10 Companion Plants for Cannabis to Ensure a Healthy and Hearty Harvest

There are a ton of reasons one might choose to grow their own cannabis at home rather than buy it from a dispensary – with the main reason often being cost savings. Other reasons might be to have certain strains on hand for medical reasons, or to simply have more control over the pesticides and such used on the cannabis you’ll eventually consume. A secret that many gardeners swear by to ensure a healthy harvest is planting companion plants that help prevent pests and bacterial fungi, add nutrients to soil, and more.

So, what are the best companion plants for growing cannabis? In this post, we’ll cover which companion plants are best to grow with cannabis, as well as why and how they’ll enhance your harvest.

The Best Companion Plants to Grow with Cannabis

Companion plants have many purposes from attracting pollinators and deterring pests to providing camouflage or adding nutrients to the soil and so much more. The companion plants you choose can be based on numerous factors, including what environmental benefits you’re looking for, if you’re planting only to aid cannabis or hope to utilize other herbs, or even the visual effect you want to achieve from your garden.

To get you started, we’ve created this list of the most common and beneficial companion plants for cannabis.

1. Basil

Basil is one of the most popular companion plants for cannabis. There are a load of benefits when choosing to plant this herb including repelling pests like mosquitos, aphids, or asparagus beetles. It’s also a great option for those looking to enhance the terpene content of their cannabis. Most of these benefits are tied to the pungent smell of basil, also making it great camouflaging option for outdoor grows.

2. Marigold

These bright golden flowers are a perfect distraction to keep aphids off your cannabis plants while also producing a wonderful aroma that can mingle well with more pungent strains. Conveniently marigolds grow well almost year-round, with the exception of the frosty cold months (unless you have an indoor garden or tropical climate).

3. Lavender

On its own, lavender is a plant often used in holistic treatments of stress, anxiety, and depression making it a great companion plant from a medical standpoint. Not only does it give you another medicinal herb for your arsenal, but its pleasant aroma will make your garden a peaceful and relaxing place while it helps to repel pests.

4. Chamomile

Another natural stress reliever, chamomile is often thought of when it comes to relaxing teas that help with stress and sleep. This companion plant will boost the production of essential oils in the plants that surround it, while also keeping away flies and mosquitoes.

5. Mint

Mint, or peppermint more specifically, is an excellent companion plant for cannabis because of its strong aroma and menthol production. The scent not only makes for a pleasant gardening experience but it naturally repels many insects and other pests that can damage your crops. For medical patients, it can be used in conjunction with cannabis in topical lotions, salves, and more.

6. Yarrow

Great for creating shade for plants that need it and fighting off pests like ladybugs and lion aphids. Some growers will also tell you that like chamomile you’re likely to see increased essential oil production in nearby plants.

7. Clover

Clover, more specifically white clover, works as a balancing agent and a sort of living mulch that helps maintain PH balance and adds nutrients to soil. It also protects soil from heat while helping it to retain water and is known to have medicinal benefits like boosting immune system health.

8. Coriander (Cilantro)

A popular herb when it comes to cooking, coriander or cilantro is a great companion plant for cannabis for a bunch of reasons. The main reason is how this herb brings in beneficial insects like pollinators while repelling those like aphids that will eat right through your harvest. However, this crop is also best grown during the summer months when sunlight is at its peak rather than a year-round plant if grown outdoors.

9. Dill

Another common cooking herb, dill, is familiar to most of us to pickles alone, but it’s also used in many soups and poultry recipes. The pungent aroma is likely to mask cannabis making it easier to hide from animals and other pests that may harm your plants and the herb itself is known to be a natural insecticide.

10. Sunflowers

As a companion plant, sunflowers offer a shade crop that helps reduce the sunlight hitting the soil to maintain a better nutrient balance. They also help to draw the attention of snails and slugs among other pests that would potentially harm your other crops. However, they release chemicals that may inhibit growth, making them better to plant at the border of a garden as a protectant rather than a neighboring plant like basil or lavender.

The Power of Growing Cannabis with Companion Plants

If you’re looking to grow cannabis, chances are you want to see the largest and healthiest plants (and harvest) you can get. Of course you can go out and buy commercial products – even completely natural ones – that can aid in keeping your plants growing strong and healthy.

But, if you can get the same effect from expanding your garden with other beneficial plants, which one makes more sense? If you’ve been considering companion plants for your cannabis garden, you can’t go wrong with any of the options we’ve discussed.

Also, if you’ve already been growing cannabis with companion plants, which ones did you choose and why? Tell us all about your home cultivation experiences with cannabis and companion plants in the comments below!