11 replies to this topic

[StrayDogWanders]

Do you companion plant with your outdoor grows ?

If so what do you use and why ?

[MushLuvR]

I've never done any companion growing, but when I was younger hiding plants, I used to stuff them in with Grape Vines for Cover.  This was WeLL over 20 years ago though.  

 

MushL 

[YoshiTrainer]

We used to espalier the plants on pig wire that we had attached to posts. The pig wire also had tomato plants woven into it.

Marigolds are the only companion plant I intentionally planted for MJ, supposedly they repel white flies.

[StrayDogWanders]

The fragrant herbs are said to reply a host of pests so I may just put my herb gardens in my herb gardens.
Marigolds and sunflowers probably as well. I have comfrey and probably use borage as well as some clover ground over

Edited by StrayDogWanders, 23 January 2022 - 05:03 PM.

[Myc]

I plant sunflowers next to my roses. The ants will move all of the aphids off of the roses and move them onto the sunflowers. Ants "herd" aphids like humans tend herd animals (go figure).

But I've never tested this with outdoor cannabis. Might be worth a try.

[StrayDogWanders]

Do you think the tap root from comfry will go deep enough that it would /would not compete for nutrients ?

I had no clue ants would pick up the aphids.

[Myc]

Re: Ants and Aphids

 

I've watched and observed their behavior for many years.

Aphids normally have wings so they can travel from plant to plant.

Ants "domesticate" aphids by removing their wings and herding them to various different pastures. The aphids produce a sweet exudate that the ants enjoy - and so do other insects. The ants will defend the aphids against robbers like wasps and other predators.

For some reason, they prefer sunflowers over roses. Almost the entire aphid herd will be moved off of the roses and onto the sunflowers.

Fun stuff, for sure.

[StrayDogWanders]

Thanks Myc!

Have you noticed a distance relationship with the two plants. Guess what I am asking is how far away can you plant the sunflowers from the plant your protecting and still be effective ?

[StrayDogWanders]

Calendula is another aphid magnet. I’m thinking of alternating the calendula and sunflowers in a patch near the grow.

[Myc]

Sorry for the long delay in answering your question.

Re: Sunflowers

 

I made the discovery of ants and aphids when I had a volunteer sunflower come up one year.

The sunflower was 2-3 feet away from the roses.

I had been lamenting the damage to my roses (from aphid infestation) for years. I refuse to use chemical pesticides so the problem never went away.

 

Once the sunflower got taller I suddenly noticed that the aphids were entirely absent from my rose bushes. While tending the garden one day I kept noticing that wasps were particularly interested in the sunflower plant so I came in for closer observation. The wasps were attempting to rob the aphids of their nectar - and the ants weren't having it. The battle looked like a Bruce Lee movie.

I then further noticed that the sunflower was coated in aphids. I mean that literally - wall-papered is another good analogy.

 

It's really weird learning all of the interactions and relationships associated with a garden. Having a microscope and dental surgical loupe is really worth the money. You can use the surgical loupes to examine trichomes and other plant structures at high magnification without the bulk of a microscope. Great for quick observations and the cheap ones work fine.

[StrayDogWanders]

Thanks kind sir!
Good info.

I have been also reading about lavender, lemon balm and strawberries having a positive effect on the limonene terpenes

[Myc]

Several varieties of lavender, rosemary, thyme, basil, lemon basil, mint, ------ they're all great companions (with benefits).

 

I like the idea of giving the predators a much more desirable food source as opposed to poisoning them. All facets of nature serve some higher purpose - cockroaches, ants, molds, fungi............you, me..........;)

 

Keep on gardening!