Daikon Radish

Pests & beneficial insects

🐛 Prone to: Flea beetles

Flea beetles

Chrysomelidae (Alticini)

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

, Aphids

Aphids

Aphididae

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

, Cutworms

Cutworms

Noctuidae

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

.

Attract Ground beetles

Ground beetles

Carabidae

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

, Parasitic wasps

Parasitic wasps

Braconidae, Ichneumonidae and relatives

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

, 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.

to keep them in check — plant Hairy VetchExcellent, SainfoinGreat and ChrysanthemumGreat nearby.

🌼 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.

,

on neighbouring plants.

Growing from seed

Direct-sow Daikon Radish 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 to harvest in roughly 60 days.

Daikon Radish seed rarely stays viable beyond 4 years — track what's still worth sowing.

Companion Planting

• 
  Chaytor's Lavender
  

  Chaytor's LavenderExcellent pair

  • ❧Chaytor's Lavender attracts Parasitic wasps and Hoverflies, which prey on the Flea beetles and Aphids and more that attack Daikon Radish
  • ❧Daikon Radish draws Bees that improve pollination for both
• 
  Hairy Vetch
  

  Hairy VetchExcellent pair

  • ❧Hairy Vetch attracts Ground beetles and Parasitic wasps and more, which prey on the Flea beetles and Aphids and more that attack Daikon Radish
  • ❧Hairy Vetch fixes nitrogen in the soil that Daikon Radish feeds on
  • ❧Daikon Radish acts as living mulch, keeping soil moist and weeds down around Hairy Vetch
• 
  Sainfoin
  

  SainfoinGreat pair

  • ❧Sainfoin attracts Ground beetles and Parasitic wasps and more, which prey on the Flea beetles and Aphids and more that attack Daikon Radish
  • ❧Sainfoin fixes nitrogen in the soil that Daikon Radish feeds on
  • ❧Daikon Radish draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both

How to grow Daikon Radish

1. Sow6 weeks from frost
2. Germinates7 days
3. Space15 cm apart
4. GrowFull sun
5. Harvest~60 days

Water: Medium · Height: 50 cm · Soil: Deep, loose, well-draining — remove stones