Cannabis guerrilla growing 10-step strategic plan

Cannabis Guerrilla growing 10-step strategic plan

You may be lucky enough to be able to grow cannabis indoors at home, or perhaps outdoors on your private terrace or patio. But not everyone has those options. For many people the only way they can be self-sufficient in their cannabis needs is through guerrilla growing. This means finding a suitable place in the countryside, forests, fields or hills to grow a few cannabis plants. Follow a few established rules and you will find guerrilla growing is an easy, low-cost route to great quality cannabis.

The Pros and Cons of guerrilla growing

Guerrilla growing simply means cannabis cultivation in the great outdoors, away from your home. It’s a surprisingly easy way to grow cannabis, but you will need to use proven cannabis strains to get the best outdoor grow results. One of the many attractions to guerrilla growing is the inherently low cost.

There are extra challenges that should be taken into consideration when considering whether it’s worth undertaking a guerrilla grow this summer. But if the only way you can supply yourself with cannabis is with a guerrilla grow then the harvest is worth the effort. Here are the main pros and cons you will need to consider.

Pros

  • No expensive indoor grow room/light is needed, that saves you cash straight away
  • No need to worry about having cannabis plants growing at home
  • Main start-up costs are the cannabis seeds and possibly some extra soil/fertiliser & nutrients
  • No significant ongoing running costs, the sun provides the light and warmth.
  • A single outdoor plant can yield several hundred grams of cannabis. Get conditions (and cannabis seeds) right and you can expect heavy harvests and excellent quality buds

Cons

  • Good weather can’t be guaranteed, conditions may not be as perfect as an indoor grow room. Your plants may have to deal with poor early/late season weather.
  • Pests and grazing animals (deer, rabbits, goats etc) need to be considered
  • Drought and extreme summer heat is increasingly becoming an issue for some. Supplying your plants with water may be required.
  • Finding a good grow location where your plants won’t be discovered by dog walkers, hikers etc can require some skill and plot preparation tips.

Hidden outdoor grow 10-step strategic plan

If you’ve never done a guerrilla grow before then the following top-10 tips will help you avoid the most common pitfalls.

1. Find the perfect hidden grow spot

Guerilla Growing Tip 1: Find the perfect hidden grow spot

Ideally you want all-day sunshine. Perhaps you will have to compromise a little if trees are nearby. You also want privacy so that your plants won’t be seen and stolen. You need to be able to visit your plants without leaving an obvious train or path to your grow location – eventually someone will follow it.

Finding the perfect hidden grow spot takes effort! Many guerrilla growers actually have several grow locations (in case one is lost to thieves) and continually look for new ones via online maps. A personal visit to the location will be required to assess the suitability.

Related:
Growing cannabis outdoors

Guerilla grow location checklist:

2. Select the right cannabis seeds

Guerilla growing Tip 2: Select the right cannabis seeds

It all starts with the cannabis seeds! However relatively few strains are bred for outdoor growing. These days much breeding and genetic selection is done for indoor growing. If growing cannabis outdoors, especially in climates with border-line conditions you need to buy the best outdoor feminised seeds (or autoflowering cannabis seeds) that will work in your climate.

Related:
Top 10 outdoor cannabis strains

Cannabis seed selection checklist:

Most recommended cannabis seeds for an outdoor guerrilla

The following original autoflower and feminised cannabis seeds from Dutch Passion all give great results outdoors, even in tough and demanding condition.

Frisian Dew

Proven outdoor feminised champ

Typically ready to harvest around early October in the Northern Hemisphere (early April in Southern Hemisphere). Frisian Dew is a seasoned, proven outdoor performer and a repeat best seller with Dutch Passion’s outdoor customers. Can reach 3m – 4m tall in optimised conditions.

Auto Mazar

Tough autoflowering indica

Taking around 3 months to grow from seed to harvest, Auto Mazar grows well outdoors even in areas with the shortest of grow seasons. The sticky buds pack a real punch when grown under the sun. Tends to reach around 1 metre tall.

Dutch Passion Think Fast cannabis seeds fast flowering very robust reliable and potent cannabis

Think Fast

Recessive auto genetics ensure fast bloom

A feminised strain with recessive autoflowering genetics, Think Fast tends to be ready for harvest as early as September in the Northern Hemisphere (March in Southern Hemisphere). A cult favourite among guerrilla growers, Think Fast is often regarded as one of the most potent guerrilla strains available. Tough, resilient and reaches around 1.5m tall.

3. Prepare the soil of your grow spot

Guerilla growing Tip 3: Prepare the soil of your grow spot

Experienced guerrilla growers know that a little bit of extra effort put into soil preparation will return big rewards in terms of yield and quality improvements.

Just digging the soil and turning it over a couple of times before you start growing will help improve soil structure, remove compacted soil and improve aeration levels.

More experienced growers will improve the soil with various supplements (lime, worm casting, guano, well rotted manure etc) from the garden centre. Healthy cannabis roots below ground are the key to a thriving plant above ground.

Related:
Cannabis roots – everything you need to know

Guerilla soil preparation checklist:

4. Consider setting up an irrigation system

Guerilla growing Tip 4: Consider setting up an irrigation system

A mini-irrigation system for your guerrilla grow isn’t as easy as it may sound. You probably need to somehow transport a collapsible water container to your grow location and fill it up from a stream. Then you need to be connect irrigation hosing and perhaps a timer system to release water regularly.

All this equipment (old plant pots, tools, fertiliser sacks etc) can be discovered, especially in winter, and may inadvertently disclose your grow location unless it is thoroughly cleaned away after each grow.

5. Plan everything from cannabis seed to harvest

Guerilla growing Tip 5: Plan everything from seed to harvest

Plan your guerrilla grow carefully. The amount of material you can transport may depend on the distance you need to walk from your transport.

Ensure your cannabis seeds, nutrients etc are all ordered in time. Plan your site preparation, work out which approach routes are possible without leaving a trail and where your water sources are. You may wish to visit your plants at a time of day when the area is quiet.

Ensure you have a plan to transport your buds home and know how you will dry them. Some guerrilla growers dry their crop at home in a shed or even in a drying tent in a spare (bed) room. But there are some that make a drying room/shelter in the woods and use a gas heater and a fan to ensure the right temperature and humidity is maintained.

Remember to set aside time to properly clean and clear your guerrilla grow location so that no traces are visible once your crop is harvested.

Guerilla soil preparation checklist:

6. Germinate your cannabis seeds indoors

Germinating your cannabis seeds indoors under carefully controlled conditions maximises your germination rate. Furthermore, your seedlings are protected from the worst of the outdoor weather and can have a less stressful start to life under optimised indoor conditions.

Related:
Best way to germinate cannabis seeds, moist (not drenched) cotton pads

7. Planting cannabis seedlings in your guerrilla spot

Guerilla growing Tip 7: Plant cannabis seedlings in your guerrilla spot

When your cannabis seedlings are a few weeks old you may wish to gradually acclimatise them to outdoor life. Take them outdoors for a few hours each day when conditions are good.

Increase this amount of outdoor time gradually over a week or two. Eventually you can take your seedlings to their final guerrilla grow spot for transplanting.

Dig a generous sized hole and fill with good quality soil. This could be supermarket soil or perhaps a blend of grow shop soil and local soil. Put your seedling into the soil, and water well (making it easier for new root growth). You may wish to add a generous sprinkling of slug/snail pellets around your plants to keep them safe.

Related:
Acclimatising your indoor plants to outdoor life

8. Consistently check your grow spot and maintain optimal plant health

Guerilla growing Tip 8: Consistently maintain optimal plant health

You will want to visit your plants as often as you can, but you definitely won’t want to leave an obvious trail/path to your guerrilla grow location. This may limit the frequency of your visits.

In times of drought you may wish to transport water from a nearby source to sustain your plants. You may also wish to bring beneficial insects, e.g. Ladybirds/ladybugs if you notice infestations of aphids, greenfly etc.

9. Watch out for reduced sunlight hours in vegetative growth

Guerilla growing Tip 9: Watch out for reduced sunlight hours in veg

One regular job will be ensuring that neighbouring bushes, shrubs etc don’t gradually start stealing the sunlight from your plants. During the vegetative growth of cannabis, in Spring, much of the local wild plant life will also want to explode into growth. If necessary, chop down bordering plant life aggressively. This process may need repeating a couple of times throughout the season.

It’s also worth adding that growers need to be careful that they don’t plant their cannabis seeds outdoors, or behind a window too early in the season. This is to avoid your plants going directly into bloom with short daylight hours.

When days are short (around 12-14 hours per day) it can result in young plants going into bloom directly from seed. One solution, whether seeds are germinating behind a window or in a greenhouse, is to use supplemental lighting to extend the daylight hours to at least 16-18 hours per day.

10. Know when and how to harvest your guerrilla crop

Guerilla growing Tip 10: Know when and how to harvest your crop

Harvest your buds at the preferred time for you. Many people feel commercially grown cannabis is sometimes harvested a week or two early due to financial pressures.

Harvest your own weed just as you like it. Have a harvest plan. This could be to trim and vacuum seal the fresh weed at your guerrilla grow location. This allows it to be transported to a drying area, often at the guerrilla growers house, with a minimum of smell.

Related:
How to harvest, dry and cure cannabis

Bonus tip: A good guerrilla grower leaves no trail to follow!

Once winter arrives all the natural foliage, bushes and shrubs which gave your secret grow location her wonderful natural camouflage will be gone. That’s why you should remove all plant pots, tools/bags, spades, shears, empty compost bags and anything else from your location. Leave anything there and there is a chance that a nosey dog walker will investigate, potentially compromising your plot for future use.

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