Candytuft

Pests & beneficial insects

🌼 Beneficial companion — draws Hoverflies

Hoverflies

Syrphidae

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

, Parasitic wasps

Parasitic wasps

Braconidae, Ichneumonidae and relatives

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

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.

, Thrips

Thrips

Thysanoptera

Silvery streaking with black specks — the specks are how you tell them from mites.

, Caterpillars

Caterpillars

Lepidoptera larvae

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

, 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

Start Candytuft indoors about 6 weeks before your last frost, keeping seeds in cooler soil (around 10–18 °C). Seeds usually come up in around 10 days. Move seedlings out once the danger of frost has passed, in full sun, spaced about 30 cm apart. Expect the first blooms in roughly 60 days.

Keep track of the seeds you own.

Companion Planting

• 
  Alfalfa
  

  AlfalfaExcellent pair

  • ❧Candytuft attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Caterpillars and more that attack Alfalfa
  • ❧Alfalfa fixes nitrogen in the soil that Candytuft feeds on
  • ❧Candytuft draws Bees and Butterflies and more that improve pollination for both
• 
  Catjang Pea
  

  Catjang PeaExcellent pair

  • ❧Candytuft attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Thrips that attack Catjang Pea
  • ❧Catjang Pea fixes nitrogen in the soil that Candytuft feeds on
  • ❧Catjang Pea draws Bees that improve pollination for both
• 
  Common Vetch
  

  Common VetchExcellent pair

  • ❧Candytuft attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids that attack Common Vetch
  • ❧Common Vetch fixes nitrogen in the soil that Candytuft feeds on
  • ❧Common Vetch draws Bees and Bumblebees that improve pollination for both

How to grow Candytuft

1. Sow6 weeks before frost
2. Germinates10 days
3. Space30 cm apart
4. GrowFull sun
5. Harvest~60 days

Water: Medium · Height: 30 cm · Soil: Well-drained soil; tolerates light to medium soil types