Science Questions

Can plants affect one another in the garden?

If certain plants make other plants not grow, should you be careful how you plant your garden? George

We put this question to Tony Hooper:

You certainly wouldn't want to try to grow anything under a pine tree, as they drop resins which are poisonous to other plants, as do walnut trees.

With regards arable crops, rather than gardens, wheat produces chemicals in the soil that are generally toxic both to other plants and to insects that may

attempt to colonise them.  We're working on getting this respondse 'on demand', to protect crops from attack.

May 2008