Tree growing: Guerillia growing off the ground

This is a condensed version of my OG thread about my Tree growing technology prototypes. Many here in the Outdoor forum seem curious about this, so here we go!

Basicly my idea was to create a method of growing that got your plants off the ground, and away from deer, and folks walking through the woods. Tree growing is really a pipe-dream in my opinion, but there may actualy be folks out there it might work well for. Especially if you have acess to suitable trees, with super bushy canopies wher you could hide the weed.

After hearing folks talk about climbing trees to plant, and then to water on a regular basis, I often pictured a stoner found stiff on the ground under a tree, with a broken pipe in his pocket. Climbing trees can be very dangerous, especially when you are growing alone, beware!

So I set out to figure out a good answer to the problems:

#1. Keep folks from climbing trees any more than they have to.
#2 Making it easier to water plants high in a tree, whether the plants were originally placed by climbing the tree or not.

I spent alot of time developing this, but did not actually get around to trying it last year. I may give it a go this year. So with no further blah blah, I present: Tree growing, Guerilla growing off the ground.

PLANTER BASKET-

The basket is made from a blue milk crate, steel cable is attached at each corner. Wrapping the cable is chicken wire, to protect the plants from rodents, and digging birds. The crate is lined with plastic to hold the potting soil.






The cables run through a metal ring at the top of the contraption, attached to that is a length of rope, at the end of the rope is a 2nd ring, this is important because of the next part of the problem, how do you get to the plant to care for it when you need to? Like feeding, training, evaluating a sickness.

My answer is to fashion a long pole(preferably telescoping) and use it to manuver a hook attached to a long rope. This could be accomplished by using a eye hook attached to a wooden pole, or by scavenging a hollow telescoping pole from a old pole pruner like I did.

The only climbing involved here will be climbing up the tree to drive in the anchor spike.



Once that is done, you use the pole to drop the hook attached to the long rope over the branch you want to hang the planter from.





Drop the hook all the way to the ground, and attach it to the the metal ring at the end of the crates rope. Pull the rope(still running through the pole), and pull the crate up to the branch.



Continue pulling the rope over the branch, until you can hook the ring on achor spike. Once you are sure the ring is secure on the spike, pull the hook away from the ring..... no rope hanging down where peole passing by can se it!





Time for part 2:Irrigation wand

Ok now we have a basket hanging the tree,you need to water it, you could use your pole and lower the pot, but man are they heavy! Especially when they have just been watered, or say you have managed to hang a pot permenently, how do you water it without climbing the tree each time?

Basicly my wand is lengths of 1/2" PVC pipe(they can be short or long), each length has a male and a female threaded fitting on each end, except the top piece, which is a hook made with elbows. This hook will be used to hang the wand on the edge of the planter.




At the other end of the wand is a cordless drill, attached to it is a Drill pump. These can be found in tool stores, sears, Auto parts stores, etc. The pump is hose threaded.



Here is the system in action!







A alternative pump is a pump sprayer addapted to hose fittings.



Anyways, thats it. The problem is finding a good situation to use it, you don't want it visable from the ground, or the air, and yet you need sunlight for the plants.

Be careful everyone!!

Nice BC.

I have to admit Ive always thought tree growing was dumb until I saw this thread. I like the mesh wire stuff that will hold up the buds in time.

So youve got all the stuff...gona be tree growing this year? If you need a good tree, pm me

Uhana

god that sounds fun.


how bout this:

getting a hunting stand to hold multiple plants and using black hosing instead of bright wite cpvc. but what about the light? would't the tree's leaves block a good percentage?

I'll be doing this in the Rocky Mtns. too. The only problem is that the forests here are mostly pine . Thats a great way to irrigate it.. so simple.

I'd have to go out into the forrest to really get an idea of what I'd be dealing with and if I needed to modify anything so I'll let you know.. (its in the dead of winter here so there's no way i can make it to where I want to plant)

camo the milk crate too. Maybe just find a tree that has leaves that are large and green? Make the entire thing just blend in like it was part of the tree..

BACKCOUNTRY that is a very ingenious setup you have there. I heard about growing in trees back in the eighties. They were doing it then in the santa cruz mtns. I was never able to see one , but I think you have it dialed.

I'll be watching this one
GCG

Tree growing will always remind me, of the first day I met you BC.

I knew then, you'd be the chosen one.....you never disappoint us!

enjoy.

bc is the only guy ive met whos actually put alot of thought into the whole tree growing and he will be the first to actually show proof of attempting it with plants as you see he has it all planned

What about some sort of lashing in the case of wind? The wind shear force increases the higher you go off the ground. Where as the plant would normally have the ability to withstand wind to an extent, the crate and its rope over the branch will act like a pendulum, further increasing the amount of force and movement applied to the green goodies. You could position the crate on the leeward side of the tree from where the wind would normally blow, but the wind doesnt always blow the same direction all the time. If any sort of storm came in there would be the necessity of some sort of stablilty control.

I could see the idea of the tree stand, like those used in hunting, as a good way to counter this. But with this method, there isnt the ease of recovery such as found in BC's idea of the rope pulley type design. But if one was inventive it would not be too hard to combine the two ideas into one, creating a very easy recovery method as well as providing a nice strong base of support for the crate. Since one would need to climb the tree in order to pound in the stake for the rope, then it would not be too hard to place a tree stand.

One word of caution from experience. Since an actual hunting stand purchased from the store may be too expensive to be feesable, then one might attempt to build there own. This is the dangerous part. The manufactured tree stands come with explicit instructions and equipment to get the tree stand into the tree. Where as building one from scratch obviously has no instructions and will depend on building some sort of ladder or just climbing the tree. But, from experience, it is easy to fall from a tree haha.

Klaze

ogrefugee-As I said I have not used this system during a season. The wand is not meant to be left on site(this is why it breaks down, so you can put it in a pack), but if you think the white would be a problem for the short ammount of time you are using it, then you do have the option of painting it of course.
As for providing light? That is the hard part, finding the right tree for the job.

PureSativa420 & Captain skunk-Thanx guys! I am going to try and find the right tree, and make this happen this summer, but remember I said that before...LOL!

klaze-I am lucky to live in a area with very little wind(no storms in my summer), but it is a concern as well. For the plant itself, the wire provides double protection, from pests(rodents/birds), and also from wind by helping to support the plant. For the basket itself, I envision it suspended but firmly resting against the trunk of the tree. Since the milk crate has 4 flat sides, and is in contact with the trunk, spinning should not be a problem. Also the basket could be hung in a place where it rests in the crotch between 2 branches. Again, like I said before the right tree for the job.
I'm not too keen on the tree stand/platform ideas because then you have alot of stuff up in that tree for people to see, intsted of just a planter and a plant. Plus it requires you to risk your neck climbing that tree to build it, insted of just driving one spike.

This is not a good way to grow for folks with high wind velocities.

And the bottom line is, the most important factor is the right tree for the job.

lol, i kinda figured i would see a redux of this thread at IC eventually, and leave it to BACKCOUNTRY to bring it up and have a plan all ready to put in place. i have no real interest in tree growing, but i will definitely enjoy watching BC pull it off this season. good luck.

If there were a tree stand in a tree, and someone knew what they were doing, such as...say a hunter...it would be very very difficult to see the stand. I have built a tree stand before, situated overlooking a watering hole. I had a group of my buddies look for it. Not one person could find the stand, and they were all looking for it. But nonetheless it requires the right tree, as you have stated several times BC. For even with perfect camo, the tree itself must be able to contribute to the non-visibility factor.

Klaze

Yes, very true. But like I said, its extra stuff up in the tree.
But people out there do that exactly, it is the most popular way to grow in a tree.

Basicly, this was a attempt to improve on that, for the reasons I stated above. Safety, accessability, the ability to easlily move the grow, and all with the least ammount of manmade materials with it.

But all said and done, it is your neck, your plants, and your risk. My grow partener is a dog, I don't think she could haul my paralized ass out of the woods.
If you do it, please post it on here, there is a serious shortage on harvest reports from treegrows, as Captain Skunk likes to point out, LOL! Peace!

I would like to try the treetop grow some time, but alas, i first must gain exp in the outdoor arena. Thus the reason why I migrated here, hoping that the experience might rub off a bit. A treetop grow is a good idea, but it seems to me that if one found a suitable location on the ground, theres no need for all the extra work. But it still presents an interesting egg to be cracked. I look forward to seeing your little project unfold, it will be interesting to see you crack the ol' egg BC, props to ya.

Klaze

Yes stoner133, it takes a special tree, and a special situation to make it work. I envision making a window in the foilage that is not visable from the ground, and minimaly from the air, only enough for the sun to shine in. A pole pruner would do the job for me.

I still maintain that, I remember a tree top grow posted on OG before BC, became a permanent fixture at OG.

It was a platform built in the upper canopy, similiar to a big Osprey or Eagles nest.

The gower was using buckets, and his plants looked great.....then he just disappeared

It was most disappointing. I though he nailed it!

Oh yeah, I found a few grows too. I remember one where a guy had some planters up in the middle top of some bushy pine trees.

I think the perfect way to do it, if you don't need to retrieve the grow(and you feel comfortable climbing the tree), would be to attach a milk crate directly to the tree. You still just have a low ammount of manmade material in the tree, with the strength of the milk crate. I really like milk crates!

isn't useful too...to invent and build a rain-reservoir tank instead of watering from the ground level(a really smart idea..but it sounds hard to do)...?

Wamen-That would be a great idea for some folks out there, but here in my part of the world, we get about a inch of rain from July1-Sept 15. I have little experience with summer rainfall, so I don't know.

One thing to consider, is once again, alot more stuff up in the tree......something I would like to avoid!

Good to see you made it over here!