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.Â
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
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 (http://www.charliefoulkes.com/aubergine-cafe.htm) 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
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 :-\
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 :)
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!!