Indoor cover crop/companion plant thread

[sullivan666]

I've been looking into cover crops for my indoor ROLS/no till grow and wanted to get feedback from everyone here. I know Cann is using clover and I think I remember someone else trying a type of algae cover crop?

I'm growing indoors unfortunately with 4 10gal smart pots so I can't have something that's gonna get too crazy. Nevertheless, after reading a bit here: http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/813494-companion-planting-herbs-marijuana.html I'm considering using Nettles as the benefits sound too good not too. Has anyone used this as an indoor cover crop? How bad is the sting?

I also read here http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Cover+Cropping+Part+Two.html that dandelion has similar benefits as its a deep rooting weed. Anyone have experience with it?

What about Yarrow and Borage? Anyone used them indoors? Any input is appreciated.

 

[Cann]

yarrow would be good but you'll have to cut it back often cause it grows fast. this isn't necessarily an issue because it means more mulch...also yarrow is great for cuts, etc (which i get all the time in my room...razorblades, wire, metal stuff + my stoned ass = blood). yarrow will stop bleeding ridiculously fast. make a poultice and drop some of the liquid in your cut...its awesome.

anyway, you could also do dandelion but they have huge roots which might disturb things in a smaller pot. i'd try them in 30gal or larger no-tills.

micro clover is great...is there a reason you don't want to use that.

i wouldnt use nettles. being from the northwest I have had my fair share of encounters with nettles, and the sting is bad. not as bad as poison ivy, but it's not pleasant, and if your flower room is anything like mine you will be brushing up against everything in there...every plant in every corner, etc. how would you water with nettles in the way? also you have to remember that nettles are pretty tall and tend to grow well even in low light environments..meaning that they will stretch up through your plants, etc. and need to be cut back often. unless you want to be wearing gloves and long sleeves/pants at all times in your room, i'd say don't mess with nettle. they are great bioaccumulators though..and edible if you know how to fold the leaves properly or if you cook them...very high protein content for a plant. great plant...but not for a close indoor environment where there is bound to be an encounter.

yarrow would be very interesting to see..

try horizon herbs for seeds, i've bought yarrow from them in the past

 

[Rising Moon]

Yarrow wont grow well indoors from what Ive read, and it also can attract powdery mildew and botrytis.

Oats, peas, clover, alfalfa, wheat, rye, basil and thyme are pretty much the only cover crops I could see someone successfully integrating into an indoor system...

Nettle, Yarrow and Borage are GREAT plants that I grow and use all the time...

Those plants are better suited to grow by in a bed all by themselves, or NEAR other crops...


But, the clovers especially, are meant for UNDERSOWING. Meaning, they can grow low, under established crops.

If you do a bit of research on commonly UNDERSOWN crops, you can find quite an interesting list of potential candidates, but most of them tend to be low growing legumes.

 

[sullivan666]

Clover was my first choice but after doing some reading it sounded like there were others that might provide more benefits. But I'm gonna take the advice here and save the Nettle, Yarrow and Borage for my outdoor gardens provided I ever get them going. What species of clover would be best? I was looking at Peaceful Valley seeds and the Ladino white or the white dutch look to be good choices, yeah?

Also, I'm interested in maybe trying thyme or basil as well. Those would come in handy in the kitchen.

Good info on undersowing crops Rising Moon, I'll definitely look more into that.

Thanks!

 

[Cann]

white dutch

 

[sullivan666]

Sweet, thanks! I'll be purchasing some next week. Along with some barley and corn seeds for enzyme tea.

I love this organic shit!

 

[Rising Moon]

I also forgot to mention Nasturtium, especially the dwarf varitiety, might be an excellent candidate for under sowing indoors.

I just picked up some seeds, and will be experimenting...

 

[Cann]

ahhh where did you get your dwarf nasturtium seeds? didn't even know that dwarf nasturtiums existed...

i have "empress of india", definitely way too big to undersow. edible cover crops would be awesome!

 

[Rising Moon]

Where else...?

Lol

http://www.groworganic.com/pvfs-nasturtium-dwarf-jewel-mix-pack.html

 

['ome Grown]

I've been considering growing some white clover/alfalfa/vetch etc in my grow pots with my plants...however, my thoughts were to first have the cover crop well established before I put seedlings/clones in. At the latest I was thinking of having the cover crop chopped and dropped as I flip them...which would be well before the cover crop flowers and frees up my the nitrogen to the girls for the first few weeks of flower.

Thoughts?

 

[Cann]

if you have the time, i'd plant the cover crop and allow it to establish before planting your cannabis clones/seedlings. this will facilitate the rapid establishment of fungi/bacteria in the soil...if you're lucky you will already have living mycorrhizae in the rhizosphere when you plant your cannabis...prime. given that you are probably growing a legume cover crop, it will be fixing nitrogen while it is alive so there is no need to kill it. i'd keep it alive and growing..maybe chop it back if it ever gets too tall and becomes intrusive.

mulching with your canna leaves on top of the cover crop is the ideal situation. that way you get the N from canna leaves, N from the cover crop (if we're really all that concerned about N anyway...) plus all the benefits of a living mulch. pretty sweet situation once it's up and running.

good luck! and keep us posted. would love to see pics

 

[UncleBuck]

peas and beans will add nitrogen back to the soil instead of depleting nitrogen.

 

[Cann]

hard to grow peas or beans as an undersown crop though...

clover fits the bill much nicer...especially dutch white.

peas would be cool just for the hell of it though..trellis them up some canna stalks lol. maybe i'd try that outdoors....

 

[UncleBuck]

hard to grow peas or beans as an undersown crop though...

clover fits the bill much nicer...especially dutch white.

peas would be cool just for the hell of it though..trellis them up some canna stalks lol. maybe i'd try that outdoors....

they trellis up my chain link fence very nicely, and can easily be undersown. they are flexible, just rip off the tendrils so they don't climb.

 

[sullivan666]

So, im thinking, I just put my ladies into flower...should I wait and plant my cover crop until after harvest or would now be good too?

 

[Rising Moon]

Now, or later, but now is sooner.

If you sow now, it's called undersowing/living mulch.

If you sow later (after harvest) it's called green manure/cover crop.

Living mulch can become a cover crop, once the main crop is harvested, and a cover crop, once established, can become a living mulch.

 

[Rising Moon]

As for the peas, another dwarf variety of Shelling Peas I know about and have grown, would be wonderful as an undersown companion crop. It's called "Tom Thumb", and grows about 6 inches tall, and produces ToNS of tasty peas. All while fixing some nitrogen and keeping your worms happy with some pea shells you shucked. Good to leave on the vine until yellow for dried peas as well.

 

[sullivan666]

Thanks for the info, I'll be ordering up some clover seeds this weekend.

 

[kushking42]

How do you guys go about sowing the seeds for your cover crop/living mulch? Do you depress them and cover? Or just throw them down and cover with mulch?

 

[Rising Moon]

I sow them in little bands about an inch wide, and 1/2 inch deep, in moist soil.

Then just cover them up, pat them down, and wait for some sproutage...

I usually let the crop get established before adding dried crumbled/crushed canna leaves.