The Beginner's Guide to Outdoor Guerrilla Growing
Growing ganja in the great outdoors requires patience, stealth and a year-round commitment to provide for the needs of your plants and plots. A proper understanding of the requirements and tactics necessary during all four seasons will result in bigger yields and heavier harvests.
Thu, Mar 13, 2008 11:50 am
Story and photos By Danny Danko
WINTER
Choosing Your Spots
Winter is the perfect time to find new guerrilla grow spots. Where you choose to plant is by far the most difficult and important decision you’ll make. If you’re lucky enough to have secluded property of your own, by all means, plant there, however most growers will have to go “guerrilla” to get their crops. While we don’t encourage growing pot on public property, we recognize that it happens and all too often, growers are making misinformed decisions on where to plant that lead to plant discovery or worse.
Find places that are unlikely to have visitors of any kind throughout the year, whether they’re hikers, hunters or campers. That clearing with the telephone or electrical lines may look like a great spot, but it won’t be so ideal when the grass mowers or wire repairmen show up midseason. The best spots are hard to get to - like the center of a thorny bush cluster or a remote cliff that’s off the beaten path.
It helps to have an alibi such as bird-watching or fishing and carry things like binoculars or a tackle box to enhance the charade. Look for southern-facing slopes and keep in mind what your grow area will look like from above. Police choppers fly around in almost every state looking for outdoor grows and you don’t want them spotting your precious plants.
Try not to make a path that’ll lead others to your plot – take different ways in and out if you can. Also consider a nearby water supply such as a river, creek or lake. Water weighs about 8 pounds-per-gallon so you’ll want to reduce the distance you have to carry it as much as possible. I’ve seen some innovative backpack watering systems that help ease the burden. Unless you get steady rain throughout the year, there will come a time that you’ll have to bring water to your grow.
If you want to put out sizable plants, winter is the time to root the clones or start the seeds indoors under some grow-lights. It’s always better to put out larger more developed bushes for plants that yield pounds instead of ounces. The healthier and stronger the plants you put out, the more you will get in the end so keep them happy and thriving.
SPRING
Putting in Plants
Once the winter starts to wind down and the threat of frost has passed, it’s time to prepare your plants to go outside. Acclimate them to the stronger sunlight by placing them outside for a few hours per day if you can. Gradually increase the amount of time spent outside in the sun until you’re ready to put them into your chosen outdoor space.
Box up the plants and bring them out to your growing spot. Now is the time to dig a deep hole and drop some pro-mix or coco-coir into it as well as any organic additives and amendments. Mix in some perlite and water-absorbing crystals for a lighter mix that will still hold more moisture for dry times during the coming summer. Roots will thrive early on making for stronger plants that are able to handle the weight of massive buds.
Remove the plants from your containers and plant them into the soil-mix in your holes. Backfill the plants with mix and water them in until all of the mix is moist. At this point, it’s a great idea to use some preventative pest control in the vicinity such as a slug barrier to prevent the slimy scourge or some predator urine or soap to discourage deer from eating your young growth.
Some growers use chicken wire to create a barrier for their plants. Deer in particular, love to eat young cannabis sprouts so if you’re in an area with deer, this is always a wise precaution. Make sure your plants get enough water in their early life so that roots don’t dry out and kill the young bushes. Outdoor plants need strong stems to withstand winds and heavy rains. Branches that lay on the ground will soon rot. Weak stalks should be tied to a stake or trellis in order to stay upright.
SUMMER
Keeping Plants Happy
Summertime is crucial to the development of healthy strong branches that will support the weight of swollen buds later. Heat can become an issue and drought will kill plants before they have a chance to grow. Any time it doesn’t rain for more than 10 days or so, plants will need to be watered. If you chose a spot near a water supply, you can use a cheap manual pump to flow water to your crop. If not, be prepared to carry in enough water to saturate roots completely. Add some nitrogen-heavy nutrient such as liquid fish or seaweed to this water to supplement the nutes already in your soil-mix.
Other than watering, always check for pests when you visit your plants. Look on the undersides of leaves and along stems for any damage and examine the whole plant thoroughly. Any infestations should be dealt with immediately - Don’t allow slugs or bugs to ruin your nugs.
If you planted seeds and not clones, they should be showing their sex towards the end of the summer. Remove all males as soon as they appear to avoid filling your female buds with seeds. Male flowers look like tiny banana pods and females show white hairs coming out from the nodes where branches meet stems. If leaves begin to turn yellow, add more nitrogen-heavy fertilizer diluted with your water.
This is the time to pray for rain. In fact, you should always celebrate summer rain showers in whichever way you choose. Those rains mean one less visit to your guerrilla grow as well as bigger, stronger plants in the long run. Rain during the summer is your friend, come fall however…
FALL
The Road to Harvest
As fall approaches, you’ll need to add some flowering nutrients and supplements in order to optimize your yield. This is a perfect time to sprinkle some bloom-boosting bat guano around the root zone and water it in. Flowering plants require flowering nutrients so remember to go easy on the nitrogen and look for products with added phosphorous and some potassium.
Autumn is also the time that humidity will cause bud rot to invade your colas, turning perfect buds into a mushy mess. If you can, shake accumulated rain and moisture off of branches whenever possible. As a last resort, some outdoor growers harvest early once they’ve witnessed a mold attack that they can’t fight.
As fall colors begin to turn and frost approaches, it’s time to plan the actual harvest. Pick an overcast morning or evening to avoid running into anyone and prepare your mission carefully. 5-gallon buckets make great containers for trimmed branches. They seal up some, if not all, of the strong odors of fresh-cut pot plants and conceal them from prying eyes as well. Be sure to but branches in with the cut end down to avoid crushing your cannabis cargo. Cut your plants down to branches that fit into the buckets and work quickly to take them down and get out. Get your harvest to a safe location and start the trimming and drying process there.
After harvesting, some organic growers like to bury a dead fish or two in the bottom of their hole. This organic material will decay and produce available nitrogen when you start back up in the spring. For now, relax, enjoy the fruits of your labors and start thinking about some new spots for next year…
SIDEBAR
Getting Advanced Outdoors
For years, outdoor growers have been looking for slow dissolving time-released nutrients specially formulated for pot plants. Widely available products such as Osmocote and Miracle Gro sticks last long but are meant for a variety of plants and thus not ideal for cannabis. The scientists and researchers at Advanced Nutrients have solved the problem with their newest product, Heavy Harvest.
Heavy Harvest is a three-part nutrient that needs only three applications during the growing seasons. Separated into Spring, Summer and Fall formulas specific to the growth needs during those times, Heavy Harvest specially-coated and concentrated pellets are designed to break down slowly and feed the plants throughout their life-cycle. The nutrients are pot plant specific and buffered so they’re released slowly and effectively for advanced growth and huge yields. For continuous feeding and only three visits a year to your garden, try Advanced Nutrients Heavy Harvest on your next outdoor plot.
THIS ARTICLE WAS FEATURED IN THE MARCH 2008 ISSUE OF HIGH TIMES










» add a comment
foooool
Sep 23 2009, 9:42 pm
Das Chronic
Sep 18 2009, 12:05 am
Sacriable
Sep 6 2009, 11:35 pm
nsvandle559
Sep 5 2009, 8:37 pm
anonymous
Aug 18 2009, 2:34 pm
anonymous
Aug 18 2009, 2:27 pm
anonymous
Aug 18 2009, 2:18 pm
juggalo
Aug 18 2009, 12:13 am
steve
Aug 12 2009, 11:31 pm
blaz3 kuSh
Aug 12 2009, 4:09 pm
desertleaf
Aug 10 2009, 3:34 pm
junglejim
Jul 9 2009, 4:15 pm
The Norwegian
Jun 26 2009, 6:05 pm
Pollination
Jun 16 2009, 3:54 pm
hit it
May 20 2009, 9:45 pm
my leaves are not healthy. My plants look fairly good, but some of my bigger leaves are crispy and light brown.
They are getting plenty of sunlight and water and my soil is perfect...actually my soil may be a little hot, but some others are doing fine its just this one...
anyone have any ideas
d.
Kebvd
May 8 2009, 7:18 pm
bluesmoke52
Apr 25 2009, 1:02 pm
D';LOC
Apr 19 2009, 2:08 am
I love Pot
Apr 12 2009, 1:06 am
smokey.smoke
Apr 10 2009, 3:35 pm
Can't wait to watch them grow!
achai
Apr 6 2009, 7:46 pm
850mafia
Mar 23 2009, 5:43 pm
jpm42000
Mar 23 2009, 5:14 pm
4'x4'x 8' closet
Mar 23 2009, 10:32 am
b.build a shelf with 3' of room from the ceiling(clone room)
c.line floor with plastic sheeting and tape to control any spills.
d, mount a bathroom vent fan without a light in top of closet and duct into attic or outside.
You will need odor control if you grow skunk.
e.mount all electrical plugs and timers up on sides of closet,nothing on the floor.
d.42"tower oscillating fan for plant exercising in flower room.
e.either drill several 1 inch holes along bottom of door or remove door and saw off bottom 1/2 inch of door for air circulation. And be sure that the top shelf you put in allows air to circulate between chambers,but that no light can. You will also need an oscillating fan in your clone/
vegetation chamber too make your plants strong enough too hold up large buds. Also,be sure to tape a plastic curtain along inside of door frame to stop light from entering. Self sticking velcro works best for entry and ease of securing the curtain. Stick it and staple it.
This is one example of a grow room,be creative and for everything you need,search the internet and find the best price. Be mindful of shipping costs,sometimes it's cheaper to go to a hardware store and buy than to have shipped to you. You can grow hydro in this or with dirt in buckets.
shade
Mar 23 2009, 9:25 am
consider buying a computer armoire or a grow tent.It is a lot easier than all the hiking,hauling and hiding your trails. And
any storage cabinet thats 48 inches tall and 18 to 20 inches
deep will work as a grow cabinet. Have seen one built in a metal cabinet from office depot that was the perfect size
for a one or two person grow room. And they lock so kids
and inquisitive minds don't peek. and they sell a computer
grow cabinet,over $500 but it won't keep 1 person completely supplied. You can build a complete closet grow room for that and depending on closet size,have pot left over. Check out the new led grow lights for no heat and a very low electrical signature. Be sure you get the lights with the
10mm 1 watt high brightness bulbs. The led lights advertised at HT are those kind. They sound pricey but when you consider the life expectancy and reduced wattage,they are the best buy. And with the proximity allowed with led's,one
45 watt grow panel is equal too a 600 watt hid and 2 will
grow a very good top bud crop in a closet. And if you like the little popcorn buds on the sides of the plants,just put
four 42 watt soft warm cfl bulbs hanging around the sides of your plants.
nutrients
Mar 23 2009, 8:56 am
the bottles. A good starter nutrient kit is by technaflora,
BC products @ Discount Hydro and many other hydro sites. And
New Mexico has a lot of sandy soil,and its best for pot because of the good drainage but you have to water every other day
in late summer and early fall,so put your grow where you don't have to carry 5 gal buckets of water too far. Also can get a grow dvd or book because a picture is worth a thousand words.
Dave
Mar 23 2009, 1:32 am
jkc
Mar 22 2009, 11:44 pm
kyle
Mar 22 2009, 10:59 pm
buut, its 4:20
PEACE
re: nugalate
Mar 22 2009, 10:18 am
and the seeds know when to come up. 1/4 inch in clay type soil
(better if you have time to mix in some sand and aggregate to
help aerate the soil) and 1/2 inch in sandy,loamy soil(best
soil),but dig deep and break up thoroughly deep for aeration
and good root development. A sharpshooter shovel is perfect
for this. Plant where plants get 10 too 12 hours direct sun
and when no rain for 4 days in late summer,water trip. Some
times this is what makes or breaks the growing spot,how much work it is to get water too your plants in August and September and sometimes beyond. Good luck
re:newbie
Mar 22 2009, 9:59 am
country living. An indoor closet can be built for about $400
to $500 that will do 1 person nicely and 2 if you clone and
harvest every 2 months. Use led's and cfl's for lights for low
heat and electrical use. Be sure the led's are 45 Watt mixed
array or higher. The rest you can search out on the internet,with examples at you.tube,pick and choose to your needs,then search for best prices.
Newby
Mar 22 2009, 12:15 am
help, thanks
Nugulate
Mar 21 2009, 10:32 pm
stop the buy
Mar 21 2009, 5:51 am
lot more that would be active except for piss tests and drug screening. If 10% of them start growing pot in their yards and
on empty lots and in parks and in the flowerbed at the courthouse,and don't miss putting one by the flashing baptist church sign,there are not enough prisons,or guards to handle the load. Not too mention what it would do the legal system we
all love so much. Play Johnny Potseed and spread the wealth.
We want so much pot growing that they don't need to drive more than a block to see a pot plant. And you guy's in DC have some really neat places to grow. Be creative.
Plant date is April 1
Otto
Mar 21 2009, 2:05 am
jake
Mar 8 2009, 2:07 pm
blackmaguyver
Feb 22 2009, 9:44 am
black maguyver
Feb 22 2009, 8:56 am
cousintpete75
Nov 18 2008, 1:03 pm
ozzy
Nov 11 2008, 1:04 am
Jay
Oct 27 2008, 7:06 pm
Jay
Oct 27 2008, 7:05 pm
Dr.Feelgood
Oct 13 2008, 1:30 pm
caz
Sep 8 2008, 7:05 pm
Danny
Sep 3 2008, 3:58 pm
B-BUDDED
Jul 24 2008, 12:25 am
ThE FuNk 707
Jul 11 2008, 9:13 pm
smokin sam
Jul 11 2008, 5:00 pm
i might just cut the damn tree down anyways but anyways ive been putting miricale gro bloom bosster to em the motnh wat else should i do
katie
Jul 8 2008, 4:06 pm
tokin'bones
Jul 2 2008, 11:57 pm
shmax
Jun 26 2008, 12:48 pm
cheech
Jun 25 2008, 5:48 pm
first timer
Jun 25 2008, 11:49 am
bobby
Jun 23 2008, 5:15 pm
bill
Jun 22 2008, 10:56 am
trippin andy
Jun 20 2008, 4:49 pm
thanx
baes
Jun 11 2008, 2:02 am
EastCoastRider
Jun 10 2008, 10:30 am
Germination: seeds placed in between a folded paper towel, not soaking in the water, but using a wick method never fails. NO LIGHT, keep in an unsealed container in a warm environment (basically the warmer the environment, the faster the sprouting).
Seedlings: Seedlings should be placed in separate containers (dixie cups work well and also allow easy removal of the rootball). Seedlings should be kept indoors until a good root system has developed . Aslo, air movement is important to strengthen the stem and prevent your baby from being susceptable to the potential harmful weather spring may bring. NO FERTILIZER FOR SEEDLINGS. It will burn them up.
Vegetative: Once they have reahed the vegetative stage and begin to strech (when the nodes grow apart), they should be buried a little deeper (the stem wil get FAT), then kept inside for another week or two for further development.
Outside: Once your precious little botanical experiments are ready to be put outdoors, your spot should be checked on again to ensure no one has tresspassed. Then, take chicken wire or fence and staple it to natural supports (trees). manmade poles are well, obvious and easily spotted. In my opinion, the fence should be painted a little to "break it up". They should be put in the ground, with the holes about 1.5x1.5 feet or more. Soil should not be muddy when wet. Mix either composted medium or potting soil with perlite and maybe water-absorbing crystals (if in a dry area). Make sure to space them apart and staggered both to avoid choppers and to prevent them from shading each other. Avoid spots with tree clusters. Cannabis thrives in full sun. Spots in thick brush and bryers (thorns) are great, but make sure that they are not taller than your plants' expected height. Then bend them by tying them down to keep them from towering over the surrounding foliage. Patches are not a good idea. I would never keep more than 5 together. And only as much as 5 because of expected males to remove.
Fertilizing: Once they begin to thrive in the vegetative stage, nutrients can be added. A higher concentration of nitrogen is required for growth and development, but when flowering higher concentrations of phosphates and potash are needed.
Because of ill preparation, mine got started later and not as well as i had hoped. i got them in the ground on 420. Then, due to funding, had to skimp on soil and therefore use smaller holes (only about 1 foot by 1 foot). Also, my spots are shadier than expected, with only about 5 hours of direct, uninterrupted sunlight a day. CHECK FOR LIGHT PENETRATION AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE DAY!!!
Despite the setbacks, my little guys (under 1 foot) were put in the groud on 420 and now stand dark green at the smallest being 3 ft, the largets 4 foot or so. the stems are thicker than a sharpie marker and the leaves are bigger than my hand. Remember, the cannabis plant is a WEED, so basically if u dont kill it, it will grow.
Deer: I have used my own urine and other deterrents to scare away deer. 4 seasons in a row, i lost decent crops to deer. Fences gotta be the one. lol. i have also heard that human hair works well.
"It's always 4:20!!!"
-yours truly
Captain Chronic
Jun 2 2008, 9:16 pm
Tha Captain back one mo again
Captain Chronic
Jun 2 2008, 8:53 pm
Tha Captain keepin it cloudy
growmore
Jun 1 2008, 1:32 pm
pot smokers are good
May 31 2008, 1:56 am
This one old dude
May 29 2008, 1:18 am
bunbudquest
May 25 2008, 10:10 pm
scoobys dooby
May 25 2008, 1:46 pm
scoobys dooby
May 25 2008, 1:44 pm
Mr Highlife
May 24 2008, 1:07 pm
cannaf
May 24 2008, 2:07 am
deezy
May 22 2008, 5:40 pm
smokin gramma
May 22 2008, 1:06 am
RB
May 20 2008, 8:24 pm
happy to burn
May 20 2008, 7:17 pm
~mad mike~
May 20 2008, 5:23 pm
happy to burn
May 20 2008, 4:52 pm
chris
May 18 2008, 11:52 pm
LOONY 1
May 18 2008, 2:05 pm
STUIE JIZZLE
May 13 2008, 5:41 pm
narc on ME buddy !!!!!
May 12 2008, 2:07 pm
lol
narc on ME buddy ; ] !!!!!!
May 12 2008, 1:54 pm
OJ_Simpson
May 12 2008, 1:01 pm
~mad mike~
May 8 2008, 7:03 pm
white russian crop 420
May 7 2008, 6:55 pm
~mad mike~
May 4 2008, 9:10 pm
~Whipp
May 1 2008, 9:47 am
if ur growing indoors and ur keeping a smaller plant it wouldn't be bad to put 2 or 3 in a pot. but 6... ehh ur gonna have root tangles and plants dying in the vegetative state.
I would transplant the sprouts when the come up out of the pot into other growing areas.
creamiedreamie69
Apr 30 2008, 11:22 pm
joint joint
Apr 30 2008, 10:51 am
RGV Texas
Apr 26 2008, 8:28 pm
I haven't seen anything good around.
Wait till late May and there should be Purps, Sour BBL, and KUSH
jh
Apr 26 2008, 1:36 pm
JH
Apr 26 2008, 1:11 pm
danko
Apr 24 2008, 2:23 pm
blazerboy
Apr 24 2008, 7:08 am
smokeking42o!!!!!!!!!!
Apr 23 2008, 3:19 pm
420bornat420
Apr 21 2008, 3:21 pm
420bornat420
Apr 21 2008, 3:17 pm
Docgonzo420
Apr 20 2008, 3:22 pm
In research I have found that all of these creatures love to eat my weed. More importantly I have found that they will not cross a barrier of cat piss. My grow area measured about 16'x16' and to ensure the survival of the remaining plants I had left I sprinkled my cats used cat litter around the perimeter of the grow area. This worked great!!!
You'll want to use all natural clay or even paper cat litter
to do the job. The deodarizers and scents in a lot of other cat litters will mask the supreme stench of your cats piss, and make it more likely that the creatures will cross your barrier. I also found that haveing a few cats outdoors fulltime greatly reduces the likelyhood of your crop being eaten (especialy when you don't feed them well).
South Texas
Apr 11 2008, 6:52 pm
stoner17
Apr 8 2008, 12:26 am
South Texas
Apr 2 2008, 11:09 pm
baker2010
Apr 2 2008, 10:06 am
weedfreak88
Mar 23 2008, 12:17 am
budlighting
Feb 24 2008, 11:14 pm
outdoorman
Feb 21 2008, 2:31 pm
~mad mike~
Feb 21 2008, 12:54 pm
~mad mike~
Feb 21 2008, 12:31 pm
re:mad mike
Feb 21 2008, 10:17 am
~Whipp~
Feb 21 2008, 10:15 am
i thought we were gonna be able to ground up the top soil for a couple places i have picked out.. and wouldn't u know.. we get another snow shower. i need spring and i need it now. im itchin 2 get out there.
good day 2 u mad mike n ur lovely grove that i know will yield. and who knows in the fall maybe ill stop by KY for a taste haha
re:marce~whipp
Feb 21 2008, 10:05 am
marce
Feb 17 2008, 7:08 pm
~mad mike~
Feb 16 2008, 3:17 pm
Whipp
Feb 16 2008, 9:52 am
wut matter do u put into ur composts out there?? ive never been good at picking that out.. i just use the old foilage in the woods around the grow spot.. lemme know if u got any secrets.. i like the ash idea 2
~mad mike~
Feb 15 2008, 8:47 pm
Whipp~
Feb 15 2008, 1:52 pm
Bwhipp095@myfcc.frederick.edu
WHIPP
Feb 15 2008, 1:51 pm
the re:man (WHIPP)
Feb 15 2008, 1:49 pm
~ i grow in the midatlantic (MD) right in the middle of narc operations lol. fuck the feds.. they're too lazy to look in the hard places. so if u need some pointers on how to grow outdoors. i got u from start to finish.
~*~* ne1 else needing help and can't find answers ill be quick to respond via email~*~*
~mad mike ~
Feb 14 2008, 11:34 pm
D1
Feb 14 2008, 11:15 pm
~mad mike~
Feb 14 2008, 11:13 pm
D1
Feb 14 2008, 11:02 pm
D1
Feb 14 2008, 10:53 pm
(mad mike)
Feb 14 2008, 8:36 pm
jitstain
Feb 12 2008, 9:21 am
purplecalykid
Feb 10 2008, 1:29 pm
mad mike
Feb 9 2008, 8:00 pm
noyeadude
Feb 9 2008, 2:16 pm
mad mike
Feb 7 2008, 9:15 pm
the dude
Feb 7 2008, 6:15 pm
mad mike
Feb 7 2008, 1:27 pm
emon
Feb 7 2008, 12:30 pm
na
Feb 7 2008, 12:08 pm
mad mike
Feb 6 2008, 2:13 pm
loosbolts
Feb 6 2008, 12:54 pm
mad mike
Feb 4 2008, 5:05 pm
sheba32dd
Feb 3 2008, 1:53 am
annywho
Feb 2 2008, 9:51 am
Suggs4Drugs
Feb 2 2008, 1:03 am
Growing indoors is where its at anyways.
Any questions on growing feel free to email me.
suggs4drugs@live.com
calykid
Jan 30 2008, 7:44 pm
purplecalyxkid
Jan 30 2008, 7:35 pm
drummerforpeace
Jan 30 2008, 3:57 pm
drummerforpeace
Jan 30 2008, 3:55 pm
kindking
Jan 30 2008, 12:36 pm
badwarfrat
Jan 29 2008, 11:42 am
jose
Jan 28 2008, 12:29 pm
Heather *burnout*native*
Jan 27 2008, 1:05 pm
Sault ste. marie, Ont
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