Marigold seedlings
- Thread starter Mandy Onderwater
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So what bad insects do marigolds repel?
I have the worse slater problem I cannot figure out what to do with them
I have the worse slater problem I cannot figure out what to do with them
@Mark Seaton it's more that it attacts good insects that kill the bad insects. A good example is that it could attract ladybugs, which kill aphids and more. It's a win-win to nature and your garden
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Here’s a 2017 article that suggests as of that time, the only scientifically verified impact they have is on root nematodes but does also suggest that, as @Mandy Onderwater notes, they attract beneficial insects. They inhibit nematode eggs hatching, which disrupts the life cycle…of course then the marigolds have to be in the ground ahead of the crop you want to protect.
A bit more poking around shows lots of anecdotal evidence that they help…at the least it is unlikely to hurt having them around.
A bit more poking around shows lots of anecdotal evidence that they help…at the least it is unlikely to hurt having them around.
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I don't know if this will help you, but I looked up slaters (woodlice) in an organic gardening book I have and this is all they suggested.So what bad insects do marigolds repel?
I have the worse slater problem I cannot figure out what to do with them
Yeah thanks, I have the problem where I mulch the garden and use a lot of garden waste for compost etc, so I get a lot of slaters. I really wouldn't mind if they just stuck to the rotting debris etc. But there are certain seedlings that they absolutely love and if I plant them they will be gone the next day. one being luffa. It took me 2 years to figure out it was slaters and not snails :-( . The next problem I have is that they seem to hang around and do their thing, but then might get bored one night and ring bark my veges so they basically drop dead within days just when they are about to fruit.
I have done some research and it is pointing to an endemic problem in West Australia of late. It would be good if I could find and attract a bird or something that could control them, I have thought about chooks, but they can be a handful when you don't have a lot of time and I did think about ducks a while ago to try and drop the snail numbers around here too. There may be a future business for someone that is enterprising, to hire out chooks and ducks for a week or so to control pests and then you don't have to worry after that
I have done some research and it is pointing to an endemic problem in West Australia of late. It would be good if I could find and attract a bird or something that could control them, I have thought about chooks, but they can be a handful when you don't have a lot of time and I did think about ducks a while ago to try and drop the snail numbers around here too. There may be a future business for someone that is enterprising, to hire out chooks and ducks for a week or so to control pests and then you don't have to worry after that
Good on you Mandy, I planted some although I'm not sure if they survived our recent biblical rain! I am also looking at putting in borders of flowers for pollinators this year around my veggie garden
I hope they'll live!Good on you Mandy, I planted some although I'm not sure if they survived our recent biblical rain! I am also looking at putting in borders of flowers for pollinators this year around my veggie garden
Yeah! We need pollinators in our garden, so helping them out and giving them an interesting place to frequently visit is a win-win!
Oh goodness. I don't think I ever took pictures, but these marigold did so beautifully well! The pot was overflowing with flowers and absolutely beautiful
Did you collect the seeds? I did when I grew marigolds, planted some of them out the front, they grew some common looking marigolds, nothing special, I just let them go to seed and scatter naturally, not caring to collect any more seeds, still have thousands of them! I noticed a few days ago a tiny stray marigold has popped up in the driveway, doing the dandalion thing (growing where you'd never expect a plant to survive) and its colouration is quite different to any marigold I've ever seen before. Single row of petals, pale yellow, with two rich red strips on each forming a pair of rings. I must not forget to collect the seeds of THAT one when they're ready, be interesting to see if any of them copy the parent plant.
When I replanted them into an area that I wanted to be a flower bed, I was told to leave the seeds on and that they'll regrow all on their own. They sadly didn't, but to be fair they didn't stand much of a chance as the area quickly became overgrown as I did not know how to keep up with weeding. There were thousands, if not millions of weeds popping up and I felt too overwhelmed to deal with it. I'm hoping to revive it someday soon though. Plant new flowers. And this time use mulch. I'm not sure what mulch I want to use yet though, as we do have regular termite problems.