Question
thank you for your help. my first year with broccolic from seed. came up beautilful.Now, however, plants started falling over. close exam, shows ants,underground. they are not interested in the spinach,lettuce,carrots,radishs, or anything else,just loving the broccoli plants. I sprayed garden soap & applied worry free4 dust(sevin).Can You please advise? Thank you much.

Answer
Nancy,

Ants alone won't hurt plants but their presence may indicate there's something else wrong. When plants get sick or injured they will exude sap which is mostly sugar water, ants loves this liquid. My guess is the plants have a disease (fungi or bacteria) which is making them attractive to ants. Getting rid of the ants won't solve the problem you have to treat the disease. Your best option is to talk with your local county Extension Master Gardeners about garden plant diseases in your area.

Jack DeAngelis