Summer Neglect Growing.

[Minion]

I've grown before outdoors and always give the plants plenty of TLC. But I'm throwing around the idea of planting in a area that will work great if I can neglect the plants in May, neglect them during June, July, August then go back in September. I'm going to do this on top of planting in my area where I attend the plants on a daily basis. Any thoughts? inputs? I don't know if anyone has ever attempted this style of growing. I've never neglected plants before so I any advice will be appreciated. It could drive me nuts having to neglect them.

 

[antimatter]

If you use time release fertilizer all you really gotta worry about is watering and staking if your plants fall over because of height, if the water table is high enough and the soil stays moist for your entire growing season than ya you can neglect if not you really gotta have some drip irrigation setup on timers. All about the spot your growing in, you could add some polymer crystals into the soil to retain moisture when it rains, people say they can keep em alive during dry spells, id rather go with the polymer way but Ive never tried em to be honest.

 

[Eudaimonia67]

If you use time release fertilizer all you really gotta worry about is watering and staking if your plants fall over because of height, if the water table is high enough and the soil stays moist for your entire growing season than ya you can neglect if not you really gotta have some drip irrigation setup on timers. All about the spot your growing in, you could add some polymer crystals into the soil to retain moisture when it rains, people say they can keep em alive during dry spells, id rather go with the polymer way but Ive never tried em to be honest.

AM is basically right. The main reason you would tend to plants normally is to give them water. If you amend the soil with proper nutrients to sustain it throughout the whole season you don't need to worry about ferts to an extent. The major problem is if you neglect them during dry spells there is an increased risk of your plants drying out and dying obviously. As AM mentioned water polymer crystals are probably your best bet to combat this problem. Also when doing the initial plantings, form a depression in the soil at the base of the plant so that the water can well up when it rains which will increase water retention, and then mulch this depression with whatever is available in your surroundings that doesn't stick out, for instance I use dead leaves and grass to camoflouge the depression. This mulch helps the soil from drying out and as a result retain more moisture. Good luck and stay safe!

 

[early4surely]

I am a great partaker in neglectful grows. This has always been my "away from home" specialty. I'd say go for cornfields as they are already fertilized and properly irrigated. This is what I use. Disadvantage with this in my area is that plants cannot be put into fields until early July (otherwise corn is too small), and need to be harvested by around mid'September before corn is chopped. Despite the short season plants grow tall and yield well due to great soil/moisture conditions. From a little clone put in July 10 I can yield up to 250 g per plant, no joke.

Hope you find this useful.
Peace bro

 

[Bozo]

I dont grow outside cant but I can neglect the crap outa my plants right here in my house

 

[El_Professor420]

The best way to neglect ya plants and allow them to get really big is to find a place where ya can hit ground water (swamps are perfect, islands) and dig down till ya hit the water then place a 5+ gallon container into the hole (make sure there are holes in bottom of container) then cover it up, this will allow the plants to get water from the ground and oxygen from the top 3/4 of the bucket not in the water

This allows ya to never have to water ya plants and only come back 3 times during the hole season, 1 to plant, 2 to kill off male and 3rd time to harvest

 

[early4surely]

The best way to neglect ya plants and allow them to get really big is to find a place where ya can hit ground water (swamps are perfect, islands) and dig down till ya hit the water then place a 5+ gallon container into the hole (make sure there are holes in bottom of container) then cover it up, this will allow the plants to get water from the ground and oxygen from the top 3/4 of the bucket not in the water

This allows ya to never have to water ya plants and only come back 3 times during the hole season, 1 to plant, 2 to kill off male and 3rd time to harvest

Sounds like a winning strategy! I've never tried leaving plants in pots at guerilla spots. How much can be yielded using this method? How big do the plants get? Pots obviously limit plants growth potential. and I'm not sure how effectively plants are watered with this method. Thanks for any experience/advice you can share.

Jolly,
Earl

 

[El_Professor420]

Its pretty much like having a wick system, but instead 1/4 of ya container will be in the water at all times and will bring all the water the plant needs thru the whole season, the top part of the container the roots will be working on giving them plenty of oxygen and ect,

I personally read and learned about this method from some Guerilla Swamp growers on this site and on OverGrow, maybe if ya search some you can be lucky and find the threads on here

The plants ive grown in the swamp with this method gave me medium sized plants and around 5 to 6oz average in a 5gallon container

 

[antimatter]

The best way to neglect ya plants and allow them to get really big is to find a place where ya can hit ground water (swamps are perfect, islands) and dig down till ya hit the water then place a 5+ gallon container into the hole (make sure there are holes in bottom of container) then cover it up, this will allow the plants to get water from the ground and oxygen from the top 3/4 of the bucket not in the water

This allows ya to never have to water ya plants and only come back 3 times during the hole season, 1 to plant, 2 to kill off male and 3rd time to harvest

Sounds like a good system for a smaller grow but I think once you start hitting the 100's/1000's of 5 gallon buckets, it might be a little bit more digging and hauling of buckets, imagine some guy trucking in 1000 5 gallon buckets filled with sunshine mix, not to mention emptying 1000 holes of dirt in a swamp would be a little mucky lol but for under 50 plants I think it would be a good system. I remember venturing upon this one guys old grow and he was doing that except he didn't dig the holes, just used grow bags and let the roots go out of the holes of the bag, but it was a sad state of affairs because the guy left a couple hundred grow bags filled with mix and rubber maids, dixie cups, bottles of fertilizer alllll over the place never seen such a mess in my life.. it was a nice spot though but he absolutely trashed it.. so much grow trash around here its disgusting people just leave it all over the place, I find pvc pipe all along the creek systems floating down, and heres me just scouting for spots to grow.

 

[Minion]

I am a great partaker in neglectful grows. This has always been my "away from home" specialty. I'd say go for cornfields as they are already fertilized and properly irrigated. This is what I use. Disadvantage with this in my area is that plants cannot be put into fields until early July (otherwise corn is too small), and need to be harvested by around mid'September before corn is chopped. Despite the short season plants grow tall and yield well due to great soil/moisture conditions. From a little clone put in July 10 I can yield up to 250 g per plant, no joke.

Hope you find this useful.
Peace bro

Yes, more than useful. I have lots of questions. I start growing in May but I'm surrounded by Corn fields. Are you saying it's possible to do decent in a corn field by planting in July???? That seems super late. But I'm a rookie!

 

[Mr. Stinky]

towards the end of july, you start calling them "mini's" if your name is Julian. and yes they do great. they take off like weeds, and they flower fast. yeild less per plant since they only get a few feet tall and a couple branches, but the work load involved with large plants (huge amounts of ferts, tie ups, watering, etc) is gone. also, the pest problem is minimal. plan for 2oz per plant started in late july/early august.

 

[Minion]

towards the end of july, you start calling them "mini's" if your name is Julian. and yes they do great. they take off like weeds, and they flower fast. yeild less per plant since they only get a few feet tall and a couple branches, but the work load involved with large plants (huge amounts of ferts, tie ups, watering, etc) is gone. also, the pest problem is minimal. plan for 2oz per plant started in late july/early august.

Julian from trailer pack boys?
I can't believe I can plant that late in July/August. I live in the Ohio/Indiana area, I am going to try late July, the corn is already a foot tall around here. 2 oz's would last me over a year!

 

[Minion]

Maybe not a year, but if I get like 3 good plants I'll be golden.

 

[Guest]

As long as there is 60 days of decent weather left, plant em. If you have a good 45 day strain, (like Maple Leaf), you can wait as late as sept 1. They'll flower right away but a few oz's is better than none. I actively plant outdoors until the first week of august.

Ive done some neglect or set and forget growing. It's my view that your success initially depends upon the strain you choose. Choose the wrong strain and no amount of rain will provide success.

There is a simple rule with untended plants. Big buds, big plants need big water and big nutes and are susceptable to wind damage, pests, mould etc.. If you have any success at all, your variety will be a vigorous, tall, lanky sativa leaning plant with a low yeild. 4 oz's is a massive harvest with a strain that will survive set and forget. These varieties have good roots and big stems but little vegetation to support or flap around in the wind. Guerilla Gusto from sensi or Maroc from Female seeds are good examples of tall, tough strains that will perform in the way you need. There arent many to choose from in my opinion..

Good luck

 

[THC123]

frisian dew from DP combined with planting in flowering mix and then 1 month before flowering u add npk pellets and it all goes automatically

 

[BurmeseDragon]

Everyone neglects this plant, it's easier than killing them. Man, making a well around the plant will kill them. Lack of rains are so very rare, depending on where you reside.

 

[Julian]

No maintenance ops always starts with monthly rainfall, (2"+ minimum), then to hole/prep, and to how you get them in...

Many people do no maintenance (everyone should cut any trip possible, security issues), been done, is done, not a problem.

Most of the time 3-4 trips you can't get around (planting, uncaging/trimming around them, sexing/pre flower feed, which can be eliminated if all fems and spot prepped, and cutting....)

2nd follow up trip after planting optional if not caged.....but I think mandatory....could come back a month later and everything that wasn't around it a month later could be 6' tall.....been there, done that)

Going straight fem.....3 trips should do it if rainfall adequate, good prep/nice hole(s), and feeding taken care of...(ie: Can prep hole, then can do a liberal top feed throughout plots which will last 2 months or so....)

All starts with rainfall though. Rainfall dictates....

I've personally done thousands no maintenance....and if good prep/native soil, adequate feed and rainfall....yields will not suffer as much as one might think..(I could show you 10-14 footers almost 3 p's that were no maintenance.....)

Note: It's not so much about "neglecting", as it is about getting everything done that should be in a limited amount of visits..ie: You can either do 10 things on 1 visit.....or do the same 10 things on 5 different visits......etc)

How one gets them in basically dictates the entire season and labor if rainfall hits target...

Yes, you can, for your area, plant into August.....(same as indoors.,.....earlier in season=more veg time, larger plant, later in season= less veg time, smaller plant......) works well.....simple, less prep, quick finish,smaller plants, etc......

First frost dates (just google) give you what your working with as far as estimated finish dates...

 

[hamstring]

No maintenance ops always starts with monthly rainfall, (2"+ minimum), then to hole/prep, and to how you get them in...

Many people do no maintenance (everyone should cut any trip possible, security issues), been done, is done, not a problem.

Most of the time 3-4 trips you can't get around (planting, uncaging/trimming around them, sexing/pre flower feed, which can be eliminated if all fems and spot prepped, and cutting....)

2nd follow up trip after planting optional if not caged.....but I think mandatory....could come back a month later and everything that wasn't around it a month later could be 6' tall.....been there, done that)

Going straight fem.....3 trips should do it if rainfall adequate, good prep/nice hole(s), and feeding taken care of...(ie: Can prep hole, then can do a liberal top feed throughout plots which will last 2 months or so....)

All starts with rainfall though. Rainfall dictates....

I've personally done thousands no maintenance....and if good prep/native soil, adequate feed and rainfall....yields will not suffer as much as one might think..(I could show you 10-14 footers almost 3 p's that were no maintenance.....)

Note: It's not so much about "neglecting", as it is about getting everything done that should be in a limited amount of visits..ie: You can either do 10 things on 1 visit.....or do the same 10 things on 5 different visits......etc)

How one gets them in basically dictates the entire season and labor if rainfall hits target...

Yes, you can, for your area, plant into August.....(same as indoors.,.....earlier in season=more veg time, larger plant, later in season= less veg time, smaller plant......) works well.....simple, less prep, quick finish,smaller plants, etc......

First frost dates (just google) give you what your working with as far as estimated finish dates...

Very good advice and points that are often missed. Hard to preplan for everything that happens in a season.

No such thing as a zero visit plot in my mind. I always want to try and bring down the visits to a minimum but yes 3-4 visits (more for me) but 3-4 sounds like a magic number to be aiming for.
PEACE

 

[DirtDevil]

If you do it, more than likely you will return in the fall and will find a few nutrient deficient plants that will be full of seed (unless pre sexed of course)

its not a tactic Id ever use again, Ive tried.

 

[Minion]

I got the gears turning now. I've got some planted in May and am hoping they turn out good. But I'm gonna try some late July planting too. I'm hoping to yield a pound out of the few 100 seeds I've planted and am going to plant. This thread will keep popping up and I'll post pictures to keep everyone updated and entertained.