Polyculture and Companion Plants

Polyculture and Companion Plants

For many years farmers have planted their crops in monoculture (one crop) styles. Such practices cause many problems for the farmer and the environment but the loss of diversity, a keystone in a healthy natural system, is one of the worst.

For example, let's say I have a field of cannabis in a monoculture. No other plants are within miles of my cannabis field. Then one day a mass of cannabis eating bugs comes by and begins ravaging my crop. No other plants means no predatory bugs so the only resort is chemical warfare. This is an oversimplified example but you get the picture.

Polycultural gardens (many types of plants together) have a much higher likelihood of taking care of themselves, resulting in less work for the farmer if properly planned and allowed to mature. I'll break the polycultural garden (other than your main crop) down into groups.

Nitrogen Fixers- These plants are primarily in the “Legume” family and include beans, clover peas, baptisia, and a few trees like yellowwood and locust. These plants take in atmospheric nitrogen and deposit it in the soil through small nodules on their roots, essentially fertilizing your soil. Farmers use these plants when they “cover crop” a field to help rejuvenate overused soil.

Beneficial Insect Attractors- These plants (usually when in flower) will attract all the good little bugs that eat the ones you can't stand. A few great plants for this are Fennel, Tansy, Dill, Chamomile and Sunflowers.

Pest Repellers- Will keep pests (bug or animal) away from your garden, they include; Lavender, Mint, Nasturtium, Daffodils and some types of Marigolds (others can the opposite so be careful.)

Dynamic Accumulators- Plants that take nutrients from deep in the soil and deposit them on the ground when they die back in fall/winter. The plants in this category supply much of the other required nutrients and micro nutrients the plants need to thrive. Good candidates are Dandelion, Comfrey, Nettles, and Burdock.

Cover Crops- Pretty much what the name implies. These plants are generally shallow rooted, cover the empty spaces in your garden to prevent evaporation, and provide some other type of benefit (like nitrogen fixing.) Good cover crops are barley, clover, or cranberries.

Buffing Plants- These plants supposedly increase production of essential oils to plants within root contact, possibly providing other benefits as well. Chamomile and Nettles are the top two in my book as they have multiple uses.

Bringing these ideas to the indoor garden is something that is still a bit of a topic within the organic soil community. A good guild (group) of plants for indoors could be;

Clover for mulch/nitrogen fixing, chamomile for extra production and beneficial insects, and perhaps a lavender plant for pest deterrent. The lavender has no need to be planted in the same container as your cannabis.

The concerns with indoor application are whether companion plants have enough time to start producing results within the lifespan of a typical cannabis plant, and that many plants will wither once the cannabis canopy blocks out their light. Also some plants may not react well to the various light cycles, or could overpower you cannabis if not enough room is given.

For the best indoor results try mounting lights on the sides of your grow room, using larger pots, and running your soil no-till (as in not removing the soil from the pot.) Make sure to have a nutrient rich and microbial active soil before trying a no-till run.

-BDBuds