A trap crop is a plant that attracts pests away from a specific crop, protecting it from damage.
Like most animals, insects have a preference for certain types of foods. Given a choice, insects will likely select their preferred food. If no option is given, they will happily feed on the type of available plants. Planting attractive plants pulls the pest away from your precious crops. Insects congregated on trap crop plants can be more easily killed with insecticides or other means.
There are two main types of trap crops. Some trap crops are somewhat sacrificial, usually earlier plantings of the main crop itself. More commonly, however, trap crops are different species. These species are selected due to their hardiness and ability to withstand pest attacks. Or, because they grow quickly and easily, they can be lost without great impact on the overall yield in your garden.
Working with Trap Crops
In addition to pairing the trap crops and pests correctly, there are a few other things to consider for growing a successful decoy.
- Identify the pests in your garden and choose the correct crop.
- Positioning of the trap crop can be important. For some pests, growing trap crops as a border around your main crops can work well, creating a natural barrier to halt the infestation’s spread. For others, interplanting the decoy among the main crop may be more successful at luring the pests to the trap.
- You need to plant enough decoy plants to be effective but without taking too much space away from your main crop. In organic agriculture, around 20% of growth is typically devoted to trap crops. Experiment to find the right mixture.
- The trap crop needs to be well established by the time the main pest invasion happens to soak up the attention without being too quickly overcome. Also, a trap crop should reach maturity before the nearby main crops to attract early pest arrivals.
- Ideal trap crops will be fast-growing, so they can be replaced with new plants as the originals are infested and removed.
- Planting a variety of trap crops aimed at the same pest can increase overall success, as it makes it much less likely that your main crop will be the primary target.
Trap Crops List
Plant the following trap crops if you notice pest pressure in your garden space:
- Grow marigolds near your tomato plants to prevent nematodes from attacking their roots.
- Grow dill around your tomato plants to prevent tomato hornworms from eating your entire tomato plants.
- Plant radishes and nasturtiums around your brassicas (like broccoli, kale, and collards) to trap flea beetles and caterpillars.
- Grow nasturtiums and calendula to trap aphids.
- Grow collard greens to prevent cabbage worms from ruining your cabbage plants.
- Plant sunflowers to trap stink bugs and other sap-suckers.
- Add globe amaranth to keep cucumber beetles off your cucumbers.
- Chervil – especially for slugs.
Concerns and Strategy
To get the most benefits from trap crops, you must diligently inspect them for pest insects and take immediate, decisive action. This often means picking the bugs off, removing leaves, branches, or the entire plant in some cases.
Trap cropping isn’t a silver bullet, a one-size-fits-all solution, but it can be a valuable tool in an integrated organic management approach. A diverse mixture of plants makes it far less likely that the destructive pest insects will settle on your main crops, and when they arrive, they will be followed by beneficial insects that feed on them.
Stressing about pests the entire time will take away the joy of gardening. Plant flowers, keep your soil healthy, and keep an eye on the garden. If you see pests on the trap crops, deal with them individually and enjoy the rest of your garden.
Happy Gardening Friends