Re: Marigolds as insect deterrent
- To:
- Subject: Re: Marigolds as insect deterrent
- From: M* T*
- Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 00:17:24 -0400
Back in my days of being a rabid organic gardener, I tried using Marigolds
as a companion plant for just this reason. Even then (late 60's, early
70's), it was recognized that only certain species - those listed in Barb's
post - were effective. I never had (to my knowledge) any nematode
problems, so could not testify on that account. But, I can tell you that
they make absolutely no difference to foliage eating insects who seem to
enjoy the flowers while they are dining on the nearby plants the Marigolds
were meant to protect. This, BTW, was in my veggie garden - only did
veggies in those days. I tried most of the so-called companion plants and
companion planting schemes designed to deter insects. None worked in any
noticeable way. In fact, think I've tried just about every "organic" means
of discouraging insects from dining on veggies. Can not think of many that
actually work very well except hand picking and that can get quite tedious.
I have since graduated to IMP and use Safer's when aphids get so bad I
can't stand them. Use Horticultural oil when absolutely necessary. Over
the years, I have learned to accept a certain amount of insect damage to my
ornamentals and mostly the eco-system is in balance so that none of the
munchers gets to plague proportions. But, as for plants deterring
insects....my skepticism is unbounded.
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
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> From: moorman@teamzeon.com
> Date: Wednesday, October 20, 1999 10:17 AM
>
> Betty Moorman@ZEON
> 10/20/99 10:17 AM
>
> What has been your experience using marigolds as a natural way to keep
away
> insects which would want to eat the flowers? I have heard for years that
> this works. First, is this true? Or do they keep away certain insects,
> but not all? If they do work, are there any varieties of marigolds which
> seem to work better than others? One reason I'm not keen on the idea is
> that the bright oranges would kind of clash with my general color scheme.
> Perhaps the gentler yellows and whites might work in my garden.
>
> All advice will be welcomed.
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