Trap crops lure plague off from other plant and can have a positive burden on our garden even as their roots break up . Here ’s how companion planting and no - dig killing can make your garden healthy and easier to uphold .
How Trap Crops Work
plant are so much smarter than we give them cite for . They ’re communicating amongst themselves via electrical , cellular and chemical means all the time .
Thanks to the acquittance of a wide regalia of Volatile Organic Compounds ( VOCs ) certain works can tempt pest insect in ( called lying in wait cropping ) while others release chemical substance that happen to mask our preferred craw . Most fellow planting practice attempt to blur the pest before it either eats the boniface industrial plant or lays egg on it . Masking a legion plant ’s own VOC ’s from a pest buzzing around looking for nutrient is a pretty powerful constitutive horticulture tool .
There are long - endure chemical reaction run low on below ground as well .
Soil is ‘ ground zero ’ for the overall health of your garden . Soil is a living breathing thing , full of microorganisms like fungi , invertebrates , worms , bacterium , algae , nematodes and protozoa … up to 1 billion per teaspoonful of ground . When we deep till our gardens we destroy the existing relationships in the soil . These relationships do well when leave undisturbed , which is why ‘ no dig ’ gardening wreak so well .
We can nurture these relationships and use naturally existing chemical reactions to our garden ’s welfare .
Marigolds
allow ’s take a well - known companion planting heyday , the marigold . They of course exude a chemical called alpha - terthienyl . This VOC has been shown to mask legion plants above basis while force back root - knot nematodes below background . Specifically African and Gallic marigolds have been studied and proven in force ( Hethelyi et al . 1986 ; Soule 1993 ) .
First , we should think back there are many sort of nematodes , some are loose - living and feed on many different things in the territory . But , plant - parasitic nematodes cause serious damage , namely the root - knot nematode . They attach themselves to the antecedent and become part of the plants making them impossible to remove without removing the craw they ’ve infest .
By leaving the marigold roots in the soil , the alpha - terthienyl chemical proceed to be released as the roots decompose . So , practicing no dig garden clean and jerk - up is a win - winnings . By cutting the plants off at soil layer and will the roots remaining , you ’ll sustain the repelling of the nematode . Oat garden bed screening . Photo by Michelle Bruhn
Oat garden bed cover. Photo by Michelle Bruhn
Oats
Oats make a smart alternative when cover cropping . As oat flora break up , they release chemical that inhibit the germination of seeds by exuding the chemical substance , Avena fatua . This chemical substance is one of many that inhibit seed germination in other flora , called allelopathy . You may have heard of alleopathy with Black Walnut tree , as they liberate juglone , another chemical substance that inhibits the ontogeny of many other plants . There are many type of allelochemicals , all with their own agency to defend industrial plant against microbial attacks , herbivore predation , and/or challenger with other plants . But again , for the oat to keep others out , it ’s best if they ’re left in the footing .
Building Soil with Companion Planting
Keeping our garden ground incubate helps prey the microorganisms , avoids compaction , and lessen evaporation , all ways to build healthy dirt . One smashing way to keep your soil pass over is by planting cover crop . My best-loved worldwide - purpose cover harvest seed mix consists of oat , peas and radishes . This blend gives an all - around nitrogen boost to the soil and create biomass both above and below the soil surface . And now that we know the oats backpack a one - two punch , it makes choosing to cover craw that much smart .
This article about ambuscade harvest was written for Hobby Farms magazine . Click here to take .
Oat garden bed cover. Photo by Michelle Bruhn
