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The Pacific coast guerrilla growers thread

BACKCOUNTRY

Mourning the loss of my dog......
Veteran
This thread is meant to be a resource for Guerrilla growers in California, western Oregon, western Washington, and South-west B.C.(Any guerrilla grower west of the Rocky mountains may find this thread of interest as well).

During the time I have spent on OG, ICmag, and CC, I have realized that the bulk of Guerrilla growers posting online live on the East coast along the Alantic seaboard and in and around the Appalachian moutains, and in the great lakes regions of Canada and the USA(Ontario, Ohio, Minnesota, etc).
Most of the west coast growers from Oregon, Washington, and especially California, seem to be legal medical patients growing in private and mostly secure locations, where they deal with few of the strategic and logistical problems a Guerrilla in the bush does. This thread is specificly designed for this strangly quiet group of growers, I know you are out there! Lets get some region specific info going here!

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I'll start first with a basic run down of the climates of the Pacific coast. There are basicly 2 major climates and several more basic divisions of those two.

The two basic climates are Mediterainian and Marine(or Oceanic).

Mediterranean
Mediterranean climates are so called because they resemble the climate that is common along the coast of the Mediterranean sea in Europe, Asia, and Africa. The most notable feature of these climates are long dry summers, with most of the rainfall occuring in a very mild(and usually short) Winter. Crops that are commonly grown around the Mediterranean sea are often grown in these climates(Wine grapes, Almonds, Olives).
In California the Mediterranean climate is most common, being nearly sub-tropical in Southern California, and slowely getting cooler and wetter in winter as you go north.
A sub-climate called a Temperate Mediterranean climate exists in SW Oregon(the Umpqua and Rouge river valleys) between the Coastal/Siskiyou mountains and the Cascades, with a slightly wetter and cooler winter, and slightly cooler summer than the Sacremento valley to the south in Nor-Cal. This climate slowely turns into a Marine style climate as you approach the Ore/Wash boarder. Olives and Almonds are not grown in the Temperate Mediterranean climate as it is too cool for those trees. This region basicly is the Klamath mountain chain, a region full of valleys and ridges extending from Northern California into SW Oregon, in the higher elevation areas snow can be seen occasionally through the winter.

The major concern of Guerrilla Cannabis growers in Mediterranean style climates is supplying water through the long bone dry summer, and in seasons with wet Autumns, mold can also be a major concern.

Marine/Oceanic
Marine climates are common in SW B.C., Western Washington, NW Oregon, and the entire coastal area from San Fransico north to B.C.
The main description of this climate is generally humid, lots of fog, and lots of rain compared to the Mediterranean type climates, with a less well defined summer season. In western Washington and NW Oregon, rainfall averages can be 2-4 times as large as the Mediterranean climates inland or too the south. Also Summer high temperatures tend to be lower through the season, with fewer totally clear days, especially in May/June and September/October.

The main concern of Guerilla growers in Marine climates is typically mold problems due to the extremely humid climate, and also supplying water can be a concern in dryer/hotter seasons, and every season in some of the southern or more inland Marine climate areas.

7710Western_USA_Climate_maps.GIF


In the above map you can see the climate zones of the Pacific coast of California, Oregon, and Washington. Zones 6, 7, and 8 in California are true Mediterranean climates. Zone 78 in Oregon and California, and zone 3 in Oregon are Temperate Mediterranean climates. Zones 1, 2, and 77 are Marine climates. Zones 5, 9, and 4 are the mountainous areas of the Cascades and Sierra-Nevadas.

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I live in the Temperate Mediterranian climate of inland SW Oregon, similar climates exist inland in Nor-Cal as well. Providing water is the main concern through my dry summer, most of the work and study I do concerning outdoor growing centers around the problem of my normal, yearly summer drought, which doesn't support many annuals(plants that grow, amture and die in one season) past July, since few have root systems that can tap into ground moisture. By mid July, the only green plants out in the bush are Perrenial type plants(plants that live for many seasons) like trees and shrubs, who have deep and exstensive root systems that help them ride out the dry season. All the grass and weeds have generally seeded out and gone brown, especially in any area facing the sun.

Here is a pic showing the local hillsides in late July, the little green plants nearby are star thistle, a particularly nasty little thorn plant well adapted to dry conditions, and one of the few annuals still alive this time of year-
7710July_26-27_2008_Dry_hills.jpg

As you can see, Cannabis will not survive in this climate without watering help.
 
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BACKCOUNTRY

Mourning the loss of my dog......
Veteran
I always assumed that the eastern 2/3rds of the USA got more rain through the summer than the west, but I recently decided to take a look and see how much difference there really was.
I used US weather service(NOAA) info to complile this list. Its divided between West coast, the interior West, Mid-West, and East coast. It shows rainfall averages for May through September, these averages are based on 30 years of weather records.

The data I used to compile this list can be found by clicking on this link-Normal Precipitation, Inches NOAA website


---------------------------May-----June-------July-------Aug---------Sept-----Total

West coast

Los Angeles, California-----0.24"------0.08"-----0.03"-----0.14"-------0.26"-----.75"

Sacremento, California-----0.53"-----0.20"-----0.05"------0.06"-------0.36"-----1.2"

Eureka, Cali.(Humbolt)-----1.62"------0.65"-----0.16"------0.38"-------0.86"-----3.67"

Medford, Oregon----------1.21"------0.68"-----0.31"-----0.52"-------0.78"-----3.5" *This is my home region

Seattle, Washington-------2.03"------1.55"-----0.93"-----1.16"-------1.61"-----7.28"

Interior west

Missoula, Montana--------1.95"-------1.73"-----1.09"-----1.15"-------1.08"-----7"

Boise, Idaho--------------1.27"-------0.74"-----0.39"-----0.30"-------0.76"-----3.46"

Salt lake city, Utah--------2.09"------0.77"------0.72"----0.76"-------1.33"-----5.67"

Albuquerque, New Mexico--0.60"------0.65"------1.27"----1.73"-------1.07"-----5.32"

Tucson, Arizona-----------0.24"------0.24"------2.07"-----2.30"------1.45"-----6.3"

---------------------------May-----June-------July-------Aug---------Sept-----Total
Mid-West/Mississippi drainage

Jackson, Mississippi-------4.86"------3.82"------4.69"-----3.66"------3.23"-----20.27"

Kansas city, Missouri------5.39"------4.44"------4.42"-----3.54"------4.64"-----22.43"

Memphis,Tennesee-------5.15"-------4.30"-------4.22"-----3.00"-----3.31"-----19.98

Toledo, Ohio--------------3.14"------3.80"------2.80"-----3.19"------2.84"-----15.77"

St.Paul, Minnesota--------3.24"------4.34"------4.04"-----4.05"-------2.69"-----18.27"

East Coast

Atlanta, Georgia----------3.95"------3.63"-------5.12"-----3.67"------4.09"-----20.46"

Raliegh, North Carolina----3.79"------3.42"-------4.29"-----3.78"------4.26-----19.54"

Baltimore, Maryland-------3.89"------3.43"------3.85"------3.74"------3.98"-----18.89"

Albany, New York--------3.67"-------3.74"------3.50"------3.68"------3.31"-----17.9"

Caribou, Maine-----------3.28"-------3.31"------3.89"------4.15"-----3.27"-----17.9"

---------------------------May-----June-------July-------Aug---------Sept-----Total


As you can see on this list, the West coast is quite dry in summer, most areas have a small fraction of the rain during summer that most areas east of the Rocky moutains have.

Take for example the largest city in my area, Medford, Oregon and compare it to Atlanta, Georgia. We have about 3.5" of rain between May and September, Atlanta gets @20.46", thats nearly 6 times the rainfall! Many cities in the east and mid-west get between 4 to 7 times the ammount of rain in that period that I do.

Average cloudy days in the main Cannabis growing season​

CALIFORNIA
---------------------May---June---July---Aug---Sep---Oct--Zone
BAKERSFIELD----------5------2-----1-----1------2------5----7
EUREKA---------------15-----13----14----15----13-----14---1
FRESNO---------------5------2------1-----1-----2------5---7
LONG BEACH-----------8------6------2-----2-----4------7---6
LOS ANGELES AP------10------9------5-----5-----6------8---6
LOS ANGELES CITY----8-------6------1-----1-----3------6---6
MT SHASTA CITY-----10-------7-----2------2-----4-----9---78
OAKLAND-------------8--------5-----3------3-----4-----8---6
REDDING-------------10-------5-----1------2-----3------6---7
SACRAMENTO---------5-------2-----1-------1-----2-----6---7
SAN DIEGO-----------11------9------5------4-----6-----8---6
SAN FRANCISCO AP----8-------5-----3------3-----4-----7---6
SANTA MARIA---------7-------4-----2-------2-----4-----5---6
STOCKTON -----------5-------3------1------1-----2-----6---6

OREGON
---------------------May----June---July---Aug---Sep---Oct---Zone
ASTORIA--------------20-----19-----15----15----14----19----1
EUGENE---------------17-----14------7-----8-----9-----17----3
MEDFORD-------------13------9-------3-----4-----6----12----78
PORTLAND------------19------16-----10----10----12----18----3
SALEM ---------------18------15-----8------9----10----17----3

WASHINGTON

OLYMPIA-------------18-------16-----11----12----13---20----2
QUILLAYUTE----------20-------20-----16----16----14---19----1
SEATTLE-TACOMA----18-------17-----11----12----13---19----2
SEATTLE URBAN------14-------15------9-----11----13---18---2
STAMPEDE PASS------20-------19-----10-----11---14---20---77
 
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BACKCOUNTRY

Mourning the loss of my dog......
Veteran
All the western guerrilla growers are busy smoking last years harvest I see.............
 

pakalolo420

Member
Heya BC. Luckily the wet winters and springs mean that in many places in spite of the meager precip, the ground will remain sufficiently moist for successful cannabis cultivation without irrigation. Watch out for low pH in these areas though, lime will probably be necessary to correct as the lime and other highly-soluable alkaline minerals will likely have been leached out. I've known people who've had good success in the southern Willamette valley and Coast Ranges nearby Eugene growing without any irrigation.

Most places will indeed be too dry by mid-summer though and will therefore result in small plants and yields. Unfortunately most of the better places will already be in use for agriculture or recreational use as one might expect.

(edit) The plants in my gallery were all grown without irrigation in a very similarly dry summer climate but further north.
 
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Mackawber

Member
What I would like to see is a pH map of the soil of the continental United States. I know generally it's acidic in the east and alkaline in the west but I imagine there's some perfect pH spots someplace. But pH thankfully can be amended.
 

pakalolo420

Member
I could make a pH map of my back yard and it'd show large variances. I've measured 5 only a meter away from 6.7. Rainy areas will tend to have acidic soil pH and arid areas will tend to have alkaline.
 

BACKCOUNTRY

Mourning the loss of my dog......
Veteran
SpoCannabis & Zizu - Thanks for comming onboard!

pakalolo420- Yeah, in may of the areas with a Marine style or mixed Marine style climate, low maintinace grows can be easier.
The main Willamette valley can often be as dry as the Umpqua/Rogue valleys to the south, but just like here, small oasis areas can be found, especially in mountainous areas that concentrate underground water drainage. The main valley there also has a fairly high frequency of Alder marshes, especially compared to the SW river valleys, Eugene has a fairly large one that inhabits its center.

Mackawber- True on the generalization of PH, except that the PNW often contains acidic soils as well, the southern half of California tends to have neutral/Alkline soils, as does most of the interior west(the desert states).

Trying to put together a PH of even a small region would be a undertaking, even in my region(as Pakalolo pointed out) the PH can vary quite a bit just according to proximity to water sources. A regional or national map would end up being quite useless I bet.

Insted I'd get a good Chemical PH test, or a good PH pen(don't use a soil probe type meter, they are pure inaccurate garbage), and learn to use it, test the soil in every spot you want to grow.
 
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Cascadia

Member
Hello all! I am a recent transplant in Northern Cali, I lived most of my life in the Puget sound area, but decided to make my final(I hope) stand in the coastal mountains here, start a family, and grow as much of my food as I can.

I used to grow a couple small patches in the nearby hills up in Washington, using willow thickets growing in the backwaters of Beaver swamps as cover. I never needed to water plants, which was good cuz I can be gone for weeks due to my job.

Looking at the hills around NW California(I'm quite a ways inland from the coast), I'm not seeing much for areas similar to what I used in Washington. I'm thinking of using a self-watering planter like I've seen talked about around here, I own a earth box and it works great for growing salad greens, maybe I can make a larger version for my smoke.

Has anyone tried any self-watering planters?
 
M

moses224

search gator bags on google they are used in professional landscape industry and by municipalities. They come in green up to 50g
 

Cascadia

Member
I went over and checked out those Gator bags, looks like great option for those who can haul water weekly. The problem is the bags seep all the water out in less than 9 hours, I need something that will provide water over a span of weeks.
 

roughnice420

Active member
you can make a self watering 5 gallon bucket that will last for weeks. Get 2 buckets, drill a bunch of holes in the bottom of one, and thread a cotton mop head (or a bunch of strips of old blue jeans) through a bunch of the holes so that half the length drapes out of the bottom of the bucket. Then set this bucket into the other bucket (with no holes in the bottom). When you water, the excess that would usually drain out, drains into the "reservoir" created by the bottom bucket, and is stored there and wicked up into the soil as its needed. I also usually add about 15% saturated "polymer crystals" to the soil mix. If you do this, provided you're not growing trees, you could probably leave the plants over a month without water and they'll survive.

peace
 

BACKCOUNTRY

Mourning the loss of my dog......
Veteran
roughnice420- Thats a real nice and cheap basic sealf-watering planter, what region were you using these in? I guesstimate this set up would indeed last a week or two in my climate.

moses224- Cool idea those gator bags, too bad they don't make one that seeps slower.

Cascadia-High there! Gantz is big on those self-watering planters, have you seen all his info on that?
 

Cascadia

Member
Yes, when I first arrived here last year, there was lots of talk around here about his idea. I was especially interested since I own and use a factory made Earthbox as a salad garden(gift from the wife), and understand how they work.
The main problem I see for me is water capacity, I'm not sure how the normal earth box design would do for water use in direct sun. I imagine they'd last a week or 2 at least, but I've been doing some thinking on how to make them last longer, by adding a resivour.
Insted of having the planter part of the selfwatering planter sitting in the resivour part, it would sit in a shallow basin. As water is sucked up by the plant through the soil, and the water level drops in the basin, a float valve will open and allow water to flow from a larger resivour into the basin. This way more water can be stored for the plant onsite, without drowning the planter and the plant inside it, also since the main resivour isn't under the plant anymore, you don't have to dig as large a hole to hide it, and the resivour could be placed in a hidden spot uphill away from the plant, reducing the chances of it being spotted.
I'm going to start experimenting with this, I think I may be able to use a float valve from a toilet to operate the system, or perhaps I can find some float valves for stock tanks that will work.
 

BACKCOUNTRY

Mourning the loss of my dog......
Veteran
Sounds like you have put some thought into it, please share with us what ever you can when you are experimenting, sounds promising.

I'll be ready to start laying down my irrigation plans for this season soon, I just need to make sure its a sound one first.
 
BACKCOUNTRY said:
Sounds like you have put some thought into it, please share with us what ever you can when you are experimenting, sounds promising.

I'll be ready to start laying down my irrigation plans for this season soon, I just need to make sure its a sound one first.

Hey there backcountry,
This is my second season growing and i have some big plans. Last year I started with 7 plants and ended up only harvesting one. Im hoping to use my experience gained from last season and come out with a giant harvest. I am along the coast of beautiful California, but sadly we dont get any rain for 4 months over summer. I decided to create a resevoir with a 55 gal drum and 10 lines of drip irrigation going to my 10 plants.

Good luck to you this season!
 

BACKCOUNTRY

Mourning the loss of my dog......
Veteran
Good luck to you too this season! Feel free to post pics of your grow in this thread.

I'm pretty serious about getting my irrigation stuff in order this year, I'm sick and tired of hauling water on my back to all corners of creation, time to use my head and make it easier.
 

PHB

Member
Great subject and material. It is all very relevant for my circumstances.

I did a bunch of prep work for a guerrilla grow site last season but for a number of reasons wasn't able to go beyond the prep stage. Last year I took a number of 30gal totes and captured winter rain water from Dec-Feb, but I need to find a more effective way of capturing the rain since I get so little (I'm in socal). I have a number of the large in ground Wetpots that will hopefully help me minimize the water consumption this year. I plan on resuming my prep work this month for this upcoming season.

PHB
 

BACKCOUNTRY

Mourning the loss of my dog......
Veteran
I really would like to try the wetpots, but their price and the fact they have to be shipped from Austrailia keep me from trying them. I think their site says $145 for 10, then they say it is $20 for shipping inside Austrailia, I wonder how much they want to ship to the USA?

I was trying to develope a homemade version, but it became obvious to me that none of the Terracotta containers I tried using were suitable. Please let us know how they work!
 
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