Tried planting marigolds with my tomatoes to deter pests and now I've got more aphids than ever

I figured the marigolds would help but they attracted a ton of aphids in my backyard in Austin, has anyone else had this backfire or did I just pick the wrong variety?

3 comments

3 Comments

harper69316d ago

Signet marigolds are the way to go for sure. I made that same mistake with French marigolds in my garden near Dallas and they were absolutely covered in aphids by mid summer. The ants were definitely a big part of it too, I saw them marching up and down the stems like it was a highway. Ended up having to pull them all out and started over with the little yellow signet ones and it made a huge difference.

river32016d ago

Funny you mention Austin, I'm down in San Antonio and had the exact same thing happen with my first batch. Turns out some marigold varieties are basically aphid magnets, especially the French ones. The key is looking for the Signet marigolds or the African types, they smell different and don't attract the little buggers nearly as much. Your yard might also have a ton of ants farming the aphids, they'll actually bring them to the plants they like best. Take a close look at the stems for ants marching up and down, that's usually your real problem.

sarah_mason16d ago

Nah I gotta disagree a bit lol. I've been growing French marigolds for like 5 years here in Houston and they're always the ones that barely get any bugs while the African ones get completely swarmed. I think it's more about your specific microclimate and what else is planted nearby honestly.