Contributed by: WolfShadow63 Submitted: 01-03-2004
Guerilla Growing
STAYING ON LOCATION.
NOTE: This is not for the weak at heart, must have some outdoor savvy.
To Guerilla Grow {GG} one must have a very large area to grow on. The swamp that you choose you should know like the back of your hand. As in most swamps, there are high ridges that can be planted without the risk of flooding. It takes some looking but generally they are there. In some cases you will have to manually chop out brush for sunlight to penetrate. Find you a nice area to pitch a small tent close to your grow area that is well hidden.
I have used MANY types of bug spray, Deep Woods Off in the green can is my preferred spray. The DWO in the orange can sucks! So, don?t waste your money. Other good ones are Cutters, Repel and basically anything that has “DEETS” in high percent.
Take in only what you need to survive on. Small canned goods, one burner stove with tiny propane tanks, a hand-held scanner (you can get local news with a scanner), ear piece for scanner, a shovel for burying what you take in if you can’t take it out.
When choosing your location make sure you will have a water source, as this will be your most important issue. I dig a separate hole about 20-30 feet from water and create a seep well. Once the seep well is drained, the water will seep back in about 15 minutes, creating a filtering system thru the dirt/sand. My water is drinkable, but this does not mean your water will be. You can get many purifying filters nowadays though.
You NEVER want to make a visible trail from your home. This is the reason a lot of people get busted in rural areas. That trail might not seem like much from the ground, but from the air it?s VERY visible. They simply fly back of your houses and look for trails that lead 9 times out of 10 to your garden. So keep your trail small and in the trees if possible.
Always have a quick way out! Have a separate way you never use in case you have to get the hell out of dodge in a hurry. You can get thumbtacks that have light reflector tape that can be put in trees that only you know where they are at. Here is a tip; keep them low to the ground, these are used for a NIGHT getaway in a hurry. It is good to be a thinker. The above was for the hard core.
Trail Note: Always good to wear Snake boots in the swamp.
REASON FOR BEING.
The GG must always have a reason for being. Always have a story and a plan. Never seem suspicious. Here are A few that should work for most.
- Artifact hunting, arrow heads, pottery, bones, fossil, old bottles, coins etc..
- Bird Watching, photography, Hiking, dog walking, biking.
DIRT -VS- SAND.
The GG will want to have the best soil that is in his area. This will be a crucial key into finding that chosen spot. Trees/ bushes shrubs blackberry vines are good indicators as to just how fertile the soil is as well as good companion plants for MJ. The Elder Berry tree is a good tree to plant by. Some soil might require additives though {White sand}. Avoid Blood or Bone meal when growing in the swamp as it could attract varmints. It?s good to pre choose your spot when your area is flooded. This will show the high ground. Once you have chosen your spot and got your water source ready you are ready to plant.
SEEP WELL.
Note: When digging well, never make a hole straight down unless you maintain it all the time. Animals will be attracted to your water when the water table gets down and will fall in a hole and drown, thus polluting your water.
The Main purpose for a seep well is to avoid the snakes that hang around the swamp’s edges. The sand/dirt help filter the water as well if one has to drink the water. This makes your watering much easier when toting a lot of water. When you empty your hole a lot, it makes for better water. Never let your water stay for two days or more as it may become stagnate. It?s the continuing recirculating {seeping} of water that makes this work.NOTE: DON’T DRINK WATER UNLESS YOU’RE 100% SURE IT’S SAFE.
There are many purifying systems and pills you can buy. Another thing when it comes to water for drinking in the swamp is a simple cap full of bleach per gallon of water will kill a lot of Amoeba’s.WARNING! No more than a cap full of bleach, this should only be used in Extreme conditions.
DOES THE PHASE OF THE MOON REALLY MATTER?
When planting outdoors, fishing, or hunting, the moon will be your best comrade. Always plant on the NEW moon and up past the first quarter. This goes for transplanting as well. A handy book for the GG is the old farmers Almanac, I never plant without one.The increase of the Moon when transplanting/ planting seeds has a gravitational pull that just affects every living thing, even you. I?m not gonna get into this subject as it just seems to go the wrong way. Just believe that its TRUTH. The answer is YES… Survival rate, and ending yields are much better.
HOW DO I GET MY PLANTS TO LOCATION?
This can be done a few ways. The GG always carry his plants at night.
I start my seeds in 12"x24" plastic trays if I am planting a bunch. I let them grow in trays for about 3-4 weeks I then transplant in beds of 20-30 about 4" apart in the swamp. Once the females start showing I put them out in their separate homes about 3-5 per patch.
I carry 18 well-established plants in the same tray and plant them 3-5 to a patch in nice sunlit areas. You can put the tray in a cooler for easy toting and stealth, or you can go right out the back door at night with either 18 or the tray with a bunch.COMPANION PLANTING.
This can make ya or break ya. The GG will have to make use of every single thing that he can that is available to him in the swamp. This can mean animals, plants and insects. The GG will want his patch very tough to get to. You will want to use every part of the swamp to your benefit. Trees that have big thorns such as the devils walking stick can be really nasty to anybody who should venture close enough. The GG should know how to use these kinds of trees to help seclude their patch.
The poke salad likes to grow in fertile soil and likes sunlight. When young, the leaves can be boiled and eaten. Much like collard/ mustard greens but when grown and producing purple berry’s. They can and will make you sick or even cause death, believe this or not. Please, don?t try to find out or you will be sorry. Poison Ivry is another good companion plant.
WARNING! Poison Ivy, if allergic can be painful! If you will also notice, the dead rotten tree? This spot is A termite infestation and therefore NOT a good spot to pick. Unless you know HOW to treat them BEFORE you put MJ there. Termites will eat and hollow out plant and cause a SLOW death. Once started, they are almost impossible to stop before they kill the plant. Companion planting with the native plants is an added bonus.
The GG can learn a lot about soil like this. Just because the soil doesn?t look right does not mean it won?t grow MJ. A good way to test soil is to pull a handful up and give it a good smell. If it smells sorta like Peanuts, then most likely it is good soil. In general though, if the surrounding plants all look happy and green, then it should grow the wild wood weed fairly well. You can also pick a good spot by looking at the plants color. Some will go from light green to a deep green in a space of a half acre {as shown in the picture below}.
Note: You will see two pine trees. One in the back ground I chopped down. The one pine tree in forefront is the same age and has a lot smaller trunk and growth. Also note the color of the plants, “The deeper the green the better the soil”. Here is a short list of my favorites. - Elder Berry
- Pokesalad
- Ragweed
- Dog Fennel
- Blackberry
CAN I TREAT MY PLANTS WITH PESTICIDE?
You will hear MANY pros and cons on this subject, the simple answer is YES. As long as your plants is NOT flowering and you use something that is not so dangerous to your environment. Your basic vegetable pesticide for tomatoes if fine. It will not hurt your young plants and it is GOOD to give them a little on occasions at first sign of pest. Just read the INSTRUCTIONS. When I use pesticide, I go STRICTLY by the direction for tomatoes.
WHAT CAN I TREAT THEM WITH IF THEY ARE FLOWERING?
There is stuff available but the ONLY one I have ever used was Insecticidal Soap. I find the best treatment is observation of plants.
FERTILIZATION.
I personally use several different kinds. I “DRY” treat when there is a lot of rain. Basic 20-20-20. 50 lb bag goes a good ways, and fairly easy toting in duffle bag. When it?s dry I water with Fish Emulsion for vegging. For flower I use Jamaican bat guano. I also use Triple super phosphate {also A dry treatment}.WARNING! Must be careful! This stuff will burn/ kill a plant if too much is applied, but damn the size of the buds.
DEER.
Deer like to have a SAFE zone and are also VERY smart. You will see many posts about hair, urine etc… This all works until the Deer becomes wise to your ways, and they will! Deer are constantly hunted by dogs. Deer know just when its hunting season and throwing pee, hair etc… will not fool them long.
The absolute best animal control if one can get it is: Tiger, cougar, lion crap . It does not take much. Sun dry and put it in little pouches, {ends of old socks} then hang these little pouches in and around grow area low in the surrounding brush. Look for the deer rub, as shown in picture. Now you start peeing on THAT tree!!! Or take you a nice DUMP right by it, and plant your MJ close to it.
That buck rub in picture is where I like to take a pee, and then I plant MJ there in “his” territory. Doe are not going to be hanging there, only other Buck looking for a fight and are not worrying about EATING. So I guess the Moral to the story is… Deer are smart indeed, but ?man? is the master that will figure out how to exist and cultivate right in their back yard with the “buck” actually watching over the MJ. It?s crazy but it works for me.BIRDS OF PREY.
These are my best friends. It is WISE to look for BOP. This includes nest, feeding areas, breeding grounds… The Red Wing Hawk is common in most areas. Though they hunt in the daytime, they will help keep the rats and rabbits away to some degree. Same with Red Tailed Hawk. They like to feed on bigger game like rabbits but they will eat a BIG wood rat. Any kind of Hoot Owl, these are BETTER yet, as they are night hunters. Most Rodents eat your MJ at night, so keep that in mind as well. Most of these birds like to hunt/ breed/ nest in open enough areas that should do well for MJ.Other birds that are helpful to the GG is as follows.
- Blue Jay: They got big mouths, and will alert the GG to any thing or body that is nosing around. They get used to YOU being there.
- Crows/ Ravens: Same thing but LISTEN and LEARN, these guys are VERY helpful and a lot smarter than other birds. They will tell you many things once you get the knack for it. They will even TRACK and caw on a moving target; ie. LEO if he's coming.
- Wrens: Now these little birds will alert you to Mr. Snake. Don?t want to get snake bit in swamp now do ya? The list could go on and on, but I hope you get the picture. Just take the time to learn your birds if you area the serious GG.
INSECTS.
When planting the high ground in the swamp, you could have ant problems. Black ants, Red ants, Piss Ants! They will also want to get up away from the water as the rainy season sets in. They build a bed around trunk of small MJ plant and will eat the tender bark until the plant is “rung” around bottom. Andro Ant killer Ants will pop up any time, especially after a hard rain.
- SLIME BUG. I?m sure there is a fancy name for this next critter, I call it A slime bug. They hang out at ground level and hollow out the side of MJ stalk. They make slime/ foam looking stuff that they hide in to keep away from predators. They are mushy red/ black looking things. Easy to spot and fairly easy to deal with, observation is best.
- Grasshoppers can be pesky no doubt. In most cases GHs will only eat leaves, but a big GH can eat the top of a small plant rather easy. There is MANY kinds of GHs that will eat your MJ. I find that treating with basic garden pesticide is about the best GH protection, providing your plants are not flowering. Unless you have an army of "garden" spiders the GG will encounter GHs on a daily basis.
- There is not to many Spiders that can help the GG. However there is some good ones, mainly the Garden spider. The GG can re-locate spiders to patches. Most spiders will make their webs at the edge of patches once moved to location.
Note: When handling spiders I use two sticks for transporting. It is good to feed them once you see a web to make their move easier.
- Ladybugs are good for eating the smaller pest such as Fly Larva that lay their larva under the fan leaves. Ladybugs do not last VERY long when you take them to patches. I find it?s a waste of good time, OBSERVATION is your best insect control.
- The Praying Mantis is also a good one. These will most likely stay right on or in your plant. They eat MANY things, including your spiders, so be sure and separate them. The Praying Mantis is the over all best insect for the GG. They will stay on location fairly easy and they will eat many things. They are fun to watch and will grow very big for an insect.
- I have Tick bites that have been with me for better part of five years. They actually reoccur when I get hot and sweaty, especially one on the inside of lower right leg where my boots rub. Ticks can be a POTENTIAL killer. The "Chippawa Snake Boots" with my pants leg down inside repel a lot of Ticks as this is a MAJOR route the Tick likes to take. So at least put your pants leg in your socks.
The main thing is to check your entire body as much as possible, in particular around and base of skull/ hair. I have found that if you can get the Ticks off quickly and not let them stay attached for 24-48 hours, the bite is just another bite. Do not be ashamed to strip naked and SEARCH your entire body on a DAILY basis. Pubic area/ Balls too, the whole nine yards. If at all possible, immediately after getting home take a VERY hot shower and scrub clean.
MOLD/ BUD ROT & WORMS.
Most of the problems I have are with bud worms and mold. Well these worms help cause mold and rot. The worms not only eat the buds but they crap on them as well. So ya gotta find them turds to find the worm. The mold can be cut way back by giving the plants a good shaking in the morning dew. This is what the bug crap mixes with to cause the damage.Butterfly turds are much like the worm turds. The smaller brown/white moths that fly thick in the swamp was at one time the little bud eating worm that devastate MJ by eating and craping down deep in the flowers. It?s not uncommon for several different kinds of butterfly’s to land on growing MJ in one days time.
All this stuff will contribute to BUD ROT.When you see ANY mold/bud rot, cut it off ASAP, sometimes you may have to remove the entire branch. If you do not cut it away, you could run the risk of it spreading. A lot of rain and HOT days will also cause mold/ rot. It is GOOD to thoroughly shake rain/ dew off MJ whenever possible if flowering.
HARVESTING AND GETTING IT OUT OF THE SWAMP.
Once the GG has successfully grown a crop, he/she will have to chop it down and carry it out of the bush.
I always harvest on the HOTTEST day. The reason I was taught is because the hot sun makes sap run in trees, hence the same theory with resin and MJ. Some say HARVEST at night but I do NOT recommend for any outdoor grower to harvest at night because of the NIGHT dew; unless forced to do so.
To get your bounty home is not that big a deal. Chop it down and tie in tight bundles, stalks up and rootball removed. If you are going thru real thick brush you might want to cover with a camo jacket to protect buds from being torn off by briars. Once you get close to where you will be picking it up later that night simply hide and tie hanging in tree.
