Dominathan
Well-Known Member
I have been doing tons of research into the subject lately, and was in the process of planning one myself when I stumbled upon this guide. I did not write it, but I didn't see it anywhere else on RIU. Also, I found Google Earth is a guerrilla growers best friend.
Lesson One
Rent the flick Homegrown, starring Billy Bob Thornton & Hank Azaria. Its a great movie all about guerilla growing.
And right now is a great time of year to buy hiking boots. Youll also need a frame backpack and a hiking guide (buy at a sporting goods shop).
Look through it.
Youll also need a army surplus-type folding shovel.
Also, start saving up seeds. Its nice to have seeds from killer strains, but even if its mids, that better than none.
And know this: the pot you harvest later this year will be better than the pot the seeds it came from.
Cause you will take better care of it, and plus YOU grew it.
Start saving your dough. It will cost approx. $10.00 per plant in potting soil and a couple bux for nutrients later in the growing season.
If you dont like the idea of hiking miles on a hot dusty trail while your friends are partying at the beach, read no further.
If you dont have the inclination to dig holes (very hard) and transport potting soil (very heavy), go play a video game.
If you cant commit to a project that lasts 7 months, beat it.
Now that weve gotten rid of the riff-raff
Those of you still here may be interested in growing massive quantities of quality weed for just a few bucks.
Thats where I come in.
Cause I can help you.
In fact, if you follow my instructions, you will have more weed that youve ever had before, and it will be the best pot youve ever smoked.
Honest.
Ive been doing this for a long time, and have talked to many other growers, and here you have over a centurys experience in guerilla growing in an easy-to-read format, for free.
This weeks topic is choosing a location Pt 1.
Think remote.
More remote than youve ever been.
Somewhere NO ONE EVER GOES.
EVER.
The best way to find one of these locations is to walk yourself down to the nearest large sporting goods store and purchase a trail guide to the nearest Natl Forest etc. It may have a
title like 100 Hikes In The Angeles.
You and your partner (only have one if hes your best bud and you really trust him).start scouring the trails listed. You want to pick a trail that DOES NOT connect with other trails.
This cuts down on hikers.
Points:
-Read the first part of the hiking guide. It usually tells you about history, flora and fauna, dos and donts and local restrictions.
-Youll want to choose a trail that crosses a stream, because youre gonna have to water your plants. A 7 tall plant in full veg requires a gal of water at least 2 x/week and water
weighs 8.5 lbs/gal. When it doesnt rain youll have to bring water to them so
youll want a nearby water source.
AND, read a growbook, cover to cover.
Ill be back.
This is the most important factor in guerilla growing.
It doesn't matter how many plants of what strain you have growing if someone finds them and rips you off.
Remoteness in most cases is key.
Don't stroll into the woods for a few minutes and expect to find a place to successfully grow/harvest marijuana. Too many people poking around.
Hike deep deep into the wodds--I suggest AT LEAST an hour's hike on an unpopular trail before you start looking (the further the better).
Look for:
-a clearing off the trail, the further the better
-seek an area that you don't mind if you have to carry up to a gal./water to the plants 2x/week.
-good southern exposure
-a way to get in and out WITHOUT leaving a path off the trail.
It's a good also a good idea to have multiple patches of weed if you want to increase your chances of harvesting mondo sticky buds. I like to have 3 so if rippers get one,
bugs/animals get another, I'll still have weed.
Again, TELL NO ONE.
The temptation is great (esp. for beginners) to take your pals out to show them what you're doing.
DON'T DO THAT.
Remember, you're growing money trees. The best pot is worth as much as pure gold.
Think of a pot plant as a bush that has let's say 40 hundred-dollar bills hanging from it, and there's 10 bushes like that.
Now, if YOU know where a money tree was growing, might you be tempted to go out and pick a few of those hundred dollar bills?
Even if they belonged to someone you knew?
Even if you wouldn't be tempted, many people would/will be.
Except for your partner (if you have one):
Don't tell anyone you have pot growing.
If you've mentioned to others that your considering it, tell them that you found out it too hard or you planted some and it died.
After harvest
Keep the fact that you grew successfully a secret.
Like don't whip out any fresh (wet) weed.
Even when you have slow-dried/cured weed, don't let on.
Still be asking your friends if they know of any good deals on pot; even buy some occasionally.
When they're around and you bring some of your pot out, tell them you bought it from a friend of a relative they don't know. Tell them it cost a lot so they won't be interested in
buying it, or if you have a lot and you want to sell, tell him that you'll ask
your relative's friend for more, have him give you the dough and tell him to come back the next day, then give him the weed.
Here's why you shouldn't tell anyone you have a bunch that you grew.
-They'll follow you next year
-And they'll be like "c'mon dude turn me on to some, it didn't cost you nothing."
Well it DID cost you something.
Sweating out the hikes, digging the holes, carrying the water, spending time on learning how to grow (like here), spending time tending the plants when everyone else was
partying at the beach.
Besides, if your friend wanted pot that "didn't cost nothing", HE could have grown some of his fucking own. Tough shit; you have more balls than him it's not your fault he's a pussy.
Ok, you've got your grow buddy, you've found a site--now what?
First you have to deciede--do you want to go as cheap as possible and dig holes, or do you want to buy planters?
You're gonna have to choose. You can't just throw seeds on the ground and have them grow.
You can do it in the city like in a yard or something. Fertile soil, water, sure.
Out in the woods it's a different story.
You have to plant in good soil. You're gonna have to carry it in.
The best potting soil is Fox Farms Ocean and Forest also Black Gold Potting Soil.
They are chock full o good organic nutrients like kelp, guano's, worm castings etc.
The soil is so rich you don't have to use fertilizer for over a month.
The 2 brands I mentioned may be unavailable in your area, or really expensive.
Look around, like call big plant nurseries. Ask for soils that are pre-amended with ORGANIC nutrients.
Avoid potting soil that has chem. nutrients added.
It would be better to get plain old potting soil.
If you choose to dig, be prepared for some sweaty work. You will need to dig a hole 3' x 3'. It's backbreaking work but it'll be good for ya.
Or, you may choose to use planters. The only one that I recommend are PULP POTS. (see pic)
You want the largest size, but an approx. 15" x 20" will do if you can water more often .
If no one in your area carries pulp pots, ask a nursery to order some for you. Tell them a friend on the west coast told you about them. The large size are about $25.00.
The beauty of pulp pots
-they are bio-degradable (they last for about 3 years, more if they don't get rained on much)...
-They are made from recycled paper pulp...
-they blend in with their surrounding more than any other type container...
-they don't heat up like other containers, good because heat can destroy roots...
-the paper pulp acts as a moisture regulator. Use lots of water and the pulp will absorb it, so the plant doesn't drown; when the soil gets dry it can get some of that moisture
back from the pulp.
How much potting soil:
A hole 3' x 3' requires about 2 large bags of potting soil.
Note: potting soil is VERY heavy. A large bag weighs like 75 lbs.
This is where your partner coimes in.
Using frame packs, depending on your size and strength, you can carry 75 lbs. of potting soil on your back in a frame pack. Otherwise, split the load up; make as many trips
as required.
If the area you're growing in had good soil, you can get away by re-filling the holes with a 50/50 mix of potting and existing soil.
Good soil is dark and has a good "earthy" aroma, almost like something that's been baked.
If using existing soil, be sure to mix it up well with the potting soil, removing all rocks.
So let's say you've found a clearing out in the woods.
How do you know if someone goes there or not?
Of course, look for signs like cigarette butts, gum wrappers, footprints, stuff like that.
But there may be no obvious signs, so how do you find out for sure? Here are 2 methods I've used:
Find a rock that's the right size to sit on. Drop a handfull of coins next to it, like the $ fell out of someone's pocket when they sat down. I used shiny coins, always including a
Kennedy half-dollar (people love those).
Another way is I'd buy a cheap 3 dollar compass, put a string on it and hang it from a bush next to the trail, so it looked like it snagged off someone's neck as they hiked past.
You'll have to visit the site a lot, so you need to find a way to get in and out without leaving a path.
There are a number of ways to do this.
Often, when I had a grow, I'd use 3 pairs of shoes everytime I went in.
First there were my hiking boots. I'd do the long hike in and when I got to the bottom of the canyon, I'd change into a pair of old tennies I had hidden under a rock. I'd wear
these to the general area, then wade across the stream at an unlikely spot.
Then I'd stop and change into moccasins (which my nephew made at camp btw) and softly walk the remaining 100 yards or so.
Rock-hopping is another way to travel without leaving a path, so is walking across rough gravel.
You need to do deep into the woods to do this, deeper than most yahoo's are willing to travel to look for/rip off someone's garden.
When To Plant
In the spring, after the spring solstice (Mar. 20 this year) and after the last danger of frost has passed. If you don't know when that is in your neck of the woods, call a local nursery
and ask them.
So it's months off, and you have a lot to do before you plant seeds anyway: finding a location and prepping the area.
However, you can give your plants a head start and a great advantage if you start them inside right about now.
If you put them outside at the start of spring when they're already a foot tall, they'll be able to jam right off the bat.
To start them inside you'll need a growspace, with lights and ventilation. And you'll want to raise them under 16/8 light.
If you want to start them inside, count backwards 4 weeks and start them inside then.
Btw, 4/20 is a great time to plant.
Dangers In The Woods
Plants
Poison oak,ivy,sumac:
Basically the same plant, it can grow as a bush or small tree or a vine. They can be plentiful. In California it is the most common wild native plant near streams. They can be
indentified by their leaves.
You don't want to get "bit" by one of these.
You'll be itching for weeks. And a BAD itch thatg will keep you awake at night, and if you scratch it, it will never go away.
Once I was clearing an area for a garden deep in the woods and pulled up some dead plants (they didn't have any leaves so I didn't recognize them as poison oak).
I got it so bad the toxin was in my blood and I had to go to a clinic and get an injection and take steroids for a month.
Stinging Nettles: hurts as bad as a bee sting. The first time you brush up against one of these fuckers with your bare skin, it will feel like someone just drove red-hot needles into
your flesh.
How to identify these plants--ask a boy scout or backpacker, or visit a Forest Service Office or go on a Sierra Club/nature hike.
Insects
Usually just a minor annoyance.
Except for mosquito's which can transmit West Nile and ticks, which can transmit Lyme disease.
Long-sleeved shirts and long pants with liberal amt's of Deep Woods or repellents which are DEET-based helps, and there are natural repellents you can spray on.
Eating a few cloves of garlic will help keep the 'skeeters (and most of your friends) away.
Ticks are more difficult. Wear a long-sleeved shirt and long pants and use repellents, and also put a rubber band around each sleeve and pants cuff.
And when you get home, take a showers and it's n
ot bad to have a friend check your body to make sure you are tick-free. They're easy to remove if you get to them in the first few
hours after they start to dig in.
Animals
Snakes:
Snakes would much rather avoid than confront you.
When I hike I walk heavily and sing and tap my hiking staff of rocks.
This alerts any nearby snakes of my presence, and they split.
Never put your hands or feet anyplace you can't see.
Let's say your bopping down the trail and come around a bend and right there in the middle of the trail see a 5' rattlesnake sunning itself.
Not to worry. Just yell at it. It will slither off and you can continue your hike.
And start singing.
Bears: They will go to any length to avoid you. The only exception are campground bears who will steal your pikanic basket if you leave it unattended.
Mountain Lions: I've only been lucky enough once in over a thousand miles of hiking during the last 30 years to see a mountain lion. They've seen me plenty of times no doubt,
but they are no danger if you're over 3 feet tall or with people, unless you
get too close to a mother with kittens.
Coyote's: Again, no danger to people. Yell at them and throw rocks.
I invited my 10-year old neice to go hiking with other family members and she told me she was scared.
"Scared of what?" I asked.
She went down the whole list: snakes bears, lions and stuff and I told her what I posted here--no danger.
However, the is a very dangerous animal that you definately encounter in the woods.
People.
Unlike animals, people will sometimes fuck with you for no discernable reason whatsoever.
AND girls should NEVER hike alone, or without at least 1 male.
Sorry to say, men can be dangerous to women when loosed from the constaints of civilization.
Now lace up those hiking boots and hit the trails.
By now you should have already got things ready.
Broken-in hiking boots & hiking sox, a frame pack, folding shovel, seeds, trails to hike marked in your hiking book, money saved for soil and a grow buddy.
Now, if you are willing to settle for a smaller yield and spend $15 you can avoid digging holes by buying the planter pictured.
They are called pulp pots. You'll prob. have to order these from a nursery.
They are far superior to plastic planters because
-they "breathe"...
-They absorb excess water and act as a wick when the soil begins to dry...
-they blend in with the surroundings...
-when the roots of the plant outgrow the planter they grow right through it into the ground...
-they don't heat up like plastic...
-they are made from recycled paper pulp.
Hurry up. Spring starts Mar. 20.
Marijuana requires water a min of 2x/week. If it doesn't rain you must bring water to them
Peeps, it's almost here.
The Vernal Eqinox (days & nights of equal length) in Mar 20 this year.
It's not time to plant outside yet but will be soon.
Do you have all your stuff?
SEEDS
For someone who has never grown anything I recommend whatever seeds you can get your paws on. Obviously you want seeds from the best pot you can.
For those who HAVE grown stuff before (tomatoes, etc.) consider buying Northern Lights (NL) seeds from a seed bacnk.
NL is imo the best strain to grow whether experienced or beginner.
It's very hardy, very forgiving of mistakes
Spring has finally sprung.
There may still be snow on the ground where you are (like here), but it won't last long.
Winter, which began just before x-mas, is finally over and what a looong freaking 3 months it was!
Now it's time to start getting this show on the road. The road to marijuana independence.
Hope you've got all your shit together.
Starting within the next few days I'll begin making posts re: beginning for reals.
The most critical factor in outdoor growing.
If you can't grow in your backyard safely, you're gonna have to choose a remote place.
The more remote the better.
Because even if you have a dozen plants with branches sagging with pounds of bud, it's all wasted time & effort if you go out to water (or worse go out to harvest) and find
all your shit gone. It's happened to me 8 or 9 times, even in moderately remote
places.
General
Ideally you want to choose someplace where you can park without being seen from passing cars.
Cause leo's and rippers aren't stupid.
If they see a car frequently at the same place they will be pretty certain that you may have a grow nearby and start looking for it. And some leo's and rippers are excellent trackers.
If there's no place like that, you'll have to park someplace where there are lots of cars (like a popular trailhead) so your car won't stand out.
A love of the outdoors, a desire to have pounds of weed for pennies, and an MP3 player all help tremendously on a long hike.
On any trail there are usually lots of side paths.
YOU NEED A TRAIL GUIDE AND COLORED STRING FOR THIS NEXT PART (GPS's are good too but not necassary). Hiking guides are especially important because they show
streams/lakes, etc and tell you whether they are seasonal or year-round.
Walk about a mile or 2 in and start looking for side trails. Take the path less traveled (and mark the junction with a bit of colored string). Try to take as many side paths as possible.
What To Look For
You want a clearing that has a full view of the southern, eastern and western sky (for sunlight). There can be lots of tree's to the west. That's ok because they don't block the sun.
Old cabin site's are usually excellent choices because there's already
a clearing.
You want to be close (but not next to) a water source. You don't want to be right next to water source because water atrracts both 2 and 4-legged animals.
Unless it rains you will have to bring water to the plants. A 6' tall plant in full veg will drink up to a gallon of water every few days, and water weighs over 8 pounds per gal.
The best way to transport it from a nearby water source is in a green or brown 5-gal plastic bucket. Scoop up water and lug it back.
You also want a way to get in and out of your grow area without leaving a path. Rockhopping or walking on gravel is a good way to not leave a path. Avoid area 's that have you
walking through grass.
A clearing does not always mean completely clear. There can be bushes. In fact, bushes are an excellent cover.
Here's what ya do:
Get an empty 3-liter plastic container and make a mini greenhouse for each one (detailed instructions somewhere on this thread).
Carefully transplant into the soil (ditch the cups).
Usually, by the time the young plant outgrows it's little home, it's put down enough roots to anchor it in place.
KEEPING DEER AWAY
There are numerous ways.
Most effective:
Get a roll of 4' chicken wire. It comes in rollss like 25' or 50' long. Cut 6' lengths of the roll (this takes a l-o-n-g time and you need snips). Make circle's of these (attach cut
ends together with wire) then flatten them for easy transport.
Then get some uprights. These can be 5'--6' lengths of rebar or something similar. I used drapery rods since I had access to them.
When you get to your site, center the wire tube over the plant site and mark. The excavate a trench 6" deep by 1" (use a stick) and place the wire tube in place. Drive the
re-bar into the ground with a hammer on the interior of the tube.
Now you have a little cage to protect your plant.
Other ways:
2nd best way is dog shit.
Feed your dog meat the night before and before you leave to tend your garden and bring your pooch and a bran muffin with you.
When you get to your site, give your dog the muffin.
Works on dogs just like people.
Deer will smell the shit and can tell it came from a meateater and stay away.
Get a roll of bailing wire. This is thin, easily bendable wire and is cheap. Get the dull non-shiny kind.
Using existing vegatation/tree's (or re-bar), encircle your grow area.
1 strand 18" off the ground, 1 at 30", the last at 4'.
Ask your local barber to save you some floor sweepings and scatter this near your plants.
Using 2 or more of these in conjunction will help keep your plants deer-safe.
If this seems like a lot of work, consider that each plant can yield as much as a pound or more of buds.
Keep in mind nothing short of a concertina/razor wire-topped chain link fence will keep starving deer away.
I can tell you a way we automatically watered our plants at one patch we had going for years, but you need a water source, such as a year-round stream or pond.
You will need
-a 12-v battery preferably the kind used for trolling motors (deep cycle).
-1 or 2 solar panels (the kind used to charge car batteries)
-a small 9-v timer
-a submersable 12-v water pump
-a plastic 5-gal. bucket w/lid
-hoses of varying thicknesses
-drip emitters
Get the 12-v battery and solar panels at someplace like Kragens, Napa or large auto-parts store.
Get the small timer at Radio Shack.
Get the water pump at a RV supply place.
Get the hoses and drip emitters at any large builder's supply place like homedepot.
The solar panels charge the battery, the timer turns the pump on for 1 hr/day (bestt time is 8 a.m.). One hose (the largest diameter) goes from the water source
(put a mesh filter or sock over the intake to keep out sediment) to the bucket in which
sits a 12-v pump and filled with water (primer for the pump) with the lid on.
Drill 2 holes near the bottom of the bucket, 1 for intake 1 for outflow.
the main outflow hose goes to the garden area and using splitters run a line to each plant. Put a drip emitter on the end of each hose
(1/2 gph in the spring and last 5 weeks of flowering, 1 gph in the summer).
You'll need to tweak it, and visit occasionally to add nutrients.
Actually you should plant 3 seeds per 3' x 3' hole, and after a week or 2 cut off the 2 shorter ones with scossors at soil level, leaving the strongest.
The 2 most labor-intensive job in guerilla growing is digging the holes and transporting the soil.
It takes approx 2 cu ft to fill a 3' x 3' hole. A 2 cu. ft. sack of potting soil weighs about 80 pounds. For each hole I would have to split the bag up into 3 loads and
backpack out 3 times per hole.
Hard? Hell yeah. But soil and sun are the two most important factors in growing pot.
Now, occasioanly I'd locate a grow site near a stream. Sometimes the soil would be pretty good (near pine tree's though is bad). You want rich dark soil, not hard packed.
Look for bends in the stream and piles of rocks where leaves and twigs might
get washed to and collect (and decompose) during winter rains.
If you've got rich, good draining soil, you can get by with mixing quality potting soil with existing soil on a 50/50 basis. You will spend less on potting soil but more on
nutrients (but then again nutrients don't weigh NEARLY as much as potting soil).
Nutrients/fertilizers indicate the composition by N-P-K, which stands for Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium (Potash).
For veg you want something that is highest in the first number, like 10-5-5. Nitrogen is needed for growth and make plants a beautiful vibrant emerald green.
And use organic nutrients. For rock bottom $$ you can use a tea made out of chicken shit (buy it or use well-rotted chicken shit from your coop, the hard dusty stuff from the
bottom of the pile). Fill up a 5 gal. buckets 1/5 full of chicken shit,
the fill to the top with water. Stir it several times/day. It smells terrible and may make you gag.
Do this for 2 weeks and now you've got concentrated fertilizer for a few pennies.
Add 1/2 cup of this to every gal. of water you use on your plants.
Or better use something like Fox Farms nutrients.
Alright freaks, it's time to get serious.
You hiked and hiked and found the perfect spot, dug holes, hauled potting soil and have been making those long treks every 2--4 days to keep your plants watered and fertilized.
Now it's mid-July and things start to get interesting.
I just noticed one of my 12 plants start to begin flowering. Over the next 4 weeks they'll all start.
For me this is not that important. All of my plants are clones from known females. But for people who grew from seeds you gotta watch your plants like a hawk.
Because during the next 5--6 weeks (could be tomorrow could be Sept.1 or anywhere in between).
And you want to get rid of the males. Rip them up without mercy.
Anyway I'm jazzed. I always look forward to this time of year. It's amazing watching the plants develop, and observing the buds forming.
Keep at it dudes, we're coming into the home stretch.
Don't worry about getting busted for outdoor grows in the woods.
If the cops find it, they'll rip it up and haul it off.
No police force has the manpower to stake out a grow, 3 teams of 2 cops per shift, around the clock for who knows how many days to bust some guy growing some plants.
Plus, if you have a dog like I recommended, your dog will let you know if anyone is lurking nearby.
Here's a tip: when you get to your plants, just stand there admiring them for a minute before watering them. If the cops leap out and say "AHA gotcha" just say wtf you talking
about, it's not against the law to find some pot plants and/or to look at them.
They can only bust you for cultivation if they see you cultivating (watering) or harvesting them. They can't bust you for possession either, since you aren't in possession of them.
Just say you were hiking around, saw some pot plants and decieded to look at them. Unless you have nutrients in your back pack, they'll have no way to assume/prove otherwise.
EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE
If you booby trap your grow and the cops find it, they WILL stake it out and bust you. Because that's a much more serious crime--endangering public safety. They'll get state or
federal help to stake out the grow.
GIVE A HOOT
Corny yeah, but it's true.
-Don't leave junk laying around. No wrappers, cans, empty sacks of soil or containers of nutrients.
-Stash your nutrients in the bushes (in a plastic container) and wear gloves when you handle it.
-Use organic nutrients, and safe-to-people & animal insecticides. Chem. nutrients/toxic insecticides get into the water table and kill fish and generally pollute stuff.
Be nice to Mother Nature and she'll be nice to you. (COUGHweedCOUGH)
Lesson One
Rent the flick Homegrown, starring Billy Bob Thornton & Hank Azaria. Its a great movie all about guerilla growing.
And right now is a great time of year to buy hiking boots. Youll also need a frame backpack and a hiking guide (buy at a sporting goods shop).
Look through it.
Youll also need a army surplus-type folding shovel.
Also, start saving up seeds. Its nice to have seeds from killer strains, but even if its mids, that better than none.
And know this: the pot you harvest later this year will be better than the pot the seeds it came from.
Cause you will take better care of it, and plus YOU grew it.
Start saving your dough. It will cost approx. $10.00 per plant in potting soil and a couple bux for nutrients later in the growing season.
If you dont like the idea of hiking miles on a hot dusty trail while your friends are partying at the beach, read no further.
If you dont have the inclination to dig holes (very hard) and transport potting soil (very heavy), go play a video game.
If you cant commit to a project that lasts 7 months, beat it.
Now that weve gotten rid of the riff-raff
Those of you still here may be interested in growing massive quantities of quality weed for just a few bucks.
Thats where I come in.
Cause I can help you.
In fact, if you follow my instructions, you will have more weed that youve ever had before, and it will be the best pot youve ever smoked.
Honest.
Ive been doing this for a long time, and have talked to many other growers, and here you have over a centurys experience in guerilla growing in an easy-to-read format, for free.
This weeks topic is choosing a location Pt 1.
Think remote.
More remote than youve ever been.
Somewhere NO ONE EVER GOES.
EVER.
The best way to find one of these locations is to walk yourself down to the nearest large sporting goods store and purchase a trail guide to the nearest Natl Forest etc. It may have a
title like 100 Hikes In The Angeles.
You and your partner (only have one if hes your best bud and you really trust him).start scouring the trails listed. You want to pick a trail that DOES NOT connect with other trails.
This cuts down on hikers.
Points:
-Read the first part of the hiking guide. It usually tells you about history, flora and fauna, dos and donts and local restrictions.
-Youll want to choose a trail that crosses a stream, because youre gonna have to water your plants. A 7 tall plant in full veg requires a gal of water at least 2 x/week and water
weighs 8.5 lbs/gal. When it doesnt rain youll have to bring water to them so
youll want a nearby water source.
AND, read a growbook, cover to cover.
Ill be back.
This is the most important factor in guerilla growing.
It doesn't matter how many plants of what strain you have growing if someone finds them and rips you off.
Remoteness in most cases is key.
Don't stroll into the woods for a few minutes and expect to find a place to successfully grow/harvest marijuana. Too many people poking around.
Hike deep deep into the wodds--I suggest AT LEAST an hour's hike on an unpopular trail before you start looking (the further the better).
Look for:
-a clearing off the trail, the further the better
-seek an area that you don't mind if you have to carry up to a gal./water to the plants 2x/week.
-good southern exposure
-a way to get in and out WITHOUT leaving a path off the trail.
It's a good also a good idea to have multiple patches of weed if you want to increase your chances of harvesting mondo sticky buds. I like to have 3 so if rippers get one,
bugs/animals get another, I'll still have weed.
Again, TELL NO ONE.
The temptation is great (esp. for beginners) to take your pals out to show them what you're doing.
DON'T DO THAT.
Remember, you're growing money trees. The best pot is worth as much as pure gold.
Think of a pot plant as a bush that has let's say 40 hundred-dollar bills hanging from it, and there's 10 bushes like that.
Now, if YOU know where a money tree was growing, might you be tempted to go out and pick a few of those hundred dollar bills?
Even if they belonged to someone you knew?
Even if you wouldn't be tempted, many people would/will be.
Except for your partner (if you have one):
Don't tell anyone you have pot growing.
If you've mentioned to others that your considering it, tell them that you found out it too hard or you planted some and it died.
After harvest
Keep the fact that you grew successfully a secret.
Like don't whip out any fresh (wet) weed.
Even when you have slow-dried/cured weed, don't let on.
Still be asking your friends if they know of any good deals on pot; even buy some occasionally.
When they're around and you bring some of your pot out, tell them you bought it from a friend of a relative they don't know. Tell them it cost a lot so they won't be interested in
buying it, or if you have a lot and you want to sell, tell him that you'll ask
your relative's friend for more, have him give you the dough and tell him to come back the next day, then give him the weed.
Here's why you shouldn't tell anyone you have a bunch that you grew.
-They'll follow you next year
-And they'll be like "c'mon dude turn me on to some, it didn't cost you nothing."
Well it DID cost you something.
Sweating out the hikes, digging the holes, carrying the water, spending time on learning how to grow (like here), spending time tending the plants when everyone else was
partying at the beach.
Besides, if your friend wanted pot that "didn't cost nothing", HE could have grown some of his fucking own. Tough shit; you have more balls than him it's not your fault he's a pussy.
Ok, you've got your grow buddy, you've found a site--now what?
First you have to deciede--do you want to go as cheap as possible and dig holes, or do you want to buy planters?
You're gonna have to choose. You can't just throw seeds on the ground and have them grow.
You can do it in the city like in a yard or something. Fertile soil, water, sure.
Out in the woods it's a different story.
You have to plant in good soil. You're gonna have to carry it in.
The best potting soil is Fox Farms Ocean and Forest also Black Gold Potting Soil.
They are chock full o good organic nutrients like kelp, guano's, worm castings etc.
The soil is so rich you don't have to use fertilizer for over a month.
The 2 brands I mentioned may be unavailable in your area, or really expensive.
Look around, like call big plant nurseries. Ask for soils that are pre-amended with ORGANIC nutrients.
Avoid potting soil that has chem. nutrients added.
It would be better to get plain old potting soil.
If you choose to dig, be prepared for some sweaty work. You will need to dig a hole 3' x 3'. It's backbreaking work but it'll be good for ya.
Or, you may choose to use planters. The only one that I recommend are PULP POTS. (see pic)
You want the largest size, but an approx. 15" x 20" will do if you can water more often .
If no one in your area carries pulp pots, ask a nursery to order some for you. Tell them a friend on the west coast told you about them. The large size are about $25.00.
The beauty of pulp pots
-they are bio-degradable (they last for about 3 years, more if they don't get rained on much)...
-They are made from recycled paper pulp...
-they blend in with their surrounding more than any other type container...
-they don't heat up like other containers, good because heat can destroy roots...
-the paper pulp acts as a moisture regulator. Use lots of water and the pulp will absorb it, so the plant doesn't drown; when the soil gets dry it can get some of that moisture
back from the pulp.
How much potting soil:
A hole 3' x 3' requires about 2 large bags of potting soil.
Note: potting soil is VERY heavy. A large bag weighs like 75 lbs.
This is where your partner coimes in.
Using frame packs, depending on your size and strength, you can carry 75 lbs. of potting soil on your back in a frame pack. Otherwise, split the load up; make as many trips
as required.
If the area you're growing in had good soil, you can get away by re-filling the holes with a 50/50 mix of potting and existing soil.
Good soil is dark and has a good "earthy" aroma, almost like something that's been baked.
If using existing soil, be sure to mix it up well with the potting soil, removing all rocks.
So let's say you've found a clearing out in the woods.
How do you know if someone goes there or not?
Of course, look for signs like cigarette butts, gum wrappers, footprints, stuff like that.
But there may be no obvious signs, so how do you find out for sure? Here are 2 methods I've used:
Find a rock that's the right size to sit on. Drop a handfull of coins next to it, like the $ fell out of someone's pocket when they sat down. I used shiny coins, always including a
Kennedy half-dollar (people love those).
Another way is I'd buy a cheap 3 dollar compass, put a string on it and hang it from a bush next to the trail, so it looked like it snagged off someone's neck as they hiked past.
You'll have to visit the site a lot, so you need to find a way to get in and out without leaving a path.
There are a number of ways to do this.
Often, when I had a grow, I'd use 3 pairs of shoes everytime I went in.
First there were my hiking boots. I'd do the long hike in and when I got to the bottom of the canyon, I'd change into a pair of old tennies I had hidden under a rock. I'd wear
these to the general area, then wade across the stream at an unlikely spot.
Then I'd stop and change into moccasins (which my nephew made at camp btw) and softly walk the remaining 100 yards or so.
Rock-hopping is another way to travel without leaving a path, so is walking across rough gravel.
You need to do deep into the woods to do this, deeper than most yahoo's are willing to travel to look for/rip off someone's garden.
When To Plant
In the spring, after the spring solstice (Mar. 20 this year) and after the last danger of frost has passed. If you don't know when that is in your neck of the woods, call a local nursery
and ask them.
So it's months off, and you have a lot to do before you plant seeds anyway: finding a location and prepping the area.
However, you can give your plants a head start and a great advantage if you start them inside right about now.
If you put them outside at the start of spring when they're already a foot tall, they'll be able to jam right off the bat.
To start them inside you'll need a growspace, with lights and ventilation. And you'll want to raise them under 16/8 light.
If you want to start them inside, count backwards 4 weeks and start them inside then.
Btw, 4/20 is a great time to plant.
Dangers In The Woods
Plants
Poison oak,ivy,sumac:
Basically the same plant, it can grow as a bush or small tree or a vine. They can be plentiful. In California it is the most common wild native plant near streams. They can be
indentified by their leaves.
You don't want to get "bit" by one of these.
You'll be itching for weeks. And a BAD itch thatg will keep you awake at night, and if you scratch it, it will never go away.
Once I was clearing an area for a garden deep in the woods and pulled up some dead plants (they didn't have any leaves so I didn't recognize them as poison oak).
I got it so bad the toxin was in my blood and I had to go to a clinic and get an injection and take steroids for a month.
Stinging Nettles: hurts as bad as a bee sting. The first time you brush up against one of these fuckers with your bare skin, it will feel like someone just drove red-hot needles into
your flesh.
How to identify these plants--ask a boy scout or backpacker, or visit a Forest Service Office or go on a Sierra Club/nature hike.
Insects
Usually just a minor annoyance.
Except for mosquito's which can transmit West Nile and ticks, which can transmit Lyme disease.
Long-sleeved shirts and long pants with liberal amt's of Deep Woods or repellents which are DEET-based helps, and there are natural repellents you can spray on.
Eating a few cloves of garlic will help keep the 'skeeters (and most of your friends) away.
Ticks are more difficult. Wear a long-sleeved shirt and long pants and use repellents, and also put a rubber band around each sleeve and pants cuff.
And when you get home, take a showers and it's n
ot bad to have a friend check your body to make sure you are tick-free. They're easy to remove if you get to them in the first few
hours after they start to dig in.
Animals
Snakes:
Snakes would much rather avoid than confront you.
When I hike I walk heavily and sing and tap my hiking staff of rocks.
This alerts any nearby snakes of my presence, and they split.
Never put your hands or feet anyplace you can't see.
Let's say your bopping down the trail and come around a bend and right there in the middle of the trail see a 5' rattlesnake sunning itself.
Not to worry. Just yell at it. It will slither off and you can continue your hike.
And start singing.
Bears: They will go to any length to avoid you. The only exception are campground bears who will steal your pikanic basket if you leave it unattended.
Mountain Lions: I've only been lucky enough once in over a thousand miles of hiking during the last 30 years to see a mountain lion. They've seen me plenty of times no doubt,
but they are no danger if you're over 3 feet tall or with people, unless you
get too close to a mother with kittens.
Coyote's: Again, no danger to people. Yell at them and throw rocks.
I invited my 10-year old neice to go hiking with other family members and she told me she was scared.
"Scared of what?" I asked.
She went down the whole list: snakes bears, lions and stuff and I told her what I posted here--no danger.
However, the is a very dangerous animal that you definately encounter in the woods.
People.
Unlike animals, people will sometimes fuck with you for no discernable reason whatsoever.
AND girls should NEVER hike alone, or without at least 1 male.
Sorry to say, men can be dangerous to women when loosed from the constaints of civilization.
Now lace up those hiking boots and hit the trails.
By now you should have already got things ready.
Broken-in hiking boots & hiking sox, a frame pack, folding shovel, seeds, trails to hike marked in your hiking book, money saved for soil and a grow buddy.
Now, if you are willing to settle for a smaller yield and spend $15 you can avoid digging holes by buying the planter pictured.
They are called pulp pots. You'll prob. have to order these from a nursery.
They are far superior to plastic planters because
-they "breathe"...
-They absorb excess water and act as a wick when the soil begins to dry...
-they blend in with the surroundings...
-when the roots of the plant outgrow the planter they grow right through it into the ground...
-they don't heat up like plastic...
-they are made from recycled paper pulp.
Hurry up. Spring starts Mar. 20.
Marijuana requires water a min of 2x/week. If it doesn't rain you must bring water to them
Peeps, it's almost here.
The Vernal Eqinox (days & nights of equal length) in Mar 20 this year.
It's not time to plant outside yet but will be soon.
Do you have all your stuff?
SEEDS
For someone who has never grown anything I recommend whatever seeds you can get your paws on. Obviously you want seeds from the best pot you can.
For those who HAVE grown stuff before (tomatoes, etc.) consider buying Northern Lights (NL) seeds from a seed bacnk.
NL is imo the best strain to grow whether experienced or beginner.
It's very hardy, very forgiving of mistakes
Spring has finally sprung.
There may still be snow on the ground where you are (like here), but it won't last long.
Winter, which began just before x-mas, is finally over and what a looong freaking 3 months it was!
Now it's time to start getting this show on the road. The road to marijuana independence.
Hope you've got all your shit together.
Starting within the next few days I'll begin making posts re: beginning for reals.
The most critical factor in outdoor growing.
If you can't grow in your backyard safely, you're gonna have to choose a remote place.
The more remote the better.
Because even if you have a dozen plants with branches sagging with pounds of bud, it's all wasted time & effort if you go out to water (or worse go out to harvest) and find
all your shit gone. It's happened to me 8 or 9 times, even in moderately remote
places.
General
Ideally you want to choose someplace where you can park without being seen from passing cars.
Cause leo's and rippers aren't stupid.
If they see a car frequently at the same place they will be pretty certain that you may have a grow nearby and start looking for it. And some leo's and rippers are excellent trackers.
If there's no place like that, you'll have to park someplace where there are lots of cars (like a popular trailhead) so your car won't stand out.
A love of the outdoors, a desire to have pounds of weed for pennies, and an MP3 player all help tremendously on a long hike.
On any trail there are usually lots of side paths.
YOU NEED A TRAIL GUIDE AND COLORED STRING FOR THIS NEXT PART (GPS's are good too but not necassary). Hiking guides are especially important because they show
streams/lakes, etc and tell you whether they are seasonal or year-round.
Walk about a mile or 2 in and start looking for side trails. Take the path less traveled (and mark the junction with a bit of colored string). Try to take as many side paths as possible.
What To Look For
You want a clearing that has a full view of the southern, eastern and western sky (for sunlight). There can be lots of tree's to the west. That's ok because they don't block the sun.
Old cabin site's are usually excellent choices because there's already
a clearing.
You want to be close (but not next to) a water source. You don't want to be right next to water source because water atrracts both 2 and 4-legged animals.
Unless it rains you will have to bring water to the plants. A 6' tall plant in full veg will drink up to a gallon of water every few days, and water weighs over 8 pounds per gal.
The best way to transport it from a nearby water source is in a green or brown 5-gal plastic bucket. Scoop up water and lug it back.
You also want a way to get in and out of your grow area without leaving a path. Rockhopping or walking on gravel is a good way to not leave a path. Avoid area 's that have you
walking through grass.
A clearing does not always mean completely clear. There can be bushes. In fact, bushes are an excellent cover.
Here's what ya do:
Get an empty 3-liter plastic container and make a mini greenhouse for each one (detailed instructions somewhere on this thread).
Carefully transplant into the soil (ditch the cups).
Usually, by the time the young plant outgrows it's little home, it's put down enough roots to anchor it in place.
KEEPING DEER AWAY
There are numerous ways.
Most effective:
Get a roll of 4' chicken wire. It comes in rollss like 25' or 50' long. Cut 6' lengths of the roll (this takes a l-o-n-g time and you need snips). Make circle's of these (attach cut
ends together with wire) then flatten them for easy transport.
Then get some uprights. These can be 5'--6' lengths of rebar or something similar. I used drapery rods since I had access to them.
When you get to your site, center the wire tube over the plant site and mark. The excavate a trench 6" deep by 1" (use a stick) and place the wire tube in place. Drive the
re-bar into the ground with a hammer on the interior of the tube.
Now you have a little cage to protect your plant.
Other ways:
2nd best way is dog shit.
Feed your dog meat the night before and before you leave to tend your garden and bring your pooch and a bran muffin with you.
When you get to your site, give your dog the muffin.
Works on dogs just like people.
Deer will smell the shit and can tell it came from a meateater and stay away.
Get a roll of bailing wire. This is thin, easily bendable wire and is cheap. Get the dull non-shiny kind.
Using existing vegatation/tree's (or re-bar), encircle your grow area.
1 strand 18" off the ground, 1 at 30", the last at 4'.
Ask your local barber to save you some floor sweepings and scatter this near your plants.
Using 2 or more of these in conjunction will help keep your plants deer-safe.
If this seems like a lot of work, consider that each plant can yield as much as a pound or more of buds.
Keep in mind nothing short of a concertina/razor wire-topped chain link fence will keep starving deer away.
I can tell you a way we automatically watered our plants at one patch we had going for years, but you need a water source, such as a year-round stream or pond.
You will need
-a 12-v battery preferably the kind used for trolling motors (deep cycle).
-1 or 2 solar panels (the kind used to charge car batteries)
-a small 9-v timer
-a submersable 12-v water pump
-a plastic 5-gal. bucket w/lid
-hoses of varying thicknesses
-drip emitters
Get the 12-v battery and solar panels at someplace like Kragens, Napa or large auto-parts store.
Get the small timer at Radio Shack.
Get the water pump at a RV supply place.
Get the hoses and drip emitters at any large builder's supply place like homedepot.
The solar panels charge the battery, the timer turns the pump on for 1 hr/day (bestt time is 8 a.m.). One hose (the largest diameter) goes from the water source
(put a mesh filter or sock over the intake to keep out sediment) to the bucket in which
sits a 12-v pump and filled with water (primer for the pump) with the lid on.
Drill 2 holes near the bottom of the bucket, 1 for intake 1 for outflow.
the main outflow hose goes to the garden area and using splitters run a line to each plant. Put a drip emitter on the end of each hose
(1/2 gph in the spring and last 5 weeks of flowering, 1 gph in the summer).
You'll need to tweak it, and visit occasionally to add nutrients.
Actually you should plant 3 seeds per 3' x 3' hole, and after a week or 2 cut off the 2 shorter ones with scossors at soil level, leaving the strongest.
The 2 most labor-intensive job in guerilla growing is digging the holes and transporting the soil.
It takes approx 2 cu ft to fill a 3' x 3' hole. A 2 cu. ft. sack of potting soil weighs about 80 pounds. For each hole I would have to split the bag up into 3 loads and
backpack out 3 times per hole.
Hard? Hell yeah. But soil and sun are the two most important factors in growing pot.
Now, occasioanly I'd locate a grow site near a stream. Sometimes the soil would be pretty good (near pine tree's though is bad). You want rich dark soil, not hard packed.
Look for bends in the stream and piles of rocks where leaves and twigs might
get washed to and collect (and decompose) during winter rains.
If you've got rich, good draining soil, you can get by with mixing quality potting soil with existing soil on a 50/50 basis. You will spend less on potting soil but more on
nutrients (but then again nutrients don't weigh NEARLY as much as potting soil).
Nutrients/fertilizers indicate the composition by N-P-K, which stands for Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium (Potash).
For veg you want something that is highest in the first number, like 10-5-5. Nitrogen is needed for growth and make plants a beautiful vibrant emerald green.
And use organic nutrients. For rock bottom $$ you can use a tea made out of chicken shit (buy it or use well-rotted chicken shit from your coop, the hard dusty stuff from the
bottom of the pile). Fill up a 5 gal. buckets 1/5 full of chicken shit,
the fill to the top with water. Stir it several times/day. It smells terrible and may make you gag.
Do this for 2 weeks and now you've got concentrated fertilizer for a few pennies.
Add 1/2 cup of this to every gal. of water you use on your plants.
Or better use something like Fox Farms nutrients.
Alright freaks, it's time to get serious.
You hiked and hiked and found the perfect spot, dug holes, hauled potting soil and have been making those long treks every 2--4 days to keep your plants watered and fertilized.
Now it's mid-July and things start to get interesting.
I just noticed one of my 12 plants start to begin flowering. Over the next 4 weeks they'll all start.
For me this is not that important. All of my plants are clones from known females. But for people who grew from seeds you gotta watch your plants like a hawk.
Because during the next 5--6 weeks (could be tomorrow could be Sept.1 or anywhere in between).
And you want to get rid of the males. Rip them up without mercy.
Anyway I'm jazzed. I always look forward to this time of year. It's amazing watching the plants develop, and observing the buds forming.
Keep at it dudes, we're coming into the home stretch.
Don't worry about getting busted for outdoor grows in the woods.
If the cops find it, they'll rip it up and haul it off.
No police force has the manpower to stake out a grow, 3 teams of 2 cops per shift, around the clock for who knows how many days to bust some guy growing some plants.
Plus, if you have a dog like I recommended, your dog will let you know if anyone is lurking nearby.
Here's a tip: when you get to your plants, just stand there admiring them for a minute before watering them. If the cops leap out and say "AHA gotcha" just say wtf you talking
about, it's not against the law to find some pot plants and/or to look at them.
They can only bust you for cultivation if they see you cultivating (watering) or harvesting them. They can't bust you for possession either, since you aren't in possession of them.
Just say you were hiking around, saw some pot plants and decieded to look at them. Unless you have nutrients in your back pack, they'll have no way to assume/prove otherwise.
EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE
If you booby trap your grow and the cops find it, they WILL stake it out and bust you. Because that's a much more serious crime--endangering public safety. They'll get state or
federal help to stake out the grow.
GIVE A HOOT
Corny yeah, but it's true.
-Don't leave junk laying around. No wrappers, cans, empty sacks of soil or containers of nutrients.
-Stash your nutrients in the bushes (in a plastic container) and wear gloves when you handle it.
-Use organic nutrients, and safe-to-people & animal insecticides. Chem. nutrients/toxic insecticides get into the water table and kill fish and generally pollute stuff.
Be nice to Mother Nature and she'll be nice to you. (COUGHweedCOUGH)
