Trap Crops

Lawrenceville, GA(Zone 7b)

Hi All:

I have read several of the threads regarding Japanese beetles. I will be incorporating several suggestions I saw on the threads for combating them this year. (They devasted my beans and crepe myrtles last year).

One of the deterrents I will be using will be Four O' Clocks as a trap crop. But I have a couple of questions:

1. How far on advance should I start my Four O' Clock seedlings if I want to protect certain crops. If I need them to protect my green beans for example, should I plant them at the same time I plant the beans? Or should they be started earlier so that they are more mature and hopefully attractive to the JBs as the beans come up? Or should the seedlings be timed to when I expect to see the beetles?

2. Exactly how close to my raised beds should I place my Four O' Clock Containers? If I'm growing beans in a 4X16 bed, what should my container spacing be?

3. How many Four O' Clocks do I need to have an effective deterrent? I'm going to grow them in 5 gallon containers. Going back to my 4X16 bed, if I placed a container somewhere in the vicinty of each corner will that be sufficient? Or should I be planning on a larger planting?

Thanks
BB

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