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INTRODUCING AntZilla.


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Came across this little one last week.

 

How the seed got there, dunno.

I usually scatter ungerminated seeds in one area of the garden.

Here's the thing. Nothing usually grows in this area of the garden and the plant is smack bang in the middle of an ant nest.

My wife thinks an ant brought it home.

The soil is not ideal so I'm wondering how the ant nest is going to affect the plant.

Ants are loving the molasses I think.

 

In the last pic to the left of the leca you will see an ant at work.

 

The plant will either be from @Totemic or @Bay Seedsas that's all I've been growing the last while.

 

Let's see if this survives and hopefully I can recognize it.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Haha, this is quite cool - keen to see how it turns out.
 
Wondering if the ants will use the plant to farm some pests though, like aphids or scale?
Whatever strain it is it's one tough plant.

Gonna have to read up on what happens in an ant nest.
Are the ant tunnels aerating the roots or are the ants eating the roots?
Is the plant matter the ants are carrying into the nest all been eaten or is some of it composting?

Let's see.

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the knife can really cut both ways here, but I guess you could predict the outcome a little by trying to find out what type of ants those are. 

ants that take plant matter underground usually do this to create mycelial networks for them to feed on, they're mushroom farmers, yet it's not unheard of ants munching on fine roots till the plant dies, the ants attraction to the root zones is the mycelium that is commonly found around plant roots. 

but then again we shouldn't forget that the cannabis growing there is also a plant by defenition and is the exact thing the ants are after to help them grow more mycelium.

some ant colonies like to build their farms under a plant so the plant and its roots provide structure and protection for their homes, they know this and try to not hinder the growth of the plant aswell as the extra aeration and mycelium at the root zone that helps the plant to grow. other ants go farming at the base of the plant and end up putting the plant through so much stress they become weak and start attracting pests, the ants know this and use this tactic so they get a plant to host their food, such as psy mentioned. 

either way, pretty cool to see this go down 🤠

Edited by Naughty.Psychonaut
lots of spelling
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43 minutes ago, DamDave said:

Whatever strain it is it's one tough plant.

Gonna have to read up on what happens in an ant nest.
Are the ant tunnels aerating the roots or are the ants eating the roots?
Is the plant matter the ants are carrying into the nest all been eaten or is some of it composting?

Let's see.

Sent from my S40 using Tapatalk
 

These are questions I do not have answers too, but would love to know as well.

 

Will be keeping an eye on this thread 😄 

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the knife can really cut both ways here, but I guess you could predict the outcome a little by trying to find out what type of ants those are. 
ants that take plant matter underground usually do this to create mycelial networks for them to feed on, they're mushroom farmers, yet it's not unheard of ants munching on fine roots till the plant dies, the ants attraction to the root zones are the mycelium that is commonly found around plant roots. 
but then again we shouldn't forget that the cannabis growing there is also a plant be defenition and is the exact thing the ants are after to help them grow more mycelium.
some ant colonies like to build their farms under a plants so the plant and its roots provide structure and protection for their homes, they know this and try to not hinder the growth of the plant aswell as the extra aeration and mycelium at the root zone that helps the plant to grow. other ants go farming at the base of the plant and end up putting the plant through so much stress they become weak and start attracting pests, the ants know this and use this tactic so they get a plant to host their food, such as crex mentioned. 
either way, pretty cool to see this go down
Like when you pick up a pot plant and find an ant nest.
Interesting

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39 minutes ago, DamDave said:

Like when you pick up a pot plant and find an ant nest.
Interesting emoji1690.png

Sent from my S40 using Tapatalk
 

yeah, I've had this with all kinds of plants and sometimes it makes me stress, but I have seen plants thriving like this aswell. 

the explination I gave is actually very simple, the physicality of it all is quite complex, my relationship with ants really is a love hate situation 😅 

they're very interesting, but can wreak havoc if they wana and we can never be too careful 

I watched a documentary looooong ago about ants basically doing above ground landscaping by root management under ground. blew my mind, how they knew if they munch this certain root they know that one certain branch of the plant will die and they would prevent their habitats from getting too dense, but still not kill all the plants in the area so they still have protection and all that. sort of like they making bonsai 😅

Edited by Naughty.Psychonaut
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Harvester ant, also known as harvesting ant, is a common name for any of the species or genera of ants that collect seeds (called seed predation), or mushrooms as in the case of Euprenolepis procera, which are stored in the nest in communal chambers called granaries.[1] They are also referred to as Agricultural ants. Seed harvesting by some desert ants is an adaptation to the lack of typical ant resources such as prey or honeydew from hemipterans. Harvester ants increase seed dispersal and protection, and provide nutrients that increase seedling survival of the desert plants. In addition, ants provide soil aeration through the creation of galleries and chambers, mix deep and upper layers of soil, and incorporate organic refuse into the soil.[2]

 

From what I can find so far on what I think is a Veromessor Pergandei  common name Harvester Ant.

 

 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

My son and myself spent most of the day under the tree in a massive bin filled with water watching this plant getting nailed in the wind.

Was wondering if I should put up some sort of protection but decided against doing that.

If the ants wanted shade they would have chosen a shady spot.

Some burnt tips but marching on.

 

Science project mother nature continues.

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29 minutes ago, Naughty.Psychonaut said:

when the plant is big enough, think about cloning it, if it turns out to be some danky dank you can regrow it and those sure are some strong genetics 💪

I was planning on a few cuttings but want to make sure the plant is nice and strong first.

 

Got an upgrade to my setup on the way and seen that I've chucked all my remaining seeds outdoors I've nadda to grow indoors.

 

So hopefully once newish setup is operational AntZilla is ready for a trim.

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Braai time again 🔥🇿🇦🍻

 

So this little one is about 7weeks old.

Sun and hot winds nailing this little tough one.

Stem the thickness of a decent King Size Slim joint and strong as a nail.

 

Still the ants doing their thing and water.

 

Took a cutting and cooked the poor things two days later when I forgot it outside while doing something.

 

I see two possible candidates volunteering to become clones. I'll decide after the braai.

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