Growing different plant species next to your cannabis can help keep them healthy, pest-free, and even increase their yields at the end of the growing season.
Humans have practised companion planting for thousands of years. The term simply refers to planting numerous species in close proximity. Take a walk in the forest. What do you see? A whole load of different plants hanging out in harmony, with almost no rigid structure in place.
You’ll also see the same growing pattern in permaculture settings. Known as a polyculture, raising different plant species close together offers protection from disease and enhances biodiversity while attracting beneficial bugs.
Vegetable gardeners will be familiar with companion planting. Some species perform extremely well together. For example, squash, beans, and corn form an ancient triad known as the “three sisters” thanks to their successful synergy. Nasturtiums work wonderfully alongside cucumbers, whereas basil brings in pollinators to help out your tomatoes.
But companion planting doesn’t mean throwing in a bunch of seeds and hoping for the best. Some species just don’t get along too well. Raising the wrong plants close together can result in disappointing yields and poor plant health. Artichokes don’t like being close to beans and peas, and beetroots would rather not hang out with runner and pole beans.
Growers also use companion planting with great success in cannabis gardens. The pungent aroma of growing cannabis plants attracts all manner of unwanted insect and human attention. Companion plants can help disguise this characteristic smell. Many species can also protect your cannabis plant, improve the soil, and act as allies in the constant battle against pests.
WHAT ARE COMPANION PLANTS FOR CANNABIS?
Various companion plants work particularly well as nearby plants to cannabis, promoting a healthy—even clandestine—growing environment. Nature usually has the answer to most of our issues, both in and out of the cannabis garden. A companion plant can replace harmful chemicals and digging practices that disturb soil life.
Companion planting offers a holistic and closed-loop strategy. At the end of the cannabis growing season, they either end up in your tea mug, on your dinner plate, or on the compost pile. We’d call that a win-win situation in any scenario!
WHY USE COMPANION PLANTS?
First and foremost, companion planting protects your cannabis plant. Growing outdoors has many advantages, but increased likelihood of pests and pathogens aren’t one of them. Aside from helping to prevent crop devastation, they also help to increase the beneficial life in your soil and garden as a whole. Discover the main reasons you should start companion planting during your cannabis grow below.
DETER HARMFUL INSECTS
Terpenes are one of the main reasons any grower cultivates cannabis. Aside from underpinning the gorgeous smell of the herb, they contribute to the unique psychoactive effects of each cultivar. However, we’re not the only species that appreciates the smell—even the taste—of cannabis.
Many minute critters enjoy chomping on cannabis leaves, stems, and roots. Some growers opt to spray down their garden with harmful chemicals, although most cultivators shudder at this approach.
Others craft natural concoctions to deter pest species. However, companion planting offers a less interventionist and more holistic approach. Sure, cannabis smells wonderful. Who can deny that? But other plants also emanate pungent aromas.
These species produce powerful aromatic molecules that work as natural insect repellants. They act as a sort of biological shield. Cool, right?
Of all the commoncannabis pests, the main culprits include thrips, fungus gnats, whiteflies, aphids, leaf miners, and spider mites.
Some of the best companion plants to deter these pests include:
- Sweet Basil
- Coriander
- Lavender
- Chervil
- Marigold
The ZamnesiaScare Pack contains all of these protective species. Scatter these seeds around your garden beds and containers to deter pests that will otherwise snack on your plants.
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ATTRACT BENEFICIAL INSECTS
Not all insects are bad. In fact, nearly all life on Earth depends on these lifeforms for their survival. Companion plants attract a host of beneficial insects to your garden that will actively hunt down pest species.
Protective plants found in theDefender Pack are especially helpful, adding another layer to your biological defences. See which plants attract these insect allies below.
- Dill: attracts parasitic wasps that hunt down a range of insect pests
- Yarrow: draws in lacewings that hunt aphids, mites, and whiteflies
- Chamomile: attracts ladybugs to the garden, which eat around 5,000 aphids in their lifetime
- Lavender: attracts hoverflies that control aphids
- Sunflower: attracts ladybugs and spiders
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HIDE YOUR CANNABIS GROW
Insects are often low on the list of concerns when it comes to growing outdoors. Many cultivators raise their plants in areas where the law doesn’t tolerate such actions. Patrolling law enforcement and nosey neighbours will end your grow quicker than a whirling cloud of whiteflies.
Luckily, nature has the answer once again. Many companion plants serve up terpene profiles so pungent that they mask the scent of cannabis in the air. These species include:
- Lemon balm
- Lavender
- Peppermint
- Marigold
- Sunflower
You can find all of these species in our specially designedStealth Pack. The size and beauty of some of these plants will also help draw attention away from your cannabis plants. Pairing smallautoflowering strains with these species will keep your grow on the down-low.
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PROVIDE NUTRIENTS AND IMPROVE SOIL STRUCTURE
Believe it or not, there’s more! Companion planting will also improve the health, structure, and biodiversity of your soil, which means healthy plants all around. Good soil structure promotes root aeration, prevents erosion, and increases drainage.
Other species introduce nitrogen into the soil. Most plants rely on fixed nitrogen present in the soil in the form of ammonia and nitrate. However, some plants fix nitrogen from the atmosphere and use it as a fertiliser themselves. Well, we can thank microbes (once again) for doing the hard work here.
Rhizobium bacteria team up with the roots of certain plant species. In return for sugars created through photosynthesis, the microbes fix nitrogen required by the plant. Plants then leave nitrogen in the soil, making it available to other plants. They can also be “chopped and dropped” to form a nitrogen-rich mulch layer.
Species that fix nitrogen and enhance soil structure include:
- Borage
- White clover
- Red clover
- Alfalfa
- Cerastium
All of these species come in the ZamnesiaNutrient Pack.
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ALTERNATIVE USES OF A COMPANION PLANT
Companion planting offers benefits outside of the cannabis garden. Not only do these species help cannabis plants thrive, but some can beeaten and used in teas. This means no part of your garden goes to waste.
Companion plants such as coriander, dill, and basil add some serious taste to soups, salads, and pasta dishes. Species such as lavender, chamomile, and lemon balm make soothing teas.
HOW TO INCORPORATE COMPANION PLANTING IN YOUR CANNABIS GROW
A companion plant doesn't require much work or attention. They are there to help improve the quality of your cannabis and shouldn’t take up too much of your time. You can sow most species directly into garden beds and containers. Sprinkle a light layer of soil on top of the seeds and water them in. Check growing calendars for your region to find out the best times to sow each species.
You can sow most seeds outdoors after the last frost has passed. Species such as lavender can be germinated in a greenhouse as early as February, meaning you’ll have good-sized plants ready to join forces with your cannabis as soon as you transplant outdoors.
Scatter seeds across beds. Don’t worry too much about structure or uniformity. It’s better to let them grow relatively wild to form a protective barrier around your plants. If things start to get overcrowded, simply thin your plants out as they grow.
