First time outdoor grow '09. Suburbs in IL

[chocobolord]

First off, check out my other thread because I have questions about what strains to order and how to receive the seeds safely.

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?p=2085192#post2085192



I'm from IL and there aren't too many remote locations around my part of town. If anyone know of any forests or chopper-free fields, please let me know!


Here are my questions:


Because of my situation with no real remote locations, should I do a treetop grow, or stick with the ground? I'd figure a treetop grow would affect yield quite a bit...


The frost season ends around April 20th-28th, and begins beginning of October. Can I still grow a Sativa?


How would I keep track of my plots? I would think that it is very difficult to memorize the exact locations of several grows scattered throughout a forest.


I live with my parents, and want to keep Marijuana out of their household until I move out. How will I be able to dry and cure safely without bringing the Marijuana home?


I want a nice, potent high. As long as I water regularly, have good soil, and proper sunlight, I'm good, correct? But, what constitutes good soil and proper sunlight? Wouldn't planting in a forest detract from the amount of sunlight the plants are receiving, regardless of location? And what potting soil brands do you guys recommend that I can pick up at a Home Depot etc?



Recommendations on how to keep watering my plants without lugging water back and forth? How much, and how often?


How can I prevent bud rot? Is it best to just cover a plant in some kind of material that will allow light, but not rain?


Any good organic pesticides out there?





Please be patient, I'm very new to all of this.

 

[supersonic]

hi chocobolord

there are stickies here above and a lot of threads that will answer your questions. so first step is studying them and then use search function...

i would say grow in the ground...

you can grow early flowering indica/sativa hybrids with sativa effect, but with frost date at beginning oct i don't believe you can grow kali mist...

you can keep track by using gps...

watering? read, a lot of irrigation ideas here...

to prevent budrot, you first need flowering plants. But to get to flowering plants you'll first need to prevent plants being eaten in the forest. Greencure prevents mold. covering plants is not a good idea.


jah bless

 

[chocobolord]

Thanks SS! Any other comments are welcome.


And is there any other way I can find my plot without a GPS?

Also, my growing season lasts about 170 days here in IL. Are there any sativas I can grow?

Also, thanks for the Greencure recommendation!

 

[oohcow]

stop being a noob and use the search feature.

EDIT: all the answer's to your questions are on this site, just search for them...

 

[TheSoulStealer]

stop being a noob and use the search feature.

EDIT: all the answer's to your questions are on this site, just search for them...

Bit harsh, give the kid a break...

Forget about growing in the trees, you need to get the basics down before you get all tarzan on the mj...Study other peoples grows and trawl this site to learn the basic stuff ie soil, strain, nutes, harvesting, curing etc

I live in the city and although I dont grow in the city there are plenty of spots where I could. You just gotta get out there and explore. Look at google earth or (microsofts version). Theres always somewhere you can stick a few plants....

And remember to keep things simple on your first grow, no need to overcomplicate things, you are growing a weed afterall...And really you shouldn't need gps to find your spots again. Just make notes of things on the way or, if you really need to, draw up a map, goonies style...

 

[facelift]

#1 Do not grow near any street lights.

#2 With a GPS you can grow in California and live in Florida. Very handy.

And Most importantly...............



JUST ADDING THE WORD SUBURBS WITH ILLINOIS MEANS CHICAGO!!!! EVERYONE CAN NOW FORGET ABOUT GROWING ANY OUTDOOR WEED THIS SUMMER INCLUDING ME!!!! I'M NOT WALKING INTO A TRAP REGARDLESS OF HOW DRY IT GETS.

 

[TheSoulStealer]

JUST ADDING THE WORD SUBURBS WITH ILLINOIS MEANS CHICAGO!!!! EVERYONE CAN NOW FORGET ABOUT GROWING ANY OUTDOOR WEED THIS SUMMER INCLUDING ME!!!! I'M NOT WALKING INTO A TRAP REGARDLESS OF HOW DRY IT GETS.

Huh?????

 

[ChaosCatalunya]

#1 Do not grow near any street lights.

#2 With a GPS you can grow in California and live in Florida. Very handy.

And Most importantly...............



JUST ADDING THE WORD SUBURBS WITH ILLINOIS MEANS CHICAGO!!!! EVERYONE CAN NOW FORGET ABOUT GROWING ANY OUTDOOR WEED THIS SUMMER INCLUDING ME!!!! I'M NOT WALKING INTO A TRAP REGARDLESS OF HOW DRY IT GETS.

re #2, you have a GPS watering can ? very clever, I want one, please post the details of this wonderfull product

 

[hamstring]

I don’t think that just because you live in the burbs of IL (FIB) you cant find good outdoor grow locations. Last year a bunch of illegals got busted for growing 1000,s of plants in a IL forest preserve. Check out google earth or purchase an Illinois Atlas & Gazetteer it is a great tool if you are unfamiliar with your states outdoor recreation sites (i.e. grow sites).

 

[Justa6655321]

it's going to be a VERY wet spring. Chicago Burbs have had a record amount of snow so far and the rivers and ground is saturated already. So, if the spring is warm the seeds should be fine but make sure you dont plant in a flood zone

i've never had any problems growing outside here except for deer. They are the evil scroung of the earth for me. I swear the deer by me love to get high. There are no flyovers by cops they have way too many other problems to deal with. Forest preserve cops dont even work at night.

Dont plant more than one or two plants in the same spot. spread out the plants and hide them wth the natural weeds

Get a GPS

Sativa works here but i've found indica dom plants do much better. i think we get to extreme weather and temps for sativa. more natural for a indica.

 

[chocobolord]

Thanks to all the responses.



Justa, one thing that worries me is all the forest preserves around my part of town are frequented by bikers/fishers/(hunters?). I sure as hell don't live in the middle of nowhere and the fear of rippers is starting to get to me...


And are there any recommendations for cheap GPS's that will get the job done?

 

[Justa6655321]

You gotta hide your grow! 2 or 3 plants mixed in with native weeds. Believe it or not i've found most people will walk right by and not notice anything. I've planted on the side of industrial buildings, railroad tracks, just about everywhere. if you plant 10 and you get 2 or three that make it you'll be ok.

Dont worry about any hunters. Your biggest threat will be deer and teenagers - and the occational fag looking to score. Just mix it up everywhere and you'll be ok.

and half the forest preserve police get high with me at my 4th of july party....like i said they dont even work at night. it's the random cop taking a nap that sees you walking where you normally wouldnt that might get you. But around here they are too lazy

Hell, i've grown on the side of the highway where cars drive by and never have been found

 

[Guyute54]

Best thing to do to find spots is to go out and actually look for them. Google earth is great to start getting a good idea of where to look but it's best to actually go in and see how it looks. Bes spots are spots nobody would want to go to (ex. lots of thorns, marshey water all around, poison ivy). A little drive out of the city might be a good idea in your case.

BTW you probley can grow plants in your local till early Nov. Only on a few occasions will the frost kill them before then.

Locating your plants shouldn't be that hard to find if you don't feel like using a GPS draw a map but only a map you will understand.

Soil you might have to bring in you might not some locations have great soil and theres no reason to be carrying in many bags of soil. But if you really want to buy some dirt I ussually use a product from Pro-Mix I think its called pro-mix HP and has worked grea for me I buy it at my major building supply store thats just like a Home Depot.

Watering really shouldn't be to much of an issue for you where you live. But if you still want ot make a reservoir there a lots of threads made about making them.

If you want good weed buy good genetics. You can find nice plants in bagseed but your best bet is to just buy a few packs of beans. Get a few different kinds some genes will work way better than others in certain locations.

I bealive safers soap, and neem oil is an organic pesticide.

Drying outside in your location will also be tricky. If you can find an old sheed or barn to dry in that might be your best bet keep a fan on them for best results. Curing shouldn't be much of a problem inside as the smell will be contained in the jars only when you are burping the smell will excape. But I would recommend not to bring it into your parents house as your parents could be the ones to get in trouble if the police ever did find it some states they can take your property away such as your home vehicles anything they want really.

A few more peices of advice for a new grower.TELL NO ONE. Know the laws for your area. TELL NO ONE. Don't make any trails to your grow try and use a differen route each time. TELL NO ONE. Carry an alibi with you such as a book of birds and binoculars to say your out bird watching. TELL NO ONE Clean up after yourself don't leave containers nute bottles laying around. TELL NO ONE. Don't go out to your plants looking like a pot head (leave the tie dye at home). TELL NO ONE.

 

[Justa6655321]

You will NEVER be able to dry outside in Illinois. Too damp and humid most of the time.

most likely you wont need dirt. Ill has some of the best dirt in the world. if you have a spot that is dirt poor - find another....

 

[Hindu Killer]

Used to be a notoriuse grower down that way..went by the handle the MOLE! Good people for sure. Start small..untill you get a idea of what it takes. Keep ur plots small...and put out lots of them. or plant late so the plants dont get very big..easy to hide. I used to grow right in town...in people's yards etc. Risky but fun....now I grow in the country..in the deepest areas I can find.

 

[chocobolord]

Damn...I have no idea how I'll be able to dry my buds...


I do not want it in my parent's household, and if I can't dry outdoors, I guess I'm screwed...

 

[TheSoulStealer]

You could build yourself a small makeshift shed to dry, also Ive heard that a product called greencure is very effective against mold.........check out silverbacks discussion on mold link below

never say never, theres always a way......

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=80568&highlight=mould

 

[PazVerdeRadical]

TheSoulStealer, hello
correct me if I am mistaken, but I do not think one can add greencure to buds to cure them and avoid mold/fungus... the greencure is to be used while the plant is still alive; up until how many days before harvest does the bottle of greencure says it can be used anyway?

chocobolord, you can dry it inside a tent, there could be odour control problems depending how much you manage to harvest...

remember to take the excellent advice of most the posters who have replied to you, such as keep your plot very small, a maximun of 2 plants, and do more than one plot, that is, do not put all your eggs in one basket.
anyway, good luck and be well
Paz


edit: oh and remember: be safe.

 

[chocobolord]

Hmm. A tent, huh? How would I maintain moisture levels and temperature?

And I'm not too keen with the idea of camping in a tent for a couple weeks :x

 

[PazVerdeRadical]

depends on the kind of tent you get... the height, width etc... how well ventilated can you get it? you can use one of those psuedo-tents without walls and camo it etc...

growing ganja is not easy...

peace