Tropical 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 MarigoldGood, AngelicaGood and AniseFair nearby.

Growing from seed

Start Tropical Sage indoors about 6 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 30 cm apart. Expect the first blooms in roughly 70 days.

Keep track of the seeds you own.

Companion Planting

• 
  Winged bean
  

  Winged beanGreat pair

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

  SainfoinGreat pair

  • ❧Sainfoin attracts Ladybugs and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Whitefly that attack Tropical Sage
  • ❧Sainfoin fixes nitrogen in the soil that Tropical Sage feeds on
  • ❧Sainfoin roots deep while Tropical Sage 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 and Whitefly that attack Tropical Sage
  • ❧Bird's-foot Trefoil fixes nitrogen in the soil that Tropical Sage feeds on
  • ❧Tropical Sage draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both

How to grow Tropical Sage

1. Sow6 weeks before frost
2. Germinates14 days
3. Space30 cm apart
4. GrowFull sun
5. Harvest~70 days

Water: Medium · Height: 60 cm · Soil: Well-draining, average — drought-tolerant