Gentian Sage

Pests & beneficial insects

🐛 Prone to: 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.

.

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 Gentian Sage indoors about 10 weeks before your last frost, keeping seeds in warm soil (around 20–25 °C). Seeds usually come up in around 21 days. Move seedlings out once the danger of frost has passed, in full sun, spaced about 45 cm apart. Expect the first blooms in roughly 120 days.

Keep track of the seeds you own.

Companion Planting

• 
  African Marigold
  

  African MarigoldGreat pair

  • ❧African Marigold attracts Hoverflies and Lacewings and more, which prey on the Aphids and Whitefly that attack Gentian Sage
  • ❧African Marigold suppresses pests that trouble Gentian Sage
  • ❧Gentian Sage 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 Whitefly that attack Gentian Sage
  • ❧French Marigold suppresses pests that trouble Gentian Sage
  • ❧Gentian Sage draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both
• 
  Clover
  

  CloverGood pair

  • ❧Clover fixes nitrogen in the soil that Gentian Sage feeds on
  • ❧Gentian Sage draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both

How to grow Gentian Sage

1. Sow10 weeks before frost
2. Germinates21 days
3. Space45 cm apart
4. GrowFull sun
5. Harvest~120 days

Water: Medium · Height: 75 cm · Soil: Rich, well-draining