Guerrilla grow preparation, hole setup.

[radrichie61]

OK so I thought I’d just run this by you guys and gals. Getting ready to start final prepping of my sites and because I’m only going to visit four or five times maximum from start to harvest I am of course worried about watering. After lots of research and lots of help I’ve come up with the following idea. Dig my hole, put some rock and pebble in the bottom, and here’s my thought that I wanted to run past y’all. You know those hanging baskets I got those Coco mats and them that you can get at Lowe’s etc.? Since you can get them round in about a 14 inch diameter the picture below illustrates what I’m thinking about doing.

Pebbles and rocks at the bottom, one of those coco coir baskets, then mother Earth groundswell mixed in with a local dirt, and miracle grow water crystals mixed in lightly and slow release veg nutes.

Then I walk away for 2 weeks back to check, and then return in mid July, then late August and on that check nute up for flower. I like roots organics terp teas as a slow release, and then back to harvest, hopefully. Thoughts?

 

[N1ghtL1ght]

I am of course worried about watering.

Why? Do you live in a dry area or is it too wet over there.

I'm not really sure what you are trying to achive with these rocks in there. Supplementing lithic minerals is better done by stonemeals. Actually, it's way more easy for the root if the whole earth exchange consists of a single, well mixed, substrate that has the same EC, pH, nutrient content and water-/air retention qualities.

Usually outdoors soils are a bit depleted of NPK, and may show a pH that's off. You can correct that with your ammends, as in giving organic long-term dry ferts that can carry the whole plant from veg to flower and it's only needing to draw the water from the rest of the original soil to sustain.

 

[mysticepipedon]

I'd ditch the rocks and the layer of coco. You don't want to prevent roots from going into native soil.

I've always watered more than you're planning to do, during the first weeks. But you have to take care not to create a path. Plant about 3 or 4x as much as you want to harvest, in multiple locations.

 

[Goodshit97]

I’m only going to visit four or five times maximum from start to harvest

This is going to be a huge issue i think. Cannabis drinks a shit ton of water, especially in flower, and NC is hot, so i dont see that working out for you.

Ditch the rocks and coco mat, its not going to help you any, you want the plants roots to grow as much as possible.

 

[radrichie61]

Why? Do you live in a dry area or is it too wet over there.

I'm not really sure what you are trying to achive with these rocks in there. Supplementing lithic minerals is better done by stonemeals. Actually, it's way more easy for the root if the whole earth exchange consists of a single, well mixed, substrate that has the same EC, pH, nutrient content and water-/air retention qualities.

Usually outdoors soils are a bit depleted of NPK, and may show a pH that's off. You can correct that with your ammends, as in giving organic long-term dry ferts that can carry the whole plant from veg to flower and it's only needing to draw the water from the rest of the original soil to sustain.

This is why I was asking. A lot of the stuff I read and watched talk about putting rocks at the bottom so good drainage. I did not do that last year and I didn’t really see why I need to do that, that’s why I asked. I have my sight on the edge of a slight hill that leads down to a creek so during rain it should get rain from above and run off down the hill. A very slight grade of about five or 10° tops probably 5°. That might sound technical but I used to be a carpenter and I think I can srill judge slope, lol

 

[radrichie61]

I'd ditch the rocks and the layer of coco. You don't want to prevent roots from going into native soil.

I've always watered more than you're planning to do, during the first weeks. But you have to take care not to create a path. Plant about 3 or 4x as much as you want to harvest, in multiple locations.

That’s exactly what I’m doing and my spot is so close about two blocks from my house in a thick wooded area that is hard as hell to get into but is perfect with great cell exposure. The biggest worry may be mold, but my grow last year was tucked in a little spot in my yard and barely and I’m a barely like a couple days worth of p.m. showed up. Other than that I had no pest, they handled the heat, I watered once a week but really didn’t need it.

 

[radrichie61]

I'd ditch the rocks and the layer of coco. You don't want to prevent roots from going into native soil.

I've always watered more than you're planning to do, during the first weeks. But you have to take care not to create a path. Plant about 3 or 4x as much as you want to harvest, in multiple locations.

I have 15 seedlings and about 12 doing real well. Already a bit of LST on 4 of them. Have 4 or 5 locations I am going to use. New one on Sunday right behind a church and some super thick weeds, so freaking perfect. I used my GPS to plan my way that I went in I still had trouble getting back out and when I finally got back out of the weeds in the parking lot it was 11:35. I had figured they’d be in service until 12 and I walk out of the woods and people are looking at me like, what’s up. I hate lying, and I never ever ever lie to anybody except my family and kids Christmas and birthdays. But I lied and I’m gonna have to if I guerrilla grow and told them I lost a drone I was flying from my yard. Seem to work great since I didn’t have a drone that I just got recently. That’s gonna be a lot of my cover story throughout.

Latest seedling photos.

 

[Edinburg]

When we went out in the woods we did not like carrying all that water, since most of our outdoors plants were in 7gal pots we would fill 1 litre plastic pop bottles with water and stick them in the pots this cut down on our watering considerably.

 

[TSD]

I wouldn't do all that... the only reason to do it that way is if you're planting in a wet area and want to keep the majority of roots above the water table... we used to do swamp monsters like that, dug a very deep hole in a wet area, fill with rocks till above where the water stopped (think digging a hole at the beach and the bottom fills w water) then we'd put mesh or fabric to hold back the soil on top some... like probably 40 gallon holes or more. Then we'd basically let them self water after they were established and check periodically for pests, this was back in the days of sneaking around and helicopters searching. The roots would go down and have full access to plenty of water but not be constantly or fully wet, which they don't like.
So the theory works in the right location, but for your purposes, I would just dig nice holes and make sure the soil is loose and areated... plants grow massive roots outdoors and they will find the water if it's there.
Something to remember on the side of a hill, the soil may get washed away and roots exposed if there's a hard rain, which is not something you want. You could always bury fabric pots to hold the soil in place, the roots will grow through them. Only checking them 5 times is definitely a guerilla grow so I wouldn't expect fantastic results... and if the water table is far and the summer is dry, you will need to water them more.

 

[Goodshit97]

I wouldn't do all that... the only reason to do it that way is if you're planting in a wet area and want to keep the majority of roots above the water table... we used to do swamp monsters like that, dug a very deep hole in a wet area, fill with rocks till above where the water stopped (think digging a hole at the beach and the bottom fills w water) then we'd put mesh or fabric to hold back the soil on top some... like probably 40 gallon holes or more. Then we'd basically let them self water after they were established and check periodically for pests, this was back in the days of sneaking around and helicopters searching. The roots would go down and have full access to plenty of water but not be constantly or fully wet, which they don't like.
So the theory works in the right location, but for your purposes, I would just dig nice holes and make sure the soil is loose and areated... plants grow massive roots outdoors and they will find the water if it's there.
Something to remember on the side of a hill, the soil may get washed away and roots exposed if there's a hard rain, which is not something you want. You could always bury fabric pots to hold the soil in place, the roots will grow through them. Only checking them 5 times is definitely a guerilla grow so I wouldn't expect fantastic results... and if the water table is far and the summer is dry, you will need to water them more.

This^^^^ 100%

Is there a specific reason you're doing a guerilla grow other than its illegal in NC?


I ask cause its illegal where i am too and i have never done said "guerilla grow."
I always plant out in the woods, its not difficult to get to though, its a wide open brush lot on the edge of a 50 acre patch of pines. Plus there are power lines that run 500 yards from where i grow and they get flown by helicopters twice a week so it could be found if people know what theyre looking for.

If you're only trying to grow 3 or 4 plants id think it would just be better to hide them in plain sight with some tomatoes and sunflowers.

A guy i know plants his right along his walkway on a state road in NY, The state troopers sit 2 drivesays up at the town garage and hes never been busted.

 

[radrichie61]

Well first trip to my site and it all went well for initial prep. So I did accidentally delete the picture of the zone after I cleaned everything but here’s a video in a few photos.

 

[Mikedin]

Personally I’d double the depth of the hole, even triple if possible, Get farther down where there’s normally higher water retention. Let the roots grow down to find it, the deeper you go the better luck id imagine you’d have

 

[radrichie61]

Personally I’d double the depth of the hole, even triple if possible, Get farther down where there’s normally higher water retention. Let the roots grow down to find it, the deeper you go the better luck id imagine you’d have

Have not dug holes yet. Going deep.