G.Leave
Cultivators Club
The Guerilla Style Growers Guide...this tips guide is only partially finished, but since its so close to the outdoor season I figured I had better get it posted. Some things will be edited and reformatted as time allows.
Chapter 1 Introduction:
I know a lot of folks can only grow in their closets, or stick plants out in the woods, and hope for the best. For years, that was the way i grew outdoors(before i injured my neck) and i had good success growing that way. Now I cannot write a complete how-to guide on this subject as everybodies location is very different, but i am attempting to write a guide that will have tips and tricks that will help in any situation, along with some tips and tricks to more location specific growers here in North America. As with my other "Guide to Training Photosensitive Monsters" this guide will not delve into basics of growing seedlings, as it already assumes you can grow at the least small plants. The goal of this guide is to hopefully increase outdoor success.
The early phase of growth, before they go outside - "Seedlings"
Okay nothing too complicated to see here! I start all of my outdoor plants on April the 1st indoors under T8 flourescant lights.(recently upgraded to LED's) As there is still snow on the ground in my locations, I cannot put them in the ground until the snow melts and the ground warms, which is June the 1st. I put plants outside on June the 1st hell or high water. My plants over the years have seen many frosts, sleet and even snow on occasion. I believe early cold stress toughen the plants for the often cold weather they must endure in the fall. Every year my plants will deal with some frost, usually in both the spring and fall seasons.
Vegetative growth - "Location, Location, Location"
This is the key factor for successfull growing guerilla style. There is a few factors that will make or break your crop in the end. Choosing your spot is everything.
Where Exactly to grow - I can only give my experiences on this. Edges of farm fields, edges of forests, abandoned and public land all have opportunity. Do not trespass on others land to grow a hundred plants. That type of behaviour is what gives growers a bad name. I do understand that in many places of the world, there are only two types of land, privately owned and publicly over used land. If you have to trespass to grow a couple of plants, do just that. Do just enough to smoke for the year, and train them to look like bushes not Xmas trees. Trespass growing changes your threats from typical thieves and hunters to the guy that owns, and likely knows the land.
Security - Absolutely the most important thing when it comes to location is security. It doesn't matter if your plants grow to 20 feet tall if someone else is going to find and steal them, or worse call in the cavalry. You have to make the decision whether your spot could be compromised by hikers, hunters, bird watchers or worse of all pot thieves. If you have doubts, i would advise a much later seedling start than April the first. Then get away from the typical Xmas tree structure by topping the plant at the fourth true node. Branches can be tied down using 10lb test green braided fishing line which is extremely un noticeable to the human eye which will give the plants a very different than usual bush/shrub like appearance. Tying the braided line directly onto the branches will cut into the stalk walls, so i tie a small piece of dark fabric and then tie the braided line to that.
Security Animals - Deer, rodents, racoons, gophers, moose, coyotes can all be a problem when growing in guerilla settings. My biggest problem is Deer and Coyotes. Deer are pretty easily deterred by using blood and bone meal as fertilizers, but on the flipside Blood/Bone attracts predators like Coyotes, Wolves and Bear. These animals will dig up your soil to check out what the blood and bone smell is. Once the animals have dug up the soil a couple of times and find nothing worthy to eat, they will stop disturbing the dirt. For this reason I will prepare my holes a good two weeks before planting my plants. Blood meal sprinkled on the ground close to the plants is a great deterrent for rabbits, rodents, deer and moose. I have always found that little plants are most likely to get eaten by animals, especially plants put out early in the spring. In areas where i know there are few people, i will not hesitate to use chicken wire cages to protect them for the first few weeks.
Insects - Yet another thing to look out when choosing location is insects. In my locations, I have a few of the hassle bugs to look out for. Slugs are probably my number one concern, followed by Leaf Hoppers(we have green, brown and rainbow coloured Leaf Hoppers). Grassy type fields might seem like an ideal spot for sun(and it is) but know that the leaf hoppers will likely be eating your plants. Some strains are susceptible(or just taste better to the bugs?) and some strains the insects will virtually leave alone. If you have good light and good soil, leaf hoppers shouldn't be too much of a hassle, as your plants should certainly outgrow the damage they can cause. Now slugs on the other hand can do some substantial damage. Those little pricks leaving their slime trail while they devour tissue must be stopped!!(lol) Experiment to see what works to repel them, as it would seem some things work well in some places but not others. I tried wrapping exposed copper around stalks and training ties and is was quite effective in my situation. I've also used beer traps with good effect, but here in Cannada its a capitol crime punishable by death to waste beer. Got to admit though, it feels pretty good to see a bunch of the bastards dead.
PH of the soil is imperative here. If the PH is off whether high or low it will cause major problems. Invest in a digital soil ph meter and make sure you location choice is fairly close to an ideal PH. Lime is crucial to help any soil to get to the ph sweet spot, and also adds calcium and magnesium to the plants so its a really worthy addition to any soil.
Drainage - Drainage is super important. If water sits in a hole for hours without draining away then you have some serious work ahead of you, and making the plants look natural will be very difficult in super soggy soil. The best way to fix the problem is to create mounds of dirt. In my experience if the water is soggy(low drainage swampy or clay) try to find another spot to grow in. Also PH is usually way off in swampy soil.
Sunlight - I've pulled a pound a plant in 6 hours of direct sun a number of times. Full sun is ideal, but know if all of the conditions are right the plants could grow uncontrollably, and if they get too big they will be prone to thieves. I would rather harvest a handful of 3 foot 1/4 pounders, than lose a 10 footer to some hunter, or worse. Now if you have an incredible spot with full sun, and no people then get ready for a crazy harvest. Scout spots during the day, and try to vision the path of the sun, and maximize the rays by putting the plant in a good location. Ideally check the sun in the morning and in the late afternoon to ensure your location has sufficient light.
Vegetative growth - "Preparing the soil"
One of my favorite soils to use is hardwood leaf compost. Rotted maple, oak, beech, birch all drop a ton of leaves in the fall and once they compost down, they breakdown to a fluffy black soil full of nutrients and PH is perfect. In my situation, the mature forests don't allow enough sun to penetrate the canopy, so i relocate this soil to a more sun filled location. Often this will save a ton of work, and it really is a pristine medium. With a few other additions, it is the perfect soil. When you dig up soil for relocation, try to cover up the spot where you dug from, and leave as little evidence as possible....the less hikers notice, the better. I carefully scrape back the non rotted leaves from the soils surface and dig the top 8"-12" of the nice black topsoil, and then cover up the dug hole with the leaves i scraped away.
Soil - "Mixes and bringing in your own"
I hope for your sake you don't have to resort to carrying soil mixes kilometers though rough country. Finding good native soil is usually much easier than lugging in many kilos of dirt, but not always feasible.
Preflower
Tending to your plants - "Stealth"
If you can, nothing is more stealthy than night runs dressed in black. Be wary though, as rough rugged ground can send you home with a twisted or broken ankle. Also some may have night time predator animals to deal with, which is always fun.(getting confronted by a Bear in the middle of the night while tending your plants is a real treat) For night runs though, people in the woods are few and far between, and truth be told, humans are the biggest threat to most peoples outdoor plants. In the night you move much slower than during the day time, especially if you are going out on moonlit nights, so give yourself extra time to complete your tasks.
Chapter 1 Introduction:
I know a lot of folks can only grow in their closets, or stick plants out in the woods, and hope for the best. For years, that was the way i grew outdoors(before i injured my neck) and i had good success growing that way. Now I cannot write a complete how-to guide on this subject as everybodies location is very different, but i am attempting to write a guide that will have tips and tricks that will help in any situation, along with some tips and tricks to more location specific growers here in North America. As with my other "Guide to Training Photosensitive Monsters" this guide will not delve into basics of growing seedlings, as it already assumes you can grow at the least small plants. The goal of this guide is to hopefully increase outdoor success.
The early phase of growth, before they go outside - "Seedlings"
Okay nothing too complicated to see here! I start all of my outdoor plants on April the 1st indoors under T8 flourescant lights.(recently upgraded to LED's) As there is still snow on the ground in my locations, I cannot put them in the ground until the snow melts and the ground warms, which is June the 1st. I put plants outside on June the 1st hell or high water. My plants over the years have seen many frosts, sleet and even snow on occasion. I believe early cold stress toughen the plants for the often cold weather they must endure in the fall. Every year my plants will deal with some frost, usually in both the spring and fall seasons.
Vegetative growth - "Location, Location, Location"
This is the key factor for successfull growing guerilla style. There is a few factors that will make or break your crop in the end. Choosing your spot is everything.
Where Exactly to grow - I can only give my experiences on this. Edges of farm fields, edges of forests, abandoned and public land all have opportunity. Do not trespass on others land to grow a hundred plants. That type of behaviour is what gives growers a bad name. I do understand that in many places of the world, there are only two types of land, privately owned and publicly over used land. If you have to trespass to grow a couple of plants, do just that. Do just enough to smoke for the year, and train them to look like bushes not Xmas trees. Trespass growing changes your threats from typical thieves and hunters to the guy that owns, and likely knows the land.
Security - Absolutely the most important thing when it comes to location is security. It doesn't matter if your plants grow to 20 feet tall if someone else is going to find and steal them, or worse call in the cavalry. You have to make the decision whether your spot could be compromised by hikers, hunters, bird watchers or worse of all pot thieves. If you have doubts, i would advise a much later seedling start than April the first. Then get away from the typical Xmas tree structure by topping the plant at the fourth true node. Branches can be tied down using 10lb test green braided fishing line which is extremely un noticeable to the human eye which will give the plants a very different than usual bush/shrub like appearance. Tying the braided line directly onto the branches will cut into the stalk walls, so i tie a small piece of dark fabric and then tie the braided line to that.
Security Animals - Deer, rodents, racoons, gophers, moose, coyotes can all be a problem when growing in guerilla settings. My biggest problem is Deer and Coyotes. Deer are pretty easily deterred by using blood and bone meal as fertilizers, but on the flipside Blood/Bone attracts predators like Coyotes, Wolves and Bear. These animals will dig up your soil to check out what the blood and bone smell is. Once the animals have dug up the soil a couple of times and find nothing worthy to eat, they will stop disturbing the dirt. For this reason I will prepare my holes a good two weeks before planting my plants. Blood meal sprinkled on the ground close to the plants is a great deterrent for rabbits, rodents, deer and moose. I have always found that little plants are most likely to get eaten by animals, especially plants put out early in the spring. In areas where i know there are few people, i will not hesitate to use chicken wire cages to protect them for the first few weeks.
Insects - Yet another thing to look out when choosing location is insects. In my locations, I have a few of the hassle bugs to look out for. Slugs are probably my number one concern, followed by Leaf Hoppers(we have green, brown and rainbow coloured Leaf Hoppers). Grassy type fields might seem like an ideal spot for sun(and it is) but know that the leaf hoppers will likely be eating your plants. Some strains are susceptible(or just taste better to the bugs?) and some strains the insects will virtually leave alone. If you have good light and good soil, leaf hoppers shouldn't be too much of a hassle, as your plants should certainly outgrow the damage they can cause. Now slugs on the other hand can do some substantial damage. Those little pricks leaving their slime trail while they devour tissue must be stopped!!(lol) Experiment to see what works to repel them, as it would seem some things work well in some places but not others. I tried wrapping exposed copper around stalks and training ties and is was quite effective in my situation. I've also used beer traps with good effect, but here in Cannada its a capitol crime punishable by death to waste beer. Got to admit though, it feels pretty good to see a bunch of the bastards dead.
PH of the soil is imperative here. If the PH is off whether high or low it will cause major problems. Invest in a digital soil ph meter and make sure you location choice is fairly close to an ideal PH. Lime is crucial to help any soil to get to the ph sweet spot, and also adds calcium and magnesium to the plants so its a really worthy addition to any soil.
Drainage - Drainage is super important. If water sits in a hole for hours without draining away then you have some serious work ahead of you, and making the plants look natural will be very difficult in super soggy soil. The best way to fix the problem is to create mounds of dirt. In my experience if the water is soggy(low drainage swampy or clay) try to find another spot to grow in. Also PH is usually way off in swampy soil.
Sunlight - I've pulled a pound a plant in 6 hours of direct sun a number of times. Full sun is ideal, but know if all of the conditions are right the plants could grow uncontrollably, and if they get too big they will be prone to thieves. I would rather harvest a handful of 3 foot 1/4 pounders, than lose a 10 footer to some hunter, or worse. Now if you have an incredible spot with full sun, and no people then get ready for a crazy harvest. Scout spots during the day, and try to vision the path of the sun, and maximize the rays by putting the plant in a good location. Ideally check the sun in the morning and in the late afternoon to ensure your location has sufficient light.
Vegetative growth - "Preparing the soil"
One of my favorite soils to use is hardwood leaf compost. Rotted maple, oak, beech, birch all drop a ton of leaves in the fall and once they compost down, they breakdown to a fluffy black soil full of nutrients and PH is perfect. In my situation, the mature forests don't allow enough sun to penetrate the canopy, so i relocate this soil to a more sun filled location. Often this will save a ton of work, and it really is a pristine medium. With a few other additions, it is the perfect soil. When you dig up soil for relocation, try to cover up the spot where you dug from, and leave as little evidence as possible....the less hikers notice, the better. I carefully scrape back the non rotted leaves from the soils surface and dig the top 8"-12" of the nice black topsoil, and then cover up the dug hole with the leaves i scraped away.
Soil - "Mixes and bringing in your own"
I hope for your sake you don't have to resort to carrying soil mixes kilometers though rough country. Finding good native soil is usually much easier than lugging in many kilos of dirt, but not always feasible.
Preflower
Tending to your plants - "Stealth"
If you can, nothing is more stealthy than night runs dressed in black. Be wary though, as rough rugged ground can send you home with a twisted or broken ankle. Also some may have night time predator animals to deal with, which is always fun.(getting confronted by a Bear in the middle of the night while tending your plants is a real treat) For night runs though, people in the woods are few and far between, and truth be told, humans are the biggest threat to most peoples outdoor plants. In the night you move much slower than during the day time, especially if you are going out on moonlit nights, so give yourself extra time to complete your tasks.
