Sublime757
Well-Known Member
Preface
So I was looking through the March 2008 of High Times (looking at the pictures mostly because reading when you're stoned is likely teaching a 6 year old with ADD Quantum physics) and it seemed like the typical issue. After being damn near anestitized by their LED article, I came across "The Guerilla Grower's Guide". Being a former guerilla, this intrigued me so I decided to read it all the way through. An hour or so later, wow... talk about half-assed and vague. I was very disappointed, so I decided to write my own guide. Enjoy.
Strain Selection:
Pick something outdoor specific. Do some reading, and pick something with an early finishing time. Marijuana can withstand some harsh conditions, however, frost WILL KILL THEM. The Farmer's Almanac is a wealth of information beyond value. For frost dates in the US click here: http://www.almanac.com/garden/frostus.php
Location, Location, Location:
This is the most important aspect of guerilla growing. Many people discourage growing on state/federal property. I agree. Because many people are stupid and getting caught growing on state/federal property, will make you state/federal property. Being the Supreme Being that I am, I found a way around this. Volunteer work. Become a National Park's Service volunteer. This gives you a chance to scope out a spot for your plants. Not only does this give access to the entirety of the park, but it also gives you an alibi. You get a uniform, a volunteer card, and access to tools and other things beneficial to growing. Looks great on transcripts as well and counts as community service for all you misfits out there. Volunteer
If you dont plan on volunteering, make sure you bring a pair of binoculars for an alibi. Say your bird watching or something. Fishing poles work well, too, but many parks dont allow fishing. A biology book works well as you can just say youre working on a project for school pertaining to classifying trees and shrubs.
As you will be traveling to your guerilla outpost many times, you need avoid making a trail. Trails can be very easily spotted from the air and can be enticing to the over-zealous hiker. Take a different route to your plants every time if possible. At least weave a little when you walk to disguise your path. Never exit the same way you came in. And learn your woods so they become a part of you. You never know when you may need to evade a pursuer. Knowing any nearby cliffs, rivers, drop-offs, etc can be very beneficial in getting away.
The spot: Don't wimp out here. The more difficult you're grow is to get to, the better off you'll be. Thorns, briar patches, and swamps/marshes are your new best friends. As you're surveying the ground for nasty things to discourage hikers, don't forget to also look up. Make sure light penetration will be sufficient for growing, but have enough coverage for that eye in the sky. A brush filled, south-facing, hillside is superb for the cause. You may need to LST plants to keep them level with the surrounding foliage.
Planting: This is where things get tricky. You have to decide if you have the means to carry in containers and soil. For outdoor grows I recommend at least 5 gallon pots because outdoor plants get huge. Remember, you want these plants to blend in with the rest of the trees in the forest. So dont stick a plant in a bright blue bucket and call it a day. Paint it dark green or dark brown to help blend in. For added stealth, dig a hole the size of your pot, and recess it into the ground so less of the planter is exposed. DO NOT place it directly on the bottom of the hole. Throw in some big rocks or anything to keep it about 6" off the bottom of the hole. This is due to water that may collect in the hole and over saturate your planting pot. Growing in buckets has many advantages. For one, you can guarantee soil quality and content this way. Two, they can be moved in emergency situations (severe storms, possible detection, etc).
If you can't bring in buckets and dirt, it's time for plan B. Chances are, the soil in the forest is going to be pretty rich in nutrients. Try to avoid planting in areas with a high concentration of pine trees. Pine needles biodegrade and can make soil highly acidic. I prefer to condition the soil by digging 2x2x2 hole to break up the dirt a bit. In this hole youll want to add some perlite (water retention) and blood meal (for nitrogen). If somehow you can get a couple bags of high quality soil (FoxFarm is great) back to your spot, back fill the hole you dug with that. If this isnt possible in your situation, you could just bury a seed and walk away. I prefer to start plants indoors to help them get a good root system going and better established for the outdoor living conditions. If at all possible, try to give them just a few hours of sun per day for the first 3-5 days. You can do this in your backyard, or just snap off a larger tree branch and position it over your crop for the first few days. Then remove it for the full effect.
When transporting small plants, they can easily be damaged by just throwing them in a backpack. The 20oz. soda bottles make great transfer container. Cut it in half, but leave a small piece of the plastic still connected so it doesnt completely separate. Put your plants out of their containers and stick them in the bottles. Use a little piece of tape so it doesnt fall open in your backpack.
If you spot isnt getting a sufficient amount of sunlight, break out the machete. I say machetes because they are somewhat concealable in a backpack and capable of chopping down brush/saplings/small children, often in one swing. Back to the volunteer parks service thing; you will access to an array of tools ranging from picks, shovel, axes, golf-carts, and all kinds of fun shit. Ok, so now youve thinned out some branches on sun-hogging trees, what to do with the trimmings? Use them as barricades around your crop. Anything to discourage the deer, whom love eating small ganja trees. Be careful not to go Ferngully style and take down half of the forest. Just make sure that they are getting near direct sunlight from 12pm-3pm, as this is where the sun is the most intense.
Pest Control: There is a vast world of creepy-crawlies hell bent on destroying your sweet cheeba. As well as larger herbivores that need to be deterred. The best way I found is by peeing around the perimeter of your spot. This can be increasingly difficult for our female cultivators, so I suggest buying some predator urine (wolf piss is pretty good) which can be found at Wal-Mart and most sporting goods stores. Next, take a bar of soap and cut into thick chunks. Sprinkle these around the perimeter. Use soap like Irish Springs or Zest as they are more pungent in odor than most soaps. Liquid soap and piss are only good until it rains. The bar soap chunks last a bit longer, but are only good for 2 solid rains. So instead of stocking up on soap, use something that last longer; human hair. Human hair never loses its smell to the animal world. If you dont plan on shaving your head, head to the local barber shop and they will be more than happy to part with a giant bag of the shit. Sprinkle a good layer around your spot and that should take care of the larger beasts. Another measure I like to take is the use of chicken wire. Its fairly cheap from home depot (can even be acquired from poorly guarded construction sites) but I recommend spray-painting it black, dark green, or brown.
Now to protect from slugs and bugs is a bit more difficult. Boric acid is great for anything that crawls. Be sure to sprinkle a hearty layer of this around your plants but make sure not to get it within 12 feet of your plants if they are directly in the ground. Next go slightly inside of the boric acid circle with a thick layer of Diatomaceous Earth. DE works by attaching to exoskeletons of bugs and slicing them to shit causing it to dry out and die. My kind of product! For the airborne pests, use an organic pesticide for fruiting plants and spray your plants lightly with it after the first sign on bugs. When inspecting your plants dont forget the underside of the leaves as well.
