Our ground is pretty low in nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus (poor fruit trees), sandy, and very acidic (4.6 pH). We've added a little lime to help the already planted fruit trees (probably not enough), and we are now considering soil building companion plants. To top it all off, we live near a deer hunting camp.
Other considerations are plants that are low growing, attractive to beneficial insects, and suited to the hot humid summers and cool winters of Alabama.
With that in mind, I've come up with the following list of companion plants for fruit trees from unverified web pages and books.
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ALFALFA: Nitrogen fixing, perrenial, deep rooted plant that draws nutrients from deep in soil and brings to surface. Cheap.
BASIL: Bees love Basil, while Aphids, Fruit-Fly, White-Fly, the House-Fly & Mosquitoes hate it.
CHIVES: May help keep aphids, Japanese beetles and carrot rust fly away. Planted among apple trees it helps prevent scab.
CLOVER: Long used as a green manure & plant companion. Especially good to plant under grapevines. Attracts many beneficials. Useful planted around apple trees to attract predators of the woolly aphid. Increases predator ground beetle populations.
| Perennial | pH | Seeding Vigor | Poor Drainage | Drought | Acidity | Seeding Rate (lb/acre) |
| White | 6-6.5 | E | F | G | F | 8-15 |
| Red | 6-7 | F | G | F | F | 2-3 |
| Annual | | | | | | |
| Crimson | 6-7 | E | P | F | G | 20-30 |
| Rose | 6-6.5 | P | P | G | G | 15-20 |
E=Excellent; G=Good; F=Fair; P=Poor |
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| Field Of Comfrey |
COMFREY: has deep roots that don't compete with fruit trees. Accumulates calcium, phosphorous and potassium. Likes wet spots to grow in. Good trap crop for slugs. Excellent compost activator, foliage spray, nutrient miner.
GARLIC: Repels aphids. It also benefits apple trees, pear trees, peas, and lettuce. Plant under peach trees to help repel borers. Garlic accumulates sulfur: a naturally occurring fungicide which will help in the garden with disease prevention. Garlic is systemic in action as it is taken up by the plants through their pores and when garlic tea is used as a soil drench it is also taken up by the plant roots. It has value in offending codling moths, Japanese beetles, root maggots, snails, and carrot root fly. Researchers have observed that time-released garlic capsules planted at the bases of fruit trees actually kept deer away. Concentrated garlic sprays have been observed to repel and kill whiteflies, aphids and fungus gnats among others with as little as a 6-8% concentration!
LAVENDER: Repels fleas & moths. Nourishes many nectar feeding & beneficial insects. Lavenders can protect nearby plants from insects such as whitefly, & lavender planted under & near fruit trees can deter codling moth. Use dried sprigs of lavender to repel moths. Start plants in winter from cuttings, setting out in spring. Lavender is a general Insect Repellent, good to use as a border for the Garden. It attracts many Bees to the area.
LEEKS: Use leeks near apple trees and onions which will improve their growth. Leeks also repel carrot flies. Avoid planting near legumes.
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| Calendula |
NASTURTIUMS: Drougt resistant flower thriving in poor soil. Deters wooly aphids, squash bugs, whiteflies, & pests of the curcubit family, & improves growth & flavor. Great trap crop for aphids (in particular the black aphids) which it does attract, especially the yellow flowering varieties. Some believe planting nasturtiums every year in the root zone of fruit trees allow the trees to take up the pungent odor of the plants and repel bugs. Studies say it is among the best at attracting predatory insects. It has no taste effect on the fruit. Nasturtiums can have a tendency to grow abundantly, but are very easily controlled. Orange coloured Nasturtiums will deter Aphids, Squash Bug & Striped Pumpkin Beetles, yellow ones tend to attract the beetles! So plant orange Nasturtium close to your garden to deter insects, & plant yellow Nasturtium far away from the garden to attract the insects.
TAGETES: ?
TANSY: Tansy is a good all-round bitter Insect repellent. It concentrates Potassium in the soil, so benefits any plants nearby! Plant it for protection against Japanese Beetle, Striped Cucumber Beetle, Squash Bug, Cut Worms, Cabbage Worms, Ants, Flies, Mosquitoes & Fruit Moth. It is noticeably helpful under Peach Trees, which it assists greatly by warding off flying insects & keeping Borers away. It's a yellow, arguably ugly, perennial flower and a very vigorous spreading invasive weed. Has a lot of history too.
YARROW: Drought resistant deep rooted perrenial herb. Insect repelling qualities & excellent natural fertilizer. A handful of yarrow leaves added to the compost pile really speeds things up. Attracts predatory wasps & ladybugs.
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| Clover underplanting |
FRUIT TREE SPECIFIC MATCHES:
APPLE: Calendulas, Tansy, Clover, Chive, Garlic, Leek, Southernwood, Daffodils, Comfrey, Horsetail, Foxgloves, Wallflowers, Yarrow, Wormwood, Nasturtium. Don't like potatoes and tomatoes.
APRICOT: Basil, Tansy, chives, Southernwood. Don't like potatoes and tomatoes.
CHERRY: Yarrow, Garlic, Onion, Tansy and Nasturtium
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| Tansy |
GRAPES: Lucerne, Geraniums, Oregano, Hyssop, Mustard, Tansy, Basil, Clovers
PEACHS & NECTARINES: Nasturtiums, Lemon Balm, Marigolds, Yarrow, Mustard, Spinach, Basil, Tansy, Chives, Grapes, Southernwood, Garlic, Onion, Asparagus. Don't like Potato, Tomato and Raspberry.
PEAR: Garlic, Chives, Mustard, Yarrow, Southernwood, Tansy, chives, Nasturtium. Don't like grass.
PLUMS: Southernwood, Yarrow, and Tansy and Chives in summer. Don't like grass.
