Crow River Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 (edited) Hey folks, I've decided to take the plunge and try some guerrilla growing next year. I'll still be growing indoors, but with energy prices likely to stay high I want to expand my outdoor activities. I tested the waters with a couple of autos in a polytunnel this summer just gone. Learned a lot, especially about bud rot and how quickly it can set in. While I will persevere with growing under plastic, I also want to get out in the real outdoors too. Been doing some scouting for possible stealthy grow sites nearby. Not easy as I live in a city, but I have four potential spots earmarked. Will be doing a bit more of a recce of each, and then some prep work over the winter. I have also been researching suitable strains. I've managed to gather a fair few beans from outdoor specific breeders. I can now choose from Real Gorilla, Dutch Passion, Hybrids From Hell, Soviet Finland, Phoenix, and KC Brains. All these breeders offer at least one outdoor strain, and some are outdoors specialists. I'm at latitude 56ºN, which means a shorter growing season than areas further south. So most of my choices have been auto flowering, semi-autos, or 'fast' versions. No long flowering sativas outside this far north! I have some feminised strains, and a fair few regular too. I will aim to start beans off in April under indoor lighting, then transfer to the polytunnel to harden off a little. Then move outdoors in May. While I have a good selection of seeds to choose from, initially I'll aim for the earliest finishers and autos. I'll also be topping young plants to keep them a bit shorter, and will maybe root the tops so I can plant some clones too. This will help my seeds go further, and act as an insurance policy against rot, insects and rippers. That said, I'm not looking at huge numbers of plants. Fewer than ten per site, really in the interests of stealth. My site policy will generally be to visit as little as I can get away with, the better to not be discovered by others. So no complex training, and whatever support, fertiliser, and watering I can manage with minimal fuss. Depending on the soil at the site, I'll either plant straight in the ground or use suitable containers (fabric pots half buried most likely). I'm aware there are a number of very experienced growers here on the boards. To those individuals, does this sound like a realistic plan at this stage? Any pearls of wisdom that I should keep in mind? Edited October 17, 2022 by Crow River 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindSoup Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 Sounds like a good plan to me mate. Early prep, good strain selection and spreading your eggs over a few baskets is the key to success and you've got those bases covered. Only things I would advise is to be careful about topping plants if they're in a windy spot as they will be more prone to snapping, you can use some support structures to help them or just stick to LST (just training the main stem towards the north is usually enough to even out the canopy and keep them fairly low, think Hombres Garden style). I would also avoid the half buried fabric pots idea unless your confident you'll get consistent rains or have the time to give them regular watering visits, if next summer is anything like this one keeping them watered will likely be your main challenge, a plant in open the ground, with a good mulch layer will need a lot less irrigation. Good luck with it mate, GGing is hard work but it's infinitely rewarding, plus there's something really nice about having a secret spot or 2 that no one knows about, great place to get a bit of solitude. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crow River Posted October 18, 2022 Author Share Posted October 18, 2022 (edited) 8 hours ago, MindSoup said: Only things I would advise is to be careful about topping plants if they're in a windy spot as they will be more prone to snapping, you can use some support structures to help them or just stick to LST (just training the main stem towards the north is usually enough to even out the canopy and keep them fairly low, think Hombres Garden style). I would also avoid the half buried fabric pots idea unless your confident you'll get consistent rains or have the time to give them regular watering visits, if next summer is anything like this one keeping them watered will likely be your main challenge, a plant in open the ground, with a good mulch layer will need a lot less irrigation. Good tip about windy spots. I'm trying to keep a balance between shelter and sun exposure. Will probably only top plants where I have good shelter and relatively easy access. A couple of the sites are more "hiding in plain sight" rather than very secret places. So for those I'll need to keep the plants lower. They are both places where I have fairly easy access to a water source too. For the fabric pots idea it was really because in at least one site the soil might be tricky to work. For example one area is an abandoned railway line - bushes and trees are growing there but the (overgrown) rails are still in place and the stone chippings, etc. I was just thinking to dig some holes and then put fabric pots in place and fill with compost, worm castings, etc. Obviously if stuff is already growing there the soil is probably okay, but clearing a large area might be too conspicuous, as well as a lot of work. Indeed three out of four sites are on or near disused railways. They're about the only wild places left in my urban environment. All the old gap sites and so on have been built on in recent years. I had also been looking at a site by a river out west of the city, but I've knocked that one back for now. It's just too far to transport stuff - ten miles! There's bus and rail not far away, but decided it was a bit of a faff and looked closer to home instead. Edited October 18, 2022 by Crow River Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murphyblue Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 I have only been doing this a few years mate but by the sounds of it u will need to do a lot of graft but don't let that put u off even in a shit year like i have had its so peaceful knowing i have a myspace. Practical advice being so far north try and get whatever u plant as much daylight as you can. Advisable to keep em short from what u said so a few supports and a net over topped plants tie down the branches go back fortnight later add another net tie down again even in the strongest winds plants will have plenty of support don't even need to buy bamboos as better if u can cut stakes from nearby and netting is cheap as chips on the internet. A plant repair kit of some wire zip-ties and the usual black leccy tape can sort out any splits in a flash for topped plants. Wouldn't advise usually on strains mate as these thinks are a matter of taste plus u are way higher lat than me now i am sure @badbillybob done a bit of a GG and he is high up north sorry if it wasn't u butty but if u are here ur black dog x black dog is all HSO mate? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crow River Posted October 18, 2022 Author Share Posted October 18, 2022 (edited) 24 minutes ago, murphyblue said: Advisable to keep em short from what u said so a few supports and a net over topped plants tie down the branches go back fortnight later add another net tie down again even in the strongest winds plants will have plenty of support don't even need to buy bamboos as better if u can cut stakes from nearby and netting is cheap as chips on the internet. A plant repair kit of some wire zip-ties and the usual black leccy tape can sort out any splits in a flash for topped plants. Great advice there. I have a few 'bushcraft' tools such as lightweight axes, knives etc. which may come in handy for fashioning supports from nearby dead wood or shrubs. Netting is cheap from B&M, Poundstretchers etc. when they have gardening stuff in. Netting might help camouflage a bit too... Main effect of northerly latitude is that growing season is short. By this time of year sun very low in sky, stuff grows very slowly or not at all. By contrast, in summer we get 17 hours of full daylight, and in June/July no real darkness at night! Great for autos/semi-autos, not so good for longer flowering photos. Been looking at Danish and Finnish strains as they are at similar latitudes - Fnland even further north... Edited October 18, 2022 by Crow River 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbillybob Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 21 minutes ago, murphyblue said: I have only been doing this a few years mate but by the sounds of it u will need to do a lot of graft but don't let that put u off even in a shit year like i have had its so peaceful knowing i have a myspace. Practical advice being so far north try and get whatever u plant as much daylight as you can. Advisable to keep em short from what u said so a few supports and a net over topped plants tie down the branches go back fortnight later add another net tie down again even in the strongest winds plants will have plenty of support don't even need to buy bamboos as better if u can cut stakes from nearby and netting is cheap as chips on the internet. A plant repair kit of some wire zip-ties and the usual black leccy tape can sort out any splits in a flash for topped plants. Wouldn't advise usually on strains mate as these thinks are a matter of taste plus u are way higher lat than me now i am sure @badbillybob done a bit of a GG and he is high up north sorry if it wasn't u butty but if u are here ur black dog x black dog is all HSO mate? yes mate both HSO strains. i tried for a few years on the trot, was a waste of time tbh. itwould be better with a greenhouse id say. autos almost finished but most stuff grew well then got rot, so i gave up. i still vividly remember almost dieing of a hearty after taken half a dozen 150 litre bags of verve, about a mile into the woods, in the rain.....never again. I went mental one year had about 90 off plants out, humped about 30 off bags of soil into the woods, chicken shit, cages etc. i think i maybe harvested enough for half a dozen joints.........pffft 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crow River Posted October 18, 2022 Author Share Posted October 18, 2022 1 minute ago, badbillybob said: I tried for a few years on the trot, was a waste of time tbh. itwould be better with a greenhouse id say. autos almost finished but most stuff grew well then got rot, so i gave up. Ah, that doesn't sound fun. You a bit further west than me I think? Bloody pours down over in the west, then there's the midges! Tends to be a bit drier here in the east, rain shadow and all that. Can be really cold in May/June though if we get easterly winds. So sites need to be well sheltered... I do have a polytunnel greenhouse and will chuck two or three autos in there. Really want to try proper outdoors though. If the Danes can do it, so can we surely? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbillybob Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 im not west, im east 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murphyblue Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 @badbillybob thanks mate looks like i am subbing again as i loved the black dog. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crow River Posted October 18, 2022 Author Share Posted October 18, 2022 Just now, badbillybob said: im not west, im east My mistake! Hope I've not caused offence... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbillybob Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 im not easily offended 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crow River Posted October 18, 2022 Author Share Posted October 18, 2022 Just now, badbillybob said: im not easily offended Aye but getting mistaken for a westie can test the patience of even the most stoic of east coasters. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMice Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 nice to see you’ll trying a Guerilla Grow mate. Have every faith you can pull it off. Seen you were contemplating it for a while. As you know this has been my first year growing. I’m at lat 54 and have had some rough weather. ice/frost in morning, torrential rains & heavy winds late into flowering. I thought I would have to chop early due to weather but the plants look healthy as ever. I planted in the ground. I’ve been told recently that the roots don’t get so cold in the ground so that’s a bonus. There’s a lot I could of improved but I’m amazed at how well cannabis grows outdoors in the UK. Will definitely be following along to your diary, picking up tips and seeing all you achieve 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crow River Posted October 18, 2022 Author Share Posted October 18, 2022 @AnonyMice, cheers mate. Yeah looks like you've done well this year. That reminds me, I have to catch up with your diary and see what's been happening. Mostly Dutch Passion strains was it, if I recall? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMice Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 (edited) @Crow River Had a selection of RGSC seeds but lost all erdpurple & super 61 as seedlings in bad potting soil. The fast Lemon cakes made it to harvest with no rot. Yeah all DP mate. Definitely some nice strains for rough climates.. I’ve picked the odd bit rot off 1 or 2 plants but most plants haven’t seen any at all yet. Incredible. Mother Nature takes all the credit. Can’t wait for next year. I bet you can’t too Edited October 18, 2022 by AnonyMice 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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