Greenthumber
Active member
Looking for ideas on a good cover crop that attracts predator bugs that has beneficial organic nutrients for the microbes and plant
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Cover crop/predator bugs/pest mgmnt
- Thread starter Greenthumber
- Start date
M
Mr D
Shasta daisy attracts beneficial species that feed on spider mites, such as pirate bugs and predatory mites.
Cilantro and Dill as companion plants repel mites and aphids.
Micro Clover is a great nitrogen fixing cover crop.
Cilantro and Dill as companion plants repel mites and aphids.
Micro Clover is a great nitrogen fixing cover crop.
Greenthumber
Active member
Was just looking at some shasta Daisy’s today at the local store not knowing or I would have grabbed some. Will be my first time growing outdoors this year and trying to utilize all the advantages I can. Thank you
Iben_Pharmin
Member
Chamomile is said to attract beneficials as well as increasing oil production in neaby plants. Upon decomposition it's supposed to add Calcium, Potassium, & Sulfur to the soil.
Marjoram is another beneficial attractor. Another benefit said to come from Marjoram as a companion is increased yield.
Marigolds attract beneficials. It's also said they stimulate growth in companions as well as actong as a pest deterrent by releasing chemical compounds into the soil. Effective again objectionable nematodes. Not exactly sure on which species.
I have only 2 seasons utilizing companions and 1 season using Beneficial Insects. Two things I have made a staple are The Good Bug Power Blend & Good Bug Power Meal from Arbico. The blend is a mix of beneficial plants that will do exactly what you referred to. The meal is an alternate food source for the beneficials once they arrive to help sustain a population as well as promote various sources of nutrition for them.
Marjoram is another beneficial attractor. Another benefit said to come from Marjoram as a companion is increased yield.
Marigolds attract beneficials. It's also said they stimulate growth in companions as well as actong as a pest deterrent by releasing chemical compounds into the soil. Effective again objectionable nematodes. Not exactly sure on which species.
I have only 2 seasons utilizing companions and 1 season using Beneficial Insects. Two things I have made a staple are The Good Bug Power Blend & Good Bug Power Meal from Arbico. The blend is a mix of beneficial plants that will do exactly what you referred to. The meal is an alternate food source for the beneficials once they arrive to help sustain a population as well as promote various sources of nutrition for them.
i look into predators before do they work well. i would rather smoke a little bug juice or eat one before i smoke poison
M
mrghost
woodruff seems to attract predatory mites. You can use this as cover crop or aside your plants (woodruff can get evasive in the right conditions) or you can hang tiny flasks with an extract on the branches of your plant.
I am going to play around with it and maybe do a report on some of the crops I use as cover and/or mulch-layer.
I am going to play around with it and maybe do a report on some of the crops I use as cover and/or mulch-layer.
thailer
Active member
white dutch clover stays low to the ground. some cover crops get tall and you'll have to chop and drop more often. the flowers have nectar and pollen to attract. crimson clover is good too and gets about a foot tall. get a pellet seed version for better germination and you can broadcast them easier over large areas because they have some weight to it.
M
mrghost
I also use different kinds of flowers like Tagetes (Marigold) which attract beneficial insects and mites and repel the bad ones.
Iben_Pharmin
Member
IMO, predator mites & other beneficial insexts are the way to go for IPM. Dont get me wrong, I still use micronized sulfur & Dr.Zymes Eliminator as preventitive sprays/dunks. But predeator mites/beneficial insects got rid of my Russet/Braod mite problem, indoors & out. Also helped out with Caterpillars this year.
Iben_Pharmin
Member
Good little multi tasker there.
troutman
Seed Whore
I planted red clover with winter rye before and some are growing at one of my guerilla patches while
making seeds now. Hopefully, in time my guerilla soil will improve to a total clover patch. I purchased
more clover seeds a few weeks ago and received them last week. Clovers are good for soil building
and increasing nitrogen. I'll be planting these clover seeds mixed together after I harvest my plants
this Fall along with some winter rye seeds I have kept since last year. Rye plants make good mulch.
making seeds now. Hopefully, in time my guerilla soil will improve to a total clover patch. I purchased
more clover seeds a few weeks ago and received them last week. Clovers are good for soil building
and increasing nitrogen. I'll be planting these clover seeds mixed together after I harvest my plants
this Fall along with some winter rye seeds I have kept since last year. Rye plants make good mulch.
Rico Swazi
Active member
Nice one on the clover and rye troutman
Been doing the same intercropping here in the huglebeds with barley peas and green beans along with alfalfa and clover.
I snack on a few but leave the rest to mature and ultimately reseed the bed.
Lots of literature to support the growing of cereal grains along with legumes for symbiotic N fixation.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378429014001592
https://www.researchgate.net/public...utrients_in_European_organic_cropping_systems
https://academic.oup.com/jpe/article/8/4/380/942309
from the link below-
https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/24/items/1.0166980
Been doing the same intercropping here in the huglebeds with barley peas and green beans along with alfalfa and clover.
I snack on a few but leave the rest to mature and ultimately reseed the bed.
Lots of literature to support the growing of cereal grains along with legumes for symbiotic N fixation.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378429014001592
https://www.researchgate.net/public...utrients_in_European_organic_cropping_systems
https://academic.oup.com/jpe/article/8/4/380/942309
from the link below-
https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/24/items/1.0166980
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paradoxlost
Member
If you want to have a population of predators to stick around, the main thing they need is a food source. Some predators are purely carnivorous and only feed on other insect species, and most are less specialized and are omnivores -- aka they will feed on pollen. And than a lot of different aromatic compounds and hormones are released by certain plants which attract predators to an extent. This is more of a strategy outdoors. Indoors it is assuming that you have applied them yourself. In which case you need to get them to stick around after they have finished eating whatever pest species comes around. So it is important that you have flowering plants in your ecosystem. Also they need to be of various age classes. This makes sure that not 100% of your cover crops are flowering/not flowering at the same time. You want to keep flowers going the whole time you are growing something you want to keep. And than outdoors overwintering areas are something you need to think about. This is why it is a very good idea to locate your grow near a forested area. A lot of predator mites over winter in rotten logs.
In my experience though I have had great success with buckwheat indoors. Using buckwheat (in conjunction with a variety of other flowering herbs -- alfalfa, comfrey, red clover, etc -- but the buckwheat in particular seemed to be preferred by insects. Not only omnivorous predators, but the pest species too, which gave us a buffer and allowed us to recognize symptoms of predation prior to the pests attack the cannabis) I was able to maintain 5 generations of lady bugs after applying 200 lady bugs to a 10x10 and a 4x4 tent. Neosilius facilias also stuck around for a good while with those. Would have been logner if we had better heating in the basement we were in. They definitely didn't survive too well after a few cold spells we had.
Marigolds do really well for parasitic wasps. I had an associate who did her PHD on one of the species, I forget, but its fairly ubiquitous throughout the US and would recommend marigolds. Also every study I have ever seen says that parasitic wasps of all kinds are super attracted to marigolds.
I think diversity is also key, depending on what space you have.
In my experience though I have had great success with buckwheat indoors. Using buckwheat (in conjunction with a variety of other flowering herbs -- alfalfa, comfrey, red clover, etc -- but the buckwheat in particular seemed to be preferred by insects. Not only omnivorous predators, but the pest species too, which gave us a buffer and allowed us to recognize symptoms of predation prior to the pests attack the cannabis) I was able to maintain 5 generations of lady bugs after applying 200 lady bugs to a 10x10 and a 4x4 tent. Neosilius facilias also stuck around for a good while with those. Would have been logner if we had better heating in the basement we were in. They definitely didn't survive too well after a few cold spells we had.
Marigolds do really well for parasitic wasps. I had an associate who did her PHD on one of the species, I forget, but its fairly ubiquitous throughout the US and would recommend marigolds. Also every study I have ever seen says that parasitic wasps of all kinds are super attracted to marigolds.
I think diversity is also key, depending on what space you have.
Attachments
Anyone that has LEafhoppers in their area would do well to plant as many of these as possible.
Phytoplasma Disease/ is spreading throughout North America, Hawaii, places in Asia, and is on the march. Weve had a thread on it for over a year on remrafcht and also yticssarg
There is No Cure either, and anything that survives has the Bacteria passed in the genes.
Geraniums can repel leafhoppers and other types of insects. One type of geranium, Pelargonium citrosum, is known as the Mosquito Repellent Plant. When in bloom, they have pretty flowers with a lemon-like fragrance that can help keep bugs at bay. These plants grow fast and like sunny, dry climates.
Phytoplasma Disease/ is spreading throughout North America, Hawaii, places in Asia, and is on the march. Weve had a thread on it for over a year on remrafcht and also yticssarg
There is No Cure either, and anything that survives has the Bacteria passed in the genes.
Geraniums can repel leafhoppers and other types of insects. One type of geranium, Pelargonium citrosum, is known as the Mosquito Repellent Plant. When in bloom, they have pretty flowers with a lemon-like fragrance that can help keep bugs at bay. These plants grow fast and like sunny, dry climates.
