Black ants and fennel.

[Annadl]

Hi everyone.  Today I went to check my fennel that has been growing madly.  The leafy growth is about a foot high.  It has quite a few baby bulbs at the base.  I wanted to see if I could pull one out but didn't do it.

Can anyone advise me how to do this. 

Also, the base of the plant was swarming with lots of black ants.  I potted it a couple of weeks ago because it doubled in size and wanted to contain it.  (I don't know if that was the right thing to do).
But now I don't know if the black ants will be a problem. ???

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Anna

[Annadl]

[Charlotte Sometimes]

They are probably aphid farming.  The little blighters have set up on my french beans.  Advice?  Kill the aphids.  I am going to be spraying my beans with horticultural soap on a regular basis now to see if I can sort things out. 

I had a lot of trouble with ants in my leanto/greenhouse this year, so much so I wrote an article about it on my web site.

p.s. I don't use the h. soap when there are ladybird larvae around, because it can harm them too.  But this time of year there are only the adults around as far as I can see.  :)

Fingers crossed for your fennel (and for my beans!).

Charlie

[Annadl]

Thanks Charlie, but I can't see any aphids.

Any ideas on how to pull a fennel bulb out if they're grouped together.  I don't if I should wait longer for them to get bigger.

Anna :-\

[ellkebe]

I've just pulled them out - baby bulbs 'n all - and tidied them up later.  Have used some of the bigger 'satellite' bulbs as baby veg and roasted them along with whatever.  All of it delicious  :)

[Annadl]

When I last checked my fennel bulbs I ended up pulling the whole plant out!!!  So I just put it back gently. (I can't stop laughing)!!  Today all the green growth was sagging all over the ground.  (I'm absolutely hysterical writing this!! :'( :'(

So I replanted it properly and noticed a baby cabbage white butterfly, a small black spider and the ants.  I didn't dare look any more  8)

I had to share this with you and hope you have a laught too.  I planted it for companion planting but it's the one plant I am having trouble with.  I don't know whether to ditch it or put it somewhere else in quarantine in my back yard.  But I do like fennel, I was planning to eat it...

Anna,  I still can't stop laughing!!