Outdoor Growing Tutorial

RangerDanger

New Member
First off all, let me get this out of the way.
Outdoor growing requires commitment.
Don't think you can skip gaily through the woods scattering seeds and come back in Oct to find weed growing, it doesn't work that way.
-Marijuana needs water every 2 or 3 days. If it doesn't rain, you must supply it. Since you want a remote location, that means long hours of pounding the trail after work and on weekends while your friends are partying at the beach.
There will likely be hot days when the last thing you want to do is walking a dusty trail.
-Marijuana needs to be grown in amended soil. That means digging holes 3' across x 3' deep, backbreaking work with a pick and shovel which you have to haul out to the woods.
-It means hauling potting soil, 1 bag per hole, and each bag usually requires 2trips, since each bag weighs about 70 lbs.; you'll have to split it.
-It means starting seeds or clones at home, and going in at pre-dawn, carrying them out to the site when they're about 8"--12" tall.
-Having thm in the ground by 05/01, and harvesting on let's say 10/15 mean 5 & 1/2 months of labor. Miss one watering trip and all your plants will die.
If you can't hack these criteria, don't even bother starting.

For those still with me, let's look at the potential rewards.
I'll put this in economic terms. Not because you're gonna sell, but because you no longer have to spend money buying buds you can spend that money on other stuff (like hookers and beer).
Let's say you grow 10 females and get 6 oz. of buds per plant--do-able with my help.
That's 60 oz, or 3.75 lbs. At retail prices for top quality bud, that means over $9,000.00 worth of pot.
Sounding better?
I did a quick figuring and after deducting gas money to get to the woods, and nutrients, guerilla growing was a part-time job that paid $100/hour.
Not too shabby.

GETTING STARTED
Now (Sept./Oct.) is a good time to start getting ready for next years grow. You will need to find a locations near--but not next to--a water source. Streams, lakes, etc. draw animals, both of the 4 and 2-legged variety.
And you want to make sure that the water source is still available this time of year (some water sources dry up before the fall rains).
You will need:
A frame backpack
Hiking boots
A trail guide (available at any large sporting goods store).
And a "cover'. That includes a dog, binocs, camera, fishing gear, etc--something that makes anyone you might encounter on trails think your just an innocent hiker/fisherman/bird watcher.

A partner is a good idea. For instance you can alternate trips. Or if you're out there together ond one of you gets injured, the other can go get help. But you'd better make sure it's someone you can trust to know where in the woods you have a box full of $10,000 worth of gold coins buried. Otherwise you may go out near harvest time to find your plants gone.

It really pains me to say this, but if you're a chick you're gonna absolutely need a male partner. Ever if your a black belt in karate, a woman alone--or even 2 girls--is in danger in the woods. 99% of the people you meet are ok, but it's that 1 percent you have to worry about. Come across a group of drunk low-life's...

Read the trail guide and find an interesting area. Look for trails that cross or parellell streams (marked on the map). The when you're an hour or more in, veer off the trail and look for a clearing with a good view of the southern skies (where the sun will be). A GPS can be a help here to "bookmark" locations.
Look for signs that anyone has been there--cigarette butts, paths, etc. Abandon those potential sites.
You also need a place you can get into and out of without leaving a path.
When you find what seems to be a suitable location you still want to make sure it's not frequented by people.
Bring a hand full of change--shiny quarters & dimes for example (Kennedy half-dollars were a favorite of mine). Put these next to a sitting size log or rock so it looks like they fell out of someone's pocket when they sat to rest. Or get some cheap 5 dollar compasses and put them on a lanyard (string). Hang these at chest level on a branch so it looks like it accidentally got torn off as someone was hiking by. Anyone who sees the coins or compass will take them and you'll know not to plant there.
And remember--the more remote the loactions, the harder it is to get to, the more chance you'll have of success.

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION
Frist, pick a trail where the can access it without your vehicle being seen from a road. A car parked at a remote trailhead several times a week for months means "grower nearby".
When you're out hiking around, you gotta have this mind set--"where will no one ever go?"
This usually means remote.
It means near (but not next to) a water source.
It means a clearing that has a clear view of the souethern skies. You can be right up against trees to the north, but in the northern hemisphere the sun in in the southern sky. It helps if you have a compass.
You need a location you can get to & from without leaving a path.
I used to wade streams and rock-hop.
Old cabin sites are ideal. I knew of several places where there used to be cabins many years before. The cabins were gone but the clearings remained.


P.S. this is a work in progress (I'm not getting paid for this folks). I'll continue to post and by the time I'm done (maybe not for months) you'll know exactly how to end up with boxfulls of phat sticky budz next year.

Stay tuned.

Almost forgot--DON'T TELL ANYONE OF YOUR PLANS TO GROW MJ.

Please, any Q's, comments etc. please start another thread.
 
MORE ON GETTING STARTED:

If you don't like being outside in the fresh air, if you'd rather be sitting in front of a computer or tv in your free time, guerilla growing probably isn't for you.
I know a number of people who were attracted to the idea of having boxfulls of bud for a couple of bucks (and some sweat equity) an ounce who bailed during the grow simply because they didn't like being out in the woods.
But if you like camping and hiking, if you enjoy sitting around a campfire with a friend up in the mountains, if you enjoy fishing and skinny-dipping in a clear stream, in addition to having lots of bud for pennies on the dollar, then guerilla growing is definately something you should consider.

RISK OF GETTING CAUGHT:
Very little.
I've been guerilla growing for 40 years and although I have lost several grows to cops, the only time I got busted was growing in the city.
The reason is cops aren't really concerned that much with busting small (under 25 or so plants) personal grows. Plus they simply don't have the manpower to stake out a grow 24/7 for days to bust some average guy.
If you use common sense, and have a dog, there is little or no chance you'll get busted while guerilla growing. At least not while they're in the ground.
You look for cars parked at the trailhead, you stop look & listen as you approach your garden area, if you look for footprints or "intruder detectors" (more on this later), if you have your dog with you, you won't get busted.
 
Stealth

Most of the time, just tending your garden, all you have to do is play the part of the innocent hiker/nature love/bird watcher/fisherman, but there are times when it's essential you not be seen on the trail.
For outdoor site prep you're gonna need a shovel at least and often a pick--the ground is very hard and sometimes rocky out in the woods.
I recommend going to an army/navy surplus or outdoor hiking shop and hetting a nifty folding tool. Anywhere from $5--$10, they have a small shovel and pick.
That's good for small gardens, but for a bigger grow you might want full-sized implements. You don't want to be seen carrying a pick and shovel out on the trail.
To avoid digging you can use planters.
I recommend pulp pots, planters made from re-cycled cardboad. They are difficult to find, you might have to special order them from a large plant nursery. They come in lots of sizes--I suggest getting the ones that are approx. 18" x 18" or so, at least. Bigger is better.
You don't want to be seen carrying these around either.
And finally, when you're carrying your harvest out you don't want to be seen. Even triple garbage bagged fresh cut pot REEKS. If you pass by someone on the trail they will smell it.
So far the above situations you will need to go in pre-dawn, preferably on a weekday. If there are any other cars already parked at the trailhead when you arrive, leave and try the next day.
Several times I have seen a flashlight approaching and I've had to crash through brush to hide until they passed.
 
The Best Tip Of All
This is something more people should do even if they don't grow, but especially if you do grow and even more important if you have multiple grows.
Volunteer.
Go to the Forest Service office nearest where you want to grow and ask about their volunteer program. Most area's have them.
You'll attend an orientation meeting (1 Saturday and they give you coffee, donuts and lunch). Most area's only require you put in a few hours a month.

The advantages:
Many. If you volunteer for backpack campground clean-up and there's a service road you'll get the key to the gate. That's a gold-plated pass for pot growers. You can drive in [through locked gates like 6--8 miles before you start looking for a grow site. The only people who go that far in are backpackers. They are far less likely to poke around looking for secret gardens. They're just passing through.
When you join someplaces supply uniforms and badges. If not, buy them (you can't order these in a regular store you have to order them through the Forest Service).
Wearing the uniform is like another free pass. You'll instantly have thousands of friends, (most real ranger like volunteers. If your car breaks down up in the mountains and you're standing outside your car, if Forest Service people see you they'll stop to help.
If they see you on the trail they'll stop for a friendly chat, and you can pick up all sorts of helpful tips.
After being a volunteer for several years I would hear about area's where the Forest Service had recieved reports of pot gardens. Very handy info.

There are lots of catagories for volunteers. Trail repair, trail inspections, trail guides, law enforcement ride-alongs and campground maintainance, which can include anything from building outhouses to driving out a bag or 2 of trash. Most of the time you can choose which catagory you want. I recommend backpack campground maintence. Often, frequently used backpack camgrounds have a service road.

IMPORTANT
Never never EVER wear your uniform while tending your garden.
If you're wearing your uniform and combining Forest Service work with garden maintence (what I frequently did), bring along a change of clothes and change into them before visiting your garden.
You'll get in MUCHO trouble if you're caught tending your pot garden in uniform, plus it will really piss off all of your now former Forest Service buddies.

Also, never never ever reveal what you're up to. Many Forest Servive personal smoke pot (I'd say like 40% of the ones that work outside the office).
But that doesn't mean you should ever even talk to them about pot-related subjects. Even if your sitting out at a picnic table in the woods and a Forest Service person or volunteer whips out a jay, politely decline if you're in uniform. If you're not in uniform, take a puff and say "that's enough for me thanks".
You want to give the illusion that you're not very interested in MJ.

Obligatory Commentary:
I used to drive 8 miles in and bring along an extra 12-pack of beer in an ice cooler and when I arrived at my appointed campground I was instantly the most popular guy among tired dusty hikers as I passed out free beer.
I would also pass out info like area's of interest. Like the bear-scratching tree. Bears mark their territory (especially area's of free abundant food like campgrounds) by scratching deep gouges in a tree trunk. To give the impression to other newcomming bears that a large bear has already claimed that area, a bear will sometimes climb up several feet and make their scratches.
I would also point out area's to visit and area's to avoid (like the area's close to my gardens).
I'd answer general questions and write out free campfire permits.
Several times I was asked to drive out an injured/sick person. If I did I would change into regular clothes and emphasize that I wasn't driving them out as Forest Service personel, just as a guy who was there with a car. That's for insurance purposes. You can't transport people in your capacity as a Forest Service volunteer.
One of my favorite things to do, after recieving permission from the adults, was tell scary ghost stories arouind the campfire. It's one of my fondest childhood memories, camping with my family, when an older cousin or uncle would tell scary campfire stories. Scared the bejesus out of us young 'uns, but we were with grown-ups so we felt relatively safe.

AND
Last but certainly not least, as a Forest Service volunteer, you'll be performing a valuable public service, and you'll be repaying nature for her generosity.
And when you pull into a 7-11 in uniform, all the illegal aliens will run and hide :laughtwo:
 
What To Do While Waiting For The Spring
Well, if you grew this year, right now is about the best time of the year. Your harvested/slow-dried weed is curing and you have an abundance of top-quality buds.
But if you're a 1st-timer considering an guerilla grow in '07, you can put these cold late fall/winter to good use.

You should get a trail guide to the woods nearest where you live. You can get excellent ones at any large sporting goods store. The nearest Forest Service/Nat'l Park Service also has bare bones trail guides, free.
If you're inexperienced in hiking/backpacking, I recommend reading a hiking book. One Step At A Time by Harvey Manning is a good one, full of handy tips.
If you live in the southwest US, where winters are mild, you can be using this time of year for exploritory hikes.

One thing leo's look for is the same car parked at the same place several times/week for months and months. So you should look for a place where your parked car cannot be seen from the road. Also, a bike rack is a good cover, especially if the trail hooks up to other trails. You don't need a bike, just the rack.

ALSO
there are low-life's in the woods just like anywhere else. People who go up in the mountains looking for parked cars to break into.
That's why it's a good idea to use an old beat-up car with nothing of value inside. And I mean NOTHING. I had a friend who had his window busted out with a rock so someoneone could steal the handfull of quarters my friend had in the console for parking meters.
My van, which had nothing of value inside (and was unlocked) which was parked at the same trailhead was unmolested.
 
Hey RangerDanger, are you still around? If you want to finish writing this book, I'll read it. I bet others would as well.

The preface sure was a good read!

Thanks!
 
If you are watering from a drip line I'd think that the roots would end up happier where the water is. Now that would depend on your soil of course, if the water can and does quickly and easily spread to the root mass then it wouldn't matter so much.

I've always heard/read that MJ seemed to like to send its roots down (at least at first). But I'd guess in the ground they would tend to grow at least somewhat in all directions... And that once they found the nutrients and water that the plant needed you'd see the most root growth in that general area. IF that supposition is true you would probably want to provide at least some of the nutrients/soil amendments where your drip line is.

Actually, now that I think of it in your situation I'd think it would help either way because if you worked the soil directly under the drip line it would make it easier for the water to spread than if it was unworked at that point. But then again I'm basing my logic(?) on my local soil which you can often dig a small hole in just about anywhere - if you've got a pickaxe and a strong back lol. If your soil is in better shape and has more air pockets it might not matter quite so much.

Yeah, there probably aren't nearly as many people that grow 21' tall plants as there were in the 70s and 80s.

Whatever strategy you go with, why not do at least one plant each way? Then you can return in the fall and let us know which way actually IS best.
 
AHH... when you stated drip-line I was thinking of irrigation hoses. My bad. Yeah, like I've heard that many trees have roots out as far as the leaves spread.

Question: Your plants from last year that didn't grow deep roots? Had you "prepped" things deeper than the roots grew? If so than you're probably right in that they would spread laterally and be able to use the nutrients placed there.

Actually, you're most likely correct either way - you've done the outdoor thing before. I could undoubtedly learn a thing or ten from you.
 
Vent away, I've noticed that they don't last nearly as long as the ads say unless you leave them on constantly. I had a family member years ago use an old-fashioned (now we'd call it that, then it was just a bulb) 100-watt bulb as a source of heat in her insulated pump house to help keep enough warmth in there to prevent freezing and I think the same bulb burned for probably 20 or 21 years before it burned out. She never turned it off.

I also wonder how much pollution & harm to the environment is caused by manufacturing - and disposing of - these "good for the environment" bulbs. You know, like how it does more harm to the environment to manufacture a Toyota Prius and then get rid of the batteries at their end-of-life than it does to manufacture and operate a traditional fuel-efficient small automobile lol.

I like that your branches rooted. I've known that you could make a clone by air layering (make two circular cuts around the branch, cut a vertical line between them, and peal the resulting strip of the first couple layers off, pack moist rooting medium around the "wound," wrap it in opaque plastic, put a few small holes into it so it can "breathe," then when the branch grows roots just cut it free of its mother - great for medical growers with limits on the number of plants because until the moment you cut the branch free it's not a plant it's just a branch on a plant) but I didn't know that branches on the ground would root.

I should have known though because I've seen stems grow lots of "bumps" that eventually turned into tiny little spikes close to the medium. I figured that if I piled it on that they would have become roots.
 
RD is not around, but you can see how he had a way of explaining things so you could understand. He was also one of the best storytellers ever. I have laughed my head off, and cried a few times too.

When you want to sit back and relax, pull up more of RD's threads. You'll see what I mean.

Peace and good growing:rollit:
 
I enjoyed reading what you had to say. Those were some great tips. Very good thinking there. You made some smart choocies to cover up what was going on in the backround. I got a small wooded area in my neighbhood. I never see anyone back there and there is a lake back there. It's a good place for me to grow with out anyone bothering me. What do you think? I have a lot of seeds from just buying weed. Do you think if I plants the seeds and watch them like 3 times a week, that my plants will grow to be healthy? I am not looking to grow some CrAzY bUd. Just something to smoke. Message me back (anyone)
~Tamemoe
 
Ranger Danger! Where are you?? Its 210 and still no contenuation of the outdoor book? im REALLY intrerested in more tips like certain plants to watch out for.
 
Hi, I have bought some Hawaiian Maui Wowie Skunk seeds and as I am new to growing so I
was wondering if someone could post a link to a good tutorial which describes outdoor growing in such a climate, with the seeds i just mentioned. Thanks!
 
wow, sweet read. Just a pitty a few years to late for that continuation.

I so could have done some talking.

Mods, no email to entice him back?
 
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