Sweet Lavender

Pests & beneficial insects

🌼 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.

, Whitefly

Whitefly

Aleyrodidae

A puff of white when you brush the leaf, and stickiness underneath.

, Thrips

Thrips

Thysanoptera

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

, Caterpillars

Caterpillars

Lepidoptera larvae

Holes, droppings, and a pest you can simply pick off by hand.

, Flea beetles

Flea beetles

Chrysomelidae (Alticini)

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

, Colorado potato beetle

Colorado potato beetle

Striped beetle whose red grubs strip potato foliage fast.

, Stink bugs

Stink bugs

Shield-shaped bugs that pierce fruit, leaving dimples and hard spots.

, Leaf miners

Leaf miners

Agromyzidae

Pale trails inside the leaf — mostly harmless, and out of reach of any spray.

on neighbouring plants.

Companion Planting

• 
  Alfalfa
  

  AlfalfaExcellent pair

  • ❧Sweet Lavender attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Caterpillars and more that attack Alfalfa
  • ❧Alfalfa fixes nitrogen in the soil that Sweet Lavender feeds on
  • ❧Alfalfa draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both
• 
  Hairy Vetch
  

  Hairy VetchExcellent pair

  • ❧Sweet Lavender attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids that attack Hairy Vetch
  • ❧Hairy Vetch fixes nitrogen in the soil that Sweet Lavender feeds on
  • ❧Hairy Vetch draws Bees and Bumblebees that improve pollination for both
• 
  Mung Bean
  

  Mung BeanExcellent pair

  • ❧Sweet Lavender attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Thrips that attack Mung Bean
  • ❧Mung Bean fixes nitrogen in the soil that Sweet Lavender feeds on
  • ❧Mung Bean draws Bees that improve pollination for both

How to grow Sweet Lavender

1. Space60 cm apart
2. GrowFull sun
3. Harvest~365 days

Water: Low · Height: 50 cm · Soil: Well-drained soil; prefers light sandy or medium soils with neutral to slightly alkaline pH