Sugarloaf Chicory

Pests & beneficial insects

🐛 Prone to: Aphids

Aphids

Aphididae

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

.

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 DillExcellent, ChrysanthemumGreat and CeleryGreat nearby.

🌼 Beneficial companion — draws Hoverflies

Hoverflies

Syrphidae

The adults only drink nectar. It is the larvae that eat the aphids.

, Ladybugs

Ladybugs

Coccinellidae

The one predator here where the adults hunt as hard as the larvae do.

, Lacewings

Lacewings

Chrysopidae

Golden-eyed adults that mostly drink; larvae that hunt like small alligators.

that help control

Aphids

on neighbouring plants.

Growing from seed

Direct-sow Sugarloaf Chicory outdoors about 6 weeks after your last frost, keeping seeds in cooler soil (around 10–18 °C). Seeds usually come up in around 10 days. Grow in full sun, spaced about 30 cm apart. Expect to harvest in roughly 90 days.

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

Companion Planting

• 
  Common Vetch
  

  Common VetchExcellent pair

  • ❧Common Vetch attracts Ladybugs and Parasitic wasps and more, which prey on the Aphids that attack Sugarloaf Chicory
  • ❧Common Vetch fixes nitrogen in the soil that Sugarloaf Chicory feeds on
  • ❧Sugarloaf Chicory acts as living mulch, keeping soil moist and weeds down around Common Vetch
• 
  Gai Lan
  

  Gai LanExcellent pair

  • ❧Gai Lan attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps and more, which prey on the Aphids that attack Sugarloaf Chicory
  • ❧Gai Lan suppresses pests that trouble Sugarloaf Chicory
  • ❧Sugarloaf Chicory roots deep while Gai Lan feeds near the surface — no competition
• 
  Hairy Vetch
  

  Hairy VetchExcellent pair

  • ❧Hairy Vetch attracts Ladybugs and Parasitic wasps and more, which prey on the Aphids that attack Sugarloaf Chicory
  • ❧Hairy Vetch fixes nitrogen in the soil that Sugarloaf Chicory feeds on
  • ❧Sugarloaf Chicory acts as living mulch, keeping soil moist and weeds down around Hairy Vetch

How to grow Sugarloaf Chicory

1. Sow6 weeks from frost
2. Germinates10 days
3. Space30 cm apart
4. GrowFull sun
5. Harvest~90 days

Water: Medium · Height: 35 cm · Soil: Moist, fertile, well-draining