FAILURE: The Dreaded "Path"

[stillsmokin843]

not much for growin outside myself but have friends in our area he has uses dumping piles (were pepole have dumped old debree)to hide path entrance and to detor bikes or four weelers. crawling is a big plus as mentioned plenty of times in here. he makes a cinnamon based water mix that helps alot with animals and bugs hope this helps somone..... oh yea i did meet this crazy old dude that used to plant his n burlap sacks and carry them up trees and plant them in the y of the tree and using vines to tie the plant as it grew to grow with the tree and said he never had problems... saw him watering a tree in the back yard he said even the ones that the hoes didnt reach still made it some how?......

 

[reddy1]

great thread from silverback, giving it a fresh bump for 2010.

 

[Presto_D]

Great thread! I'm going to use the crawling entrance idea. Under some blackberry bushes.

 

[Born420]

land mines filled with ball bearings, it's all ball bearings nowadays.(Quoting Fletch)

 

[GroBoy2000]

Crawlspace. This seems to me a great key.

Of the outdoors spots I've had, only a handful, the hands down best was one small area, mostly short trees and lots of brush, paths snaking everywhere, 'my path' went right by a little circle of tight brush, within this circle was a 12x10 or so area, with nothing over really 12 foot tall. Nice sunny place.

But if you walked the path, it was very easy to be directed around and onward. We would always go in under some 2 and 3 foot branches, and sometimes, after more than a month had passed, I would accidentally pass this small enclosure, and enter from the backside, but it was hardly an inviting space.

 

[microgram]

I guess the whole crawling thing would work if you've prepped the spot in the fall, which I unfortunately didn't get the time to do . Hopefully i wont have to worry about paths, the path is massively undergrown due to the canopy above. Hopefully this'll be key, I'll just have to visit when it's very dry out to avoid leaving nice wet mucky foot prints in the ground.

 

[D.S. Toker. MD]

I learned the greatest trick right here on this thread last year. I purchase 3 pocket knives at $9 bucks each. One of these knives is placed on the path near the plants of all 3 grow locations. If anyone comes down that path, they will take the knife they think someone lost. Everytime they take the knife.

If anyone has been in the vicinity, i know about it before i even reach the plants. This site is great.

 

[Bass Akwards]

Don't be a Booby ... etc. etc.

Don't be a Booby ... etc. etc.

The "land mine - ball bearing" post might provoke a smile, but in the real world Nothing brings down more heat than a booby-trapped patch.

It's just Not worth it!

Sure, you can lose a patch and lot of time & effort, but it's not worth the potential harm to both people and animals who stumble into it. ( Much less the additional charges that will pile on if LEO gets nailed. )

Remember, "To be forewarned is to be forearmed."

One of the best ways, aside from the pocket-knife trick ( which can be tweaked numerous ways ... compass, wallet, etc. ) we've found that "invisible thread" from a sewing shop works just great. It comes in two colors, white and an off-brown tan. Either one works, but I prefer the slightly darker stuff both for trail surveillance and for trout fishing ( 3/4 lb test, it's better than 2 lb. flourocarbon ).

String a loose length along the path in several places. When someone is "brush-busting", they never see or feel the thread. ( Just be careful you don't stumble through it yourself and get all paranoid! )

If you're doing the "crawling" thing, be certain to carry leather gloves and a cheap pair of foam knee-pads. Not only will it make the trip easier, you won't have dirty knees when you emerge from the brush. If you were "just out for a hike", how did those knees get all dirty? Inquiring minds will add two and two and know that you're growing.

 

[microgram]

I think the landmine comment was a joke dude .
The problem with the thread idea is that anything could trip it, any wildlife.

 

[ThcInfused]

well i dont have to worry about deer, but trails are definitely a problem in my area, my last grow got ripped b/c i left a noticeable trail, this year i will be making a definite effort to not make the same mistake

 

[cfo]

I'm going to use a trail camera to monitor my outdoor grow. I'll need to make sure it's both well hidden and has a good view of the plants. The camera casing is green so it should blend in with the natural vegetation. The camera has infra red capability so it won't give its self away with a night time flash.

 

[SexInTheCity]

Fuck letting this thread get lost in the archives...Silverback is the man, BC too I wonder where he is... anyways



No question soil and water can be DEVASTATING when traveling through the forest, not only will it be air problems you will also have wildlife problems and rippers....The key factors are bringing in soil and heavy containers,nutes, supplies and some 55gal barrels for water and water itself before the season starts, no growth to trample...once everything is on site you will still have to do waterings and other tending..

If you pick the location right trails do not matter that much but to be safe I will do what is discussed in this thread hopefully one year, also using a nitrogen nute for forest growth is a great idea to cover pots and paths also pushing anything back with your hands awhile traveling through growth reduces paths and maybe walking very straight at times...also using natural surroundings to your advantage like streams or logs..etc..

.Anyone else got tricks they use to reduce paths? grass is the worst!

 

[TruthOrLie]

Geez. I hope he didn't get bit in the face by a snake crawling through some thorny, poisonous plants. Makes growing MJ sound like Indiana Jones. Skulls and fake pathways away from the secret treasure.

Whoever crawls to their grows through the shrubs, I hope you carry a pocket snake bite kit. For your face. Yikes.

 

[303hydro]

Silverback passed. R.I.P.

I think he was the most respected member here of all time, tons of awesome posts.

 

[D.S. Toker. MD]

BACKCOUNTRY had a serious medical problem with his son and was gone for a while. He came back for a short period and then disappeared. He was a very kind fellow and always tried to help others. He truly pioneered self watering pots. I hope all is well with him wherever he's at.

 

[badbeans]

This thread has turned into a friggin Silverback and BACKCOUNTRY Love-Fest....

I guess I'll get in on it too. When I first came here to ICMAG I wasnt even growing...yet. LOL! I think I joined ICMAG in May and had a few beans cracked by June thanks to threads by BACKCOUNTRY and Silverback. Their stuff got me started growing guerilla style and I aint gonna stop!

RIP Silverback
Hope all is well with you BACKCOUNTRY

Stay safe everyone...

bb

 

[jd4083]

Somebody told me a long time ago that "if it don't take half an hour of crawling through briars and you're not bleeding by the time you get there, it ain't a good spot"

I tend to agree excellent thread, thanks

 

[RedDirtWarrior]

Somebody told me a long time ago that "if it don't take half an hour of crawling through briars and you're not bleeding by the time you get there, it ain't a good spot"

I tend to agree excellent thread, thanks

I guess people were dumbasses back then.

Anyway a good spot is more o less its own little island in the woods, there should be no paths leading to it whatsoever, and be surrounded by thick brush.

Making a path to something without making a path is an art.

One method I use it just marking paths every 3-4 feet with rocks, and I only step in these rocks. this one really works IF you only actually step on your marks, which can get tricky.

Type of brush is important too, dont put your spot somewhere with fragile brush than damages easily, or annual brush that will be completely dead by fall.
Woody brush is great, its sturdy and sometimes you dont make a path at all wandering through this stuff (if your careful of course)

If you have helicopters in your area, what the spot looks like from the ground is CRUCIAL. You sometimes must meticulously blend your plants in with the surrounding vegetation without disturbing anything. (in low land area/high pop areas like hawaii, you must do this or the heli's will probably see it!) On top of all of this, you cant be making a path either! paths are #1 giveaways from the air.

Its easy to make a path, VERY VERY EASY, its just a little harder, but still pretty easy, to not make a path.

 

[jd4083]

I guess people were dumbasses back then.

Anyway a good spot is more o less its own little island in the woods, there should be no paths leading to it whatsoever, and be surrounded by thick brush.

Making a path to something without making a path is an art.

One method I use it just marking paths every 3-4 feet with rocks, and I only step in these rocks. this one really works IF you only actually step on your marks, which can get tricky.

Type of brush is important too, dont put your spot somewhere with fragile brush than damages easily, or annual brush that will be completely dead by fall.
Woody brush is great, its sturdy and sometimes you dont make a path at all wandering through this stuff (if your careful of course)

If you have helicopters in your area, what the spot looks like from the ground is CRUCIAL. You sometimes must meticulously blend your plants in with the surrounding vegetation without disturbing anything. (in low land area/high pop areas like hawaii, you must do this or the heli's will probably see it!) On top of all of this, you cant be making a path either! paths are #1 giveaways from the air.

Its easy to make a path, VERY VERY EASY, its just a little harder, but still pretty easy, to not make a path.

Maybe they were, but they also weren't disrespectful, rude cockbags for no reason.

 

[RedDirtWarrior]

Maybe they were, but they also weren't disrespectful, rude cockbags for no reason.

whoa, if anybody is being a "disrespectful, rude cockbag" its you for saying something like that. That old timer you met was a dumbass, you dont need to kill yourself over accessing a good guerrilla spot, he needed to spend more time scouting for good spots and less time being the guerrilla grower version of indiana jones