Companion plants

Is there a resource for companion planting in hydroponics that anyone can share with me? I would love to hear ideas about grouping plants together that have similar growth requirements or benefit by being grown together.

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Hi @Sassy!

Great topic, thanks!

In general, in Smart Gardens and Wall Farms- all plants should do fine growing side by side, as long as they are planted into the garden in a way that they all get the much-needed light from the lamp.

Some users like to rearrange and move around plant cups while growing- also just to make the overall look more pleasing to the eye. You can do it too if you use normal plant cups. Using pro cups- rearranging plants with roots might be a bit tricky- but still feasible.

So, there are no specific rules for plant groups. Except in Click and Grow 25- it works great with greens in a 5 weeks growing cycle.

If you are a beginner, you may try using one group of plants at a time, e.g. greens and some fast-growing herbs, or flowers.

Happy experimenting! :four_leaf_clover:

@Mirjam, thank you for your reply. I wasn’t thinking so much about aesthetics as I was about grouping plants by similar growth requirements (space, light, height, temperature, air circulation, etc.) and symbiotic relationships (such as which plants help deter pests that other nearby plants may be prone to, or which plants might excrete beneficial substances that enhance the growth of neighboring plants etc.). I read somewhere not to plant peppers and tomatoes together, although I can’t remember the reason for that recommendation. A handy chart of those things would be beneficial to many, I would think. I wonder if the rules of soil companion planting apply to the Click & Grow system? Any thoughts?

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Hi @Sassy

That is a great discussion point and now I’m curious about what other users have to say.

I guess the most common way to group plants is by their growth habit e.g. greens, herbs, or fruiting plants, though smart gardens allow growing very different plants at the same time.

Tomatoes and peppers grow well side by side and there is no reason to avoid planting them in the same device. As the plants don’t share root space they will do their own thing, even being planted side by side.

Regarding pests, unfortunately, I have never experienced that any plant would deter any pests in indoor conditions. Companion planting works so well in my outdoor garden, but I guess indoors the pests are soo angry and they destroy whatever they can.

@Mirjam Thank you for your reply. What about growing peppers (especially hot peppers) and tomatoes (and other fruiting plants) side-by-side using the pro plant cups or mesh pots? I’ve read not to do this at least a couple of times on the Facebook Click & Growers page.

Hearing about other users’ experiences regarding companion planting would be most helpful!

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I was told that marigolds and geraniums are good against certain pests. I have had challenges with some pests and was also wondering about including one of these in each row. Love to hear back from anyone more knowledgeable

Thank you, @DavidCNG. I’ve also heard the same, but I would rather not have to grow another type of plant unless it actually does repel pests. The fungus gnats are driving me crazy! I have tried garlic, cinnamon, clove bud essential oil, and peppermint essential oil. I have also set up sticky traps and an indoor bug zapper, but those little beasties just keep on coming. Egads! lol

The fungus gnats don’t fly much, so fruit fly traps do not work. I found that essential rosemary oil worked best and second best was tea tree oil. I could not find neem oil, that others say is good. I put a few drops on top of the soil, but when I missed and got it directly on a plant the oil burnt the stem and killed it, so be careful. I also happen to like the aroma of the rosemary oil very much. The gnats hate it, and die off

The sticky traps (fake yellow flowers) and both zappers are helping with the fungus gnats, but I would like them to be completely gone. Perhaps that is unrealistic when it comes to having soil in one’s house. Will you share how much rosemary and tea tree oil you used and how you applied it? I purchased my neem oil from Amazon.com (see picture). I have read that the neem oil needs to be cold-pressed, filtered, and have a high level of azadirachtin to be effective. I hope that helps.

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