How to Use Companion Planting to Deter Pests

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Companion planting is the practice of growing certain plants together so they will benefit each other by their proximity. One of the main benefits of doing so is as a means of pest control to avoid using chemicals.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Step1

Decide what you are going to grow in your garden. Companion planting is an important part of integrated pest control. It has been used since the earliest days of farming to protect plants and to help species grow together. Many plants have certain chemicals in their roots, leaves or flowers that are designed to naturally repel damaging insects. Using companion planting allows you to deter these pests while at the same time maintaining the advantages of beneficial insects.

Step2

Do a little research and find out what insects your crops may be vulnerable to. This will help you to choose the best companion plants to suit your specific needs.

Step3

Learn about some common companion plants:Caraway--attracts parasitic waspsCatnip--deters Japanese beetles, flea beetles and aphidsChives--deters carrot rust flyClover--protects apple trees from woolly aphidDahlias--repels nematode wormsGarlic--keeps aphids away from rosesGeranium--deters cabbage wormsLavender--deters fleas and mothsMarigolds--deters most insectsMorning Glory--attracts hoverflies

Step4

Choose companion plants which have a dual task of deterring predatory bugs and attracting beneficial ones such as anise which repels aphids and also attracts wasps which pray on aphids and their lava, or basil which repels mosquitoes, flies and thrips and also benefits the growth of tomatoes.

Step5

Consider that companion planting is an ecologically friendly means of keeping pests at bay and also attracting beneficial insects. For example you can control aphids with an aphid predator like aphidius, and you can encourage aphidius to make its home in your garden by planting sunflowers or lupin. Companion gardening, or intercropping, can work in a number of different designs such as mixed intercropping, where numerous plants and vegetables are planted together and row intercropping, where crops are planted in alternate rows.