Keep Tomato Hornworms Away with a Sacrificial Dill Plant

One way to do this is to offer a trap crop that the pest loves more than your main crop, something you can sacrifice for the greater good. Planting the herb dill near tomatoes is a good example, because tomato hornworms will attack the dill over the tomatoes. You can then pick the hornworms off the dill as they appear.

Does Dill keep tomato worms away?
How do I keep worms off my dill?
Do hornworms like dill?
Should I kill tomato hornworm?
How do you kill Hornworms naturally?
What attracts dill?
How do I get rid of dill?
How do I get rid of caterpillars on my dill?
What can I do with extra hornworms?

Does Dill keep tomato worms away?

To keep hornworms away from your tomato plants next year, try interplanting dill or basil; marigolds are also an excellent companion plant.

How do I keep worms off my dill?

Use plastic or foil collars around the plant stems, dug down into the soil several inches (7.5 to 15 cm.) to prevent the larvae from severing stems. Also, spread diatomaceous earth around the base of the plants which will cut the worms if they crawl over it.

Do hornworms like dill?

Similar to Tobacco Hornworm (Manduca sexta), these huge bizarre looking caterpillars can do a lot of damage to Tomato plants. They will also eat dill and those plants are sometimes used as a trap crop to protect tomatoes. ...

Should I kill tomato hornworm?

Tomato hornworms are entirely green in appearance. ... If you are a gardener, and if you ever spot a hornworm sporting these white spikes, then you should not kill them, but instead let them die on their own. These white protrusions are actually parasites. To be more clear, these parasites are braconid wasp larvae.

How do you kill Hornworms naturally?

If you don't want to use chemicals in your garden, another way you can kill tomato hornworms in an organic way is to mix up a combination of liquid soap and water. Spray the mixture on the plant foliage before adding some cayenne pepper – this will get rid of the bugs and then repel them into her true.

What attracts dill?

Dill attracts lots of beneficial insects to your garden. For instance, dill brings in ladybugs, green lacewings, braconid wasps, tachinid flies, hoverflies, mealybug destroyers, and aphid midges.

How do I get rid of dill?

Cut down the dill plant with pruning shears, and then dig out its root clump. Cut the removed plant into pieces, and using a garden spade, till the plant and its root clump into your herb garden's soil. The dill will decompose and turn into nitrogen-rich organic matter for your next batch of herb plants.

How do I get rid of caterpillars on my dill?

Anise swallowtail caterpillars are easily plucked from affected dill plants. Carefully inspect plants to make sure you've found most of the caterpillars. Once you find them, crush them or drop them into a bucket of soapy water to prevent them from re-infesting your dill.

What can I do with extra hornworms?

When you see that the hornworms are going to get too big, take them out of their cup and put them in a different container with no food and they will stay that size until they are fed off. Keep in mind, also, that the warmer the temps are, the faster they will grow, too.