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Sun, May 20, 12 at 19:04
| I have ants burrowing in the folds of the petals of my Asiatic Lilies near the base of them. I read that if ants are on lilies there are aphids or thrips but I took a magnifying glass and thoroughly inspected the plant and there are no other insects. They are potted on my 2nd story balcony. The petals are falling off pretty quickly after they open - I am timing one that opened on Friday now to see how long they are staying in bloom but it's not long and I'm pretty sure the ants are the culprit. I do not have a 'green thumb' and I am trying so hard to keep them happy and healthy but I am failing miserably. Any advice would be appreciated.
I put a link to a picture of them on my newly opened lily. |
Here is a link that might be useful: ants on my lily
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by duluthinbloomz4 zone 4a (My Page) on Tue, May 22, 12 at 17:33
| The ants are not eating or affecting your lily petals. Some types of lily species and cultivars - but not all - secret nectar to attract insects. Each lily bloom does not hold its petals indefinitely - fresh looking for a few days, likely dropping petals within a week. |
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- Posted by buyorsell888 Zone 8 Portland OR (My Page) on Tue, Jun 5, 12 at 16:05
| Lilies only bloom once a year and don't last very long when open. There is no way ants are causing your petals to drop prematurely. If they are dropping sooner than normal it is usually a watering issue. Lilies are very pretty but they are not a plant that will give long lasting color in a pot. |
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| What might have happened here is that your lilies were visited by moths , who pollinated them. Pollinated flowers lose petals very quickly. |
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- Posted by interspecific 5 (My Page) on Thu, Jun 7, 12 at 9:10
| In looking at your picture closely, I see the damage you're talking about. Its not ants. Most likely its another tiny little insect which looking for a place to lay its eggs, most likely in the developing seed pod where it knows its larvae will be well nourished. You might try an insect spray made by S.C. Johnson (Johnson Wax) thats safe for indoor house plants. It won't hurt your lily. When your lily is done flowwering, cut the flower head off; leave the stem and leaves to rebuild the bulb for next Spring. Fertilize lightly once and water lightly until it dies back in the fall, then cut off about two inches above surface. |
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