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Whitefly and Basil?

barry islandbarry island Posts: 1,617
in Fruit & veg
Does anyone have any experience regarding Basil being used to deter whitefly, I have trouble with whitefly on brassicas every year, I've sprayed them and washed them with soapy water but nothing that I do seems to deter whitefly. If basil stops the whitefly it could be the answer to my prayers?

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  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 9,985
    Yes, I plant basil and french marigolds amongst my g/h tomatoes and have been doing so for years, never have a problem with whitefly.
    If it's a good year, basil will grow well outdoors, but coming from Thailand it likes heat and humidity to do really well, so is very easy in the greenhouse.
    Try some French marigolds too they'll be easy alongside your brassicas.
    I just wish they'd deter the dreaded cabbage whites...
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • LynLyn Posts: 21,411
    My basil doesn’t deter, it attracts ,  as did tagettes in the GH with tomato plants, I wouldn’t do it again.

    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • barry islandbarry island Posts: 1,617
    Would it attract the whitefly off of the brassicas though or just encourage them to multiply?
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 9,985
    edited May 2019
    It's the smell that keeps them away.
    Both Basil and French/African Marigolds have distinctive smells.
    All I know is it's worked for me for about 10 years, and I grow basil in the greenhouse every year anyway. The bright yellow tagettes  also encourage pollinators which help with the tomatoes - and they look pretty.
    I'm going to try F.Marigolds along with my runners this year, last, they were thick with blackfly until we got rain in Sept

    I imagine it works a bit better in a greenhouse as there's not as much air movement as outside.
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • barry islandbarry island Posts: 1,617
    Thanks I will give them a try, whitefly are a pain I even thought of getting parasitic wasps last year when I had the brassicas under scaffold netting but the flies were too numerous by the time I realise the damage they were doing. The scaffold netting kept the cabbage whites off but give the whitefly protection from predators.
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