The "confidant" companion of the plant world
As an indispensable close companion for human survival, plants have always played an extremely important role in the process of human civilization. With the continuous development of science and technology, some little-known secrets in the plant world have gradually been revealed by human beings. Scientists have found that plants, like humans, have a rich emotional world. In order to survive better, plants, like us humans, do our best to find a "confidant" partner who can accompany them throughout their lives
Smells like each other and are friends with each other
Many cotton farmers find that
Cotton is grown close to garlic, with few pests and diseases, and cotton yields are significantly improved. This is because the special smell emitted by garlic makes the aphids very afraid to approach, and the cotton is not infested by aphids, and the yield naturally increases.
In the same way, in order to control aphids on roses, plant a few garlic plants next to the roses, and the roses will grow better. Garlic can also help the peach tree to repel the peach borer borer, and also has an repellent effect on pests such as the apple cyst moth, the Japanese scarab beetle, the root maggot, the snail and the carrot stem fly.
Onions are known as "field doctors", and the smell it emits can kill wheat smut spores and pea black spot fungus. Plant onions and wheat together and they will get along very well.
Onions and carrots are good friends, and their smell drives away pests from each other. Planting onions with leeks and carrots, the smell emitted by onions can confuse carrot flies and seed flies, thereby protecting carrots and leeks from pests. Onions are also good friends with leeks, beets, bulbs, kale, strawberries, rape, lettuce and tomatoes
。
Planting leeks next to apple trees, carrots, celery, and onions improves the growth of these plants, and leeks can also drive away carrot flags.
The larvae of the cabbage moth prefer to eat the leaves of cabbage, which is the most headache for vegetable farmers. If the tomatoes and cabbage are planted at intervals, the smell of the tomato plants is just enough to drive away the moths.
When turnips and spinach are planted together, the radish acts as the protector of spinach. Radish voluntarily attracted leafminers to themselves. However, this is not a big problem for turnips, because the roots of turnips are buried deep in the soil, although the leaves of radishes will be harmed by leafminer flies, but it does not have much impact on the growth of the roots, and spinach after being "saved by heroes" will be exempted from the damage of leafminer flies and grow well.
Scientists have found that pyrethrum is one of the few intensively cultivated insecticidal plants in the world at present, and it is also an herb used to treat skin diseases. Its roots, stems, leaves, flowers, etc. are all raw materials for extracting pyrethroids. Pyrethroids can be used to formulate a variety of pesticides. Pyrethroids are not only the sworn enemies of pests such as aphids, mosquitoes, cabbage insects, and cotton bollworms, but also kill root-knot nematodes.
Wattle is a lip-shaped plant that smells strongly and can drive away jumping beetles, aphids, Japanese scarab beetles, pumpkin edge bugs, ants and weevils, and even voles. Planting mustard with kale can reduce the harm of jumping armor to kale.
Petunias can drive away pests such as stone chestnut leaf beetles, leafhoppers, certain aphids, tobacco moths, Mexican bean ladybirds, etc.; petunias are also regarded as close friends of tomatoes.
Golden lotus, also known as golden lotus and dry lotus, is native to South America and is a perennial vine herb of the genus Aridopus in the family Aridaceae. It is a good friend of radishes, cabbage vegetables (cabbage, kale, cauliflower, brussels, broccoli and mustard), which can drive away money worms, pumpkin edge bugs and striped pumpkin beetles, and improve the growth of these plants and the taste and flavor of the fruit. Its stems stand upright, and its milky yellow flowers are like butterflies flying when they are in full bloom, which is an important summer ornamental flower in the garden. Planting the arid lotus next to cucurbitaceae can drive away cotton aphids, whiteflies, cucumber beetles and other pests.
Eliminate pests for mutual benefit
It is often said, "There are no eternal friends, only eternal interests." "In the world of plants, why not? In order to attract some beneficial insects to destroy their own insect pests, some plants will voluntarily provide some plant nectar to those beneficial insects, and these beneficial insects, in order to repay the favor, will lay parasitic eggs on the pest larvae to eliminate these pests.
Buckwheat is a food crop of the family Indigo, and the white flowers of buckwheat can attract a number of beneficial insects, including aphid-eating flies, predatory wasps, small flower bugs, cunning flower bugs, parasitic flies and ladybugs. These beneficial insects control or parasitize aphids, mites and other pests, thereby reducing the harm of these pests to neighboring plants.
The pests that harm cauliflower include aphids, whiteflies, small cabbage moths, vegetable powder butterflies, beet moths, etc. Ladybugs, whether they are larvae or adults, can eat pests such as aphids, shellworms and ticks. The honey glands of the dwarf species of pertussus can attract predatory insects such as ladybirds, and ladybugs suck honey glands here in the pertussia, and also go to cauliflower plants to hunt for pests such as aphids, so that the broccoli can be protected from harm.
The small flowers of the cruciferous plant Snowball, which looks like a hydrangea flower, can attract beneficial insects, such as predatory wasps, to eat pests, so it can often be used to control pests on potatoes or broccoli.
Some plants, including many legumes, and extra-flowered nectar glands, can attract beneficial insects. Carob can also attract beneficial insects to prey on pests on corn, such as leafhoppers, grass moths and leaf beetles.
Sacrifice yourself to protect your friends
As scientists gradually deepened their research on plants, scientists found that some plants, like humans, would rather sacrifice themselves in order to protect their friends.
Old stork grass, whose white-pink or pink flowers grow alone on the total peduncle. The capsule has a beak-like tip, and the petals crack upwards from the base when ripe. The stems and leaves of the old stork grass contain volatile oil, and the whole grass contains tannin, which is used by the folk to cure dysentery. Old stork grass can repel green insects and Japanese scarab beetles, can be planted near grapes, roses, corn, tomatoes, peppers and cabbage, and can also drive away beet leaf beet leaf shrinkage virus carriers.
Geraniums can attract Japanese scarab beetles to eat their leaves and then kill them.
The purple jasmine we commonly see in summer is also such a plant with a spirit of self-sacrifice. Purple jasmine can attract Japanese scarabs to eat like a magnet. After the Japanese scarab beetle ate the purple jasmine, it was poisoned before eating the next sweet. Purple jasmine belongs to the purple jasmine family Purple jasmine genus herbaceous plants. Its calyx is petal-shaped, trumpet-shaped, red, orange, yellow, white or striped, patchy or even two-colored, open from evening to early morning, and emit a strong fragrance. Its fruit is black, oval, and the surface is wrinkled and ribbed, commonly known as "small mines".
Improved soils grow with each other
All legumes, including beans, peas, soybeans, etc., fertilize the soil by fixing nitrogen in the air by rhizobia. Generally speaking, it is better to plant beans with carrots, celery, corn, eggplant, rape, sugar beets, radishes, strawberries and cucumbers, etc., and beans are particularly beneficial to corn and cereal crops that require more nitrogen.
Corn can provide a natural scaffold for vine legumes; morning glory is also climbing vines, and it can protect the plants it depends on from aphids by attracting aphids.
Okra can not only shade lettuce in the summer, but also shield plants with fragile stems such as peppers and eggplants; peas are planted next to okra, which are not infested with aphids.
Sunflowers, flowering tobacco, and drunken butterfly flowers can shade lettuce and make it grow better.
Peas and beans shade spinach.
Improve the quality of flavor lifting
Growing onions with chamomile and summer mint improves their flavor. Summer peppermint drives away the bean turtle, promotes the growth of the beans and improves its flavor. Planting chamomile with cabbage can improve the flavor of cabbage. Angelica is good for the healthy growth of most crops and improves their taste, and can also attract native turtles to eliminate pests. Borage helps tomatoes drive away tobacco moths, and together with lemon balm, it improves tomato flavor. Chives improve the flavor of carrots and tomatoes. If fine-leaved parsley is planted with radish, lettuce, and broccoli, they will improve each other's quality and improve them
Flavor, but also to drive away aphids on lettuce, it is said that even slugs will be affected by them
drive away.
Dry lotus improves the growth and flavor of cucumbers.
Today, with the large-scale application of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, food safety and environmental safety have been seriously threatened, and extensive and in-depth study of the knowledge of "companion plants" can greatly reduce the use of chemical agents, which can reduce costs and save labor, and can also lay the foundation for the production of green and high-quality vegetables, melons and fruits.