Crimson Clover

Pests & beneficial insects

🐛 Prone to: Aphids

Aphids

Aphididae

Curled leaves, sticky honeydew and ants on patrol — usually with something already eating them.

.

Attract Hoverflies

Hoverflies

Syrphidae

The adults only drink nectar. It is the larvae that eat the aphids.

, Lacewings

Lacewings

Chrysopidae

Golden-eyed adults that mostly drink; larvae that hunt like small alligators.

, Ladybugs

Ladybugs

Coccinellidae

The one predator here where the adults hunt as hard as the larvae do.

, Parasitic wasps

Parasitic wasps

Braconidae, Ichneumonidae and relatives

Pinhead-sized, stingless, and lethal to aphids and caterpillars from the inside.

to keep them in check — plant ChrysanthemumExcellent, DillExcellent and African MarigoldGreat nearby.

🌼 Beneficial companion — draws Ladybugs

Ladybugs

Coccinellidae

The one predator here where the adults hunt as hard as the larvae do.

, Parasitic wasps

Parasitic wasps

Braconidae, Ichneumonidae and relatives

Pinhead-sized, stingless, and lethal to aphids and caterpillars from the inside.

, Ground beetles

Ground beetles

Carabidae

Night-active ground hunters, taking slugs, cutworms and leatherjackets at soil level.

that help control

on neighbouring plants.

Growing from seed

Direct-sow Crimson Clover outdoors about 6 weeks after your last frost, keeping seeds in cooler soil (around 10–18 °C). Seeds usually come up in around 7 days. Grow in full sun, spaced about 15 cm apart. Expect the first blooms in roughly 100 days.

Keep track of the seeds you own.

Companion Planting

• 
  Brown Mustard
  

  Brown MustardExcellent pair

  • ❧Brown Mustard attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps and more, which prey on the Aphids and Cutworms that attack Crimson Clover
  • ❧Crimson Clover fixes nitrogen in the soil that Brown Mustard feeds on
  • ❧Crimson Clover draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both
• 
  Chaytor's Lavender
  

  Chaytor's LavenderExcellent pair

  • ❧Chaytor's Lavender attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Whitefly that attack Crimson Clover
  • ❧Crimson Clover fixes nitrogen in the soil that Chaytor's Lavender feeds on
  • ❧Crimson Clover draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both
• 
  Gai Lan
  

  Gai LanExcellent pair

  • ❧Gai Lan attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps and more, which prey on the Aphids and Caterpillars and more that attack Crimson Clover
  • ❧Crimson Clover fixes nitrogen in the soil that Gai Lan feeds on
  • ❧Gai Lan suppresses pests that trouble Crimson Clover

How to grow Crimson Clover

1. Sow6 weeks from frost
2. Germinates7 days
3. Space15 cm apart
4. GrowFull sun
5. Harvest~100 days

Water: Medium · Height: 50 cm · Soil: Well-draining, average