THE GREAT DIVIDE: INDOORS OR OUTDOORS?
WE NOW COME TO THE CORE DIVIDE in growing marijuana. At this stage you
should know something about the history of cannabis, how it is smoked,
various species, the high, seeds, the life cycle of the plant, propagation,
germination and transplanting. With the exception of transplanting, all
these things are generally pre-production methods. Now, you are ready
to start growing: you're about to take your seedling and put it into your
main grow area. This means that for the next three to nine months your
plant is going to be located in a certain environment. That environment
will be either indoors or outdoors. So let us talk about each environment
in brief for a moment and also discuss the important issue of security
before moving on to a more detailed description of indoor and outdoor
grow spaces, environmental control and basic and advanced growing techniques
in the chapters that follow.
GARDENING TOOLS
Here is a list of the basic items used to grow cannabis plants, both indoors
and out.
Light source
Water source and delivery system
Nutrients
Fertilizers
Soil/medium
Propagation trays
Rockwool cubes (Oasis cubes or Jiffy cubes are just as good)
Pots
Scissors and/or a sharp knife
• Small shovel or trowel
• Pest control
• Support sticks
• Thread
As we advance to the latter sections of this book we'll see that growers
can equip themselves with many more items to help them on their quest
for bigger buds. The above list of tools represents the basics.
PLANNING FOR INDOOR GROWING
Next to choosing your strain, lighting is the most important factor that
you must consider when growing indoors. The first thing you should know
is that indoor lights produce bigger flowers (more bud) than natural light
coming in the window (the process of utilizing natural light indoors is
often called a window grow).This means you get more THC quantity with
artificial lights than you will with natural sunlight indoors. Even in
countries that have relatively hot sun for six months of the year it is
still hard to produce big buds indoors under natural light. Some people
have grown plants under an attic window that's open during the dry days.
This will grow you bud but not as much as an artificial lighting system
will produce. The other side of the coin is that natural light is free,
electricity is not and grow lights can be expensive to buy and run.
When using a window grows try to place your plant near a window that
receives the most sunlight throughout the day and the seasons. If you
plan on a window grow, remember that you want your plant to get most of
its light during flowering. If July is the best month for sunlight then
you may consider germinating your seedling back in April or May or even
as early as early March. Try to estimate when you'll get the best weather
and coordinate this with the flowering times directed by the breeder.
Also remember that people might be able to look up and see your plant
if it is growing near the window. People washing your windows can also
see in. Also, if you have a Sativa plant it will get big and very conspicuous.
Take all these factors into consideration when you are growing your plants
with natural sunlight indoors but keep in mind that even low wattage indoor
grow lights will improve your yields tenfold to a window grow. Window
growing can result in a vain attempt to grow bud and is one of the top
reasons why first time cannabis growers discontinue growing cannabis.
A window grow by no means reflects the cannabis plants’ true potential.
If you are growing indoors then you may have a room or part of a room
that you wish to use, such as an attic, closet, basement or spare bathroom.
These locations nearly always require artificial light. There are many
ways to set up an indoor grow room.
OUTDOOR GROWING
Throughout the discussion that follows, we define outdoor growing as growing
on your own property and guerrilla farming as growing away from your property,
either in public areas or on someone else's property.
Your grow patch, whether on your own property or public property, must
be pre-treated and tended to regularly. Leaving seeds in the soil and
coming back four months later is generally not going to get you good results.
Two main things must be done to the patch to begin the grow — weeding
and digging.
Planning for Outdoor Growing and Guerrilla Farming the biggest problem
with outdoor growing is keeping your grow area secure and private. Some
people will rip off your plants in a second if they see what you have.
Others will just create trouble for you. The risks are high and security
is vital. I once heard about a small community that lived near a forest
and grew titer marijuana near a stream. They eventually had to stop growing
as their plants where being ripped off by the locals from the town nearby.
And the thieves weren't just teenagers either. Adults will do this too.
Some rippers are even professionals, using other people's grow as their
main supply.
Perhaps the most affordable, low-key and best way to conceal an outdoor
garden is to grow your cannabis plants among other plants that will mask
the cannabis. If you have the advantage of living out-of-town and have
a garden in which this kind of stuff can be constructed, you could also
grow plants inside a brick cubicle with sheets of glass on top. This is
much like a very small greenhouse without the glass sides and can be camouflaged
to look like a small shed. The problem with enclosed outdoor grows like
this is that light only really gets to the canopy of the plants and very
little bud is produced under this canopy. The advantage is that this setup
does not look like a greenhouse or anything that is housing plants. If
you want to use a greenhouse instead, then it is suggested that you paint
the sides of the greenhouse white to prevent anyone from looking in. The
white will also help reflect the sunlight that enters in above through
the glass around the grow area promoting growth on lower leaves and bud
areas.
Whatever method you choose: Hide your crop well. Not everyone can easily
spot marijuana, but someone who is trained to watch out for the plant
will know it right away for what it is.
Guerrilla Farming
Guerrilla growing is hard work and often prone to rip-offs. By planting
in a forest or in someone else's field or property, you are not in any
danger of being caught with the plants on your property. However, the
person's property you plant on is put at risk. Be a nice grower and do
not plant on someone else's private property. It is not nice and reflects
badly on the cannabis-growing community. Find a public area, such as a
forest or a hill slope. Look for an area that is away from the public
eye, but will receive plenty of light. There are lots of places for this
sort of thing, but you will have to spend time finding the right spot.
Finding a good patch is the key to successful guerrilla growing. A patch
near a river is ideal because it offers ready access to water and can
help your crop survive a short draught.
Most guerrilla farmers prefer to keep it simple and favor the following
method. They start their seedlings in small plastic pots indoors. When
the seedlings have developed, and the plants are ready to enter the vegetative
growth stage of the life cycle, the grower cuts the bottoms of the pots
away and tapes a small piece of cardboard to the bottom of each pot. The
plants, in their pots, are then taken to the grow patch where the grower
digs holes in the ground, removes the cardboard and places the pots and
plants in the earth. Then the holes are filled in with soil. This way
the grower has germinated the plants and only needs to worry about secondary
factors such as light, security and pests. The roots will find their way
out of the bottom of the pots and into the soil below. Don't worry about
the roots not finding a way out of the pot. They always do, that's their
job.
SECURITY
The Most Important Advice Ever About Growing Cannabis
What I am going to tell you is the most important thing you will ever
learn about growing marijuana. It is a simple rule, but can be difficult
to actually commit to.
Never Tell A Soul that You Are Growing Cannabis!
If you do this then you greatly reduce the risk of detection, other than
someone accidentally stumbling into your grow area. Never tell anyone
anything. This rule has helped some growers live their whole lives cultivating
cannabis without ever having an encounter with the law.
Loose lips cause 99.9 percent of all security-related issues. The remaining
0.1 percent of security breaches is due to poor preparation and growers
neglecting to take the time to conceal the area well enough. If you intend
to share your crop with friends do it by another means. The only people
who should ever know that you grow are the people who live with you and
even then, only if it is absolutely necessary.
Security is always an issue whether you are an outdoor or indoor grower.
We have learned that to secure your grow area you must prepare yourself
for any future eventuality. Pre-production security arrangements are very
important. A sudden peak in your electricity bill may attract unwanted
attention from certain authorities that look for these things. This may
seem odd to you, but it does occur.
It is now common practice in most countries that support cannabis prohibition
to set up special task forces to track down growers. The most frequently
used technique is tracking purchasing orders. Many agencies keep tabs
on grow shops and the items being sold to customers. Tracking requires
special court orders, but law enforcement agencies can obtain these with
ease. If someone has been identified as buying suspicious grow products,
the agency will also try to find out what other items have been bought
using the same credit card or other accounts. Many growers have been caught
this way. The best way to avoid this trap is to always pay with cash.
Seed banks are also sometimes tracked by agencies that watch for incoming
mail with certain stamps and envelope headers. Sometimes it isn't the
agency that does the tracking but people in the post office. To get around
this, most seed banks don't head their mail anymore. If your seed bank
does, it is best to keep away from that seed bank in the future.
If you have done the right thing then you should have all your growing
tools and kits bought using cash and your seeds purchased from a seed
bank that offers good seeds and a safe, secure way of sending you their
product. Many seed banks use great stealth to get you your seeds. It is
advised that you never have seeds sent directly to your grow area.
Indoor Security
When growing indoors try to consider certain short-term security factors,
like visits from service people. Some growers have a grow room that can
be swept clean in under a minute. They have a closet nearby where they
can quickly move their plants if visitors do drop by.
Always keep your security closet near your grow area. It's no good walking
around your house with five or more plants in your arms. It's a bad idea
to use a bathroom as a backup security area unless you have another one
that guests can use.
Another thing you must consider with indoor security is odor. Now Super
Skunk and Skunk#l are very smelly plants, especially during flowering,
hence the name Skunk. If you live in an apartment complex there's no way
you'll be able to hide the smell unless you have some form of extraction
fan or an ozone generator.
In some indoor setups fans can be used to extract unwanted smells away
from corridors and high-traffic areas. Air can be pumped through a window
or filter to another area where the smell will not be noticed. Not only
that, but plants love fresh air and wind, so the fan can do two things
at once for you. An ozone generator is devices that helps to get rid of
cannabis odor problems and can be purchased from most grow shops.
Fire is another major security issue for growers. Some people growing
indoors use second-rate lights and/or fixtures, creating a very real fire
hazard. Never use any lighting kit or fixture that is either damaged or
unsuitable for indoor use. Taking shortcuts with lighting and electricity
is a big no-no — you could be risking your home, and everything
and everyone in it. 1 have heard of and met people who have come home
only to find the fire department outside just finishing putting out the
fire that engulfed part of their house. The same thing happens in every
case: The grower approaches and sees a number of police officers looking
around the area. The fire officer points to the cause of the fire —
a half-melted light fixture with burnt-out sockets. They all know what
this is all about because they have seen it all before.
New marijuana growers nearly always make the mistake of creating inferior
lighting setups. Needless to say this is because of three factors: they
don't have the right information; they don't have the money to invest
in a proper lighting system; or they just want to grow their pot quickly
and cheaply.
Outdoor Security
As previously stated, the best way to secure your outdoor garden is by
using a shelter. You must also remember that some outdoor plants do smell
and this can carry over a short distance given the right wind conditions
and climate. Most people won't know what the smell is but some will! Many
growers get around this problem by growing cannabis plants that have very
little smell during flowering. Ask about these strains when you contact
your seed bank. They should be more than happy to recommend a less smelly
strain for you. All cannabis plants smell to some degree, however, during
flowering.
The other thing to make sure of is that you can harvest your crop as quickly
and as privately as possible. Standing over a small shelter putting cuttings
of cannabis into a big black bag is not exactly the most secure way to
go about this. Some people go to their garden with black plastic bags
and drop the bag over the plant before pulling it up. This way you won't
expose your crop to anyone. Some people do their harvesting at night.
This is not recommended though as it can draw unwanted attention to you
and your setup. A flashlight rummaging around in the darkness is not very
stealthy at all. Also during the day you have a clearer view of what is
around you. It is much wiser to do your harvesting during the day unless
for some reason there is less activity in your area at night.
If you are growing your plants outdoors without shelter and away from
the general public then you may want to create a pen for your plants.
A pen made from chicken wire will prevent any unwanted predators, such
as deer or rodents, from eating your plants.
Guerrilla Growing Security
Tracks left behind from your ventures to and from your grow area are the
worst giveaway for any guerrilla farmer. People just love to walk through
the woods and say: Oh, looks a nice track, I wonder what's down there?
Do not create a track when you go to your grow area. Even by visiting
the same spot once every two weeks you will leave a trail, which hikers
might see and use. Try to access your grow area through several different
routes.
As a guerrilla grower you probably don't want to hack through 100 feet
of brambles to access your grow site. When choosing a spot, look for an
area that is neither too dense nor too sparse. Some guerrillas growers
have even created small grow baskets that hang from trees away from the
public eye. If the baskets are well camouflaged then you can get away
with loads.
Hanging baskets are easy to make. You need a three-gallon wire hanging
basket, a plastic garbage bag to fit inside the basket and some wire.
Simply line the inside of the hanging basket with the garbage bag and
lightly perforate the bottom of the bag to allow water to drain through.
Fill the basket with soil and transplant your seedling to the basket.
You can then suspend this basket high up on the branch of a tree. Hanging
baskets need to be used in conjunction with slow release fertilizer types
like granular foods. All the plant's nutrients should be stored in the
soil throughout the plant's grow. Slow release feeding products do this.
A popular brand of slow release food is xFish, blood and bone'. Slow release
foods are not as controllable as normal feeding products because the nutrient
break down in the soil occurs over weeks and months in different quantities,
but the foods permit the grower to feed the hanging plants less often.
Although hanging baskets are a stealthy way to grow they can be hard to
access and maintain. Watering is also a consideration that must be taken
into account. It is advised that if you try growing cannabis in hanging
baskets that you have a little experience with growing cannabis beforehand.
As a guerrilla grower you should always wear gloves when handling your
grow and tools. If you have buckets nearby don't leave fingerprints on
any of these. Also, you will want to consider having a good excuse for
being in your grow area. Imagine that you're walking back from your path
with nothing incriminating on you and someone jumps out and asks what
you are doing here? Of course, you know that there's a river nearby so
you show your fishing rod or your binoculars and bird-spotting book. There
are many things you can take with you to make you look like somebody other
than a cannabis grower. I have heard cases of grow sites being staked
out by people you would definitely not like to meet. Always check the
area around your grow site for suspicious-looking people.
The worst security time for any guerrilla grower is during the harvest.
This is when you must go from your grow area to your home or another location
with your growing rewards. Always do this in the morning, as early as
possible. Double-check the area for any suspicious-looking people. Pack
your buds and plants into bags (brown paper bags are better or alternatively,
use black plastic bags) and then put these into a backpack. Before you
approach your vehicle, drop your bag against a bush and cover it up. Walk
toward your vehicle and look around again. You may even want to drive
for about five minutes and look out for anything suspicious or anyone
who might be following. Remember, you can always leave the bag and go
to a nearby town (not home — leave that until the situation is well
under control again). If things look okay, you can drive back to where
you left your bag, pick it up, stow it out of sight (the trunk for example)
and drive home carefully.
Some people can get away with guerrilla farming lots of pot. This is
commercial growing on a risky scale but still occurs in various parts
of the world where cannabis is banned. The growers usually live deep in
the forest miles away from the nearest town. They may spend up to seven
months on their own, cultivating the crop. Recent grow busts by the police
have identified several tons of bud being grown by as few as three people
living in a remote region of British Colombia.
There isn't much more to guerrilla growing than this. Most of the elements
that you need to complete your outdoor and guerrilla grow site are in
the indoor growing chapters of this book. Read through this and it should
give you ideas about how to treat your outdoor grow patch.
Guerrilla growing is so popular in some places around the world that
it has become competitive and dangerous. Remember that not all growers
are nice people. Some of them don't even smoke cannabis and just want
to make money. Check your local news media for information relating to
seizures of Guerrilla grows and if those arrested were armed. This is
huge problem associated with cannabis prohibition.
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