I didn't do it for THEM!
Decade or so ago, spouse & I started a compost bin. Cool idea, and I wanted in. I never had good luck with it, though. The first time I tried to harvest compost, I found eggshells and orange rinds. I sometimes think I could put dirt in and get eggshells out.
Well, today someone at work threw out an almost dead plant, and since I found it, I had to rescue it and see if it can be nursed back to health. I usually re-pot my plants in December, but I haven't done that for the last year or two, so I figured I'd look at what I had in the bottom of the compost bin. Opened it up.
First thing I noticed was that it was an absolute thatch of roots. No idea what is growing in there. Wonder if I need to empty it and start again. Next thing I noticed was that there were a few places where the roots were less thick. Kind of like trails across the surface. Probably made by the zillion or so ants I then saw scurrying around. I dug through the roots to see what I could find there. After all, there should be SOME compost by now. Along with a cherry pit and what I think might be a walnut stone, I found sand. Lots and lots of sand. Probably lovingly carried there by the ants. I dug in with my trowel to see if there might be some good dirt in there somewhere. Well, maybe. But the molecules of dirt I managed to extract were outnumbered by the ants that came with it. I left my bin filled with ants, sand and a bit of dirt outside, hoping that overnight the ants decide to go home, and leave me and my dirt alone.
Well, today someone at work threw out an almost dead plant, and since I found it, I had to rescue it and see if it can be nursed back to health. I usually re-pot my plants in December, but I haven't done that for the last year or two, so I figured I'd look at what I had in the bottom of the compost bin. Opened it up.
First thing I noticed was that it was an absolute thatch of roots. No idea what is growing in there. Wonder if I need to empty it and start again. Next thing I noticed was that there were a few places where the roots were less thick. Kind of like trails across the surface. Probably made by the zillion or so ants I then saw scurrying around. I dug through the roots to see what I could find there. After all, there should be SOME compost by now. Along with a cherry pit and what I think might be a walnut stone, I found sand. Lots and lots of sand. Probably lovingly carried there by the ants. I dug in with my trowel to see if there might be some good dirt in there somewhere. Well, maybe. But the molecules of dirt I managed to extract were outnumbered by the ants that came with it. I left my bin filled with ants, sand and a bit of dirt outside, hoping that overnight the ants decide to go home, and leave me and my dirt alone.