Tomato Plant Pest Control Using Trap Crops

The use of trap crops around tomato plants is a very controversial subject. There are home gardeners who have had great success with this idea, but there are others who have not had much success at all, and in fact some have found that they have increased the pests near and on their tomato plants. Because these crops do attract similar pests as those that like the tomato plants it is understandable that the process could backfire on the gardener.

The idea is to lure certain pests away from the tomato plants and onto the trap crops which then need to be removed when they are infected or at least some sort of control of the pests on these crops is essential so that they are not actually 'growing' more pests that will go back to the tomato plants.

What to Plant With Tomato Plants.

I say 'may work' because for this system to work it still needs effort from the grower to get rid of the pests once they are on the trap crop.

1. Marigolds will deter beetles which can be a problem in some areas. They also deter nematodes which harm tomato plants.

2. Carrots are very good for the tomato plant but the carrots themselves might remain stunted. Carrots do actually need to flower to be of any use with their insect-attracting properties, so a grower may decide to plant carrots for this purpose only and not for consumption.

3. Dill and Lovage - these two herbs are popular with the hornworms so if you can get them to work for you then that would be fantastic as these worms are voracious eaters.

4. Allium family (onions, garlic, shallots, chives, leek etc.) - repel slugs, aphids.

5. Radishes help lure the flea beetle away from the tomato plant which can work well because otherwise the flea beetle is hard to control.

6. Squash and cucumber are popular as a trap crops for managing the whitefly and tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV). Tropical and subtropical areas face whitefly as the major tomato growing problem.

7. Thrips are attracted very strongly to blue so using crops with a blue flower or suitable plants in blue pots could work well.

Where to Plant a Trap Crop.

Often a trap crop is planted around the outside of a tomato crop, but with a home garden situation the plants may just be planted nearby.

The advantage of using trap crops successfully is that they save on the amount of pesticides that need to be used which in turn reduces costs. Growers indicate that tomatoes plants produce better quality fruit when trap crops have been used.