Cannabis Companion Planting: Basil

Cannabis Companion Planting: Basil

Luke Sholl
Luke Sholl

As well as being the main ingredient of delicious pesto, basil may be worth introducing to your outdoor garden in hopes of protecting your valuable cannabis crop and assisting them in reaching their maximum yield potential. Welcome to the world of companion planting.

WHAT IS COMPANION PLANTING?

Just about any form of gardening requires innovation to ensure yields can be grown faster, more efficiently and provide better quality. However, the innovation present in the cannabis industry is probably the most rapidly evolving within the whole field. Growers are constantly and successfully finding new ways to boost the health of their plants and with it the output of fresh, dank buds, that act as recreational delights.

[related_story id=72 lang=1 type_class=CmsPagesItem css_class=old-generation]

A number of techniques, pieces of equipment and methods now exist for growers to choose from to achieve these goals, though not all of them involve high-tech machinery, lights and fans, that require hefty overhead costs. In fact, some of these methods come directly from Mother Nature herself, such as the humble yet potent basil plant.

[view_product id="4372"]

Companion planting is based on the idea that some plants can form synergistic and cooperative partnerships when planted within a certain proximity. Some plants have the ability to act as natural pesticides and repellents, that help protect your crop within its growing environment. Other plants may be used for the opposite; perhaps they are so attractive to pests, that they simply cannot resist them. In this case a plant can act as a decoy or shield, while the actual crop of interest remains healthy and defended.

There is very little strict, scientific research confirming the legitimacy of companion planting. However, this has been a trial and error process over an extended period of time and a result of direct action within the field. Common occurrences that have proven to be effective are at the root of companion planting.

COMPANION PLANTING WITH BASIL

Basil and cannabis

When it comes to basil, it seems this crop offers a number of benefits when used as a companion. There are many different types of basil, from Thai varieties to holy basil. However, the basil found commonly among Italian dishes is sweet basil. This sweetly scented herb is easy to grow and a fast find. It requires around 6 to 8 hours of sunlight a day to grow optimally with a preference for moist, yet well-drained soil.

Basil has been observed to be an effective companion for a wide variety of plants, including chillies, bell peppers, aubergine, marigold, oregano, potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, beets, beans and asparagus. This long list of vegetation is a testament to the team spirit of the basil plant. Basil has been seen to attract beneficial life forms such as butterflies into the garden environment, whilst repelling harmful and damaging insects. Such unwanted guests include mosquitoes, tomato hornworms, whiteflies, aphids and asparagus beetles.

Another important analysis of growing basil among other crops is its apparent ability to improve the flavour of a plant and several online forum posts boast about its ability to increase oil production in cannabis plants - though this has yet to be confirmed and proven. Using basil as a companion plant for your cannabis could lead to some very interesting growing outcomes.

You’re visiting our International website.