Sunflower House Update #1
Yesterday evening I took my 21 month old daughter outside with me to stroll through the garden and take some pictures of how the sunflower house is coming along. The sunflowers are finally starting to take off now that we are having some decent weather. In between the sunflowers the corn is also starting to grow well. I am hoping to plant some morning glory and scarlet runner beans along the base of the sunflowers and corn this week.
While out taking pictures I noticed something rather peculiar. It seems there are ants eating the stems of the sunflowers. I noticed this two years ago happening to some cosmos I grew. There are absolutely no aphids on the sunflowers so I know the ants are not there for that. I watched them closely and they seem to be chewing holes into the stems and feeding off of the plants juices. I have never heard of an ant doing this before. I am rather baffled by it.
I am trying to think of a way to get them off the sunflowers as they are on several of them. I might try making up an organic spray and seeing if that helps.
The poor sunflower house; first the unrelenting rain rotted several of the seeds I sowed, then the mystery night critter kept digging up the seeds that did germinate, now plant munching ants are attacking it. Do I dare ask what’s next?
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