Critique my grow plan!

[sandbar*pain]

Seed strain/breeder: Hindu Kush / Nirvana Seed Co.
Germination date: End of April
Grow type: Guerrilla

This is my first outdoor grow, and although I have been told to just keep it very simple, I have strong urges to treat these babies like royalty.

Here is what I have planned thus far:

Spot of grow -

I found this spot using Google maps satellite images around my area (Google maps is amazing for finding guerrilla spots) and then I went to check the place out in person. The area is surrounded by woods for at least 300 meters in all direction. The clearing is about the size of a typical backyard (maybe 20 x 20 m but I am not sure). There is a pond which is fairly deep (around 5 ft) which is about 100 m from the grow spot. The whole area is farmland around the trees except for a golf course about 400 m to the south. Although surrounding the spot is very dense with trees, this clearing is completely void of any sun impairing foliage other than a few bushes which I will pull or use for camo.

To get to there I can take roads to about 400 m away from the spot and park at the golf course. From there it is a walk through the woods. The golf course is approximately 5 miles from my house so I plan on traveling by bike frequently as well. All supplies will be brought to the site by car & then backpack.

Edit:

Yeah I kept debating whether or not this (proximity to golf course) would turn into a serious problem so I decided to do a little more scouting for possible sites. After some more Google mapping, I found a spot that is incredible. It has 4 ponds all within 200M of each other, all in old farmland that has become overgrown with shrubs but not yet large trees. There are large trees that were not cleared surrounding the field.

The spot is about a half mile south of a landfill, which has several large dirt parking lots and the whole place looks pretty low key, maybe even vacant. This area is surrounded by trees to the east, west, and north for a very far distance. About 50M to the south of where I am planning to plant is a highway with no exits within 5 miles.

This spot seems perfect. The only downside is that it is about 10 miles from my house. I have no problem driving out there, but I was really looking forward to taking bike trips to the spot and 10 miles seems pretty far for a casual bike trip every other day or so. (consider I will be going there and back which is 20 miles of biking every time I go!)

I haven't had a chance to check the spot out in person but it looks very nice from the satellite images. Unfortunately I wont be able to check it out until late April which will be when I return home and begin growing. If it turns out the spot is infested with rabbits or something I could always use the old site near the golf course.

Growing plans-

Seeds will be germinated indoors in a cup of water. Once the coat breaks they will be brought to the spot and placed into half gallon pots, filled with
1/2 Miracle gro for vegetables and 1/2 topsoil from the area. Pots will be placed in the shade of the trees so light exposure is not too intense for the first few weeks.

I will bring 10 x 5 gallon water jugs (camping style) to the spot and I will use 2 for watering during seedling stage (the main purpose of using 10 will be explained later). The jugs will simply be taken from my spot to the pond and filled with water. Then I will bring them back and use that water to keep the potting soil moist. Other than watering the pots, I will leave the plants alone for the next few weeks while I prepare the spot for transplant.

Preparing for transplant-

Some of this may seem a little bit extreme for a first time grow, but I really want to see what these plants are capable of.

10 spots approximately 3'x3' will be determined and marked. All plants on these spots will be pulled (sorry plants :P). Using a shovel I will dig a circular hole with a diameter of 2' and a depth of about 1.5' for each plot. 10x64Quart (16 gallon) bags of Miracle gro will be used to fill in the holes. Each plot gets 1 bag which is mixed with surrounding topsoil to fill the hole. Once filled, each 3'x3' plot will be covered in around 4" of mulch (probably wood chips or similar). The middle of each plot will be left uncovered for transplanting. The mulch and surrounding the area 5'x5' of the plot will be covered in loose, white fabric (probably polyester). This is to prevent other seeds from starting while allowing water to pass through. This will also serve as somewhat of a reflector, keeping the lower branches happy A hole will be made for the stem of the plant to grow through.

The way I plan on watering my plants during veg is thus: Each plot will get its own 5 gallon jug. Each jug will have a hole poked in the bottom with a needle (very small hole). Jugs will be placed on the mulch surrounding the plant and allowed to slowly drain the water into the soil. When near empty, I will take each jug back to the pond to fill it up. I will adjust number of holes until I have each jug draining in about 2 days.

By the time I have all of this set up hopefully my plants will be close to being ready for transplant.

Transplant -

About 1 week before I plan to move the plants to their permanent home I will start moving them out of the shade. By the time they are ready to transplant they will have spent at least 2 days in full sun.

Typical transplant (tipping pot over and gently patting until root ball comes out) will be used. I will dig a hole in the middle of the plots large enough for the root balls to fit. Once transplanted, the plot will be given a full 5 gallons of water applied over the 3'x3' area. I will wait to see how the plants react to the water to determine how to set up my high tech auto watering system (holes poked in jugs lol). When mixing the soil around the transplant spot, I will use mostly topsoil so that it is not too intense for the first root growth in the soil. Once the plant is decently established the roots will be long enough to start feeding on the Miracle Gro / top soil mix that the plot was filled with.

Vegetative growth -

I plan to visit at least 5 times a week, taking bicycle trips at around 6:00 A.M. to the spot. If something major needs to be taken there I will drive it to the golf course and then backpack.

For this most part this stage will just be checking up on my plants, filling the jugs, and learning everything they can teach me.

Flowering -

As soon as I see pre-flowering the males will be covered in a trash bag and chopped. The trash bags will be disposed of somehow (not sure how I want to do that yet lol.). When I see female buds appearing I will start adding Miracle gro blooming fertilizer to the 5 gallon jugs so that the plants get a steady source of P and K. Jugs that were used for the chopped males will be added to the females for additional watering since in September I will not be able to visit often.

The longest I will ever be gone is in September when I have to go back to school and I will visit at least 1 time a week to fill water jugs. (some holes will be covered so that the jugs drain slower). If the plants are not getting enough water I will pick up some milk jugs and use those as slow waterer's too.

I am a little more nervous about flowering because I will not be able to keep as close of a eye on them as I had been, but hopefully they are ok (after all these things grow in the wild.)

I have never smoked more than 1/8th / week so if I get at least 6-7 ounces it will last me until next year

The harvest / curing will be a whole other story for another day.

If you actually read this whole thing, props! Whatever advise you have please share, and if you are wondering why Miracle gro products? Well that is the most affordable quality soil in my area and I have used it extensively for landscaping with only positive results!


Edits / Updates:
I cannot find any 5 gallon containers in my area, so I am planning on using 2.5 gallon water jugs from Meijer. I realized that 5 gallons per 2 days is pretty extreme and 2.5 gallons will probably be more than enough supplemental water (we get a decent amount of rainfall).

Regarding the seedlings I have thought of a way to protect them. I realized that leaving them in their little pots out in the open would not be a very safe plan because they will get eaten and have bugs all over them. So, this is what I decided to do:

I will get a cardboard box (from a TV or something) and cut out the top or open it so that the top part is open. Instead of half gallon containers I am going to use 18 Oz plastic cups. The cups will be put inside the box and then on top of the box I am going to lay a somewhat loose mesh (I found some replacement nets for those fishing nets that will work). I will probably tack it onto the sides so it stays up and is removable for watering.

This should keep most bugs out as well as keep my seeds out of direct light. Should I get a bug problem, I will buy a bag of ladybugs and just open it in the middle of my box!

[sandbar*pain]

I checked the local frost date for spring and it is not until the middle of May!!!

This made me very stressed because I do not want my young seedlings to freeze but delaying planting for 2-3 weeks in Michigan's already short (~150 day) growing season is very disturbing to me.

So, after doing some research on ways to extend seasons, I found this:

http://www.amazon.com/Wall-O-Water-1.../dp/B00062ZPDE

I am already spending a fair bit of money on soil and fert / spray n' grow, so I do not want to spend even more on these things. Therefore, I am planning to do the following:

Using approximately 22 x 2 liter pop bottles, I will create a square surrounding the 18oz cups. The bottles will be duct taped together to hold the shape and then filled with water. On the outside of the square I will attach cardboard rectangles so that I can still construct somewhat of a box surrounding the seedlings that I can lay a mesh over.

I got this idea from another gardening forum talking about DIY wall o' waters.

This should do the trick of protecting my young from frost because in May it gets up to 80 during the days so the bottles will have ample heat to disperse in the night.

[cannabisblunt]

hey man
i like your plan, it is very well thought out. One thing I might suggest is that you not go to your site 5 times a week. This can be bad for 3 reasons:
1. It increases your chances of being seen (even if deserted or remote area)
2. You will over water if you water every day (cannabis likes gaps between waterings so that the roots can air out and stretch, allowing for better support. Depending on lot of conditions...weather, soil drainage, temperature, id water every 4 or 5 days, or whenever the soil 3 inches down is dry for early veg, and 6 inches for later veg/flowering)
3. You will get impatient and probably spend too much time taking care of your plants (Yes its great to tend to them, but theyre not animals...they dont need constant attention. You could over fertilize, over water, touch them too much etc. Remember the species has lived for thousands of years on their own in the wilderness.)

PM me if you have more questions...you and i seem similar in our growing conditions and i would like to share our plans/tips with each other

[durgan]

Hey man, good luck on your first grow. I did my first one last summer and am gearing up for my second this year.

I learned some good lessons from that first grow, so I'll tell you about it and give some advice.

I started with 10 bag weed seeds. I didn't really plan on them making it, it was kind of just an experiment. I started them indoors in rockwool cubes, which I would really recommend you do if it's at all possible. Starting them indoors and growing them for like 4-6 weeks will make them much stronger and more likely to finish. All you need is a fluorescent light when they're in seedling and early veg. stage. The rockwool cubes help the little seedlings take root much better than starting in soil. Anyways, I had just purchased a $180 MH/HPS lighting setup and was anxious to use it. I put the seedlings under it at like a week old and low-and-behold, nearly all of them died because of heat stress.

I was crushed that they were all wilting away. I didn't figure out it was heat stress right away, so I left them under the light and successfully killed like half of them. I figured I would just give up, so I killed the light and placed all the seedlings on my windowsill. Two more plants died, but I was amazed to see three of the seedlings pop back up and start growing. The roots came right out the bottom of the rockwool cubes, so I transplanted to soil.

Lesson #1: keep it simple; no need to use such a big light for such small plants. Even light from the window will be enough.

Speaking of soil, I would highly recommend you stay away from that Miracle Gro crap. The time released ferts in it will burn your plants. Plus, the nutrients in it aren't exactly right for cannabis. I myself use plain topsoil and vermiculite (mixed 4:1 soil:vermiculite). It's up to you if you want to bake the soil/verm mixture to sterilize it. Don't use nutrients on your plants until they're well on their way in veg stage (maybe like 3-4 weeks). The best ferts I've found are Peter's brand on www.jacksclassic.com. They have the best mixes of Nitrogen-Phosphorous-Potassium (NPK). Use all-purpose (20-20-20) or orchid special (30-10-10) for veg and then Houseplant special (15-30-15) for flowering. All the ferts you find in Walmart, Lowes, etc. have bizzare mixes of NPK and all the grow guides I read recommend the above mixes I mentioned. The ferts at Jack's classic aren't that expensive either.

Anyway, I planted my three plants outside after 4 weeks indoors. I dug holes 1.5 ft deep and filled them with bagged topsoil to ease the work for the roots. I grew in a field so that the spot got sunlight almost all day. There were trees all around the perimeter of the field so that they weren't just out in the open. Also, the weeds and high grass in the field grew with the pot plants so that they didn't stick out. That's a very important point to remember. Looking back, I wish I had grown in a bunch of stiker bushes or something, because somebody could have stumbled on those plants relatively easily. I would limit one patch of plants to 5 plants because the more plants you put in one spot, the more likely they are to be discovered.

Once the plants are in the ground and every time you come back to check on them, piss all around the plants in like a perimeter. This will help keep the deer away. It worked for me anyway, and I saw deer every time I went to check my plants (Deer will eat your cannabis plants - I hear they love them actually... and when deer eat them, they take off the whole top cola and then some). Now I would only go and check them once a week at the max. They'll do fine on their own. In fact, I only checked mine once every 2 weeks to once a month. Also, when going to your grow, tape the bottom of your shoes with duct tape. A footprint can be used as incriminating evidence should they be discovered. Additionally, if you must keep supplies at the grow, hide them well, and always use gloves to handle them (no fingerprints!)

By the end of the summer, my plants showed sex. God must have been with me because out of 3 very stressed plants, only one was male. I wish I had checked them more oftend during flowering because over a two week break, they developed a bad mold infestation which killed off a quarter of the buds, but then again, I don't know what I would have really done to stop it. I'd say once a week during flowering should be fine. Be mindful of when it's time to harvest. My harvest came up quick on me. I wasn't expecting them done until mid-October, but they finished early October (harvesting at the right time affects the type of high you will get). The rule of thumb is that like 70% of the trichomes will be golden, the rest being clear or dark amber (Somebody correct me if I'm wrong).

Now I know this sounds early, but the best time to tend to your plants is sunrise (between 5AM and 6AM) for security reasons. This goes double for harvest, since that is the riskiest time of your entire grow. Very few people are out and about at this time of the day. During the grow, you may need to tie down branches of your plant or prune them so that all branches get enough light and so they come up nice and bushy (if that's what you're going for). Topping the plants is as simple as slicing the top shoot (look up FIM technique for more info). Other than this, don't leave any trails going to your plants and scout out the area before tending your plants (don't just walk right up to them). It's also a really good idea to bring binoculars or a fishing pole or something with you in case someone spots you and asks why you're in the woods (Well officer, I heard there was some good fishing back here, but I'm not too sure where the pond is... or, I'm just spotting for a good place to do my small game hunting this fall... and then you leave and never go back to the grow)

Outdoor growing was much easier than I thought it would be. Mother nature does pretty good work, so don't stress out too much about the plants. Good luck.

[skoinkins]

what are you talking about move them into the sun from the shade? if you are planting outdoors you will want to plant in the area where you can get as much direct sunlight as possible, the only reason people want to get their plants used to the sun is because they started them indoors and they are used to the weaker indoor lights, and need to get used to the powerful sun. and please DO NOT water 5 gallons at transplant, if plants wanted that much water theyd grow in lakes, i'd go closer to 2 gallons on plants that are around a foot and a half tall.

[Tical00]

I have to say, that when you said google maps is amazing for finding guerilla areas, I was speechless, I had NEVER thought of that idea! Good looks.

[xcraighebert]

Everything seems very good except for the part where you visit 5 times per week.
Thats going to attract attention and if your doing it in the woods, Strongly advice
getting ladybugs , because you might have an encounter with spider mites, which
are very hard to see without a magnifying glass.

[Mjerina77]

Originally Posted by Tical00

I have to say, that when you said google maps is amazing for finding guerilla areas, I was speechless, I had NEVER thought of that idea! Good looks.

YEAH DUDE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT IDEA..........IVE SCOPING OUT MY WHOLE COUNTY RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Underpantsman]

Originally Posted by xcraighebert

Everything seems very good except for the part where you visit 5 times per week.
Thats going to attract attention and if your doing it in the woods, Strongly advice
getting ladybugs , because you might have an encounter with spider mites, which
are very hard to see without a magnifying glass.

I bought ladybugs once and they were all basically gone in a week. Guess they found better bugs to prey on. Been using neem oil since.

I dont have too much of an issue with spider mites outdoors, I get thrips like crazy though. Spider Mites have gave me problems indoors before though, multiple times.