Growing In Michigan

[crazyMIman]

Hello everyone,
This is my first year growing. i plan on during the summer seasons growing a good size crop. I would love it if you guys would give me any information on growing in Michigan. i plan on planting them in the woods away from anyone that may come by my house.

Anything will help. experience, common sense, anything.
thanks for the help.

CrazyMIman

 

[Jackp0t08]

I also live in Michigan and have been looking to grow this upcoming season. I don't have any previous experience but I have been researching quite a bit. Im planning to grow in a really inconvenient area in a forest so nobody will stumble across them. Im pretty positive nobody goes around the area anyways but they would be in a place nobody would accidentally find them.

One of the things I have heard about planting is to put them in the ground at the beginning of May. Sometimes the weather can still be a bit questionable, some people recommend to veg some plants indoors for a little bit so they have a better chance of survival.

Im still a noob when it comes to growing seeing as how I never have before, so I probably couldnt tell you too much you don't already know. Im going to keep an eye on this thread though to hopefully learn some things for myself.

 

[crazyMIman]

Ive been thinking the same thing. i think i might germinate them then veg them in a closet or something then once its safe plant them outside.

 

[blazincajuns420]

ok lets see if i can help you out. first things first you need to get a spot that will get enough sunlight. growing in the woods is possible but without removing trees to allow more light to get to your plants it will affect your yield. i grow a few in the woods every year but i also cut down about 60 trees. the time of the year that we here in Pennsylvania plant outdoors should be about the same as Michigan and that is usually mid to late April. if possible i recommend that you germinate and veg indoors to get your babies going at leats for a few weeks. for plants that i grow in the woods i like to get 35 gal rubbermaid totes and drill holes in the bottom (mine look like swiss cheese). i only put one plant in each tote though a friend of mine puts two. dig holes in the ground that are big enough to put the tote in and put a small amount of gravel in the bottom so any excess water that runs out of the tote can be soaked in by the ground. you need to think about what kind of soil you are going to use. personally i grow 100% organic. the yield is not quite as big as using chemicals but the bud in my opinion is just so much better.

 

[crazyMIman]

Thanks for the information. I have a 17 acre plot of mostly pine trees. In the middle is a field with about waist high grass in it.

 

[Tuff]

I also live in Michigan, Southeastern Michigan.

I have grown outside for a number of years here, and actually I'm starting my first grow indoors at the moment. Germinating and veging your plant indoors is perfect if you plan to grow outdoors in may. Remember though, these plants are going to get tall too.

When I first started I had mine grow for about 2 to 3 weeks in my bedroom with direct sunlight on them. When it was time I transfered to a larger pot. Now this is the part where my stealth grow came in out doors. I found a woods not too far from my house, and tried to find a tree that was able to get the best amount of light during the day. I climbed the tree an found a spot that was open, but able to hide the plant once it started to stretch out. I marked the spot and came back with my plant, a rope and a board. I climbed the tree where I could perched it on a comfortable branch that would support my pot. I pulled the rope up that was attached to the boards corners and elevated it up to me.

Mind you, I was 16 at the time and able to get up there without trouble but it was the best spot, it had clean nutrient enriched soil, sunlight, and a perfect spot where people wouldn't find it. I would check on it every so often to see how it was doing, I would bring a water bottle with nutes in it to feed my plant or regular water if the soil was dry. I also would have to move it for optimal sunlight once leaves started to fill in on the tree. By the end of summer I had a 5 foot tall sinsemilla plant.

I did this for a number of years until I felt safe doing it in my backyard.

If you have any other questions I'll try to help.

 

[redfox30]

You need good sunlight, you need to find a break in the canopy so they get good sunlight, get some good pest prevention products too.
I been battling bugs all dam year. Neem oil didnt do the job too well, I had to get some Liquid Sevin.

 

[yimyames]

no matter where you plant take extra care to make sure nobody will stumble upon it. walk that extra half mile out to ur spot, look at maps to get a feel for the whol area. staying undetected is the key to an outdoor grow. i grew out 5 selected plants this year in a spot i was very confident nobody would find. i went to chop them down in the 1st week of october and found them freshly cut down...fuckin patch pirates

i live in michigan(lp) as well and have seen how nice plants can grow when given the chance. don't give up.

RIP
3 female purple power
1 female unknown indica
1 female massive durban posion

 

[crazyMIman]

Thanks guys for the help. i think i might grow in a field next to my house or in a corn field

 

[Murfy]

Tthe BEST place to grow in michigan is in the briar patch
go find yoursef the nastiest biggest stand of rasberries roses thicket you can they grow alot in old growth forests that have been previously logged it will be surrounded by those red sumac bushes

get on your hands and knees and cut a rabbit trail into the middle of this mess with your cedar snips-when you get a good distance in find a spot that has GOOD SOUTHERN light exposure and clear a spot I will put up to 4 in one location)

the benefit of this is in the middle of summer you would have to have carhart bibs on to walk into this mess because of the thorns and mosquitos no one will find it! and you will also have lots of cover of similar type weeds(same height and color) for camo-without all the over head of a tree

start your plants indoors with the expectation of putting the plants out on june 20-i know this sounds weird but my strain doesn't care about veg it gets enough inside and stretches 2 feet --what this will do is immediately put the plant in a situation where the light is getting shorter each day from the beginning of the outdoor cycle and puts the plant into extreme sexual frustration i.eWETNESS she will bud like crazy--also pick a strain that can finish in michigan some skunk strains and the like just don't get enough time to fully mature check some local growers they will have strains that do well in our climate

another thing i find very helpful is to take IVORY soap and cut slivers with my poicket knife up to 20 or 40 yards around my plants IT WILL ABSOLUTELY KEEP DEER AND RABBITS AWAY (the y will destroy a plant in one day!)
one other thing i have never done is grow near pine trees- its an old growers tale in michigan that pine pollen stunts plants and leads to hermies i don't know if it does just never did it on advice of older wiser growers

another handy tiip is to use google earth or similar to locate good growing conditions from the air it doesn't give you pinpoint accuracy but does help narrow areas to scout by foot

and in my opinion the second most important thing besides the weed is a gps set it too your spots and never lose another site again(*just keep the unit in the safe lol)

i live in mi also and have alot of experience growing in the middle part of the state feel free to ask!

 

[crazyMIman]

Alright. but about the pine tree thing can you please explain that?

 

[blazincajuns420]

Thanks for the information. I have a 17 acre plot of mostly pine trees. In the middle is a field with about waist high grass in it.

if you grow in the pines keep in mind that chances are the ph level will be really high being pines create high acid content in the soil. if i were you i would plant in the field so that the plants are getting plenty of southern sun . keep in mind that if the grass in the field grows up high enough you will need to trim in down around your plants because if they dont get good air flow they will burn.

 

[Despised Icon]

don't forget about the one thing that killed my stuff last year was DEER!!!! To me idk if its where i live here but if you don't have some sort of fence or fish line surrounding your crop they will eat every bit and when you come to look at them the next day all you'll have to see is stomped plants and deer prints. as well as hunters who go out to put up deer stands and what not to get ready for the winter. Good luck man

 

[crazyMIman]

alright i think im going to set up some fishing line or some fencing to keep them out. thanks but any other information will help too

 

[Murfy]

IVORY soap cut into slivers
just start at your plants and walk around and around making a pinwheel pattern (or concentric circles)
as you go cut slivers and just let them fall to the ground
you can either use fat slivers (which last longer) or thin slivers which are harder for HUMANS to spot but will need to be reapplied 2-3 times a year

the dear will not go anywhere near the human "SMELL"
i use this technique tought to me by an old timer and it works consistently

 

[delstele]

I too live in Michigan , Murfy give's good advice. One thing I would add is amending your soil if you see a lot of moss growing on the ground you plan on using = acidic so some lime will be in order. if you look at the soil here in Mi it varies a lot from location to location so the lime will be a benefit in most cases. I use osmocoat, lime, dried blood for the first amendment. The Ivory soap works for deer and rabbit repellant also human hair works too.


Around mid July first of August I go back and sprinkle phosphate around the base of the plant for maximum flower production. Good luck with your grow and remember tell know one.. I MEAN NOBODY!

 

[Madg420]

A few tips for your circumstance, I to am in Michigan and have ventured in the outdoors in the past. If your growing around a lot of pines, which I was dig a giant hole and get 55gallon black garbage bags, double line them and place them in the hole, fill with a good soil mixture and let it over flow a bit so the bag isn't showing. This will keep your roots from any contaminates under the ground. Also Veg indoors, generally I would start a seedling around the end of feb, I'd go a little later if your up north, I'm in the tri-county area so it gets a little warmer down here before it does upstate. Next train your plants while vegging indoors, you have nothing but time on your hands, I usually FIM them around the 4th node and then begin LST in opposite directions from the new growths. The other big thing is that under pine trees and such you have year round thick coverage from above so pick your spot very carefully, find a good spot way off any possible trails and find 4 or 5 different paths to get there, If you walk the same path your going to create a trail, what I would do is mark the spot in a GPS that way you know where it is from any possible angle. Visit your spot at different points in the day and use a stick or something to mark your potential spot, observe how much light is hitting that stick at different hours of the day, you will find that a really nice bright spot in the morning or at the end of the day may not have good lighting for the majority of the day so when scouting make sure to do it several times at different hours. Also if your planning on using state land woods or city park woods or something stop right now, and if its somebody elses private property I'd stop as well. State land has no restrictions the slightest suspicion and they could theoretically steak out your spot and pop you, city parks are obviously patrolled, off the trail or not and Private property is a great way to get shot...

 

[yimyames]

how long do you travel off the beaten path before you settle on a location...1/4mile? 1/2mile? 1 2miles?

 

[Madg420]

how long do you travel off the beaten path before you settle on a location...1/4mile? 1/2mile? 1 2miles?

When I did it my dad had a 10 acre plot and the only real person I had to worry about wandering the property was him, but if he would have found them I would have been dead lol, I was roughly a 15 minute walk off a 2 track through some nasty thick evergreens until a found a decent clearing, I also took hedge clippers and opened up a little bit of the branches as well but not a lot since I didn't want to draw attention. The main thing in my opinion isn't how far off the trail it is, its how shitty is it to get there. If its easy for you to get to it, its easy for anyone else too. If your really wanting to full proof your guerrilla method you need to hate the walk there but tough it out for the sake of your project. If you can cross creeks, especially dirty ones or go through thick brush that constantly smacks you in the face it'll be a lot safer. If you hate going through the woods, nobody without knowledge of whats behind there is going to venture that way. Another thing if your going in a piney area is you can gauge by the ground how much light penetrates, alot of area around pine trees will be just dirt, so look for that bit of growth in the area and prospect those spots as it obviously gets more light then the area's with just dirt and weeds on the ground.

 

[crazyMIman]

Thanks guys ill use all the information. wish me luck