Getting Rid Of Ants Naturally

Growing orchids as a hobby

Remember that orchids are actually wild plants from the jungles where light and weather conditions are very different from urban settings. Orchids are neither parasitic nor carnivorous. They need a continuous supply of fresh air, diffused light and some water. The temperature is best around 28 to 30 degrees Celsius.

We tend to believe that orchids dwell on trees but there are also many terrestrial orchids such as cymbidiums and cypripediums that grow naturally on the forest ground, while some actually thrive on bare rock crevices. I know some locals and foreigners who seek out new mother plants in our jungles. Trees in the jungle provide good growing conditions of fresh air, sunlight and even protection from being eaten by animals when the orchids grow above ground level.

It was not until hobbyists grew orchids artificially in temperate countries in the 19th century that skills and botanical knowledge grew of the correct conditions to keep plants successfully. Many would keep the secret formulas to themselves for business gains. It was not until Sir Joseph Paxton came up with a cool, clean and open to air and sunlight greenhouse for orchids that household growers could successfully cultivate orchids in temperate countries.

This technique was adopted by scientists and growers doing tissue culture, hybridisation and cross-breeding. From then there developed proper gardening techniques, which we can now use at home. In reality, most local orchids are not too difficult to grow. What’s a bit more difficult is to get them to flower.

Carl Linne – the father of botany who first established the binomial system of plant classification – recorded some 100 species of orchids in the 18th century. Now there are more than 16,000 distinct orchid species.

High altitude orchids found above 5,000 feet, like cattleyas and Odontoglossums, require the temperate climates of great mountain ranges. Oncidium nubigenum or orchid of cloud is found at snow level high up in the mountains. So the requirements of orchids depend on where they originate from.

Growing requirements

Water – When watering orchids, we need to remember the fact that under the aerial root system, water is best applied with a spray or mist sprinkler system. Do not over-water them because if air is restricted in the root-sphere, rotting can occur.

Light – Light requirements for orchids are variable from tropical heat to the cool jungle environment according to the species. This is the chief consideration for greenhouses and outdoor growing. As a simple rule, check with your supplier on the needs of shade and darkness or else place them under the car porch or a tree.

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And if you’re really unlucky, you might have the carpenter ant, an ant insistent on destroying the wood that holds up your house, so get professional help fast in that case!

However, it would be unbalanced to see ants as bad on the whole. Most of the things ants do are good for us and the environment, including eating the larvae of fleas, spiders, bed bugs, flies, silverfish and clothes moths. From that point of view, aiming to control them and prevent them from accessing your food is a better approach than seeking to completely eliminate them and natural approaches are best for this purpose. For the ants you need to control, there are some very easy, natural and effective natural methods to either ward off or remove ants from your home areas.

Seal off all entrance areas. As part of your big kitchen clean, do some of your own scouting work. Can you tell where the ants are entering the house? Follow the first ants to see where they’re entering and leaving from. Seal all the entrance holes that you can find using silicone caulk , putty, glue or plaster. Temporary methods can include petroleum jelly or poster tack. If you use a temporary sealant (such as poster tack), only do so until you can purchase a more permanent solution, as it will deteriorate over time and open up the gap again.

Put up defensive barriers. There are a number of barrier methods that you can put into place to really terrify the ants and keep them at bay. Many of the products that form these natural barriers are probably already in your kitchen; they just need to be deployed properly. A barrier doesn’t need to be wider than a quarter of an inch (6.35mm) but it must be an unbroken line.

Sprinkle around deterring odors. Ants dislike various scents such as peppermint and camphor. These can be used fresh or in oil form to disturb the ambiance of any area that ants have been making their way to. The great thing about these fragrant deterrents is that your own preferences for scent can be used to improve the household odors in general, all the while making your kitchen, pantry and other areas very ant-unfriendly. Here are some ideas:

Create your own ant baits. You can buy ant baits but they’re chemical preparations that don’t fit well with natural attempts to control ants in the home. It’s straightforward to make your own ant baits and a particularly successful one is made using boric acid. A natural derivative of the mineral boron, boric acid is used in borax and some saline solutions. Boric acid is a stomach poison – when ants walk in it and then clean their feet or antennae, they ingest it.

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