Lobelia

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 InulaGreat, Purple ConeflowerGreat and LovageGreat nearby.

Growing from seed

Start Lobelia indoors about 14 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 partial sun, spaced about 15 cm apart. Expect the first blooms in roughly 80 days.

Keep track of the seeds you own.

Companion Planting

• 
  Winged bean
  

  Winged beanExcellent pair

  • ❧Winged bean fixes nitrogen in the soil that Lobelia feeds on
  • ❧Lobelia draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both
  • ❧Winged bean roots deep while Lobelia feeds near the surface — no competition
• 
  round leaf lavender
  

  round leaf lavenderExcellent pair

  • ❧round leaf lavender attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Whitefly that attack Lobelia
  • ❧Lobelia draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both
  • ❧round leaf lavender roots deep while Lobelia feeds near the surface — no competition
• 
  Spanish lavender
  

  Spanish lavenderExcellent pair

  • ❧Spanish lavender attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Whitefly that attack Lobelia
  • ❧Lobelia draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both
  • ❧Spanish lavender roots deep while Lobelia feeds near the surface — no competition

How to grow Lobelia

1. Sow14 weeks before frost
2. Germinates21 days
3. Space15 cm apart
4. GrowPartial sun
5. Harvest~80 days

Water: Medium · Height: 15 cm · Soil: Moist, well-draining, rich