Snapdragon

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 French MarigoldGreat, African MarigoldGood and CosmosGood nearby.

Growing from seed

Start Snapdragon indoors about 10 weeks before your last frost. Seeds usually come up in around 14 days. Move seedlings out once the danger of frost has passed, in full sun, spaced about 25 cm apart. Expect the first blooms in roughly 75 days.

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

Companion Planting

• 
  Fernleaf Lavender
  

  Fernleaf LavenderExcellent pair

  • ❧Fernleaf Lavender attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Thrips that attack Snapdragon
  • ❧Snapdragon draws Bumblebees and Butterflies that improve pollination for both
  • ❧Fernleaf Lavender roots deep while Snapdragon feeds near the surface — no competition
• 
  Oman Lavender
  

  Oman LavenderExcellent pair

  • ❧Oman Lavender attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Thrips that attack Snapdragon
  • ❧Snapdragon draws Bumblebees and Butterflies that improve pollination for both
  • ❧Oman Lavender roots deep while Snapdragon feeds near the surface — no competition
• 
  Bird's-foot Trefoil
  

  Bird's-foot TrefoilGreat pair

  • ❧Bird's-foot Trefoil attracts Ladybugs and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids that attack Snapdragon
  • ❧Bird's-foot Trefoil fixes nitrogen in the soil that Snapdragon feeds on
  • ❧Bird's-foot Trefoil acts as living mulch, keeping soil moist and weeds down around Snapdragon

How to grow Snapdragon

1. Sow10 weeks before frost
2. Germinates14 days
3. Space25 cm apart
4. GrowFull sun
5. Harvest~75 days

Water: Medium · Height: 90 cm · Soil: Well-draining, fertile, slightly alkaline