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 15, 2013   #2
Deborah
Riding The Crazy Train Again
 
Deborah's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: San Marcos, California
Posts: 2,562
Default

I would pot up, but before that hose away as many ants as you can.
I'd buy cactus mix for soil.
Meyers I water like anything else-stick a finger down and feel for dryness, and flood until the water runs out.
Feed with citrus food. Lemons are heavy feeders.
When you repot you'll smother the ants. And drown them when you water in the newly planted tree.
Ants can't harm the tree at all but I'd get rid of as many as I could. If you don't have pets nearby you could put out ant baits near the pot.
If anyone has any other ideas I'd welcome them-I love my tree and always glad to learn. Won't get offended if corrected either !

Last edited by Deborah; May 15, 2013 at 09:41 PM. Reason: I meant to hose ants right off of the root ball.
Deborah is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 15, 2013   #3
Rockporter
Tomatovillian™
 
Rockporter's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Texas Coastal Bend
Posts: 3,205
Default

I use food grade DE powder in my pots and around them, ants can't stand the stuff.
__________________
In the spring
at the end of the day
you should smell like dirt

~Margaret Atwood~






Rockporter is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 15, 2013   #4
KarenO
Tomatovillian™
 
KarenO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Vancouver Island
Posts: 5,918
Default

Ants don't generally harm or eat plants so I would first check to see what attracts the ants to your lemon. I had ants in an indoor grapefruit tree that I used to put outside for summer and bring in in the fall. I thought it was so odd that they had moved in until on closer inspection, I discovered that the ants were there because of the honeydew produced by a bad scale infestation on my little tree. Ants are easy to get rid of with a product called "ant be gone" scale insects are a real difficult critter to get rid of. I never did get the plant cleaned up and wound up getting rid of it. aphids also produce honeydew which attracts ants. If I was you I would have a look at the lemon tree first because there must be a reason the ants decided to set up housekeeping in your pot.
KO

Last edited by KarenO; May 15, 2013 at 09:53 PM.
KarenO is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 15, 2013   #5
Worth1
Tomatovillian™
 
Worth1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Den of Drunken Fools
Posts: 38,539
Default

Did you know a Meyer lemon isn't a true lemon?
It came from China in 1908 discovered by Frank Meyer and is thought to be a cross between a lemon and mandarin or common orange.

Just so as you know.

Worth
Worth1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 15, 2013   #6
Crandrew
Tomatovillian™
 
Crandrew's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: asdf
Posts: 1,202
Default

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1368671913.644337.jpg

Crandrew is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 15, 2013   #7
Deborah
Riding The Crazy Train Again
 
Deborah's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: San Marcos, California
Posts: 2,562
Default

All great posts.
Deborah is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 15, 2013   #8
SIP Gro-Tubs
Tomatovillian™
 
SIP Gro-Tubs's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Natalia, TX
Posts: 143
Default Ants are a good sign that you have aphids, other sucking insects

Quote:
Originally Posted by SmittenGarden View Post
We bought my husband a meyers improved lemon tree last year. but it needs repotting. its actually shameful of how we haven't looked after it.

while i was just looking at my zucchinis and toms and giving them water...I noticed a lot of ant activity on the patio. But as its on the edge of the garden I assumed that they were in the grass somewhere.

then I went to give the trees pot a little misting. It was then I noticed that around the drain holes of the pot were clay like dirt piled out in what look like play doh spaghetti forms. Its looking like they have nested inside the pot under the tree.


what should I do? its already trying to form fruit. I've read online I may have been under watering it? but I thought you could easily over water fruit trees.
what is the right amount of watering?
Most ants feed at night, but there are some that feed during the day, but not in great numbers.

Ants are like dairy farmers, the actually place the aphids, and orther sucking insects on the bottom of succulent leaves just like a dairyman will put cows in the best fields for the day. They then milk the aphids for the honeydew secreted by the aphids for the ants food source just like a dairyman does when he milks his cows.

But most times you don't see the ants because they do this most during the night time.

Look for aphids and other sucking insects during the day.

Easy way to kill them is to bury a small container level with the soil level, fill with a honey surgary mixture and water, add a few drops of liquid soap, they will smell the sweetness and try to drink falling in and drowing.

Also with boric acid, find were they are coming out at night, place some tin foil over the hole, punch a new hole thru to their hole, add the boric acid on the tin foil, they will do the rest when they walk thru it.
SIP Gro-Tubs is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 15, 2013   #9
Worth1
Tomatovillian™
 
Worth1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Den of Drunken Fools
Posts: 38,539
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Crandrew View Post


A sago palm isn't a palm either. It is a Cycad one of the oldest know plants.
The red yucca isn't a yucca it is an agave.
Just so as you know.

Worth
Worth1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 16, 2013   #10
Crandrew
Tomatovillian™
 
Crandrew's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: asdf
Posts: 1,202
Default

Ok now you're just showing off.
Crandrew is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 29, 2013   #11
coronabarb
Tomatoville® Recipe Keeper
 
coronabarb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Roseburg, Oregon - zone 7
Posts: 2,821
Default

Worth, you are just a wealth of information. : Maybe you don't know this one;

The main ants we see in California are Argentina ants and are all genetically related, which is why they don't fight ants from different nests...they all smell like relatives.

Many areas, including the inland area (Riverside/San Bernadino) have SO many of these ants...antsylvania! They are everywhere on my property. It is very difficult to keep them out of potted plants...they love it in there. I get them burrowing down along tomato stems/roots too. If there are enough of them, they can kill the plant. It is frustrating if you want to be organic or have other animals around, so can't use poisons. I'd try the DE first. I tried that boric acid mixed with sugar and the ants didn't go for it.
__________________
Corona~Barb
Now an Oregon gal
coronabarb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 29, 2013   #12
Dewayne mater
Tomatovillian™
 
Dewayne mater's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: DFW, Texas
Posts: 1,212
Default

Karen - Ants don't seem to be messing with my tomatoes, but, they have eating 1/2 of a bell pepper and a couple of jalapeno peppers still growing on the vine. They are now dead to me and I am going to find a way to make them actually dead. Between eating fruit and harboring aphids, they are public enemy number 3 for me, though I've never given them a thought in past years.

Dewayne mater.
Dewayne mater is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 29, 2013   #13
kurt
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Homestead,Everglades City Fl.
Posts: 2,488
Default

Put some Amdro down.Finer crushed particle for the small wee ants,regular for the larger "bull" ants.If they stop and take the crumbs then your good to go.The ants carry the Amdro to the colony and they all die.Mainly the queen/queens.
__________________
KURT
kurt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 30, 2013   #14
coronabarb
Tomatoville® Recipe Keeper
 
coronabarb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Roseburg, Oregon - zone 7
Posts: 2,821
Default

kurt, what is Amdro?
__________________
Corona~Barb
Now an Oregon gal
coronabarb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 30, 2013   #15
Stvrob
Tomatovillian™
 
Stvrob's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 1,413
Default

I found a new kind of ant carefully slicing up a cherished grape vine and hauling little pieces of leaves about 8 feet away to their nest. They appear to be what is known as "cut ants", and an unwelcome import. I poured a kettle of boiling water down its hole and so far they seem to be gone. Hopefully I killed the colony and I won't be seeing them anymore.
Stvrob is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:07 AM.


★ Tomatoville® is a registered trademark of Commerce Holdings, LLC ★ All Content ©2022 Commerce Holdings, LLC ★