Why Plant Garlic by Lemon Trees?

Garlic helps lemon trees stay healthy.

Companion planting lemon trees with garlic is a wise way to make use of natural antagonists and companions within the plant and insect kingdoms. Pesticides are effective but sometimes the nasty side effects are the death of bees or the contamination of the soil around citrus trees, both highly undesirable in a healthy growing environment.

Reduce Pesticide Pollution

By using organic methods like companion planting garlic with lemon trees you can reduce the amount of pesticide pollution in the soil and water supply. According to the University of California Davis Integrated Pest Management, "garden chemicals are not only a threat to aquatic life, but they can also affect the quality of our drinking water."

Repulsive to Bugs

Pests that tend to feed on the citrus tree leaves, specifically Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (Las) and Candidatus Liberibacter americanus, will be repulsed by the sulfur compounds in the garlic cloves as well as in the leaves. Plant a ring around the perimeter of the tree so that the garlic plants form a barrier against the bugs.

Plentiful

Garlic not only works well at repelling pests, but it is also an inexpensive plant that grows easily without the need for cultivation. Grind up some of the cloves and use them as a pesticide in other areas of your garden or take some in the kitchen to flavor your cooking.

Protect the Bees

Plant garlic and save bees from being killed by pesticides since scientists are finding that the pesticides stay active in the flowers and tissues of trees and the young bees are affected, if not killed by them. In an article "Pesticide Characteristics and Use," Raymond Cloyd of the University of Illinois writes that honeybees are the most vulnerable to pesticides on plants. Invite healthy bugs to balance the ecosystem within the area around your citrus trees with blooming garlic plants.

References

• Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Schenectady County; Companion Planting with Herbs; Virginia McCarthy
• PubMed.gov: Bulletin of Entomological Research; Sulfur volatiles from Allium spp. affect Asian citrus psyllid...; Mann RS et al.; July 2010
• University of Minnesota; IPM; Pesticide Characteristics and Use; Raymond Cloyd
• University of Minnesota: Pesticides in the Environment
• University of California Inegrated Pest Management Program: Pesticides and Water Quality How Are Pesticides Affecting Water Quality?