Plant marigolds near tomato plants to control whitefly
Vegetable plants attract pests that feed on the leaves, stalks, stems and fruit of those plants. Chemical sprays and powders are available to combat plant-eating pests, but other methods may be employed as well. One strategy is to include pest-repellent plants in the garden, a practice referred to as companion planting. This practice also includes using plants to attract beneficial insects to the garden. Does this Spark an idea?
Plants to Repel Pests
Plant marigolds and chrysanthemums throughout the garden to repel pests, including soil-borne pests that damage plant roots. These annuals produce a substance the scent of which is offensive to mosquitoes, beetles and nematodes-small insects that feed on plant roots. Use lavender in the garden to repel leaf-nibbling moths and larkspur to repel Japanese beetles. Coriander, or cilantro, repels mosquitoes and aphids while chives control cutworms and hornworms. Other pest repellent plants include onions, chives, basil and oregano.
Plants to Attract Insects
Attracting beneficial insects, such as bees, wasps, lacewings and hoverflies, is also a form of pest control. Ladybugs, for example, eat aphids and with a few ladybugs in the garden, the aphid population is kept at a minimum, thereby minimizing if not eliminating the damage. Plant rosemary to attract ladybugs as well as bees. Lemon balm also attracts bees and hoverflies; hoverflies eat numerous garden pests, thereby keeping the pest population under control. Creeping thyme, yarrow, lavender and chamomile also attract most beneficial insects to the garden.
Plants as Traps
Pests are part of gardening, and attracting beneficial insects is an effective form of pest control. Plant traps are also part of the companion planting practice for insect control. Having plants that attract pests lures the pests away from the vegetable plants the gardener wants to protect. It may also provide a food source for beneficial insects. An example of this is controlling the pepper maggot by planting cherry peppers to attract the pest and keep it away from the larger sweet peppers because the maggot prefers cherry peppers. Another form of this strategy practiced by backyard gardeners is to "plant one for the garden and one for the bugs." Planting extra vegetable plants and placing them along the perimeter of the garden is thought to concentrate the pest population, keeping the focus off the "real" vegetable plants in the garden.
Diversified Design
Combining the three companion planting strategies for insect control--plants that repel, plants that attract and plants that trap--is an organic method of gardening. Implementing a diverse garden design, in which plants are intermingled with each other rather than grouped together, increases the success of companion planting strategies. For example, rather than plant all the tomato plants in one bed, intersperse them throughout the garden, inter-planting them with marigolds and basil. The diversified design allows for the gardener to more easily spot pests and control the population before the pest strikes the entire crop.
Tags: beneficial insects, companion planting, plants that, attract pests, away from, beneficial insects garden, cherry peppers