Dry Sandy Soil with Termites.. Advice Please

[itchybromusic]

The life of little critters , why they do one thing in one place & not in another 

only the critter knows ! 

 

something else other than your plants were more appetizing / a better home at your joint bill 

 

They don't like roots in general but will feed on them , i'm thinking constant moist environment , lets have babies here

& prob the babies are the ones feeding on roots , only guessing though

 

either way info is key , weather using chems or not you could find yourself pissing into the breeze 

[Qwobbler]

geopots wouldn't need anything cut off , if buried ,

i would think , roots would grow straight though the sides 

 

not that i'm an expert in termites but the little reading i've 

done says they like cool damp spots with little air so i think

if you build it they will come , they don't really like roots but will eat them 

 

 

what about this , from here http://homeguides.sfgate.com/termites-potted-plants-64474.html

 

Potted plants at risk from termite damage should never be in direct contact with the ground.

Most termites will enter these pots from the bottom. The moisture that potted plants leak into

the nearby soil attracts many types of termites, especially during the height of the summer.

Move any uninfested potted plants to a cement patio or a rock garden with several inches of

rock or sand between the pot's bottom and the ground. Even placing at-risk planters on bricks

or cement blocks can prevent termites from tunneling into them.

 

we have a few 35lt d=geo pots, didnt think of them. will fill one up and see if they eat it..

and Sand.... Its funny you say that, we have stumbled across an old plot aboiut 2 kms away from here... there were pots in the ground with course river sand in the very bottoms of them... maybe this is a goer for pots... but in this soil, maybe we could get course river sand and live the bottoms of the holes with that

 

we have time to experiment and put 1 pot in and dig 1 hole everyday... im sure we will find the solution..

 

As said, there are MASSIVE commercial size grows around here, those growers are not the type of people I want to go to the pub and converse with

 

Cheers

[hermananian]

Growing plants in the bush is like a magnet to termites.

You are supplying them with everything they desire, fresh young food and moisture

Termites will usually travel within the top 30cm of the soil.

 

Spraying or killing them when you find them will have little to no effect on the colony unless you are using products designed for them to take it back to the nest and infect them all

You can create a chemical barrier around your site, much like a pest controller will create one around a house.

You need to use a chemical that will bond to the soil, use enough to soak down to at least 30cm and create a ring around your grow area.

This will not be effective if the termite colony live within the boundry

I have used this method with success. 

[itchybromusic]

we have a few 35lt d=geo pots, didnt think of them. will fill one up and see if they eat it..

and Sand.... Its funny you say that, we have stumbled across an old plot aboiut 2 kms away from here... there were pots in the ground with course river sand in the very bottoms of them... maybe this is a goer for pots... but in this soil, maybe we could get course river sand and live the bottoms of the holes with that

 

we have time to experiment and put 1 pot in and dig 1 hole everyday... im sure we will find the solution..

 

As said, there are MASSIVE commercial size grows around here, those growers are not the type of people I want to go to the pub and converse with

 

Cheers

sounds like a plan mate 

you need a IPM plan too & if oils are part of that 

they are mostly contact killers if you don't hit a bug they no die

to help that use saponins , oils need to be emulsified so buy some Soapnuts = cheap or

aloe vera has saponins = not so cheap unless you grow them 

http://soapnuts.net.au/faq.html

 Soap Nut

3 to 4 nuts

1 gallon water

Soak for 12 to 24 hrs

Look for lite brown slick

OPTIONAL:

bubble to activate but watch closely. Can get it active in 5 to 10 min. Depends on air pump.

Saponins 

have potency to be used as natural insecticides. They exert a strong insecticidal activity

against a broad range of insect types and stages. Already at sublethal concentrations ,

saponins lower the food intake of the insects, thereby reducing the damage done to the

crops. Another advantage is their immediate impact on insects. This is important not only

for protecting plants against insect pest damage, but even more so to prevent transmission

of insect mediated diseases. 

 

Hey man what's Saponin ! 

Edited August 7, 2016 by itchybromusic

[Qwobbler]

sounds like a plan mate 

you need a IPM plan too & if oils are part of that 

they are mostly contact killers if you don't hit a bug they no die

to help that use saponins , oils need to be emulsified so buy some Soapnuts = cheap or

aloe vera has saponins = not so cheap unless you grow them 

http://soapnuts.net.au/faq.html

 Soap Nut

3 to 4 nuts

1 gallon water

Soak for 12 to 24 hrs

Look for lite brown slick

OPTIONAL:

bubble to activate but watch closely. Can get it active in 5 to 10 min. Depends on air pump.

Saponins 

have potency to be used as natural insecticides. They exert a strong insecticidal activity

against a broad range of insect types and stages. Already at sublethal concentrations ,

saponins lower the food intake of the insects, thereby reducing the damage done to the

crops. Another advantage is their immediate impact on insects. This is important not only

for protecting plants against insect pest damage, but even more so to prevent transmission

of insect mediated diseases. 

 

Hey man what's Saponin ! 

Bag full of good info you are itchy we wash our clothes with soap nuts when we wash outta powder, and just so has we have about a 5kg bag in the laundry hahah, gonna give it a go.

 

Cheers bud

[itchybromusic]

Bag full of good info you are itchy we wash our clothes with soap nuts when we wash outta powder, and just so has we have about a 5kg bag in the laundry hahah, gonna give it a go.

 

Cheers bud

 

hey that's pretty cool , in stock & ready to go ,

water ya plants then wash ya clothes ,

 

what a funny combination of things you can do with the 1 item 

gardening & laundry 

[Dankd]

Builders plastic from bunnings. Dig a very shallow round hole and line with the plastic. Put a smart pot in it and and fill with soil. Dont dig your hole too big or you will drown your plants but will be a handy little resorvoir. Make sure there are no holes/ entry points for termites in plastic. Make your own smart pots. https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=262977

[flamstaa]

Termites have been the bane of my life with bush growing.

 

I grow in what was a logging coupe many years ago so there's a massive amount of decaying wood in the ground and hence a bunch of termites

 

Last season I'd say I lost around 50% maybe more to the critters, not just with plants killed outright but they also nibble on roots slowing the growth and vigor of many plants. I discovered this by having 3 identical plants in one hole and seeing how varied their health was. After harvest i could see the unhealthier plants showed signs of termite damage

 

Given how many there are in the natural environment I grow in, I feel the traps and baits are my only hope. The season past I tried both Neem oil and Neem cake neither of which worked at all. The only thing that helped was digging up and exposing the base of the plant (see photo). It didn't prevent them completely but it stop them killing the plants which happens when they ringbark it just below the surface. You need to be dilligent and keep the hole open for ithis to work. I had one where I didn't and after the soil filled back in it was killed

 

Currently I have a bunch of termite traps around my plots but to date the buggers haven't started going for them. Since they love canna so much I'm going to try using canna stalks in some of them. If they start engaging the stations then eating the pine/canna/carboard I will start adding the bait which, as trainwreck says, kills the colony completely. I'm considering barrier treatments as well but am very reluctant to use a heavy duty product like Termidor in the bush which appears to be very effective and is what the pros use to create a barrier around your house. It would cost a freakin fortune too.

 

Someone posted on a USA site that Potassium Pemanganate works for them. When you get as desperate as me you want to believe anything

[cardrona]

Garlic water if you have issues in your grows with ants

 

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[itchybromusic]

hey mate 

long time no see 

tough gig surrounded by wood 

 

repelling plants , chilies , marigolds https://www.dentecpest.com.au/3-termite-repellent-plants-and-where-to-put-them/

 

i hope you get there mate , i'm sure you do to 

best of luck