Chia

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 African MarigoldGreat, AngelicaFair and AniseFair nearby.

Growing from seed

Start Chia indoors about 6 weeks before your last frost, keeping seeds in warm soil (around 20–25 °C). Seeds usually come up in around 7 days. Move seedlings out once the danger of frost has passed, in full sun, spaced about 30 cm apart. Expect to harvest in roughly 120 days.

Keep track of the seeds you own.

Companion Planting

• 
  Coral Bells
  

  Coral BellsGreat pair

  • ❧Coral Bells attracts Hoverflies, which prey on the Aphids that attack Chia
  • ❧Chia draws Bees and Bumblebees that improve pollination for both
  • ❧Coral Bells acts as living mulch, keeping soil moist and weeds down around Chia
• 
  Red Mustard
  

  Red MustardGreat pair

  • ❧Red Mustard attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids that attack Chia
  • ❧Red Mustard suppresses pests that trouble Chia
  • ❧Red Mustard acts as living mulch, keeping soil moist and weeds down around Chia
• 
  Wasabina
  

  WasabinaGreat pair

  • ❧Wasabina attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids that attack Chia
  • ❧Wasabina suppresses pests that trouble Chia
  • ❧Wasabina acts as living mulch, keeping soil moist and weeds down around Chia

How to grow Chia

1. Sow6 weeks before frost
2. Germinates7 days
3. Space30 cm apart
4. GrowFull sun
5. Harvest~120 days

Water: Low · Height: 150 cm · Soil: Well-draining, sandy — drought-tolerant