Equitorial Swamp Jungle Float-Garden

Swamp Thang · Sep 16, 2013

Ahoy there fellow mariners. Once again it is time to weigh anchor and set sail for new lands. This year's voyage takes us deep into the heart of a tropical rain forest swamp labyrinth, where narrow meandering creeks link hidden lagoons, while monkey calls echo between the trees that fringe a garden that floats, levitating above the brown swirling waters soon to rise another foot, before the last of this season's thunderstorms has rumbled past.

My last grow show was over 5 years ago, so I figured I might as well share this year's small effort with y'all.

These plants are only just starting out in the tropical rainy season here, so that I can be sure of dry weather by the time they go to bud right about Christmas time.

This first lot of pictures are to more to show off my swamp tube construction skills, and my swamp survival planter camoflague techniques, but there'll be more shots as the plants start to take on some character. Construction details of my patented "invisible" swamp tubes are of course a closely guarded trade secret heh heh.

Over the coming weeks, long after most growers living north of the Equator have pulled down this year's harvest, I hope to update this thread with some bud shots, and maybe a few pictures of the monkey's that gather to observe my water-gardening exploits.

My line up this year is an all Sativa showdown, featuring some heavyweights like Malawi Gold, South African Kwazulu, Kenyan Kilimanjaro, along with some pure landrace Thai weed, and Hawaiian Maui Waui.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you'll visit this thread now and then as I post more updates, hopefully with less blurred pictures next time ha ha.

Aloha :tiphat:

soil margin · Sep 16, 2013

Interesting grow setup, I've gotten more interested lately in all kinds of swamp and other 'undesirable' terrain outdoor grows. Excited to see some coming pics as those girls build up the veg. Good luck mate.

Swamp Thang · Sep 17, 2013

Thanks for the reply, Soil Margin. There is real job safisfaction that comes with first canoeing through a baffling maze of creeks beneath forest canopy, locating a suitably remote, foliage-choked island which gets enough sun, and finally constructing heavily camoflagued swamp tubes that are tall enough not to get flooded when the water levels rise with heavy rain.

The scouting for an ideal grow spot, and the engineering involved in building and totally concealing swamp tubes, are outdoor challenges that I just enjoy, for some perverse reason. The most strenuous part of the whole operation was of course lugging bag after bag of top-soil and fermented animal manure by dugout canoe, for part of the way, and then on my back through knee-deep murk when the canoe got stuck short of the destination.

After all that effort slogging about in the mud, all that was left to do was plant the beans in their cages, fire up a well-deserved jay, and day-dream of harvesting massive, fragrant sativa buds, come December.

Maybe I'll post some general jungle-swamp scenery shots to keep this thread alive while my trees slowly grow bigger.

soil margin · Sep 17, 2013

Yeah I'd love to see more swamp shots, never get tired of nature pics.

I have heard people say that the bud that is hardest to grow is the strongest and sweetest come harvest time, I'm sure there is some application of that to swamp growers.

Besides the normal challenges like flooding, bud-rot and humidity, are there any major hurdles you expect to face between now and harvest? For me, growing in near optimal conditions outdoors it's hard to imagine having to anticipate every single variable that could negatively impact a grow.

Swamp Thang · Sep 17, 2013

Insects, spider webs and leaf-eating bugs are the main pests I encounter on my swamp grows, SoilMargin. No real dangers to people in this neck of the woods, since the crocs are a midget variety that stay well clear of people, and feed only on water snails and small fish. The monkey troops often gather in nearby trees when I show up, to see what I'm doing. They do raid food crops on the forest fringes, but have never shown any interest in weed plants at all so far, thankfully.

When I stopped by the garden to take those pictures yesterday, I spotted and removed a small colony of caterpillars munching away at the leaves on just a couple of my 30 new seedlings, but later when the buds start to form, tiny spiders that weave rot-inducing webs in the buds are the main pest I look out for.

It must be the sweet smell of ripening buds that triggers the spiders to set their webs to catch visiting flying insects, but those webs can cause spreading bud-rot, if they are not spotted and removed early on.

The grey rainy skies have given way to a clear day here, so round about sunset I might go paddle the creeks and take some nature shots to post here later.

therevverend · Sep 17, 2013

I used to do the same thing in temperate rain forests in the PNW. Find a swamp crawl through armpit deep water and mud. Clipping a path through the bramble with my clippers. Disguising my trail in. Find an island in the middle of the swamp created by beavers. Build up a mound add a few granulated concentrated organic fertilizers and lots of lime. Figured any law enforcement would have to be nuts to go in there.
As the summer got warmer the water level would sink drying out my mounds as the plants got bigger. Never had to water so just came back once in July and once in August to kill males and hermies. Than late September float out my harvest carefully packed in plastic buckets.
I was amazed the beavers left it alone. Slugs and mold got their share but not too much. Only used a handful of fertilizer stuff like alfalfa meal and kelp. Lots of salamanders showing how healthy the watershed was.
Another spot I used was a meandering shallow river. I used the banks in the thimble berry bramble. Always remember the smell of rotting salmon and the carcasses floating by as I harvested. Big fall run that year. Healthiest plants I ever grew fish fertilizer works great.

Swamp Thang · Sep 17, 2013

I hear ya Reverend, there is no safer place to locate a grow than in a swamp, and the big advantage from a stealth perspective is that you can use the waterways as your paths and leave no footprints.

Your PNW grow was low maintenance fer sure. Sounds like picturesque country up there. Here I generaly visit the garden every couple of weeks at least, to remove bugs and watch for males, though some day I hope to pull off a feminized seed crop that I won't visit till the last couple of weeks before harvest.

A couple of shots from my swamp here.

soil margin · Sep 18, 2013

I used to feel like a badass when I'd hike into a canyon a couple miles away to plant some girls. Now I can see I've been taking the easy way out haha.

Swamp Thang · Sep 18, 2013

Truth be told, Soil Margin, your hike into a sun-baked canyon is probably more strenuous a journey than my leisurely paddle into the watery labyrinth, plus you may have to be on the lookout for rattlers as you make your way, so you are a badass, compared to me he he.

Insect repellent is the only personal protection I need here, and I'm good to go.

soil margin · Sep 18, 2013

Hah well thank you for the kind words, but truth be told I'm not sure if I prefer watching out for rattlers and skunks or knowing there are crocs waiting to take a bite out of me should I fall in the dark waters.

How bad do the mosquitoes get in the evening? You try and avoid being out there at that time of day I'm guessing?

OLDproLg · Sep 18, 2013

VERY COOL!!!!

Heck,its about TIME somebody had some SWAMP TUBES!!!
and yours are stealth to the max.....great work,it will pay off..
thanx for starting a wonderful thread!!!
Grow on,my best buds are Xmas an spring plants..
Lg

EllieGrows · Sep 18, 2013

Such style, good luck with your grow!

RosettaStoned · Sep 18, 2013

That swamp is beautiful, very cool area you grow in. I like the stealth tubes alot, good job man, can't wait to see some swamp buds

Swamp Thang · Sep 19, 2013

Hey I sure appreciate you fellas stopping by to look over my small effort here. I feel lucky to have access to a swamp forest, and other than my small cluster of grow tubes concealed in deep cover on an island, I do nothing else to disturb the landscape and wildlife.

My plants aren't much to look at just yet, but in no time they'll get to couple more foot in height, at which point I will tie them sideways so they spread like vines, and post some more shots here.

@Rosetta it is good to get a passmark from a fellow swamp grower whose grow journal here was one of those that inspired me to send off for some seeds and restore my old grow site for the first crop in years. Thanks for the encouraging words.

@OldProLG The swamp has its challenges, but the beauty of the forest around, and the chorus of bird calls providing a soundtrack, mean that the initial construction involved took place in a tranquil setting. I'm looking forward to a Xmas with flavorful self-grown weed for sure.

Locally available weed here is always seeded, so I went ahead and planted a few seeds of some whose taste and buzz I really liked. Just getting rid of all the males and growing female colas only will no doubt improve quality of the harvest from those bageed plants a lot.

therevverend · Sep 19, 2013

Love the swamp tube construction. Hope it wasn't too hard to get them into the swamp. Getting my plants and supplies was always the stressful part. Once they start floating it starts getting fun.
What are the dangers of a flood or storm wrecking havoc? I figure the sativas you use will minimize your mold problems. Must be nice paddling through warm water. My water was freezing cold.
I'd get covered in stinking mud from head to toe, have a backpack of clean clothes hidden in the woods so after I could clean up. So if someone saw me exiting it would look like I was hiking in the forest rather than crawling through swamp water.
I'd navigate by the treeline but I'd get lost often. Sometimes it would seem like I'd find the plants by dumb luck. I'll bet you've spent a lot of time exploring your swamp. Listening to the birds always made me feel good. And they told me if I was safe or not.

hush · Sep 19, 2013

I love swamp grows... That was the way I grew when I started off all those years ago. Just reading along here takes me back... Those were the days!

Tagged.

Donald Mallard · Sep 20, 2013

Very cool thread ,
i think ive seen a pic from you before of plants under water after big rains??

love the pots man ,
sounds like you have a bunch of fun out there ...

Ga farmer · Sep 20, 2013

Very cool! I love the concept. Good vibes sent!

ColoradoOG · Sep 20, 2013

I thank you for sharing your adventure, this seems like a very peaceful journey..Enjoy!

jahrastafarii · Sep 21, 2013

crazy

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