overwintering Winter-Summer in OZ "Comparison" / Aussie Blabberers

[gasificada]

I feed them to the ants. I think the ants have developed a taste for them because I've only found one in the last month or so!

And everyone keeps telling us how bad the ants are! Yep, I've witnessed the ants having a field day on 'em too. I love ants.

 

[Mezo]

Your kidding right? yesterday i noticed one of my CGN`s with hundreds of ants all over it & sure enough under the leaves aphid larvae, so i picked up the pot & dunked it in a water tub, all the ants were drowned & i rubbed off the larvae stuck to the leaves.

Obviously you cant do this on bigger plants but ive done this many times on smaller plants, ive got a 50gal plastic drum with the top cut off & it collects the rain water off the roof off the van, once i have baptised the plant i move it to a new area.

And so the aphid battle continues, but im winning the battle.

Mezo.

 

[harry]

I'm engaged in a constant war with blasted aphid farming ants. The aphids end up stunting growth by damaging the the shoots of the plants.

Your kidding right? yesterday i noticed one of my CGN`s with hundreds of ants all over it & sure enough under the leaves aphid larvae, so i picked up the pot & dunked it in a water tub, all the ants were drowned & i rubbed off the larvae stuck to the leaves.

Obviously you cant do this on bigger plants but ive done this many times on smaller plants, ive got a 50gal plastic drum with the top cut off & it collects the rain water off the roof off the van, once i have baptised the plant i move it to a new area.

And so the aphid battle continues, but im winning the battle.

Mezo.

Take a look at the plant tomorrow and you'll find that they've restocked their aphid farm.

 

[gasificada]

Ants here actually aren't much of the farming type. Probably gave up a long time ago due to the constant attacks on the herd by predator wasps.

 

[megamoo]

I don't know why but my ants aren't farmers. Although ten metres away over a wall there were some aphid infested roses I don't think the ants are involved. They're all over my chilli plants and I'm pretty sure they are pollinating everything but there's not an aphid to be seen.

A week or two ago had a few aphids on some seedlings but they were always ant free. Squished what I could see and later saw some ladybugs spending some quality time there

 

[Trippa]

Yeah personally I am yet to see any ants (and I have plenty) on my plants farming aphids.

 

[RaelThomas]

Happy New Years guys!

Have many!

-Rael.

 

[Trippa]

Happy New Years guys!

Have many!

-Rael.

Same to you !!

 

[Lavatung]

Happy new year.

Before I cleared out my plot it was full of weeds covered in aphids and looked a bit like this

. You can actually see a farmer ant on the stem.

So you could imagine I was a bit nervous about my chillies getting munched. Luckily I have hoards of these guys watching out

 

[nee]

Early on in the spring i read a few horror stories regarding ants, and that it was best to keep them away from my chilli plants, so i whacked a load of ant sand down. But as the season has gone on, i have since witnessed the ants coming back, but i have kept my eye on them and have yet to find a plant with an ant on it that also includes an aphid. The only aphid invasions i tend to see here are on my smallest seedlings thankfully...and there's an ever decreasing number of those now too

 

[ferozaj]

My first superhots finally flowering!


Also next year when i move to my new place im going to start aquaponics. I was going to have a koi pond so i think this is a good way to filter and use the water

There is a big company in perth that does it so planty of local experience.


I wonder if chillis are possible , i guess it would have to be a different water rate compared to other lettuce etc as they dont like wet roots?

 

[Mezo]

Have you read Ferrero`s glog? here.

Its not they don't like water its more they need oxygen to thrive, so you add air with a pump.

Mezo.

 

[ferozaj]

thanks for that glog.

There should be plenty of air as there was going to be two large waterfalls.

 

[MiLK_MaN]

I'm in Adelaide for New Years, hopefully my dad has looked after my plants in my absence. Driving home today to look after them in the heatwave we are about to have...

Went and visited a store called Bio-Tech Organics in Virginia, SA. Been there before, but this time the dude had actually visited a chilli grower in central SA that had recently reached out for some help. He showed me some before and after pictures of plants that were targeted for some specific fertilisations, and god they looked great!

So I've invested in some fertilisers:

Soil drench: http://www.nutri-tech.com.au/products/mms/phos-life.html
Foliar spray: http://www.nutri-tech.com.au/products/liquid-fertilisers/nutri-key-calcium-shuttle.html

I am getting flowers all over the place, but as per last year, they don't seem to be pollinating. I am hoping that this fertilising regime will see a huge bounty reward at the end of it.

 

[Trippa]

I use NTS products as well Milkman. Backyard boost and stimulate are the 2 I use from the home garden section. Great products but recently had there BFA accreditation removed

Backyard boost is quite similar to that phosphorus and calcium one you have in terms of ingredients it would seem

 

[MiLK_MaN]

Plants are going gang busters with all this heat. This time last year I was wiping the tears away after the garden was decimated from the hail storm.

Yellow 7 pots!!!!!​

 

[megamoo]

They are looking good

 

[Mezo]

Very nice, are they safe out the front?

Mezo.

 

[megamoo]

Very nice, are they safe out the front?

Mezo.

Exactly what I said! Apparently he lives in a nice suburb.

There is a high school near me and twice every day a mass of kids walk past. Don't think I could have chillies within easy reach like that.

 

[Stone]

My little beds are doing OK... My companion flowers are a little out of control but no aphids yet