Chives Companion Planting
Allium schoenoprasum
Allium (Amaryllidaceae) -- cool season
Good Companions for Chives
Chive volatiles (dipropyl disulfide, allicin precursors) deter aphids (Nasonovia ribisnigri, Myzus persicae) through olfactory disruption. Chive flowers also attract predatory hover flies and parasitoid wasps.
Border lettuce beds with chives. Allow some chive flowers for beneficial insect attraction.
- Volatile compounds from Allium spp. affecting insect behavior -- Phytochemistry (2004)
- Border plantings of Allium for aphid management in salad crops -- IOBC/WPRS Bulletin (2006)
Chive border plantings reduce spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) colonization on adjacent strawberry through volatile emissions. Chive flowers attract pollinators that improve strawberry fruit set.
Plant chives as a permanent border around perennial strawberry beds.
- Companion planting with Allium species for strawberry pest management -- Acta Horticulturae (2012)
Chive volatiles deter aphids that commonly attack endive. Chive flowers attract predatory hover flies and parasitoid wasps.
Border endive beds with chives. Both are cool-season crops.
- Volatile compounds from Allium spp. affecting insect behavior -- Phytochemistry (2004)
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