Bird's-foot Trefoil

Pests & beneficial insects

🌼 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 Aphids

Aphids

Aphididae

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

, Whitefly

Whitefly

Aleyrodidae

A puff of white when you brush the leaf, and stickiness underneath.

, Caterpillars

Caterpillars

Lepidoptera larvae

Holes, droppings, and a pest you can simply pick off by hand.

, Slugs

Slugs

Gastropoda

Ragged, smooth-edged holes and slime trails, all of it done overnight.

, Cutworms

Cutworms

Noctuidae

A seedling lying beside its own stump in the morning, cut clean through at soil level.

, Vine weevil

Vine weevil

Curculionidae

Notched leaf edges are only the warning. What kills the plant is underground.

, Flea beetles

Flea beetles

Chrysomelidae (Alticini)

Shot-holes in seedling leaves, and a beetle that jumps when you lean in.

, Colorado potato beetle

Colorado potato beetle

Striped beetle whose red grubs strip potato foliage fast.

, Stink bugs

Stink bugs

Shield-shaped bugs that pierce fruit, leaving dimples and hard spots.

, Leaf miners

Leaf miners

Agromyzidae

Pale trails inside the leaf — mostly harmless, and out of reach of any spray.

on neighbouring plants.

Growing from seed

Direct-sow Bird's-foot Trefoil outdoors around your last frost date. Seeds usually come up in around 14 days. Grow in full sun, spaced about 20 cm apart. Expect the first blooms in roughly 90 days.

Keep track of the seeds you own.

Companion Planting

• 
  Brown Mustard
  

  Brown MustardExcellent pair

  • ❧Bird's-foot Trefoil attracts Ground beetles, which prey on the Cutworms that attack Brown Mustard
  • ❧Bird's-foot Trefoil fixes nitrogen in the soil that Brown Mustard feeds on
  • ❧Bird's-foot Trefoil draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both
• 
  China aster
  

  China asterExcellent pair

  • ❧Bird's-foot Trefoil attracts Ladybugs and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids that attack China aster
  • ❧Bird's-foot Trefoil fixes nitrogen in the soil that China aster feeds on
  • ❧Bird's-foot Trefoil draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both
• 
  Gai Lan
  

  Gai LanGreat pair

  • ❧Bird's-foot Trefoil attracts Parasitic wasps and Ladybugs and more, which prey on the Caterpillars and Aphids and more that attack Gai Lan
  • ❧Bird's-foot Trefoil fixes nitrogen in the soil that Gai Lan feeds on
  • ❧Gai Lan suppresses pests that trouble Bird's-foot Trefoil

How to grow Bird's-foot Trefoil

1. Sow0 weeks from frost
2. Germinates14 days
3. Space20 cm apart
4. GrowFull sun
5. Harvest~90 days

Water: Low · Height: 30 cm · Soil: Well-draining, poor to average — drought-tolerant