Intercropping is a particularly useful chemical element of polyculture that I opine everyone should utilise , but that does n’t mean it ’s veracious for every situation . Like everything , intercropping has its pros and cons .
You may try a net ton of different horticulture terms every 24-hour interval , but intercropping commonly is n’t one of them . Intercropping is the practice of growing different plants together to do good the overall garden .
So when is intercropping a good idea ? And how do you make it shape ? Let ’s dive in .
Why Use Intercropping Techniques?
First of all , what is > polyculture ? It ’s is a method of garden to control pests naturally and without chemical substance . Polyculture is also a strategy to help reduce weeds and diseases in a sustainable way .
It ’s ideally fit to garden where you ’re provide intellectual nourishment for your family or you desire to have a chemical - loose veggie garden .
Polyculture consists of a few different methods . The end destination of each method acting is the same- bigger harvesting , few pests , and disease , all while crop natural , healthy soil . Intercropping is one key method .
While we ’ll focus on intercropping in this guide , all of the vary forms of polyculture are worth knowing because they can help you grow a rich garden without the pauperization for as many pesticides and labor .
So why use intercropping proficiency ? In our homestead , it ’s a style to mimic a natural ecosystem where all the plants work together and produce prominent return .
You ’ll never see lines of single types of crop in polyculture like you do inmonoculture , where one crop is planted on its own . But you will see groups of various plant species found together , much like you would in nature .
The sting for intercropping versus using one crop is that it makes harvesting and handle diseases a morsel more challenging , specially if you rely on machines to help you do the oeuvre . That ’s why intercropping is n’t used commercially as often .
For the menage gardener , however , it can be an attractive option .
Four Intercropping Techniques
I liken intercropping to well - thought - out companion planting . There are several types of intercropping technique , all with their own pros and cons .
1. Mixed Cropping
With this method acting , you simply found a variety show of crops together , rather than in neat rows of single crops .
One strategy is to take crops that attract beneficial insects that can help out both plant . For instance , if you have a plant that draw aphid , put another industrial plant next to it that attracts lacewing fly and dame beetles , which care to munch on aphids .
Another exercise might be planting onions and carrots together . Carrot tooth root fly will avoid onions and onion vaporize nullify Daucus carota sativa green . Long rows or large groups of a single harvest will attract pests specifically for that crop and you ’ll require to use pesticides to control them .
You could also choose crops that provide nitrogen to the soil for a plant life that ask heap of nitrogen . A common instance of this is when multitude plant tomatoes next to leguminous plant .
An example of a mixed craw garden is :
Here ’s how all the plants work together . The bean wax the potent Indian corn stalk and add nitrogen to the grease . The pumpkins and mash current of air their way through the corn whiskey and beans bring home the bacon shade at soil level .
2. Alley Cropping
Another of the intercropping techniques is alleyway cropping . With alley cropping , you plant harvest in rows but each words is a different type of plant that benefits the course around it . This suits a slenderly large garden than mixed cropping .
The onion plant and Daucus carota sativa instance wee for respectable alley cropping given they both spring up well in rowing .
The disadvantage here is that you mislay some of the weed - detering cover version that you might get with other interplanting techqniques .
3. Temporal Intercropping
Temporal intercropping is when you plant a slow - growing crop with a tight - growing crop . This works for any sizing garden . One example is to plant Raphanus sativus around a pumpkin vine . Radishes grow so fast you may plant , harvest home , and replant the radish while the sluggish farm crop matures .
A welfare here is provide shade to the soil around the behind - growing pumpkins . Radish also repels many insects that otherwise would have nibbled on the calabash . works radish around :
The yard bird with this intercropping technique is that if you compound two plants that do n’t play well , you could end up hurting both plant . For instance , if you planted some early peas next to slow - growing onions , you could stunt the growth of your pea craw .
4. Food Forests
Permaculture is a gravid example of polyculture . The permaculture proficiency of turn afood forestis as far from planting undivided crops in row as you could get . With this method , seven layers of vary type of plants all work together to make a natural forest - like environment .
Although you do n’t have to have a vast area , food forest form comfortably in big plots of country .
What Kind of Plants Work Well for Intercropping?
Pretty much any flora can be used in intercropping , but you take to do your research first . For instance , black walnut puts out a toxin that most plants ca n’t stand , but mountain develop jubilantly under the trees .
You do n’t just have to stick with fruit and vegetables , either .
The use of flowers and herbs in a polyculture garden enhance the efficiency of the ecosystem . How many clock time have you seen a vegetable garden , neatly planted in rows of veg , and many of them are eat to dying by insects ? Or the plants have to be cover in pesticide to keep them live ?
you could plant any sorting of fruit or vegetable along with flowers and herb such as :
Do your research before combining crop , however . One of the cons of intercropping is that you may do more harm than good if you combine flora that contend with each other .
The Pros of Intercropping
With the Parousia of fertilizer and pesticides , develop crops in the commercial securities industry using monoculture became the main fashion of gardening , both on great and diminished plots .
In late years , there has been a renaissance around techniques like intercropping as more gardener agnize that the methods are healthier for you and the garden environment . An added bonus is that harvest volumes often increases .
As an total fillip , less time spent weeding and fertilizing means you may centre on other things in the garden .
Pest Control
compare to a monoculture garden , the polyculture garden on our homestead has far fewer pests . The theory behind this is :
Theoretically , fewer pests means big yields and more food for you .
Disease Control
We have seen a huge decrease in diseases in the garden when we integrated intercropping techniques . This is because if a plant does get diseased , it ’s less probable to diffuse because the other plants around it are n’t susceptible to a disease that one works pose .
Basically , you spring a barrier around an septic plant like tomatoes with plants that are n’t bothered by tomato diseases .
Also , because of the healthier surround , plants are more resistive to disease . Compare this to crops planted in wrangle partake each other and the environ dirt exposed to the elements .
Weed Management
Weeds do n’t usually get establish well in polyculture garden . The density of most intercropping planting allows for less available space and sunlight for weeds to spring up .
Also , there are few nutrient available to unwanted plants due to the polyculture garden utilizing the resource more expeditiously .
However , you should admit good green goddess to grow alongside your crops to help balance out the instinctive surroundings . These may admit :
Healthier Soil
Intercropping benefits both the gardener and the environment .
Excessive excavation and tilling of ground in monoculture removes essential bug and nutrient . Intercropping more closely mimics the natural environment and therefore preserves dirt quality and reduces the money you spend on fertilizers .
Less fertilizer think less pollution . Monoculture swear on fertilizers , many of which finish up in watercourse , the water mesa , and in you .
Less digging also intend you thin soil erosion .
The Cons of Intercropping
Even when done right , intercropping can have some drawbacks , though the good has the potency to outweigh the unsound .
Intercropping is a learning mental process and that means you may end up making pricey mistake as you fancy things out .
That ’s why measured preparation is key to avoid some of the cons of intercropping . It ’s also a good idea to reach out to your local telephone extension office for some tips and advice .
Labor Intensive
Intercropping can take more clock time than traditional horticulture technique because you ca n’t always trust on auto to do the work .
It also take more planning and experiment to figure out what work in your space .
weed and harvesting can take longer , as well . If you do it right , you should have fewer weeds , but that does n’t mean you wo n’t have to contend with any at all . The ones that do grow may be gruelling to make out and remove .
Reduced Harvest
While the ultimate result of intercropping could be that you ’ll increase your harvests , it may take old age to get there . At first , you could possibly see a diminution in yields .
Problems you may run into are craw that finish up being antagonistic or that contend with each other for victuals .
Start Slow
The best advice I have if you want to originate with polyculture is to take it all in gradual steps because you will make mistake along the way . As you check from those mistakes , you could modify the next attack .
If you have traditional garden and want to examine some of these intercropping technique , dedicate one garden to one method acting and keep run commonly with the others . Do n’t swop all garden to polyculture at the same clock time .
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