Companion Plants To Nurture & Protect Your Cannabis Crop

The art of using companion plants is becoming all the rage in the age of cannabis. The practice refers to using other plants to defend your most valuable ganja. Many of these flowers and herbs are everyday herbs and flowers you might already grow.

Some of them attract beneficial insects – like pollinators. Others keep predators at bay. Still, others can support the growth of your cannabis plant by enriching the soil or other aspects of its environment. Finally, there are even plants that can boost your crop’s yield.

When planted strategically these plants can either work alone or together in our unique seed packs to enhance your cannabis crop.

1. DEFENDER PACK

These companion plants will work to defend your grow in several ways. They do keep some marauders away on their own. Even better? They also attract insects and bugs that defend your cannabis.

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• Chamomile

Used as an herb to make tea all on its own, Chamomile also keeps white flies and nematodes away. Planting it next to your cannabis plant is the best way to stake out a “Do Not Enter” sign for destructive insects. Spraying chamomile tea on seedlings will also keep fungal infections from occurring. This is a major problem for young plants. Spreading cuttings around struggling plants also helps give them a boost.

• Dill

This delicate herb is related to carrots and fennel. For this reason, gardeners keep these plants away from dill, because it can cross pollinate easily with them. It is also a popular herb used in cooking. In the garden, dill is also a powerful protective companion plant. It can attract honeybees and hoverflies as well as beneficial wasps.

Caterpillars also love to munch on dill rather than surrounding plants. The plant also repels other invaders, including bugs, mites and aphids. Easy to grow, dill can be placed directly around cannabis plants with no harm.

• Lavender

Lavandula angustifolia is one of the most commonly recognised herbs. It is used in perfume, soaps and other cosmetics. It is also a bug magnet for beneficial cannabis bugs and keeps-away pests. Nectar feeding insects love the plant. Mice, fleas, ticks and moths, however, are all kept at bay by the scent. Plant them around the edges of any garden you are trying to protect.

• Sunflowers

Like a couple other companion plants, it is hard to go wrong with sunflowers. They are beautiful. They attract and repel the right kinds of insects for cannabis growers. They can even shield the plant from unwanted eyes when growing in stealth.

They are also great for the soil. Their roots are so effective that they are even used to filter grey water in organic filter systems. They are even being used to process irradiated water at Fukushima.

• Yarrow

This lovely plant is a way to add bright splashes of colour to your garden. Achillea millefolium is also welcome for another reason. When planted around the edges of your garden, yarrow can increase essential oil production in nearby plants.

However, they need to be kept to the edges so roots do not compete. The insects that Yarrow attracts are also great for plant protection. This includes ladybugs, hoverflies, aphid lions and mini wasps. All of these bugs help keep your crops safe from other marauding insects and pests.

2. SCARE PACK

This collection of companions will literally scare the “baddies” away. Most of these plants have either a high odour or emit oils that literally act as a natural insect repellent. Plant them together around your cannabis for a colourful but protective garden.

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• Basil

This lush, summer-loving plant will provide your garden with beautiful green foliage. This so-called “Prince of Plants” will also protect and nourish your cannabis garden. Some tomato growers believe that it also improves the flavour of their plants. For this reason, it also might promote terpene production of budding cannabis.

Terpenes are the essential oils found in cannabis. Any method to boost their production, therefore, is a great addition to any canna garden. Because this is such an easy-to-grow herb and often used for cooking, it is hard to go wrong with this plant.

It loves warm and sunny conditions, but can easily be grown in as well as outdoors. While it attracts a bunch of beneficial insects, Basil will also keep intruders away. This includes aphids, asparagus beetles, mosquitos and whitefly.

• Chervil

This shade-loving annual produces white and pale magenta flowers. It also creates vigour in neighbouring plants, including cannabis. Used with dill and coriander in particular, Chervil is a great protective plant - helping keep slugs at bay.

• Coriander

This plant is also sometimes known as “dizzy corn” because of the narcotic effects of the seeds. It was also once considered an aphrodisiac. These days, many growers find that Coriander’s pungent scent keeps aphids, spider mites and potato beetles away. Hover flies plus a variety of parasitic wasps are also attracted to the plant. They also act as a protective shield against other marauders.

There is also another way to use coriander as a natural pest deterrent. Grind up the seeds and make tea out of them. Once the liquid has cooled, it becomes an excellent topical spray for your plants.

• Lavender

Featuring in another of our packs, the smell of this lovely purple plant is its biggest weapon against invaders. Not only does the plant repel fleas, ticks and moths, but it also keeps mice from gnawing at your cannabis. Ironically of course, lavender has been used to attract humans. It has long been used in soaps and perfumes of all kinds. For all these reasons, lavender has been planted in gardens for over three millennia.

• Marigolds

These beautiful yellow-orange plants have often been used as garden borders. Known for their ability to attract and ward off insects, they also help boost plant growth. Adding Marigolds to compost is one way to make better soil for your cannabis automatically.

French Marigold also produces a chemical in its roots that is a strong insecticide that can last for years.

3. NUTRIENT PACK

The plants in this nutrient pack are great for improving the soil and surrounding environs of your cannabis plants. Some allow the plant to be supported by a root structure that increases drainage. Others literally act as natural, living mineral injectors, starting with nitrogen.

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• Alfalfa

Alfalfa is an amazing companion plant. The reason? It has the ability to help with local drainage. Its deep-roots help hinder evaporation. This means that waterings can be fewer. It also means that the plant can help out neighbours during dry spells.

On the soil front, there is also more good news. The plant is a nitrogen fixing plant, helping keep nitrogen levels at healthy amounts in the soil. It also accumulates iron, magnesium, phosphorous and potassium. These minerals are all essential for growing cannabis.

The benefits of Alfalfa as a neighbour, therefore, easily pay off. The plant also encourages dandelion growth, which helps to break up soil and aid water penetration. Making tea from the plant itself and spraying it on other plants is also known to encourage growth in cannabis.

• Borage

This beautiful plant creates sprays of lavender-coloured flowers throughout the growing season. Its leaves and flowers are also edible - with a pleasant spicy flavour. Borage is also a hardy plant that thrives in the same conditions as cannabis.

Growing it as a neighbour can improve the health of your plants. That is because it pumps vitamins and minerals into the soil. The mineral content of the plant itself is also ideal for dry mulch. Borage compost can help infuse your cannabis with slow release Potassium and Calcium vital for growth and vigorous photosynthesis.

• Cerastium

Also known as Cerastium biebersteinii, this is a short-lived type of ground clover. It has a thick shower of white flowers in late spring and early summer. It is also a great source of compost material. It is literally living mulch that can also provide shade for garden soil. This helps keep moisture in the ground near the plant instead of evaporating.

• Red Clover

Trifolium pratense is one of the best companion plants on the planet. The reason? It “fixes” environmental nitrogen in its roots. This helps feed nitrogen to neighbouring plants. Its complex root structure also helps create natural drainage. This allows water to more easily penetrate the soil. Because it is easy to grow, newbie cannabis lovers also love this plant.

• White Clover

Also known as Trifolium repens. It is essentially living mulch that can be used to carpet the growing space between other plants. Because of its root structure, clover fixes atmospheric nitrogen. As the plant decays, nitrogen is released into the soil. Cannabis plants are hungry for this element. White Clover is a workhorse that is difficult to kill. It can also substantially reduce the need for other kinds of fertilisers.

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4. STEALTH PACK

These strategic plants all do several things. They tend to be large and concealing or have a strong odour to cover up the smell of cannabis. They also tend to be either super pretty, smell or look great, and even taste delicious. For that reason, this is a must-have bag of tricks for any canna farmer needing concealment and protection.

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• Lavender

Featuring once more for its distinct smell, lavender has been used for centuries to tantalise the nose. It also keeps away moths, ticks, aphids and spider mites. Mice are also not big fans. The oil from the leaves can also be used as a spray to deter mosquitos.

• Lemon Balm

These plants are a welcome addition to any natural apothecary. They have a range of uses beyond being a super stealthy companion plant - for its disguising aroma. It also attract pollinators and deter pests with its strong odour. As an added benefit, it also tends to infuse other plants near it with a distinctive citrusy twang. Use it to infuse your entire “herb” garden.

• Marigolds

These plants are great boosters for the plants that surround them. Their roots are also great additions to compost. They also deter insects. The plants produce beautiful, bright orange flowers. They also keep away aphids, mosquitos, beetles, leaf hoppers and nematodes. Rabbits also avoid these plants.

• Mint

Mint is a favourite herb all of its own. However it is also a strong companion plant for cannabis. Its strong smell wards off deer flies, roaches, ants and other kinds of stinging insects, and can help disguise smell. It can be a bit of an intrusive plant, however. Unless carefully maintained, its runners will run wild.

• Sunflowers

Sunflowers are not only beautiful but highly functional. Cultivated for at least 4,000 years for their foliage, oil and protective nature. They are tough plants that can even be used for water filtration. However when it comes to being a companion plant, Sunflowers also do their duty. 

They lure destructive predators, including aphids away from your other plants. The strength of the sunflower plant itself protects it from insect attack. As an aid to stealth, the sunflower grows large and bright, taking focus away from the green hues of cannabis.

YOU'VE HARVESTED YOUR CANNABIS, WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

Even away from the garden, companion plants can be useful in more ways than one. Also, they can be quite beneficial. From cooking with them to throwing them inside your vape along with your bud, in this article, you'll learn about all the different things you can do with your companion plants. They'll certainly never go to waste, that's for sure!

• PAIR COMPANION PLANTS WITH MEALS: Companion plants like dill, chervil, coriander, peppermint, and basil are excellent additions to virtually any meal. So why not cook with them? For example, dill goes perfectly in carrot soup. And chervil is delicious with eggs. Then you have Coriander, an herb that will add a little spice to fruits and vegetables. Even if none of these delicacies suit you, you can get creative and pair them with anything that comes to mind.

• MIX COMPANION PLANTS WITH CANNABIS:  Here at Zamnesia, we have plenty of vape herbs on deck, including lavender, peppermint, and chamomile. When you mix companion plants with marijuana, they can and will elevate your vape experience in multiple ways. They offer a unique taste and aroma when blended. Secondly, you get double the benefits - those from cannabis, and those that you get from the companion plants alone.

• BREW TEA USING COMPANION PLANTS: Tea is the best. By brewing tea with companion plants such as lemon balm, chamomile, and lavender, you'll undoubtedly reap lots of health benefits.

So there you have it. Companion plants can be a boon to any cannabis grow- so decide the kind you need, and add that natural, organic boost to your hobby grow!

Miguel Antonio Ordoñez

With an AB Mass Media and Communications degree, Miguel Ordoñez is a veteran writer of 13 years and counting and has been covering cannabis-related content since 2017. Continuous, meticulous research along with personal experience has helped him build a deep well of knowledge on the subject.

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