Freesia

Pests & beneficial insects

🐛 Prone to: Aphids

Aphids

Aphididae

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

, Thrips

Thrips

Thysanoptera

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

.

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.

, 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 African MarigoldGood, French MarigoldGood and YarrowGood nearby.

Companion Planting

• 
  round leaf lavender
  

  round leaf lavenderExcellent pair

  • ❧round leaf lavender attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Thrips that attack Freesia
  • ❧Freesia draws Bees and Butterflies that improve pollination for both
  • ❧round leaf lavender roots deep while Freesia feeds near the surface — no competition
• 
  Alfalfa
  

  AlfalfaGreat pair

  • ❧Alfalfa fixes nitrogen in the soil that Freesia feeds on
  • ❧Freesia draws Bees and Butterflies that improve pollination for both
  • ❧Alfalfa roots deep while Freesia feeds near the surface — no competition
• 
  Allard's Lavender
  

  Allard's LavenderGreat pair

  • ❧Allard's Lavender attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Thrips that attack Freesia
  • ❧Freesia draws Bees and Butterflies that improve pollination for both
  • ❧Allard's Lavender roots deep while Freesia feeds near the surface — no competition

How to grow Freesia

1. Germinates25 days
2. Space10 cm apart
3. GrowFull sun

Water: Medium · Height: 45 cm · Soil: Well-draining, sandy loam