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Companion planting
shirley3201499842
Posts: 2
in Fruit & veg
What's a good companion plant for Sweet Pepper plants, to avoid white eggs being laid on them, please?
0
Posts
I don't have a definite answer but maybe I can give you and others some ideas.
The perfect companion plant would confer its protection against insects by being either a cloaker, a repellent, a sacrificial plant or a combination the three.
A cloaker plant is a plant which masks the presence of the crop plant, similar to what marigolds do for tomatoes.
A repellent plant injures or kills an insect if they approach or makes contact. For example, Dalmatian chrysanthemum (Tanacetum cinerariifolium) produces a natural insecticide called pyrethrum in the flower head.
A sacrificial plant draws pests away from the crop towards itself. A good example would be to grow nasturtiums near your crop plant if you have an aphid problem.
OP, my suggestion is to grow a strong smelling herb such as basil (a cloaker) and Dalmatian chrysanthemums (a repellent) in big pots. Place the basil plants next to your pepper plants throughout its life span. Then, place the chrysanthemums next to the pepper plants only after they have set fruit.
Other non plant solutions include encouraging insect and bird predators. Or grow the peppers behind insect mesh and hand pollinate.
Will try Basil 'cloak' plants to start with.
I keep spraying the pepper plants
They have some flowers coming through, so hopefully not too long to wait for peppers to grow, depending in the climate changes here in Herts!