Cover Crops/ Companion Plants . . . Do You?

[living gardening]

Are you running a cover crop on you soils? What type of blends have you come up with?

Has anyone found a plant that effected their plants in a good/bad way? I'm thinking of having a super hot pepper growing in the tent.

I also have peas in my pots (15 gal). I'm trying a lot of different stuff. I have fenugreek, peas, pak choy, oat grass, wheat grass, clover, rye grass, carrot, chamomile, wormwood, ect.
I work in commercial ag so I got a sack (50lb) of Feed Oats, Re-cleaned Wheat, Re-cleaned Barley, a sack of Popcorn (50lb), and a bag of Winter Rye. All this 400 lbs of supplies came to less than 100 bucks w tax. the popcorn and barley are for SST and the rest will be used for cover crops, bokashi grains, other SSTs.
I also spent 200 a month or two ago and bought Alfalfa Meal, oyster shell, benonite clay, kelp meal, linseed meal, menhaiden meal (low temp saltwater fish meal), all 50 lb bags.
If you only grow indoors, that would last for years. 300 for all those amendments!! Know where to source your stuff most cost effectively.
Good luck Good growing

 

[Northwood]

If you only grow indoors, that would last for years. 300 for all those amendments!! Know where to source your stuff most cost effectively.
Good luck Good growing

One good cheap source is Walmart in the isle where they sell the dried peas, beans, and stuff. Those brown lentils work really well, and only cost $2.00 for a bag that would last an average indoor grower dozens of grow cycles. Mung beans work well too from the same isle. Usually they're close to the lentils. lol

 

[Dreminen169]

Can someone tell me which cover crop is better for indoor cannabis? I’ve heard they each have their pros & cons. White Dutch clover, rye/clover 70/30, or buildasoil 12 seed cover crop?

 

[Northwood]

Can someone tell me which cover crop is better for indoor cannabis? I’ve heard they each have their pros & cons. White Dutch clover, rye/clover 70/30, or buildasoil 12 seed cover crop?

At minimum you should pair a grass with a legume. It hardly matters which IMO, but some legumes have tendrils like peas and hairy vetch which can really make a mess of your plants if you don't keep after them. So I tend to avoid those types now.

The reason for a "grass" like rye, oats, wheat, annual ryegrass or whatever is their extensive and dense fibrous root system is great for building your soil and adding organic matter. Bacteria and worms love hanging out in their rhizosphere. They also grow biomass very quickly.

Legumes like peas, beans, lentils, clover, lupins, birdsfoot trefoil, vetch etc. don't produce such a root system, but they make up for it through their ability to form associations with bacteria (called Rhizobia) which will take nitrogen from the air and turn it into a form that eventually can feed your cannabis plants. Free nitrogen, you can't argue with that! The biomass they do produce also breaks down fast, and contains more protein (and more nitrogen) than grass. When it's time to knock down the mix, then the extra nitrogen in the legume leaves and stems will help the bacteria break down the grass biomass much more quickly than without it. If you recycle your last harvest cannabis stems, stalk, and whatever in there, you'll appreciate this even more.

I don't think it really needs to be more complicated than that TBH. You can get away with 2 different cover crop seeds (1 grass/1 legume) or mix a variety from each family for fun and to see what performs best in your environment.

 

[living gardening]

So it is all a good idea. The major thing is not putting something in that would compete but benefit your plant in a noticeable way. Some known herbs can effect flavor/terps. You should have something covering the soil. That is critical to keep your microclimate zones existing. With out that the bugs and the little things can't survive. Oats are easily available, cheap and you can just cut them down when you like. They are like a beneficial weed that is easy to kill. Any cereal grain is a good choice. Just go to the organic section of the grain/nut bin and explore the possibilities. just don't buy "Hulled" or "Rolled" products. These will not sprout. Also stay away from things with color coatings.
You may think you found the cover crop deal of the century at the local . . ." but understand the things we desire generally cost more not less. Vech or alfalfa are choices but it has a direct relationship with your container size.
I have a ton of peas going right now but my plants are far into flowering and the peas are second stage so they fix the N and I can focus on corn SST and Kefir feedings . . .Fenugreek and Pak Choy too. if it will grow I can chop it down. You gotta break some eggs if you wanna make an omlette . .
They say Low crawling plants . . Yarrow comes to mind, a medicinal and mild psychoactive. Wormwood, Microgreens, Legumes in general for N.
I will never have bare soil again in my outdoor garden. I mulched before, but now I will rotate a fallow bed each year (It will have only rye and peas) so I'll have peas but it fits.

 

[living gardening]

At minimum you should pair a grass with a legume. It hardly matters which IMO, but some legumes have tendrils like peas and hairy vetch which can really make a mess of your plants if you don't keep after them. So I tend to avoid those types now.

The reason for a "grass" like rye, oats, wheat, annual ryegrass or whatever is their extensive and dense fibrous root system is great for building your soil and adding organic matter. Bacteria and worms love hanging out in their rhizosphere. They also grow biomass very quickly.

Legumes like peas, beans, lentils, clover, lupins, birdsfoot trefoil, vetch etc. don't produce such a root system, but they make up for it through their ability to form associations with bacteria (called Rhizobia) which will take nitrogen from the air and turn it into a form that eventually can feed your cannabis plants. Free nitrogen, you can't argue with that! The biomass they do produce also breaks down fast, and contains more protein (and more nitrogen) than grass. When it's time to knock down the mix, then the extra nitrogen in the legume leaves and stems will help the bacteria break down the grass biomass much more quickly than without it. If you recycle your last harvest cannabis stems, stalk, and whatever in there, you'll appreciate this even more.

I don't think it really needs to be more complicated than that TBH. You can get away with 2 different cover crop seeds (1 grass/1 legume) or mix a variety from each family for fun and to see what performs best in your environment.

You sound like a person that thinks like me self . . .
What are your thoughts on IPM in general and how many cycles are you in?/!
You also sound like a midwesterner

 

[Northwood]

You sound like a person that thinks like me self . . .
What are your thoughts on IPM in general and how many cycles are you in?/!
You also sound like a midwesterner

I'm now in cycle 8 with my current setup. But cycle 7 lasted nearly 6 months, can that count as 2 cycles? That grow is described and discussed here as well as the start of cycle 8: https://www.rollitup.org/t/one-pink-lemonade-no-till-cycle-7-in-4-foot-diameter-pot-5x5-tent.1028655/

IPM is a huge subject, especially for outdoor agriculture. Indoors, I utilize basic management practices to prevent pathogens and pests, along with striving for a balanced ecosystem that includes predators in my grows. Mainly my technique for IPM is crossing my fingers and hoping the good guys win, along with best practices for not introducing unwanted guests to begin with.

I was born and raised in rural Nova Scotia where I also used to have a small organic farm when I was a lot younger. I did live in Colorado for a couple years, does that count? lol

 

[living gardening]

You sound like a person that thinks like me self . . .
What are your thoughts on IPM in general and how many cycles are you in?/!
You also sound like a midwesterner

I may be located deep underground, somewhere that is not free. . . Although being taxed senseless isn't free either . . .
Anyways I just had my second run in with thrips and for as badly as I want to have a really thick living mulch layer, clover is NOT the way yo do it!
If you toss down some legume, make sure the seed is uncoated. If coated, it's usually a fungicide which will make a nice dead spot in your living soil.
I just stopped my grow (selling my Hoose). I am going to try a SIP next because my biggest issue was using a fabric pot and having dry down issues.I thought about a BLU-MAT but I don't have the time to dial it in.
Then went the other way and over watered. With too much water comes thrips and then come flower comes the spider mites.I thought about a BLU-MAT but I don't have the time to dial it in.
I tried three predator inoculations with Mites and Pirate Bugs from Buglogical. I never saw any improvement. I will say that in order to keep populations going you do need to make sure they have good conditions. I think my room wasn't high enough in the humidity dept. to keep the mites going. The Pirate bugs I had prepared for. They either left of there wasn't many in the container. All times I got stuff from them, I was never able to id the bugs. My issue. IPM is probably more important that most other issues, it's more important than Nutes. If the bugs eat/kill your plant who care how nice and big it once was?/! I have now grown outside and the plants are flowering. I have been working on getting my courses done for soil food web and did full no-till no anything accept one round of Gypsum and One Rnd of Rabbit Poos. Those plants are 6', 4'around. I will be curious to see what dry weight will be. I had no pest pressure so far. We will have to see if I get bud worms/corn borer after the flowers get more developed.
My Squash are still putting on from spring. 25yr virgin horse pasture, no anything but 25yr of horse poos. All that clover and vetch, the bees are crazy heavy. The spiders are everywhere!! It's just gonna get better the more I amend with composts. I just have to work on getting my fungal count higher. The more fungi in the soil the bigger and better the plant.

 

[terpiboi]

Are you running a cover crop on you soils? What type of blends have you come up with?

Has anyone found a plant that effected their plants in a good/bad way? I'm thinking of having a super hot pepper growing in the tent.

I also have peas in my pots (15 gal). I'm trying a lot of different stuff. I have fenugreek, peas, pak choy, oat grass, wheat grass, clover, rye grass, carrot, chamomile, wormwood, ect.
I work in commercial ag so I got a sack (50lb) of Feed Oats, Re-cleaned Wheat, Re-cleaned Barley, a sack of Popcorn (50lb), and a bag of Winter Rye. All this 400 lbs of supplies came to less than 100 bucks w tax. the popcorn and barley are for SST and the rest will be used for cover crops, bokashi grains, other SSTs.
I also spent 200 a month or two ago and bought Alfalfa Meal, oyster shell, benonite clay, kelp meal, linseed meal, menhaiden meal (low temp saltwater fish meal), all 50 lb bags.
If you only grow indoors, that would last for years. 300 for all those amendments!! Know where to source your stuff most cost effectively.
Good luck Good growing

I've been considering using alfalfa as a chop and drop cover crop for the triacontinol.

 

[Rurumo]

I really like the clovers, especially dwarf clover if you can find it, but red clover is my next fave.

I've been considering using alfalfa as a chop and drop cover crop for the triacontinol.

Alfalfa is great but it can be a beast to manage, if you do this I'd cut it when it's very short, too much of it in the soil and it'll get HOT! I dump alfalfa pellets in my outdoor garden each fall after harvest (right before the first freeze), rake them in the top couple of inches, and by the time spring rolls around it's perfect.

 

[living gardening]

That, vetch, trefoil. all could be used. I have had the clover turn into a thrip heaven. I like a good pea. It always pays to grow something you can use.
I ate more tendrils and shoots to keep the plant under control than I did peas.

 

[0potato0]

If you toss down some legume, make sure the seed is uncoated. If coated, it's usually a fungicide which will make a nice dead spot in your living soil.

i used food legumes (ones from the shop you cook and eat) 6 different types and got this

should i leave it as it is or should i rip it and leave as mulch?

 

[Rayi]

Outside I use alfalfa. I also plant 2 or 3 garlic plants in the containers. Next to each plant I have a pot or two of marigolds. I have less bugs that way.

 

[Northwood]

Outside I use alfalfa. I also plant 2 or 3 garlic plants in the containers. Next to each plant I have a pot or two of marigolds. I have less bugs that way.

If you're doing no-till, throwing a few handfuls of pellets on the soil before knocking down a cover crop and then mulching with straw/hay can really get the biology going. The worms love it too.

 

[Rayi]

Exactly. Really easy

 

[Northwood]

Exactly. Really easy

Not to mention, alfalfa feed pellets are really cheap when bought by the 50lb sack at the "feed'n'seed" store nearest just to about anyone.