Lovely lavender is one of many plants that repel marijuana pests.When you’re growing marijuana outdoors or indoors, you can plant inexpensive companion plants with them—plants that repel spider mites, aphids, thrips, budworms, and other marijuana pests.
As an added benefit, many of these plants are edible and medicinal!
Let’s look at the plants you can plant outdoors around your outdoor marijuana plants, around the outside walls of where your grow room is located, and in containers for indoor marijuana grow ops…
Rosemary is at the top of the list as a natural antagonist for spider mites, aphids, thrips, and other marijuana pests.
It grows in full sun and once established you can cut and dry it to use as sachets that deter marijuana pests.
You can also simmer rosemary in water for an hour to extract rosemary oils, and use the rosemary-infused water as a foliar spray and a root drench.
Lavender is a beautiful-smelling herbal, full-sun plant that naturally repels marijuana pests.
As an added benefit, dried lavender or lavender in teas has a calming effect on humans.
Chrysanthemum produces pyrethrum, a popular ingredient of concentrated “natural” insecticides such as expensive pyrethrum bombs.
It repels spider mites, nematodes, ants, fleas and other insects.
Marigolds are pretty, and also repel mosquitoes, rabbits, aphids, and others who like to marijuana pests.
They grow well in sunny locations where outdoor marijuana does well.
Nasturtiums are an interesting plant that sends out a vaporous chemical offensive to insects such as aphids, whiteflies, thrips, and spider mites.
Mint is a wonderful plant that can be used as a ground cover in some locales.
The leaves smell great, and the scent repels insects.
You can also use the leaves to make tea, sprays, and as dried herbs for cooking.
Notice that there are several types of mint, and I include spearmint and peppermint in the mint category.
Lemongrass is a culinary herb most famous for containing citronella, a compound derived from lemongrass and used to repel mosquitoes.
Artemisia is a very interesting plant that has a bad odor that repels insects and animals.
Some animals, such as rabbits and deer, eat cannabis plants, especially small ones.
Artemisia isn’t going to totally stop them completely, but it does discourage them from being near your marijuana crops.
Fennel is a popular culinary herb with a distinct smell, and it’s known to repel snails, aphids, and slugs.
Chives are an edible plant used in salads.
They’re high in nutrition, and what’s even better is they repel some types of beetles, along with whiteflies and aphids.
Catnip attracts kitties, but repels aphids, mites, whiteflies and other marijuana pests.
Thyme is an especially valuable protective plant, ranking with rosemary for its effectiveness.
It deters caterpillars, budworms, and whiteflies.
Marijuana growers will be glad to note that another edible herb, dill, repels spider mites and aphids—two very common marijuana pests.
Oregano is a popular culinary herb (think: pizza) and also repels two of the most hated marijuana pests—spider mites and aphids.
Basil is an essential food herb and it also repels marijuana pests such as budworms, aphids, and whiteflies.
Garlic is good for repelling vampires, snails, mosquitoes, and small animals such as rabbits, chipmunks, and squirrels.
Alliums are a class of plants, not just one type of plant.
Some of them are edible and medicinal, others produce beautiful flowers.
Many of them produce compounds that repel marijuana pests.
And finally… murderous plants.
You’ve probably heard of the “Venus Flytrap.”
Carnivorous plants are among the most fascinating plants Nature created.
They eat and/or trap marijuana pests and other insects and are fun and trippy to grow.
I’ve seen them eating fungus gnats, and it made me cheer!
Carnivorous plants are especially fun to use as guardians for indoor cannabis gardens.
Look here for more information on this interesting category of plants.
Outdoor marijuana growers using guerrilla grow sites often plant their cannabis inside existing cacti, thorn, or nettles patches.
If you plant stinging nettle, blackberry, cacti, or other thorny plants and trees around the perimeter of your outdoor grow op, you get a natural barrier that repels human and animal pests.
Most plants in this article are easier to grow than marijuana.
Some are perennials. This means once they’re established, and unless you live where the climate will kill them, they’ll keep growing year after year.
You can get many of these types of plants at Lowe’s or good plant nurseries, or here and here.
Ask master gardeners which of our recommended plants will grow well in your specific location.
Note that some plants attract marijuana pests and are used as a decoy so the pests go to those plants instead of to your marijuana plants.
Also note that some of these plants attract beneficial insects like ladybugs, bees, and wasps that are predators for marijuana pests.
If you love growing marijuana plants, you’ll love growing companion plants that help guard against marijuana pests!
