A Cannabis Guild

By Grammy Green

Companion planting is an inexpensive, planet-friendly long term organic solution that provides natural insecticides and fungicides for your cannabis garden. Living mulch, shade, green manure and added boosts of nutrients, vitamins and minerals can all be achieved by planting growing things, that support other growing things.

The cannabis plant responds to companion planting with more vigorous growth, greater resistance to disease and pests and heavier yields with more essential oil production. A collection of plants grown together that support each other and cannabis are called guilds.

Guilds act as diverse micro-ecosystems, that improve overall soil quality, water penetration and retention and bio-availability of nutrients. Healthy guilds attract beneficial insects and small creatures, that prey on pests, that can damage cannabis.

COMPANION PLANTS FOR CANNABIS THAT REPEL INSECTS

Basil: This herb is so well regarded, it is called the king of herbs. The sweet aroma of basil in the air acts as a deterrent to aphids, asparagus beetles, mosquitoes, tomato hornworms and whitefly.

Lemon balm: Commmonly known as melissa, lemon balm repels mosquitoes and gnats while attracting beneficial pollinators. Pluck regularly, as it can be invasive and spreads quickly.

Dill: Dill attracts allies like honeybees and hoverflies, ichneumonids and other beneficial wasps. Swallowtail butterfly caterpillars will forgo your cannabis, as they prefer feasting on dill. Spider mites, the curse of the cannabis farmer, despise dill and will stay away in droves. Dill is also an effective repellant for aphids, cabbage looper and squash bugs.

Yarrow: Long rooted yarrow is commonly used as a garden edge plant, so it doesn't compete for root room with your cannabis. It repels a wide range of bugs and attracts many beneficial predatory insects like ladybugs, aphid lions and hoverflies and several species of desirable parasitic wasps.

Chamomile: The carpet of small bright white flowers will always be buzzing with delighted honeybees and hoverflies while repelling mosquitoes and flies.

Coriander: As a front-line deterrent, coriander repels aphids, potato beetles and the dreaded spider mite and helps attract tachninid flies, hoverflies and a variety of parasitoid wasps that prey on bad bugs or their larvae.

Lavender: The breathtaking flower spears of lavender attract several useful nectar and larvae feeding insects and your plants will always be haloed with stoked bees. Fleas, ticks and mice are repulsed by lavender.

Peppermint: Invasive, but versatile, peppermint will attract the good guys like bees and repels ants, fleas and aphids, flea beetles and mice.

Chervil: Grown in a guild with dill and coriander, a fortress wall of beneficial plants will surround your marijuana and keep it safe from aphids and whitefly, while attracting honeybees and parasitoid mini wasps, that feed on the larvae of hostile insect species.

Alfalfa: This metre high grass repels the dreaded lygus bug, while attracting friends to your patch, such as ladybugs, assassin beetles and several predatory wasps.

Marigold: A companion planting staple, the powerful and pretty marigold repels beetles and leaf hoppers, Mexican beetle and objectionable nematodes. Its buoyant bloom attracts beneficial nectar-eating species.

COMPANION PLANTS FOR CANNABIS THAT IMPROVE SOIL QUALITY

Alfalfa: Called the "king of foods", alfalfa fixes nitrogen and accumulates iron, magnesium, potassium and phosphorous. The deep roots help break up the soil, increasing water penetration and retention and slowing evaporation. It grows quickly; trim and use as mulch around your plants.

Cerastium: Acting as a living mulch, the rapidly growing cerastium shades the soil and increases water penetration and retention. Trim often and use as mulch or compost.

White & Red Clover: The low-growing clovers are very resilient and act as living mulch, encouraging soil friability. All the clovers fix nitrogen, which is released into the local neighbouring plants as it decomposes.

Chamomile: Very efficient at accumulating calcium, potassium and sulphur, chamomile will release these nutrients back into the soil after it died.

COMPANION PLANTS & ELIXIRS THAT BOOST CANNABIS GROWTH

Yarrow: Gardening folklore promises, that yarrow increases essential oil production in neighbouring plants.

Chamomile: As if by magic, chamomile increases the turgor of its neighbours, including cannabis and bolsters essential oil production.

Coriander: A tea brewed from the crushed seeds of coriander can be used as a topical spray to control spider mites far more effectively than commercial poisons.

Alfalfa: The dried stalks can be brewed into a vitamin and mineral-rich tea, that can be sprayed on your marijuana and the whole garden to stimulate growth.

Marigold: One of the oldest companion plants, marigold stimulates growth in their neighbours and releases a chemical into the soil, that repels insects. This effect can last for years after.

Thanks to the good folks at Royal Queen Seeds for this informative article: 

https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/content/136-list-of-companion-plants-for-quality-cannabis-rqs