soil and water the essentials

ok, so I promised my father not to grow on his property again so I am searching for a new spot (not that I'll ever find as good a spot)

but anyway, i want to know how much water is too much? how dry is too dry. The last area i had was at the edge of a field, and run-off water from the field watered my plants, maintenace free it was wonderfull.

Is swampy areas too wet? what about close to a river where there is water in the ground when you dig down a foot or two? what kind of expirence do you guys have?

Also, the area i am from can be kinda alkeline. There is often white chalky dust on the ground in some places. Any ideas what affect this will have on the plants?

MJ doesn't like wet soil, so flood plains and really low water tables will cause root rot and mold, along with stunted growth. you want your soil to dry out completely in between watering. feel below the surface, don't just look and assume it's dry.

get you a cheap ass soil test kit and get your PH, go from there. There's all kinds of shit to manipulate your soil's PH.

Im from a dry climate, where it doesnt rain enough. So what your saying is that I cant go close to a river where the soil will be more or less continously damp?

where are you from? general area? If the water table is about 3-4 feet down you'll be fine but you dont want the hole filling up with water when dig in.

what else grows naturally around your area? specific as possible..

Yes! Grow near rivers. These are probably the best natural 'maintenance free' zones. And bugs have a bunch of other stuff to hopefully eat besides your tastey MJ plants.

Near trees is also ideal, as the tree shade helps keep moisture in the soil.