Some native plants that are good candidates include:Īutumn Sun Coneflower Genista Broom Moth Life Cycle This strategy would allow the Baptisia to flower, then the plant in front would grow up and hide the gap. Since False Indigo emerge and flower early in the season, you could try hiding the empty space by planting late flowering perennials in front of a plant that gets eaten each year. The moths are less likely to find a couple of plants tucked in here and there than a large grouping of them. Just remember a healthy garden is all about creating diversity and having a wide variety of different types of plants. It’s tempting when first discovering their virtues to jump on the plant collector’s bandwagon and plant all the latest varieties. The chances of the caterpillars returning each year are fairly high, but there are a couple of ways to lessen the impact of this pest in your garden.īaptisia are showy, easy to grow, and require little if any maintenance. Using a natural pesticide is the best option for gardeners with limited time who want their Baptisia plants to look presentable throughout the growing season. Bt will kill any caterpillar species feeding on the plant, so don’t use it on plants that you want to serve as larval hosts – for example, milkweed ( Asclepias species) for monarchs. It does not harm beneficial insects or pollinators visiting flowers, but be sure to read and follow the directions on the label. It is applied to plant leaves and must be ingested by caterpillars to be effective. Caterpillars are the only insects that Bt controls. The third option is to use a natural pesticide such as Bt ( Bacillus thuringiensis). This is very time consuming especially when there are hundreds of caterpillars and they’re spread out over the entire plant. You can also squish them on the plant, but it requires going back over the plants regularly for missed caterpillars. When they are small and before they spread out over the whole plant, the leaves that they are feeding on can be trimmed off. The second option is to physically remove the caterpillars. This is the perfect course of action for mature plants in meadows and informal gardens, where a temporary empty spot can be tolerated and isn’t as noticeable. The first option for established plants is to do nothing and let nature take its course. Frequently checking the undersides of the leaves for either eggs or young caterpillars will alert you to their presence before your young plant is consumed a second time. If your plant has already been devoured, don’t worry too much as it will likely recover and send up new growth. If you’re reading this, it may be too late. If you have a young, newly planted false indigo plants I recommend protecting them from these caterpillars to give them a strong start. Even Baptisia plants that are defoliated year after year return and flower with no noticeable decrease in vigor - a true testament to the durability of this popular plant. Fortunately, established false indigo plants readily shoot back out, apparently no worse for wear. While I’m all for attracting insects into the garden, the caterpillar of Genista Broom moth can devour plants down to ground level and they don’t seem to have any natural predators to control their numbers. The caterpillar, or larval stage, of this moth, feeds on some plants in the pea family, which False Indigo is a member of. However, one pest is becoming more common in gardens and landscapes and it’s called the Genista Broom moth ( Uresiphita reversalis). Plants in the genus Baptisia, also known as false indigos, are tough and resilient plants that are not typically bothered by pests or diseases.
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