pest repellent plants

One of the great challengers for any gardener is protecting plants from the constant onslaught of pests and insects. While it’s tempting to reach for the nearest chemical spray, a growing number of gardeners are turning to companion plants and low toxic solutions to do the job instead.

COMPANION PLANTING

Using specific plants as an environmentally friendly pest control system is as old as gardening itself. Known as companion planting, a number of fragrant plants and herbs not only keep your garden looking healthy but also promote much-needed biodiversity.

Pest-repellent species work in two ways: Firstly there are those that mask or repel insects with their strong scent, effectively acting as a force field that deflects pests and insects away from your prized plants. These include basil, sage, thyme, oregano and lavender.

Then there are plants that attract useful insects that prey on the destructive ones. Think aniseed-flavoured and scented fennel (also great to use as a wash on pets prone to fleas), elder and dill.

Keeping your garden free from pests naturally is a whole lot easier thanks to a special seed range produced by Yates. The four popular varieties –sage, phacelia, nasturtium and French marigold –are ideal for keeping garden pests at bay without resorting to sprays and chemicals.

Sage

is a perennial plant that is best known for its aromatic, flavoursome leaves. It can also be grown as a border around vegetables to attract bees and repel many insect pests, such as cabbage moths and carrot fly. Sage makes a good companion plant for onions, carrots, beans, beets, peas and strawberries. Sow sage seeds in spring and early summer so that the plants are well established before winter.

Phacelia

has pretty, lilac-blue flowers that produce copious amounts of pollen, which is an important source of food for hoverflies. Hoverfly larvae are some of the most effective natural predators of aphids, scale insects, mealy bugs and psyllids. Plant phacelia in your garden and you’ll have many willing natural allies to aid you in your war against garden pests.

Nasturtium

is known for its warm, cheerful colourful flowers, which are often used as a culinary garnish. Sow nasturtiums around the base of fruit trees to deter codling moth, borers and woolly aphids. Alternatively, plant them near vegetables to strengthen their natural pest resistance, and make an insect control spray by infusing nasturtium leaves in boiling water.

French Marigold

These tough and hardy annuals grow readily from seed and can be planted right through the garden to repel nematodes, white cabbage butterfly, whitefly and many other pests. French marigolds are also well known for their ability to persuade soil nematodes to move away. Remove dead flowers regularly to encourage more blooms and, at the end of the season, dig the discarded plants into the soil.

LOW TOXIC SPRAYS

As more of us become aware of reducing noxious substances around the home, it’s reassuring to know that there is a growing range of low toxic, pest control products available for the garden. Yates Success, Natrasoap, Confidor, Dipel, Baythroid and PestOil are just a few of the highly effective solutions available in your local garden centre or DIY shop.

In warmer climates, watch for the first invasion of lawn armyworm around December.
These are caterpillars that eat through grass at a rapid rate so control them with low toxic Baythroid. In cooler climates, keep an eye out for pear and cherry slug skeletonising leaves of ornamental and fruiting pears, cherries, crab-apples and plums.

Hawthorn trees, which are commonly used as hedge plants, can also come under attack at this time of the year. Spray with Yates Success Naturalyte Insect Control, a non-residual formula that’s broken down by sunlight and soil microbes into carbon dioxide and water.

Summer humidity encourages a lot of fungal diseases so try keeping them at bay by watering susceptible plants in the early morning so that leaves dry quickly. Also be on the lookout for earwigs (trap in crumpled newspaper of spray with Baythroid) caterpillars (use Success or Dipel), and sap suckers like aphids, azalea lace bug, thrips and mealy bug. These can all be taken care of by using the low toxic, water-based, Bayer Confidor Insecticide.