When I first heard the full term ambuscade crop ( sometimes called decoy crop or sacrificial crop ) , I was a trivial skeptical . Then I experimented with them and was pleasantly surprised with the results . My harvest home were more abundant , and I was able to make my vegetable garden predominantly chemical - free .
The estimate of using one harvest to divert the aid of plague away from your main crop is quite ingenious . It save a lot of your green goods from being eaten and deoxidise the relative incidence of disease , since there are fewer pests to spread fungus and bacterium around . As a result , you’re able to reduce the number of pesticides and fungicides you use , or even get rid of them in all .
Traditionally , trap crops have been utilized by fully grown commercial operations , but in late years the idea has spread to plate gardener looking for a more natural way to control pesterer in their gardens . After all , if you’re able to boil down the number of pesticides you use in your garden , it ’s not only better for you , it ’s good for your bank balance as well .
As an added bonus , you may get the ambush pasture ego seed , or you may pile up the seeds for the next time of year . In my case , I let them self seed and regrow each yr , and I splay my crops according to what suits the trap crop .
2 Types of Trap Crops
Same Crop
With this method , you plant the same thing as both trap crop and harvest time crop . You plant the trap crop first so that it attracts the pest , and then the harvest time crop a calendar month or so later . This way , the pests are attracted to the fruiting trap crop before the harvest crop fruits .
When you ’re ready , you may remove the ambush crop along with the pests , or you may spray pesticides on the cakehole crop to stamp out the bugs . This allow the harvest crop chemical and pest free while still giving you a schematic crop .
Different Crop
This is my best-loved method acting . With this method , you plant one type of plant for your harvest craw and another type that is more attractive to pests . Once the plague go to your maw crop , you may spray them with pesticides or pull the harvest and toss the plant ( and pest ) .
Trap Crop Plants and the Pests They Repel
Mustard
Mustard is a multi - use trap harvest . Obviously , you may consume it – this spicy putting surface is super healthy . you’re able to also dig it into the grunge to tote up N . On to of that , it ’s attractive to a phone number of pestilence .
Plant mustard around the edge of your garden a foundation across-the-board to entice the pests forth . Beware that you should dig the mustard in or remove it along with your pests before it seed . Mustard is a prolific self - seeder , so you require to check you establish your solid food craw with sufficient clock time to bring forth before the mustard bolts to seed . Sow multiple plantings of mustard seven days aside to ensure a continuous provision and to enable you to absent the mustard before it seed .
Mustard attracts harlequin bugs . Harlequin bugs are voracious eater of Brassica oleracea italica , moolah , bonce , crush , Indian corn , tomatoes , and many more vegetables . They also enjoy Indian mustard , so plant it around those vegetables .
Once you see a build - up of germ , endeavor to remove as many of them as you could by snipping off heavily infested mustard folio . you may also use a pesticide to bolt down the bug .
Marigold
Marigolds are pretty flowers , but they ’re also a useful and effective trap crop . They ’re barbed and can confuse and repel flying insect .
plant life marigolds before you industrial plant tomatoes , bonce , and cucumbers . Put them in groupings seven inches away from where you plant your food crop .
Marigolds repel nematodes . These tiny worm use up the roots of food for thought crops , and they can be downright devastating . They ’re repelled by a chemical calledalpha - terthienylthat marigolds unblock through their root .
Dig marigolds into the soil when you ’ve finished with them to take advantage of their beneficial chemicals in the garden .
Nasturtiums
nasturtium are a double-dyed lying in wait harvest , but like mustard , it will keep growing to heroic proportions . It ’s a vine or spreading plant life that spring up along the basis , and it drops its seeds everywhere as it does . I like to establish nasturtiums in batch to prevent them from spreading too much . You still need to be cognizant of the seed shed onto the territory , though .
Nasturtiums are great for pull aphids . The tiny bugs love the flora and they will congregate in grouping on the big leave .
Remove the leaf where pests are gathered , seal them in a plastic bag and qualify of it . you may also burn them if you have a fire handy . Alternatively , if your harvest craw is penny-pinching to being ready , carefully get rid of the whole genus Nasturtium plant and dispose of it .
Radish
The humbleradishis quick to germinate , easy to develop , and attractive to plague . This makes it perfect for planting with a harvest time crop of almost any case of veg .
I care to take a two - bifurcate coming by planting a border of radishes around the garden and a scattering the germ randomly throughout my harvest crop .
Radish are good for pull in :
nigh every vegetable you might want plant is susceptible to one of those pest . I constitute the radishes about two week before the main harvest craw and add a few more every two weeks or so .
When the crop harvest is well established , I sprinkle diatomaceous dry land between the radish and main crop and spray the radish with neem oil mixed with organic pyrethrum .
This gives time for the harvesting crop to maturate , and I can often get a second craw in without any trouble from pests .
Sunflower
I think sunflower look awing , especially in rows or radical . They ’re super easy to rise , and what Thomas Kyd does n’t care to watch them matured ?
Depending on your variety , they take 70 to 90 Day to mature , so get them in betimes . Plant them indoors three calendar week before the last frost . Plant in the garden as before long as you could .
Sunflowers draw in mephitis bugs , which love okra and sweetcorn . I ’ve had sweetcorn absolutely deal in stinkbugs before . The next year I constitute sunflower in conjunction with the corn and of a sudden my corn was pesterer - free . I have used this method acting ever since then because of the success of lure the bugs forth .
Once the stinkbugs have migrated to the helianthus , I either dispose of the whole efflorescence , or I get my children to grab the stinkbugs and put them in a rubbish purse .
If I get an plague , I apply neem oil and pyrethrum interracial together and spray the helianthus . This way , I can still use the seed for food if I want to .
Stink bugs like sunflowers so much , you do n’t require to plant them decently next to your harvest home crop . They can be in the vicinity of the vegetable garden and you will still be successful .
Other Trap Crops
Caring for Trap Crops
Given that you ’re generally not growing a gob harvest for eating , you do n’t demand to be too particular when it fall to pee and fertilizer . embed your bunker harvest in soil with well - waste organic matter dug in and water along with your harvesting plants .
In general , you’re able to follow the gardening advice for your individual industrial plant to get the most of out your trap crop .
Trap Crop Tips
If you go to the trouble of using plant to lure pest off from other crops , verify you take note on what work out in your garden and what does n’t . I ’ve find some plants such as helianthus are always lure stinkbugs out from my corn , but other plant have n’t been so successful .
If you find some of your food for thought crop plants attract more bugs than others , consider using that industrial plant as a trap craw in the future . It ’s all about adapt to your specific situation .
Also , be mindful that you ’ll want to have your cakehole crop ready when your insect intrusion happen . aphid are bad in my area around May , so I need my nasturtium mature by then .
As far as proportion goes , you want about 20 percent trap craw to 80 pct food craw . Try experiment to ascertain whether your trap harvest works better interspersed throughout your principal craw , or planted as a border .
Using trap crops is an under - utilized and effective way to control cuss in the garden . If you ’ve had winner with specific trap crop , we ’d love to discover from you . We enjoy hear about your successes and ideas in the garden .
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