Trap Plants, Decoys for the garden
Eggplant is a trap plant for the Colorado Potato Beetle
What is a trap plant? Trap plants are literally decoys for other plants in the garden that you want to save from insects or other pests. These would be planted away from the plants you want to protect. The idea is, the decoy collects the insects and is then either treated or destroyed to eliminate the pests. These are planted ahead of the actual crop plant.
There are a couple of different ways to use trap plants.
One is to use the same species as a sacrificial lamb so to speak. Plant them ahead of your main crop and they will basically collect the insects and serve as food for the pest. Be sure to destroy the decoy plants before the bugs move to your actual crop. This is very important, the insects will not just stay on the decoy plant for the duration.
Different species- Use a different species of plant that the same insect can’t resist. Something more attractive to the bugs than the crop you want to keep. These plants must be planted in time to bloom and intercept the bugs migration pattern.This sounds very technical, but really its not. If you have ever noticed that specific bugs hit the garden all at once? Then if your able to fight the battle and win, they don’t seem to pose much of a problem after that.
Tomato or Hornworm
For example, last year we grow about 42 tomato plants in an all new garden location. We had no idea how the bugs and other pests were going to be for the season. All of the sudden the horn worms were eating the tomato vines like crazy. You don’t look for a couple of days and BAM! all of the sudden total devastation. The first day we picked off just over 100 of those nasty green worms, the second day was the same. Third day was more like 40ish. Then from there after there were only a few here and there. The goal was to catch them before they had a chance to enter their next stage of the lifecycle, which is a cacoon that will hatch next year into the hummingbird moth. By later in the season there were none to be found. Nothing was sprayed to keep them away, we just got past that part of the season and their cycle from egg to worm.
The following is a list of some of the trap plants I’ve been able to find in my research. It’s not a complete list I’m sure but a start to get you going with this idea if it’s new to you.
Decoy Plant Attracts
Amaranth Cucumber Beetle
Collards Cabbage worms
Dill Tomato/ Hornworm
Eggplant Colorado Potatoes Beetle
Marigolds Root nematodes
Millet Squash Bugs
Mustard Harlequin Bugs
Nasturtiums Aphids
Okra Tomato Aphid
Radish Flea beetle, Harlequin bugs, cabbage maggot
Sorghum Corn Earworms
Sunflower. Stinkbugs
Zinnias Japanese Beetle
So will this solve all of your pest issues?
Probably not, but if you want to be conscientious of using chemicals in your garden and/ or using a more natural approach, this may prove to be very benificial in controlling pests in your garden. This works with the life cycles of the pests and plants to help trap and eliminate harmful bugs that waste your garden and your hard work.
Other considerations…
Campanion planting serves as a natural bug deterrent to keep those pesky bugs away from your plants. Personally I like to do some of both styles in my garden. Where it’s possible to companion plant, I do. Yet if it’s a bug I tend to have a big problem with, you bet i’m willing to sacrifice a few plants to save a big crop. I’ll sacrifice the eggplant any day for my potatoes!
You can find a companion planting guide in our Resource Library that has great ideas and graphics plus other helpful garden guides. The guide is ready to print and take to the garden with you so it’s handy. I actually laminated mine to have in my garden supplies but that might be a bit extra haha!
Happy Gardening Friends!