Incompatible Plant Type

What Does Incompatible Plant Type Mean?

An incompatible plant type is a plant that does not grow well, or is more susceptible to disease or pests when placed next to another incompatible plant. Some plants are incompatible with each other and the result of growing them together will be less than optimal.

Maximum Yield Explains Incompatible Plant Type

Companion planting is a popular gardening technique that entails harmoniously growing two or more species together to use the available garden space more efficiently, but there are some plants that are incompatible plant types that are not suited for this.

Determining whether a plant is compatible or not depends on several factors and some of it is just common sense. For example, one would not plant bush beans with tomatoes because the much larger tomato plants will shade out the beans.

An aggressive plant such as squash that vines would not be compatible with something less aggressive and more delicate such as as carrots.

A plant that is susceptible to a particular virus, fungus, or insect should not be planted next to another type of plant that is susceptible to the same pest because the risk of cross-contamination is high.

Some plants (e.g., black walnuts) produce a toxin that will kill other plants and therefore are considered an incompatible plant type.

Mint is another example of an incompatible plant type because of its extremely aggressive growth habit. It will quickly choke out and outgrow most delicate plants that could be planted alongside.

There are many plant charts and guides available to help a gardener determine whether two plants are incompatible.