GORILLA SITE SELECTION: A PRIMER

I started guerilla growing years ago, and over that time I have learned a great number of facts about site selection that had I known earlier, would have put me light years ahead. I hope it will provide that insight to others. I should probably have posted this in the spring, but NOW, (early summer), is the time for site selection and prep for next year and may be the most critical time of year for site considerations. These recommendations are limited to areas that have ample rainfall and natural vegetation. Dry country conditions are much different and I don't have any expertise there. Maybe those with experience is site selection for that enviroment will add a "Dry contry"section to this.

How you view yourself and your growing:

One of the most important lessons I have learned is to look to the future in terms of growing. There is a instinctive tendency to view your grow in the here and now, focusing on all the things you are going to do this year and the strains you will grow and where to grow them. So many factors about guerilla site selection evolve, so try and consider the bigger picture. What are your growing goals for the next years? What are your strain goals, indica or sativa, auto's? Finding 3 or 4 strains that you know well that you become familiar with their performance under different growing conditions will greatly increase your chances of success over that of constantly growing unfamiliar strains. How many plants can you physically and realistically start, transplant and grow from year to year? When locating sites, try and choose those that may be productive year after year as work decreases dramatically when an initial planting hole is developed as next year, only small adjustments will need to be made. Viewing your activity with an eye to the future will change your perspective and quickly pay off.

Geographical/topographical location: My intent here is a general assessment rather than an assessment of any specific spot. Is the site low lying and may hold standing water with heavy rain? If so, it could be cold and wet. Fog settles in low lying areas and hangs there. Cold air is heavy and settles in low lying areas and these sites will freeze while the surrounding area gets frost. Streams and creeks are the lowest lying spots in any area as water always seeks the lowest point. Many of these areas will stay wet with dew until noon. This pic down below was taken from a distance of one of my sites and is a river valley. Look at the fog bank. In the fall, this situation is much much worse.


On the positive, depressions and low lying areas usulally have better quality soil as over the last many thousands of years top soil has been washed into or dumped in them. I look for them, but strain selection is important.

Flat ground? Wind may be a real issue with heavy thunderstorms and may be a critical factor in choosing a strain that will still be there after a 60 mph wind comes howling through. Flat ground often has drainage problems as excess water has no where to go and mounding is necessary. Plants grown on flat ground are much easier identified from the air, than those grown on irradic, up and down topography.
Pay attention over the summer to your prospective site as the summer progresses into fall and how your hopeful site changes.
Swamp? You need to see it now and in the winter to be able to assess dry areas and water levels over time. Did you watch the Browndirtwarrior video? Had he assessed his site the year before and over some time, he may not have planted in that backwater area and wasted all of his hard work and money. Get to know your topography and microclimate.



TIMING: Summer is the time for site selection:

I see so many threads in the spring, with google maps and request for suggestions on how to find a site. After numerous years of making that mistake, I now know that the grower is 8-10 months too late with their qestion and without a doubt, their success and their harvest is going to suffer Now is the time to take up your shovel and markers and find the locations for next years grow for only this time of year, at the beginning of summer, will provide you with critical information about your prospective site that is important to your chances of success. It allows you to watch the site over the summer to see who comes and goes. Who owns it and what do they do?

Here are some other conditions that can only be determined at this time of year.


A. Stealth: Now is the time to asess how well a spot can be seen and how well its hidden from all different directions and you shouldn't miss it. I cant count the times I planted plants only to notice later in the summer that it would have been much better if I had planted the plant "over there" intstead of where i planted it. . Growth of indigenous vegetation is at an opitimum and you can really tell where a plant can be seen from and how tall the surrounding weeds get. If you plant a 4' strain in 10' tall weeds, your likely to be disappointed.

B. The Souther sky in northern lattitudes: The track of the sun in relation to your prospective site is critical. How many hrs of direct sun and at what times of the day the sun hits your plants cant be determined any other time of year. Southern directed planting is critical to northern guerilla growers and is one of the most effective approaches to guerilla growing. Note the crude drawing located below. Plants can actully be planted under the drip line of a copse of trees on the southern edge in a manner that the plants cannot be easily detected from above. In areas that have cedar, pine, fur or other evergreen seedlings or shrubs plants can be planted on the southern side of the evergreen seedling or shrub. The young tree or shrub can then be juiced up with nitrogen to match the color of your plant, making it more difficult to discern the plant from the ground or above.

B. Assess the vegative growth of indigenous plants this time of year when growth is optimal. If its thick and heavy with weeds and growth, its a good indication that the soil is reasonably nutritious and deep enough to support good root growth. Your plants may do well in these locations without having to carry in great amounts of ammendments. In areas where the vegetion isnt as lush, take a soil sample and get it off to your county ag agent or local university for testing and analysis asap as they are conducting these test for free during the summer. Tell them your going to grow corn and you need to know what the soil needs. Within a couple of weeks you will recieve a very comprehensive and informative report on exactly what you need to do to the soil.


C. Soil texture and depth: In winter or fall, soil may be very wet and difficult to assess for real capacity. You're not growing then, you need to know the nature of the soil in summer. You can tell now how well the soil drains or packs and its makeup. Pull up some plants that are growing there in summer and see what their roots are like. If the soil is heavy clay, sandy or rocky or shallow, now is the time to consider how to adjust it and then actually begin the adjustment so that in the spring you can focus on plants and growing rather than site prep. Some sites need a lot of work and its easier over time. Often with difficult sites with poor soil you cant really prepare it properly if you wait unill spring to get started. These factors can have a real impact on your chances of success and are important with reguard to strain selection

D. Critical Observations: Starting now allows you to observe the site over the grow season for traffic from the ground and from the air. It allows you to notice 4 wheelers, hunters and how close the farmer mows to it. Are there hikers or walkers or neigbors that have summer habits that will effect your activity? Whether you go in the morning or night and many other factors can only be assessed by observing the location over the growing season. From cattle to berry pickers, only obsevations made during the grow season will provide you with the knowledge to be successful. Discovering this info aafter your plants are planted can mean lost crops or jail time.. Come to know your area and its activity during the grow season.

Determine now how you will enter your site and establish access routes now so that you can judge their real appearance. keep your paths under trees so that they cant be seen from above and where the vegetaion is less in the shade so that the path is less apparant. Sometimes, crawling under vegetation is preferable to pushing your way through it. Now is the time to look the place over and make some fundimental conclusions and decision. Keep in mind that everyone and everything is going to follow the paths you make.

E. Site modification and manipulation: Here's a benefit from taking a forward look at your prospective sight. The site may be great with 1 or 2 exceptions such as it can be seen from only 1 direction. Perhaps a planting of a quick growing indigenous shrup or small tree will block the view. Notice the picture located below of a Maple Leaf plant hidden in Sumac. I planted the Sumac which conceals cannabis very well and is similar in color. In every guerrilla site in my gallery, you will see a vine that I have planted there. It is indigenous to the area, will cover 100 square feet in one year and can be transplanted from a cutting in a week. You can transplant indigenous shrubs and small trees as easily or easier than you can cannabis. View yourself as the creator of your site, you don't have to be stuck with what mother nature has provided for you. It may need a good vine or fast growing tree seedling added stealth.

If you intend to grow a strain that is not green but is instead purple or read, then you may need to find a plant in your enviro that will help to conceal your plants. In my area, Poke, ("Poke salad Annie, gator got your grannie") is the only purplish plant around,so i have one spot where I have planted poke and this is the only area I will plant a purplish strain.
Plan ahead, assess and start NOW.



Strain Selection:
Ive included this piece about strain selection because of its importance to the success for a guerilla grower. You can have the worlds stealthiest site chosen with great soil and all day sun and still end up without any real results from all of your hard work. by choosing strains that wont thrive in outdoor guerilla conditions

1. Your first choice of strains should in every instance, be a strain that you have successfully grown or one you know has been grown and finished successfully outside in your area. If you don't know or cant discover such a strain, then go with an early flowering, tough outdoor strain from a reputable breeder who has tested the strain outdoors and that you can read some OD grow reports on or talk to other growers on sites like this. While you may have a list of great strains that you want to grow, don't roll the dice and bet your harvest on a hope that it will perform in the great outdoors. Grow one strain that is tried and true so that you are sure to have a harvest. All gorilla growers need an insurance strain and it will quickly become your favorite if it turns out to be the only smoke you have that year.

2. Avoid strains that don't have outdoor stats given. Whenever you see "untested outdoors", thats another way of stating that the breeder doesnt have a clue as to the true nature , stature or performance of the plant. Its basically a testiment that the breeder has dusted 2 potent parents and indoors the offspring perform. Potent it may be, but it wont be there after golf ball sized hail, 60 mph wind or 2" grasshoppers have had hold of her..

3. Beware of indoor strains. Many can be grown outdoors, but don't bet your harvest on the hope. Some cant. Some wont start into bloom until 12/12 and some don't posses enough vigor to withstand the rigors of outdoors. These strains or untested strains should be tested by you before jumping in with both feet. Refer back to that "insurance strain" so you have something to smoke over the winter. I usually grow a strain indoors and see if it will start to bloom with 14 hrs of light. Then I do a test
outdoors. If all goes well and I like it, I may try a crop, but not until i have more info. Im too old and lazy to waste my time.

4. As stated above, low lying sheltered areas are colder and frost prone. This is no place to plant long flowering tropicals or tight budded heavy indicas. River valleys and deep depressions produce fog and and mist after a rain. They may stay soaked with dew and even with antimould products, you can have a less than stellar performance and outcome if careful consideration isnt used.

5. Some afghani's and smaller statured indica plants will grow in shallow rocky soil and handle dry weather better than those with sativa influence.

5. Vigor is critical. Pick a strain that uses bug damage to branch out and isn't bothered by pests.

6. Beware of branch breakers in some locations. Weak and over burdened stems and branches can mean a failed grow outdoors.

7. Coloration; Careful consideration should be given to strain color when planting a guerilla grow. Generally, OD growers should stick with green strains. Its hard to hide a large or dark purple plant if everything in your enviroment is green. I know that here, the police look for dark plants from the air. A purple plant will appear black from above in later flowering. There is nothing native in my enviroment that is black

Overall, it is never positive to purchase a strain and then hope you can create the conditions in which
it will thrive. Assess your sites characteristics and then choose strains that will perform there.

I hope this helps someone. Please add your knowledge for others.

Fog Bank/ low lying area:


Crude drawing:



Manipulated site with Sumac plantings.

silverback said:

TIMING: Summer is the time for site selection:

I see so many threads in the spring, with google maps and request for suggestions on how to find a site. After numerous years of making that mistake, I now know that the grower is 8-10 months too late with their qestion and without a doubt, their success and their harvest is going to suffer Now is the time to take up your shovel and markers and find the locations for next years grow for only this time of year, at the beginning of summer, will provide you with critical information about your prospective site that is important to your chances of success.

Click to expand...

Excellent thread all around, but this is a very important point. I came to this conclusion on my own about a month ago after seeing how different the terrain was by the third week of May compared to just a month or so previous.

I was looking around and I thought, "I should be scouting now for next year instead of scouting from January - March like I did this year".

It's hard to overstate how much the terrain changes from pre-season to grow season.

nice information bro, thx for sharing!

silverback said:

Crude drawing:

Click to expand...

Great thread! As you can see we think alike on the subject of using cover at our plot locations!

In my country, clay has a habit of collecting in low laying areas and depressions, unless it is located next to a very large stream, in which case the soil may be a really good deep loam. So I have a tendency to plant further up on hillsides where the soil tends to have more lighter soil components(because the hills here tend to be comprised of old lake, glacial, and seabeds), and be more of a mixture of Clay, Sand, and silt, much more breathable than the soil in the lower areas in my region.

came thru with another execellent thread. lots of good info for young and old alike.

thanks a "ton" (I can only hope )

clydefrog

Like some of us....SB lives and breathes growing! Certainly one of the more knowledgable growers around here SB...thx for the info!

Hi everyone. Thanks for checking it out.

HempHut, you couldn't be anymore on target. The terrain and conditions are so different over the season . I buy a package of those little green flags on a wire and when i find a good spot, ill stick one of those in up to the flag so I can find it again later.

Thanks esbe. Just trying to help. We're really quite blessed to have a site like this to share information on.

Hi Backcountry. thanks for the heads up and thanks for the more telling art. The side of my brain controlling art is cleary disfunctional. You know, backing up to the southern side of wooded areas, trees or shrubs is the first scenario I look for when planting and southern directed planting is almost a field of study on its own. Its the only way to plant whenever possible.
Thats interesting about the clay. I know however, that there are many different conditions that only exist in dry country that you have a great deal of expertise on. You should put together a synopsis on dry country site selection and we'll get them to sticky them. It should make a comprehensive guide for those who will be here asking questions in the spring.
Hey, per your suggestion on another thread long ago, I have one of those game camera's aimed at the entrance to one of my sights that could be vulnerable to law enforcement. I check it before going into the area. I know 2 other growers growing in remote areas that are using them and would send their thanks. A great and useful idea.

Thankyou clydefrog. I hope theres something in it that helps. I actually wish I had had this to read myself 20 yrs ago and i wouldnt have lost so many plants and crops! The only problem is that I didn't know it then.

Hi hamstring. Your'e so right. A grower can get into trouble quick by not knowing what really takes place around his site. Its critical. I have spots where Im free to park and work and i have sights where I cant be seen at all and have to be dropped. I only know that by watching and becomming familiar with the activity.

Hey HK. Aint that the truth, when I get up in the morning I run out to the grow shed and check the clones and the potted plants and then off to the plants. When i get home its ICmag and you guys. After work, it starts over. I love growing and talking about growing with other growers. Thankyou for the compliment.

I wouldn't say that the condition of my soil is based so much on my summers dry climate, but more the general make up of the land here, in actuallity it is a very wet climate in the rainy season from October to May/June.

More the difference is based on the lay of the land, and its make up. I noticed in your strainguide reports that you are in the Appalacian mountains, which aren't as tall as the highest ranges in my area, but are still probably pretty similar in elevation to the coastal ranges and most of the Klamath mountains here.

My area is a series of tall ridges and deep valleys, the hills are usually made from seabed shale type sedimentary rock or else its compound rock that is comprised of sand, round gravel, silt, and a little clay(the general make up of a ocean shelf or lake bottom). This is from the fact that my region was under the seas or glacial lakes off and on for millions of years as the ocean plates pushed the North American plate up to form the non-volcanic mountains of my area.

As the soft sedimentary rock is broken down by weather, the clay is the most likely to flow quickly to the valley bottoms, leaving the looser sandy soils up higher, and a heavy clay layer coats the valley floor.

This of course reverses itself when the location is in a valley bottom close to a larger volume stream, especially a slower moving large river, in these locations the soil contains more of the silt and sand in a deeper loam soil along the rivers flood plain. These locations are the only place commercial farming is done in my region, most other flat land is a sheet of near pure clay.

Most of this is due to the very intense, long winter rainstorms we get, they pick up the smaller clay particles, move them to a flatter area where gravity doesn't act so well on the small heavy particles, or else carries them to a faster heavier volume of water that carries them completely away.

All and all, I'd say that there is not much difference in selecting a Guerilla plot site between a region with a dry summer climate and one with more summer rainfall. The same princables of using the lay of the land to increase available cover and sunshine are the same. The types of soil you should seek out if possible are the same as well, except that you are far more likely to find ground that may remain too wet through the season in a climate with more summer rainfall.

In dry country finding areas where ground water does come close to the surface can be a tremendous blessing, it can reduce the need to provide water or eliminate it. But finding these places may be nearly impossible, especially finding one that doesn't have lots of attention from other folks for one reason or another.

Definetly some good points in here for new outdoor growers!

thanks for sharing

Good thread, remember too in the fall that the foliage that may be hiding your plants will most likely die off.

So true about selecting a site a year ahead! I'll be doing that this year, but the current crop was definitely a "run-in-the-woods special"... as always One site I hit up is apparently near a popular ATV spot. Not even a dirtbike could reach the spot, but I've had to hide in the bushes TWICE now, to hide my path entry, before rushing the truck and peeling out.

edit, this place is sketchy to get to:

I found a good spot starting some seeds indoor then vegging for awhile then for them to bush out. Then stick them outside.

Hi all. I hope everyones crops are thriving and secure.

Hey Backcountry. Yes, appalachian. From what Ive read, these mts were at one time much larger than the Himalayans and are one of the oldest mtn chains on earth. They are limestone based and over the millions of years they have eroded down to what they are now. It has created a wonderful enviro for cannabis as any low spot holds black loam at a 6.8ph. In many cases, all i have to do is dig a hole and plant. I feel blessed. If only the politics was so conducive.

Your enviro sounds difficult. It sounds as if youre forced to container grow, even in-ground? I can't help but wonder, do you establish in ground containers filled with a conditioned soil? Do you dig them in and use the same containers/sites year after year? Due to the excessive winter percip, do you have to cap or put a lid on them to keep the rain from leaching any nutes out of the soil in them? Frankly, your conditions tell me that only growers in your area that become very familiar with the enviroment and the strains they grow will be successful. I can see how growing there could become a lifetime study and science to become an expert. But I sense you love the plant and enjoy the challenge

Thankyou for stopping by for comment Greens and steve green.

Get Mo, your point is excellent and has become a focus of study for me over the years. Ive spent some time trying to find the local indigenous plants that stay green later and are less sensitive to dry weather, and then plant and incorportate those into my grow site. Its been an effort that has paid off well.


Wild Honeysuckle is bushy,almost evergreen, Poision Sumac, Poke are some of the plants I have successfully incorporated into my grow spots. You cant believe the difference they make come october.

Hi Schlomo. There is nothing worse or more unnerving than having to hide in the weeds while intruders are nearby. Ive been there and it sucks. What they hell am I going to say if they encounter me hiding here. It sucks, and is the reason it is imperative to view the site over the grow season BEFORE you plant. In fact, hiding in the weeds was the point when I concluded the importance of researching the site.

Hey TheOneWill. You know, I stopped pregrowing for more than about 3 weeks as I failed to see much benefit in the end. I found that plants that I started and grew for as much as 60 days before planting, didn't really produce anymore on Oct 1 than did the plant I only grew for 3 weeks. It may work well for you however. Thanks for comming by to comment.

This is a very informative and helpful thread , I wish I had seen this last summer.

Silverback, can you tell me the types of areas you look at for grow sites? Public land?

Dang! Its been a while since this brain fart stunk up the place. I had to go back and read it myself. I need to do a little editing. In fact, this would make a good addition. I may add it.

Welcome DST. I'll be glad to give you my 2 cents.

1. My first piece of advice for any grower looking for a grow site would be to know what you are searching for before beginning the search. Establish some parameters

a. Range-, how far can you drive from your base and tend a crop. My range is about a 20 mile radius, but the plants on the perimeter get much less care and are generally hardier strains.

b. How many plants? You looking for a place to grow a few plants or a major plot
Planning should always be a growers first tool. Time spent planning is always time well spent.


2. Buy a county map . Locate the rural, isolated roads and make a list. You need to drive all of them.

3. Buy a compass. They are cheap and northern growers always have to know where south is from any given spot. A plant planted on the south side of a bush will grow well. That same plant planted on the north side of that same bush, 6' away, will spend the season in the shade.

4. Get in your car and start driving and looking. Im not talking about driving around the bypass, smoking a joint with a buddy. I mean alone, with your map of county roads and you're growing requirements in mind.

5. Make notes of your travels. Conditions change and a spot that looks decent now, may be wonderful in 2 years. Remember it.

6.Become a hunter. I grew up in a hunting family but i have never taken any pleasure from killing anything. I don't hunt. I do use my hunting interest to interact with local hunters to see where they are hunting. You can often find them on line. Hunting leases are often good to grow in until the deer season. Hunters can provide leads. I search for deer stands, I rabbit hunt, squirrel. Any avenue that leads you to less traveled areas in a good one to follow.

6. Estate auctions/ farms. Look in the paper. Pay close attention to those located on the rural roads you have indicated on your local county map. The parents have both died and the kids live in a different state. This approach has paid off for me several times.

7. In the US, every state has a Division of Abandoned lands. These are properties where the owners have died and have no family. Usually, you can view these properties in your's and surrounding counties. In my state, these properties must remain posted in hopes that a relative will come forward but after 10 years, they become property of the state. These properties often set dormant for 10 or more years, in which they become overgrown. They state will often turn these properties into "Wildlife Preserves". They can usually be located from the Dept. of fish and wildlife which is the dept that takes control if no relative appears. All US states have these lists.

7. Division of Wildlife, Division of Forestry, Dept for natural resources. These state sponsored sites often have detialed or aerial photos and maps of hunting sites or wildlife areas. Look their sites over for stuff in your area.

I have more info but these are "general guidelines that Ive used over time.. Ill come back and update shortly and post some specific sites. ive been busy as hell the last week

I like right of ways and easments.

Google earth is my favorite tool, I use it to find fishing spots too with great success. I have found open places I never would have found just wandering around because of swamps and super thick brush and other areas that deter human movement... and thats exactly what you want, a barrier that people normally will go around or avoid.

Google earth is great even in very rural areas where the images are low rez, you can tell a lot about a place even with low rez pics if you learn to recognize different flora from on high and understand what it may mean for your scouting efforts.

If you hike you can get some perfect views of some locations, bring some binocs or a cam with zoom and good rezolution to take pics to mull over later.