The Garden
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What kind of orgy is going on under my comfrey???
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What kind of orgy is going on under my comfrey???
I have a new garden bed that doesn’t have a lot going on in it right now. However, I did have three young comfrey in the ground before the winter set in. One of them, I found completely ravaged from the inside out by a colony of small black ants. I’m still holding my breath on that one coming back. The other two lost their big leaves in the freeze but have since put out plenty of new growth. I’m starting to do bed prep for the coming spring and I found one of the remaining comfrey being swarmed by the same black ants. Upon closer inspection, I find an alarming amount of unidentifiable bugs and eggs. I’m not sure if the ants are eating them or protecting them. I don’t want to loose another comfrey or other young plants when it comes time to transplant from the greenhouse. What can I do?
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6 Replies
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aphids. When I get aphids, I look for the ants that are farming them. Sometimes, the plant recovers on it’s own. I wait for ladybugs before taking action.
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You can order lady bugs from amazon, or other places, but it may be too early depending on what state you are living in and your temps there. Aphids suck the juices out of your plant, I would simply turn leafs over and use your finger and smash them all. The ants are farming the aphids, they drink the , well, basically juices coming out of aphids, kinda gross but true.
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Those ants that farm aphids are the bane of my existence. Does anyone know of a natural way to control them? I’ve noticed the aphids that draw these type of ants also love my comfrey and apple trees.
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👍😊
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They are a resilient plant. It will be fine. Ants and ladybugs will help you
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