Outdoor in the high desert, pondering my options and planning ahead

Hey there RIU,

So I started out growing indoors and after two failed attempts (killed them both times at week 4, learning n such) I finally got one through and I harvested just under a pound in November. I'm currently doing an impromptu run indoors (wasn't planning on it but was given two ladies at day 5 so I said why not?) but I'm already looking ahead to my next full scale indoor, and more importantly, this years outdoor season.

My two options for outdoors is as follows:
1. I may be able to do an outdoor grow on a family members property. It's a completely off grid house (own water, power, etc) that sits on 50 acres at around 4800-5000ft. I'm thinking of doing two 100gallon planters with 4 plants in each, shooting for 2lbs per plant.

2. If option 1 doesn't pan out then I will be going guerrilla. I grew up 4wheeling all over my area so I know it pretty well and I have a few spots in mind. I want to nail down 3 seperate plots (all will probably be 5000-6000ft in elevation) and have 1-2 plants at each plot with a minimum of 4 plants. I'll probably dig a 30"x14" hole (roughly 5.5cf or 40ish gallons) and fill it with good soil.

Now the environment I will be growing in is pretty rough most of the time. It's a high desert which means cool nights and hot days (100+ is the norm from July-Sept), very little rainfall (although we got more than usual last year), mostly deer and squirrels roaming with some mountain lions, bears, and other assorted rodents mixed in, and high in elevation. Does anyone have experience with this type of environment doing either planter or guerrilla grows?

Any tips? Tricks? Suggestions?

All responses are appreciated!

Yes I grown in the desert before water is your biggest problem and u will need to cart all your soil in lot of work
For watering I use a dippers system from a tank. The temps would get up to 120 very hot but great plant

bryangtho said:

Yes I grown in the desert before water is your biggest problem and u will need to cart all your soil in lot of work
For watering I use a dippers system from a tank. The temps would get up to 120 very hot but great plant

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Ya I figured I would probably have to water 3-5 gallons per plant every three days or so. And ya, definitely gonna be a few back and forth trips. Haha hopefully I can just go with option 1 and have nice big planters with a drip system!

chadster152 said:

Ya I figured I would probably have to water 3-5 gallons per plant every three days or so. And ya, definitely gonna be a few back and forth trips. Haha hopefully I can just go with option 1 and have nice big planters with a drip system!

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I use 44g drum I would get a about a week from it for 5 plants.
Got a drill and drill a hole at bottom of drum got a tap from the hardware and seal it work fine

For your guerrilla grow option on public lands, I'm sure you already know this but be sure to cover your tracks every place you turn off of roads and trails. Not sure what high deserts you're using (not asking) but in southern California the only use for much of that land is 4 wheeling, motorcycle and quad territory and I'm sure a lot of assholes who'd love to find a grow. Probably a lot safer in Nevada and Utah where there is more land and fewer bikers.

Best of luck to you.

Don't forget that water crystals, they will save your plants in those conditions.

Dan Drews said:

For your guerrilla grow option on public lands, I'm sure you already know this but be sure to cover your tracks every place you turn off of roads and trails. Not sure what high deserts you're using (not asking) but in southern California the only use for much of that land is 4 wheeling, motorcycle and quad territory and I'm sure a lot of assholes who'd love to find a grow. Probably a lot safer in Nevada and Utah where there is more land and fewer bikers.

Best of luck to you.

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Ya I'm in the Northern California/Northern Nevada state line area, lots of trails but as you said, more land and less off-roaders. I'm hoping to find a spot where I can just park my truck (where it'll look normal) and then hike in to avoid leaving or making a trail. I plan to bring my dog with me that way I have an alibi. There's a few areas I have in mind, but I gotta wait for the snow to melt so I can hike in and see.

And thank you I appreciate it!

redeyedfrog said:

Don't forget that water crystals, they will save your plants in those conditions.

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I've been seeing a lot of people mention water crystals in other threads but I haven't really looked into them (which I'm about to do), I assume they just hold water in the soil so plants can use them in times of drought? Have you used them before?

chadster152 said:

I've been seeing a lot of people mention water crystals in other threads but I haven't really looked into them (which I'm about to do), I assume they just hold water in the soil so plants can use them in times of drought? Have you used them before?

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I don't go without them,same material they use in diapers. Perfect for gorilla grow!!
They swell up over 600 times their size and hold water till it is released by roots or dry soil. In your conditions I wouldn't not use them. At least if you miss watering by a few days you can get by without losing the girls.

Just be careful not to overdo it, they are small but a little goes a long way

redeyedfrog said:

I don't go without them,same material they use in diapers. Perfect for gorilla grow!!
They swell up over 600 times their size and hold water till it is released by roots or dry soil. In your conditions I wouldn't not use them. At least if you miss watering by a few days you can get by without losing the girls.

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That sounds awesome, I'm definitely gonna look into those and add them to my soil. Good looking out!

I've been to just about every corner of California EXCEPT where you're describing, I know that area is very remote up there. I just zoomed in on Google Earth and found some remote canyons up there with what are probably seasonal creeks that still had water in June 2014 images which is a pretty good sign. If you can find water nearby in tough, rugged canyons, that might be more safe and 'doable' compared to the wide open expanses of desert which don't offer much cover for your plants.

Once again, best of luck to you on your adventure and happy growing.

Dan Drews said:

I've been to just about every corner of California EXCEPT where you're describing, I know that area is very remote up there. I just zoomed in on Google Earth and found some remote canyons up there with what are probably seasonal creeks that still had water in June 2014 images which is a pretty good sign. If you can find water nearby in tough, rugged canyons, that might be more safe and 'doable' compared to the wide open expanses of desert which don't offer much cover for your plants.

Once again, best of luck to you on your adventure and happy growing.

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The area I'm in is pretty mountainous with some (big) valleys here and there, so I'm definitely gonna be planting in the mountains, probably between 5500-6000 ft (my house is at 4800). I was on google earth last night as well and I found two (maybe three) spots in my target area that look good, but I still gotta wait till all this snow melts before I can even get in there to look. There's not many consistently flowing sources of water around here (most streams are just from snow melt and they dry up in the summer) so I figure I'll have to haul in all of it, but it would be nice to find a spring. There are pockets of aspen trees in some of the canyons which usually means water flow so it's definitely something I'll be looking for, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

If youre in Modoc you can do 24 plants legally with very few restrictions on any property with a house on it. Why risk it guerilla status?

And just a heads up youre NOT going to hit 2lbs per plant with 4 plants in a 100 gallon planter.

rumblen said:

And just a heads up youre NOT going to hit 2lbs per plant with 4 plants in a 100 gallon planter.

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I would agree with both things rumblen said above. One of the biggest problems guerrilla growing in the desert is that any cannabis, especially big plants, is going to stick out like a glowing green beacon against a sea of tan and brown. You're going to have to be creative to keep your site safe. Lots of smaller plants would seem to be your best bet, and tall and skinny is better than big and fat. Don't plant in orderly grids, you're safer planting next to any green native scrub or plants you can find.
Once again, best of luck and let us know what you learn.

rumblen said:

If youre in Modoc you can do 24 plants legally with very few restrictions on any property with a house on it. Why risk it guerilla status?

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I'm not in modoc unfortunately, I'm towards the southern end of lassen/north end of Sierra. The house I would do the planters at is just on the Nevada side tho.

rumblen said:

And just a heads up youre NOT going to hit 2lbs per plant with 4 plants in a 100 gallon planter.

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What do you think is a more realistic result with 4 plants in a 100gal planter?

Dan Drews said:

I would agree with both things rumblen said above. One of the biggest problems guerrilla growing in the desert is that any cannabis, especially big plants, is going to stick out like a glowing green beacon against a sea of tan and brown. You're going to have to be creative to keep your site safe. Lots of smaller plants would seem to be your best bet, and tall and skinny is better than big and fat. Don't plant in orderly grids, you're safer planting next to any green native scrub or plants you can find.
Once again, best of luck and let us know what you learn.

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The mountains where I'm looking at aren't your typical desert. There's huge pine trees, pockets of aspens, tall grass in some spots and lots of other assorted bushes. Plus the spots I've marked to explore once the snow melts are pretty remote, at least an hours drive (probably more honestly) off road from the nearest house, plus the hike in from the off-road trails. I think as long as there's no sign of recent or habitual human presence where I'm looking, they'll be fine. I plan to do 2 plants at most at each site, and they'll definitely be staggered, probably separated by some big bushes or trees. I'm still hoping to avoid going guerrilla (even tho it sounds fun) and just do some planters with a drip system.

chadster152 said:

I'm not in modoc unfortunately, I'm towards the southern end of lassen/north end of Sierra. The house I would do the planters at is just on the Nevada side tho.

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In Lassen you can do 6 plants on an acre and up, with no requirement for a house on the parcel.

chadster152 said:

What do you think is a more realistic result with 4 plants in a 100gal planter?

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Ive pulled 2lbs per plant in 100 gallon smart pots so I would say maybe 2lbs total in the planter? But theres alot of factors other than container size.