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Louisiana & Mississippi

mosquito repelling plants

11 years ago

I am looking at growing Lemon Eucalyptus Trees and creeping thyme. Anyone have success with these? I am in the north shore area near new orleans. I bought 25 Lemon Eucalyptus Tree seeds and 1000 creeping thyme seeds. If an experienced gardener near buy wants to help me grow these on my land with my time and money I will share what we grow.

I figure if I grow 6-8 of the trees to line the sides of my yard with and use the thyme around the house then possibly the mosquitos will go elsewhere.

Dave

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Comments (2)

Bayou_Butterfly
11 years ago
I have two Lemon Eucalyptus trees that I bought in four-inch pots at the plant sale at New Orleans City Park two years ago. One got about twelve feet tall and the other was about eight in ONE year's time.

This past winter, they both froze. The smaller came back up from the ground in spring, and the larger one just got burned on the tips. The big one shot up to about 15 feet tall and is much larger than the other one that came back up from the ground. The smaller one is about six feet high at the moment.

Hurricane Isaac flattened the big one to the ground--just laid it down on its side. We're going to have to use the truck to lift it back up.

I don't know about repelling mosquitoes or other insects. I grew them in the butterfly garden because Monarch butterflies overwinter on a type of eucalyptus in Mexico. I just thought it would be nice in my Monarch area. It does smell like the citronella candles on the porch, now that I think about it. I guess I'd better move it out of the butterfly garden!

I can recommend them as a super-duper fast-growing evergreen tree. They are pretty, not overly wide, and they don't make any mess by dropping a fruit or leaves. The yard smells wonderful and lemony-sweet when it rains. I would recommend that you protect them in hard freezes until they are larger, or let them grow back up from the ground. Remember, my larger one didn't freeze to the ground--only the smaller one did.

I thought they were two different types because the smaller one always had fuzzy leaves. Now they both have smooth leaves.

When I researched to see if there was any such thing as a native eucalyptus, I found out that the state has been researching eucalyptus as a timber crop in Louisiana. Here are the links I saved:

http://www.eucalyptusfacts.org/
http://members3.boardhost.com/eucalyptus/msg/1284409759.html
http://www.gardenguides.com/97475-eucalyptus-trees-louisiana.html

http://theherbgardener.blogspot.com/2010/08/using-and-growing-lemon-eucalyptus.html
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
11 years ago
Dave, have you tried the citronella scented Pelargoniums? They have this reputation, though are always too expensive for me to get a significant enough quantity to test this theory. The one I got last year is barely still alive. I was hoping to propagate it, but guess I'm just hoping for continued life at this point.

Good luck fighting the good fight!
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You need to look in an ethnic grocery store in the produce department for lemon grass it does not put on seeds but does well in the hot weather. But in your area once you get good clumps come cold weather you need to remove enough stalks to keep thru your winter months. It needs to be trimmed back for storage in your refrigerator until you get warmer weather without frost. It will keep for months in your crisper. Even if it looks rough as long as it still has enough green it should once placed in soil do fine as the weather heats up.
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That is the falacy. The plant that is commercially hyped as The Citronella Plant is nothing but one of the many scented geraniums. Because it SMELLS like citronella (which is a real plant not commonly grown), some very foxy marketers decided to take advantage of it. Mosquitoes are not repelled by the lemony smell of citronella, but the actual Cymbopogon nardus grass chemicals.
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We have lots of lemon grass on our property and use it in Asian cooking and as a tea and a decongestant when I have a cold. Simmer it up with some lemon leaves and camphor oil and I feel like new again. I can honestly tell you that it doe not work to keep the mosquitoes at bay. I still get EATEN ALIVE. The chemical components of lemon grass does contain citronella as it is believed to be a repellant, but unless you crush the root of the lemongrass in large quantities, it is best to keep the bug spray handy. On the other hand the plant itself is beautiful, stays healthy and alive all year round, lives through frost, and is mighty tasty on grilled meats.
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Here is a site about natural mosquito controls. It's opened to an article about whether 'mosquito plants' work. Since mosquitoes are attracted by exhaled carbon dioxide anything that masks that scent is an effective repellent. The problem with mosquito repelling plants is that to be truly effective the leaves need to be crushed to release the repellent oils they contain. When mosquito populations are high I spray a product containing lemon grass oil around the back door, and under patio furniture and bushes where they might hide. It's said to kill on contact, but mostly serves as a reliable repellent for me. Hot Shot Natural is one such product. Welcome to Texas! ... :-)
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