A Jefferson Community Garden member reported having good results with instant grits. After a bit of sleuthing, lo and behold! I found that it is not uncommon for people to use Malt-o-Meal and other instant breakfast cereals as bait for fire ants and get a positive effect.  Sounds like an inexpensive, least toxic . . . → Read More: Putting Out Fires in The Garden]]>  

Imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta, can be an arch nemesis in the garden. They can turn a peaceful gardening experience into a fierce battle by sending their victim gardeners running for cover, swatting and cursing. You’ve likely noticed the prevalence of fire ants in your garden and landscape by now since the recent heavy rains. Fire ant mounds are more prominent after rain events or deep watering since they are trying to keep their colonies from drowning.

There are effective ways of eliminating fire ants and keeping your garden safe for visitors. Baits, drenches, biological organisms, and good stewardship as some of the ways to negatively affect this unwanted visitor.

Bait

Molly Keck, Texas AgriLife Entomologist, recommends using fire ant bait near the mound when ants are actively foraging for food, the ground is dry and rain threats cease to exist for at least 24 hours. She reminds us that more is not always better as it only takes one granule to be brought into the colony for elimination of the entire colony.  The queen dies after eating the partially digested, bait-tainted food from the larvae and when the queen dies the colony goes with it.

I’ve had good luck with fire ant baits containing the active ingredient Spinosad which is labeled for use in organic gardens.  There are currently two companies that carry baits with the active ingredient Spinosad; one is a Green Light product called Conserve and the other is a Fertilome product called, Come and Get It.  It typically costs around $15 for a one pound bag. This sounds pretty expensive but “a lit bit goes a long way” applies in this case and a bag can last for an entire season.  I have found this product at Lowe’s, Home Depot, Fanick’s, Shades of Green, Garden-ville and Rainbow Gardens

A Jefferson Community Garden member reported having good results with instant grits. After a bit of sleuthing, lo and behold! I found that it is not uncommon for people to use Malt-o-Meal and other instant breakfast cereals as bait for fire ants and get a positive effect.  Sounds like an inexpensive, least toxic option! The recommendation is to use it as you would any other bait.

Beneficial Organisms

Many people see great results with beneficial microorganisms such as nematodes (which are also used for fleas,grubs and other soil borne pests) and are readily available at local nurseries that carry organic products but never at the corporate chain stores. Give Rainbow Gardens, Schulz, Fanick’s, Shades of Green and Garden-Ville a try. Call first as nurseries often run low on nematodes especially during times when people are seeing major infestations (like right now!).

You will need special equipment to apply nematodes but nothing that is difficult to find. You will need a container of water in which to release the nematodes from the sponge, a garden hose and a hose-end sprayer. I like the Ortho Dial ‘n’ Spray as it can be used for liquid fertilizers and I don’t have to worry about mixing since the sprayer adjusts to the recommended amount. Instructions are readily available on the package but one thing it doesn’t tell you is to remove the screen from the siphon when you are spraying nematodes. I got much better results after finding out this little tip.

Spraying products that contain molasses helps keep them away because molasses encourages soil microorganisms and soil biodiversity that negatively affect fire ants. As a matter of fact, fire ants really don’t thrive where there is species biodiversity as opposed to open fields of one species.  Just in case you needed one more reason to encourage a mixture of native species and to reduce a lawn grass monoculture.

Drenches

Howard Garrett and Malcolm Beck were the originators of the molasses, compost tea and orange oil drench which is used to treat individual mounds. This formulation can be purchased pre-mixed or you can buy each ingredient separately and mix it yourself.  Their recipe is as follows: Mix equal portions of molasses, manure compost tea, and citrus oil. Add a tablespoon of humate and natural vinegar per gallon of final mix. Use 2-4 ounces per gallon of water for soft-skinned insects, 5-6 ounces per gallon for hard-shelled insects.

Tolerance?

Believe it or not some people tout fire ants for being beneficial! If your yard or garden is absent of young children, you are able to tolerate small infestations, and you have other significant pest problems such as: ticks, chiggers, termites, fleas, cockroaches or corn earworms then you may want to avoid treating. As it turns out, fire ants prey on many common yard and garden pests.

For more information on fire ants, visit these websites:

http://firant.tamu.edu

http://www.extension.org/fire_ants

http://www.dirtdoctor.com/Organic-Fire-Ant-Control_vq123.htm

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/beneficials/beneficial-56%28partial%29_red_imported_fire_ant.htm

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/12/fire-ant-invasi/

Asparagus is a beautiful perennial vegetable, easy to grow in San Antonio, and is often forgotten because of the length of time between planting and the first harvest (usually about 3 years).  It needs a deep bed of loose, well-drained soil with at least 6 hours of sun and good air circulation. Here are some . . . → Read More: Planting Asparagus]]>  

Asparagus is a beautiful perennial vegetable, easy to grow in San Antonio, and is often forgotten because of the length of time between planting and the first harvest (usually about 3 years).  It needs a deep bed of loose, well-drained soil with at least 6 hours of sun and good air circulation. Here are some tips you can use to to begin enjoying your very own asparagus crop straight from your backyard.

Prepare the Asparagus Bed

Dig a trench 3-4’ wide, as long as you want, and 10-12” deep.  The soil should be fertile and well-drained.  Where the soil is deep, mix compost into the native soil.  The resulting soil blend should be no more than 40% compost.  Where the soil is shallow, mix in a high quality garden soil with the native soil to create a raised bed.  Along with compost or soil, mix in an organic fertilizer, such as Lady Bug 8-2-4, or Medina Growin’ Green and a mineral supplement, such as Greensand. 

After amending the soil and digging the trench, make a mound 2-3” high (or as high as the roots) to set the crowns on, leaving the roots to hang down over the mounds.  Space crowns 12” – 18” apart.  Cover the roots and crown with the amended soil.  Water well.  You will have a 6” deep trench remaining.  As your asparagus spears grow, cover them with the amended soil or compost.  This will allow more roots to develop.  Plant asparagus in the back of your garden as it is very large and unproductive most of the year, but very attractive, growing about 5-8’ tall, and looking like a light and airy fern.