China aster

Pests & beneficial insects

🐛 Prone to: Aphids

Aphids

Aphididae

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

, Spider mites

Spider mites

Tetranychidae

Fine pale stippling in hot, dusty, dry weather. Visible webbing means you are already late.

.

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.

, Predatory mites

Predatory mites

Phytoseiidae

Too small to see without a hand lens, and the main thing holding spider mites down.

, Minute pirate bugs

Minute pirate bugs

Anthocoridae

Two to three millimetres, and both stages hunt — thrips and spider mites, thirty a day.

to keep them in check — plant French MarigoldGreat, African MarigoldGreat and CosmosGood nearby.

Companion Planting

• 
  Bird's-foot Trefoil
  

  Bird's-foot TrefoilExcellent 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
• 
  Crimson Clover
  

  Crimson CloverGreat pair

  • ❧Crimson Clover attracts Ladybugs and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids that attack China aster
  • ❧Crimson Clover fixes nitrogen in the soil that China aster feeds on
  • ❧Crimson Clover draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both
• 
  French Marigold
  

  French MarigoldGreat pair

  • ❧French Marigold attracts Hoverflies and Lacewings and more, which prey on the Aphids and Spider mites that attack China aster
  • ❧French Marigold suppresses pests that trouble China aster
  • ❧French Marigold draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both

How to grow China aster

1. GrowFull sun
2. Harvestfrom June

Water: Medium · Height: 90 cm · Soil: Rich, consistently moist, well-drained soils