Using Morning Glories to Fight Pests (& mildew?)

John310 · July 16, 2010

Greeting fellow Tomato Growers!

Just found the Tomatoville forum today... Tons of great info! Thanks!

I hope my first post will add to it!

*****

Last year I was growing some tomatoes near a fence that had morning glories growing on it, so I decided to try and use the existing morning glory vines to hold up my tomato plant. I just wove the tomato in and out of the morning glory vines as it grew along the fence. The tomato plant ended up getting about 12 feet long and never got choked by the morning glory! Using morning glories as a trellis seemed to work pretty well, but what was even more interesting was that while the leaves on morning glory got munched on by pests, the tomato leaves were hardly touched.

This year I decided to take my experiment to the next level and planted morning glories in between four tomato plants on the side of my house.

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In this same plot last year my plants got devoured by cabbage looper worms, but this year only the morning glories seem to be getting eaten! As you can see in the photo below, the morning glories on the left are heavily eaten while the tomatoes are pretty much untouched. My guess is that it's because the morning glory leaves are much more tender and easier to eat than tomato leaves.

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

I also ended up with a SEVERE powdery mildew problem last year, probably a result of the BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) I sprayed on the leaves trying to battle my looper worm infestation. This year I have some mildew on the plants in the front of my house (which have tons of sun and great airflow), but the plants next to the morning glories have ZERO mildew. Perhaps it is the morning glories sucking up any extra moisture???
I'm not sure why it is but I LIKE IT!

I also experimented using a coiled part of morning glory vine as a splint to support an accidental break of my main stem. It healed up great!

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Please note, I didn't just let the morning glories grow wild; I cut back the new shoots and kept them from growing directly on the tomatoes for the most part. I did however let them grow wild with one plant; a cherry tomato, which is now over 10 feet tall and very happy!

Besides the benefits listed above, my morning glory method is also 100% organic AND you get beautiful morning glory flowers!!!

Happy Growing!!!

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amberroses · July 16, 2010

That is a neat theory. Thanks for sharing your observations. I may try this.

hasshoes · July 16, 2010

Very interesting! I grew morning glories (President Tyler) next to my roses last year with amazing results. My first roses and I never sprayed anything and they looked great despite a cold, wet season.

Thanks for sharing. :0)

The only thing I would worry about is the MGs becoming invasive-- though that is not something I"ve had to deal with in New England, obviously :0)

ps- nice maters! ;0) :0)

veggie babe · July 17, 2010

Welcome John310, that's a nice mater you have.

Neva

b54red · July 17, 2010

My neighbor planted morning glories along the fence seperating her yard from my garden 25 years ago and I have been fighting them ever since. A couple of plants is no problem; but I usually have to deal with thousands of them popping up everywhere. I have only dealt with a few weeds that are as hard to control as morning glories. I hope you don't have the same problem in the future.

July 16, 2010	#1
John310 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: West Los Angeles Posts: 2	Using Morning Glories to Fight Pests (& mildew?) Greeting fellow Tomato Growers! Just found the Tomatoville forum today... Tons of great info! Thanks! I hope my first post will add to it! *** Last year I was growing some tomatoes near a fence that had morning glories growing on it, so I decided to try and use the existing morning glory vines to hold up my tomato plant. I just wove the tomato in and out of the morning glory vines as it grew along the fence. The tomato plant ended up getting about 12 feet long and never got choked by the morning glory! Using morning glories as a trellis seemed to work pretty well, but what was even more interesting was that while the leaves on morning glory got munched on by pests, the tomato leaves were hardly touched. This year I decided to take my experiment to the next level and planted morning glories in between four tomato plants on the side of my house. Uploaded with ImageShack.us In this same plot last year my plants got devoured by cabbage looper worms, but this year only the morning glories seem to be getting eaten! As you can see in the photo below, the morning glories on the left are heavily eaten while the tomatoes are pretty much untouched. My guess is that it's because the morning glory leaves are much more tender and easier to eat than tomato leaves. Uploaded with ImageShack.us I also ended up with a SEVERE powdery mildew problem last year, probably a result of the BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) I sprayed on the leaves trying to battle my looper worm infestation. This year I have some mildew on the plants in the front of my house (which have tons of sun and great airflow), but the plants next to the morning glories have ZERO mildew. Perhaps it is the morning glories sucking up any extra moisture??? I'm not sure why it is but I LIKE IT! I also experimented using a coiled part of morning glory vine as a splint to support an accidental break of my main stem. It healed up great! Uploaded with ImageShack.us Please note, I didn't just let the morning glories grow wild; I cut back the new shoots and kept them from growing directly on the tomatoes for the most part. I did however let them grow wild with one plant; a cherry tomato, which is now over 10 feet tall and very happy! Besides the benefits listed above, my morning glory method is also 100% organic AND you get beautiful morning glory flowers!!! Happy Growing!!!** Uploaded with ImageShack.us

July 16, 2010	#3
hasshoes Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: MT Posts: 438	Very interesting! I grew morning glories (President Tyler) next to my roses last year with amazing results. My first roses and I never sprayed anything and they looked great despite a cold, wet season. Thanks for sharing. :0) The only thing I would worry about is the MGs becoming invasive-- though that is not something I"ve had to deal with in New England, obviously :0) ps- nice maters! ;0) :0) __________________ Sara

July 16, 2010	#2
amberroses Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Florida Posts: 105	That is a neat theory. Thanks for sharing your observations. I may try this.

July 17, 2010	#4
veggie babe Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: east texas Posts: 686	Welcome John310, that's a nice mater you have. Neva

July 17, 2010	#5
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	My neighbor planted morning glories along the fence seperating her yard from my garden 25 years ago and I have been fighting them ever since. A couple of plants is no problem; but I usually have to deal with thousands of them popping up everywhere. I have only dealt with a few weeds that are as hard to control as morning glories. I hope you don't have the same problem in the future.