I thought i might pass on a couple of simple little tips that will let you know if someone has discovered your grow. Sometimes, bushwackers will find the grow and wait for it to mature. To know if thats happened to you....... 1. A Cheap money clip with $10 in it, thrown on the ground near the plants to look as though its been dropped. If its gone when you return, the deer didnt take it. A buddy of mine uses his old Buck knife as bait. 2. 4lb test monofiliment line stretched lightly accross the path between weeds cant be seen or felt. If the line is gone or moved, somebody came through it. Set up several on the path so you can determine the direction the perpetrator followed. 3. Wet spots. a bald spot on your path will leave the foot prints of anyone that came down it. I scrape off any grass in early spring and usually try to establish the spot at the point where any intruders would actually first see the plants. Its been my experience that once the plants are spotted by rippers or the law, attention to other details immediately disappear and the focus is entirely on the plants. I often take a gallon of water and pour on the bald spot to keep it moist. Cop boot prints are very distinctive and different than deer.. If you know of other techniques, post them up.
I use a hunting camera, sees everything crystal clear, and even works at night. Dont go cheap, mine cost about $250 each andI have 3 for each of my plots. I havent run into any trouble yet. The greatest part, they only record when movement is detected so saves time reviewing the cameras.
I think leaving the money clip as bait is a bad idea because if someone finds it they might figure something more valuable is up ahead. My girlfriend said she found someone growing weed one time when she was walking behind a K-Mart and found a nail board booby trap covered in leaves. Before finding the nail board she wasn't even thinking someone was growing weed back there. After that, she knew some weed was around and she found it and ripped it. I think the best strategy is just to have your grow somewhere where no one treads and as far as using fishing line and stuff like that you can be sure if anyone does see it they will now be alerted to the fact that a active grow is most likely in the area. I think the best way to go is hide your plants well, don't tap into water sources that aren't yours, and more than anything keep an eye out for "sign" which is footprints, broken branches, stuff like that. If you see boot prints near your grow you can be pretty sure someone found it and is waiting for it to mature to come back and steal it. The game cameras are a great idea but if the rippers spot them they will probably steal those too and some of them have flashes on them as well so that would have to be covered up. Good luck on the outdoor grows and planting multiple plots has always been my strategy to escaping detection. If one plot is found oh well, we have a plan B.
One other thing is to try growing quick maturing strains like auto-flowering varieties but those don't give you the best yields but if you plant early finishing varieties like most Indicas mature very fast 9 weeks usually. The other thing to do is if you plant outdoors, dig a deep hole about 6 feet deep, take a big trashbag, punch holes in it and use it to line the hole. Then fill the trashbag with whatever soil you like, I think Promix, or 50/50 Light Warrior/ Happy Frog or something like Subcools super soil is a good choice and away you go. I like the Subcool soil mix because it is "just add water" and you don't need to use fertilizers during the grow because everythings already been mixxed up in your soil. Also Osmocote + makes a good time release fertilizer but I'm going off on a tangent. The reason for the garbage bags in the holes is if your grow get's detected or the weather turns to poop you can pull up the plants in their plastic grow bags and take them indoors. October and September can make or break an outdoor grow if it turns cold and rainy so take precautions.
My money clip is next to the plants, growmorekush. If you find the clip, you already found the plants.The purpose of the clip is to let me Know you were there Game camera's can be very dangerous and a bad idea. I have a buddy sitting in jail right now because his game camera, which was grabbed by the law when they found his plants, had picture after picture of HIM woking in his patch. Keep in mind that they photograph activity at the patch and if found, they can be used against you. If they can determine the brand and what local stores sell them, they can sometimes go to store video and watch you buy the game camera theyve found, for a little more evidence. Fingerprints may be on it as well. Use caution.
I hear what your saying clod, but they dont go looking up every tree for trail cams after they find bud, a well hidden camera will never be found, im a hunter, other hunters steel trail cams all the time, they know where to look and mine has never been found, if someone was to be worried, keep your back to the trail cam.
Lightly set small rocks or even pennies work on top of the soil leading to your plot. Of they get stepped on they'll get pressed into the soil. Same can be done with twigs. If your plants are rooted straight into the ground though and you detect an intruder what are you supposed to do though?
Animals like deer could step on these pennies and a rain could wash them into the soil, and having them lead to your grow is a bad idea, traps are a bad idea too, i have a buddy doing 5 yrs in prison for setting up fishing line set with fishing hooks surrounding his grow. Someone got cought up in it and had to call for help, they investigated why, found the plants and set up cameras, they charged him with manufacturing marijuana with intent and intent to do bodily harm. The only best way is counter survalience, my cameras can see quite a good distance so it allows me to gather what has happened while im gone without getting to close to my grow.