Heady Intention's 2013 SWAMP GUERRILLA GROW

Howdy folks, I'll be starting my 2013 season thread today and will be frequently updating as the season goes along... I'm new to the site so I'll give you guys a quick bio before I start with the thread. I'm a grower from the North East, snowboard/skateboard on my off time (when I'm not gardening), and have recently been inspired by a new book I picked up over the winter called "Guerrilla Growing Trade Secrets" by Vinnie Kaz. It's a 300+ pager PACKED with insider tips and how-to's when taking it to the bush for your outdoor crops.





This is where a lot of my knowledge is coming from, aside from the previous 8 years growing up to this point. Gardening is my true passion though, so I take a lot of pride in what I do and so should you. It's not an easy task, you guys gotta agree with me when I say it's more than frustrating when people take what we do as just tossing seeds in miracle grow and watching the plants grow. There's a lot more to it than that as you know...


Anyways, enough babbling. I'll get down to the topic at hand here - GUERRILLA GROWING. I'm taking it to the swamps this year, planting in 3-4 different sites with roughly 20 plants per site. I'll be using swamp tubes for my pots, cutting down visits without the necessity of watering my plants (ever). For those that don't know - a swamp tube is a bottomless pot that sits in standing swamp water and feeds the plant using a wicking system; making it possible for me to never have to visit sites to water.






I made mine out of chicken wire to keep em light, then wrapped them with meshed tarp inside & out to act like a big fabric pot. I'll be staking each tube down in the swamp to prevent top-heavy plants from falling over later in the budding season. This is one of the sites that I'll be using - it's more of a bog but any wetland that will stay flooded throughout the summer will be sufficient.




Swamps one-up bogs because they almost always contain a mineralized soil base - creating enormous plants and surrounding foliage that acts as camo for our beloved plants. I have another swamp site that I haven't photographed yet, but updates will be coming soon of that site.



Wetlands are dangerous. I've seen deer, snapping turtles, beavers, snakes, and ticks all over these places. ^ This place is CRAWLING with ticks. Good for deterring humans, bad for guerrillas like you and me. To protect myself from ticks (and Lyme Disease) I purchased a 6 pack of disposable full-body suits:

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/DUPONT-Hooded-Disposable-Coveralls-4T050?Pid=search

I spray painted mine in camo patterns since their BRIGHT white lol. I'll see upwards of 30-40 ticks on these things before I unzip it at the car and put it in my backpack. That's 30-40 ticks that would be on and under my skin by the end of the drive home. I take one of those lint rollers and get as many off me as I can before throwing it in my backpack, then I toss it in the dryer on high heat when I get home to kill the few that I might have missed. They make my skin crawl, literally. Aside from tick prevention, my main concern are the venomous snakes out there. The only other real concern besides them are sink holes or "false floors" created from beaver dams or other animals' dens that they make underwater. These can make 1' deep water turn into 7' deep in a matter of steps. To prevent from falling through in over my head AND to deter the snakes, I carry a probing stick (any long branch I can find) and poke the ground I'm about to treck on. After poking, I'll tap any surrounding trees with the stick so snakes hear me coming. They're relatively shy and will slither away unless youre encroaching their nest or are trying to harm them. They still make me paranoid sometimes though, especially because I'm a lone-wolf out there since I don't have a grow partner this year. A bite from the wrong kind of snake will leave you curled up in a ball far away from any help available, so be cautious when wading around in the wetlands guys.



Strains:I'm running a lot of randoms this year, as well as a hand full of Auto's that I received as freebies from seed banks. I won't list all the strains but my main ones include:


Blue widow

C99

Critical Hog

Sweet Island Skunk

Vintage 2006

Critical Kali Mist


I spent a good amount of time this winter researching high producing/mold-resistant strains that should do pretty well in the swamp this year. I have high hopes for these guys, so I'm cloning them like crazy and trying to up my numbers before transplant time comes in a month (June 1st), while keeping my number count under 99. I'm not sure how many pictures we can upload in one post on this site so I'll continue this thread below.

c99 & blue widow seedlings -

View attachment 2637339


various cuttings -

View attachment 2637341


Sweet Island Skunks, Critical Kali Mists, & others -

View attachment 2637342


Critical Hogs, Vintage 2006, and others -

View attachment 2637343



I started these in coco coir and hand-fed up til last week to get them as big as I could and as fast as I could, I thought I had to rush getting things going a few months back but I guess I really didn't. The coco provides so much aeration they EXPLODE! I transplanted them last week into some Foxfarm Ocean Forest to get em ready for the big transplant in a month from now. They responded very well. No stress what so ever!



I will be visiting 4 more potential-sites tomorrow, so it'll be a pretty busy day. During pre-season I like to keep site-hunting down to 2 sites a day to give enough time to explore them thoroughly on foot, but tomorrow I'll be exploring 3-4 depending on how confident I feel with them. I use Google Earth to find my sites, with a Fishing & Wildlife attachment that allows me to spot out various kinds of wetlands anywhere I look. This thing is a major tool in my guerrilla arsenal, I honestly don't know where I'd be without it. I can't copy and paste the link because it discloses my state, but look up Fish and Wildlife Google Earth Maps on google and it's on the dec.gov sites. If un-sure on who owns the land youre growing on I've found that the Tax Assessor's Office in your county will be more than happy to give you tax maps for any areas in question. This is completely legal and they do it multiple times daily, I just had a back up story just in case. "Yeah I'm a birdwatcher and don't wanna piss any hunters off by trespassing on their property, can you help me find the owner of this property so I can contact them if it's not public land?" I almost hauled supplies out to land that belonged to the Boyscouts of America this month, thank GOD I double checked the land owners! Those scouts wouldve been on a hike through the woods and probably found my site if I was lazy and didn't make sure I was in the clear. PHEW!



In the beginning of my "swamp career" I thought I could get away with bringing extra socks and shoes after exploring the wetlands.... WRONG. Leaches, ticks, and deep spots made me quickly consider buying waders - so I did. They're a lot more affordable than I thought they were too... I picked these up for $89 on ebay:




Safe to say I come out bone-dry now!




I always have an alibi ready depending on my location just incase someone happens to see me exiting the area. Most of my chosen sites don't allow for that to be a possibility, but in some of my rural plots I have alibi's on the tip of my tongue always. I have a spot that's no fishing/hunting so I use either "bird watching" as my alibi or pick some cattails on my way out and claim that I'm using them for mosquito deterrent torches. I have a pair of binocs I keep around my neck and even a bird watching field-guide in my pack incase they really dig at me in disbelief lol. Remember guys, you can only be charged with cultivation if you're seen watering the plants or caught hauling them back during harvest time. These are our main times-of-threat so be on your toes during these times!

If a grow is discovered and is more than 30 plants (sometimes they do this smaller grows too, but normally cops will uproot the plants and just be on his way) they sometimes try to catch the grower coming back to the site later that season. They'll install a camo'd trail cam(s) and try and get your face/license plate on film to use against you when charging you in court. I avoid this by buying 2 trail cams of my own and placing one at the entrance of my path, and one at the actual site:

http://www.bing.com/shopping/trophy-cam-119446c-trail-camera/p/B17D38DFB7DD725D5003?q=trail+cams+deer&lpq=trail cams deer&FORM=HURE


This will tell me if my grow has been compromised by rippers/hikers/hunters/law enforcement and will allow me to act accordingly if so. Next year I'm gonna buy the nicer trail cams that actually send photos to your email address so you don't have to retrieve the memory card from the actual camera. It'll be worth the extra money in my eyes, especially after Croptober hits.








I think that's it for now, will be updating this thread frequently so don't be afraid to pull up a chair and pack a bowl with me everyone! I'm looking for all the advice/tips/suggestions I can get on this one, and if anyone has any questions those are more than welcome as well. Stay smart out there guerrillas...



Heady Intentions

first! looks good im subbed. ill be following a lot of you fellow geurilla growers this round and try to take in more knowledge then I thought I could know.. waiting to see how ur criticals come out best of luck! _Tycoon

one thing about trailcams is most of them have a flash.. so anytime a deer or animal walks by it at night it flashes up the whole area.

Sub'd. I have been toying with the idea of a bayou for the '14 season and I'm interested to see how this comes out.

I concluded I would have to scout it in the fall in for duck hunters.

BeastGrow said:

one thing about trailcams is most of them have a flash.. so anytime a deer or animal walks by it at night it flashes up the whole area.

Click to expand...

Yeah that's what the guy said at the store I bought mine from, I bought one with a flash that you can't see... I forget what it's called but it's a night vision flash that can't be seen with the human eye. He wondered why I didn't want the real flash but didn't ask too many details so that was cool of him. Also try and find one that doesn't make too much noise when taking the picture, and if it does hide it WELL so the police/rippers/hikers can't find your cam.

I've heard of growers being sloppy with their cams and cops using it to prove them guilty in court. Remember, it takes pictures of you too! Be stealthy out there...

jawa said:

Sub'd. I have been toying with the idea of a bayou for the '14 season and I'm interested to see how this comes out.

I concluded I would have to scout it in the fall in for duck hunters.

Click to expand...

Hell yeah homie, scouting in the fall prior to your season is KEY because you can see what levels at their highest, and also see how bare it will get foliage-wise come harvest season. I wish I went out last fall because now I'm having to go out every week on all-day excursions to find safe spots. I'm doing it, but barely in time. Duck hunters are my main worry as well, you'd think that nobody would want to step foot in these swamps but it's the very opposite for hunters I suppose. I think duck season doesnt start til around harvest time in my area, so I'll have to be on my toes come late-season. Have an alibi ready if you get confronted by any hunters too, I've gotten myself out of some potentially bad situations with a good attitude and being apologetic lol. I found an epic spot today actually, I'll make an update later tonight after I upload the pics.

Be easy man

420tycoon said:

first! looks good im subbed. ill be following a lot of you fellow geurilla growers this round and try to take in more knowledge then I thought I could know.. waiting to see how ur criticals come out best of luck! _Tycoon

Click to expand...

Thanks man! Guerrillas like us need to unite and learn as much as we can from each other because each one of us has something to bring to the table... can never learn enough really when it comes to this shit. I think that's what makes it so exciting, you keep learning and improving on techniques it's pretty much never-ending. Best of luck to you as well, this season will be a good one - I feel it deep in my loins! haha

I deffinetly stay excited for each outdoor season, aha almost every year I start too early. so transporting these 2' plants will be even more exciting... I had meant to have a good location already but with my plans I need a good few "Close" to camp locations.... and can only hope for a good year every year too many factors for a perfect guerilla grow unless u live with them 24/7. I too would like to use a trailcam on a few spots just to see how that method of security/ and or knowing what happens. but kinda seems pointless in my case this round so ill be winging it.

Ya know, I was living in MS and had some killer spots picked out and kicked around the idea, but unfortunately never went through with it. But, I did plant a hell of alot germed bag seeds(around 900 when i stopped counting, seriously) randomly on our hikes in the swamps and woods. I figured I would give some hiker a nice surprise if they were adventurous enough to go the distance. I also never planted more than two seedlings in the same spot, so when I say random, really random. Anyways, enough of my mindless babble. After hitting a few of those lovely deep spots in the mud, i was kicking around the idea of snowshoe-type gear to enable me to cross really boggy parts, does anyone think that would work or am I crazy? lol. Congrats on the setups, I will definately be watching your journal also, am fascinated.
K

420tycoon said:

I deffinetly stay excited for each outdoor season, aha almost every year I start too early. so transporting these 2' plants will be even more exciting... I had meant to have a good location already but with my plans I need a good few "Close" to camp locations.... and can only hope for a good year every year too many factors for a perfect guerilla grow unless u live with them 24/7. I too would like to use a trailcam on a few spots just to see how that method of security/ and or knowing what happens. but kinda seems pointless in my case this round so ill be winging it.

Click to expand...

Hell yeah, your 2 footers should get HUGE by the end of the season man. Are you camping out for the season near your grows? That's next level for me, I haven't even thought about that yet. I'm hoping my spots chosen aren't found by anyone pretty much.

Best of luck to you this year, sounds like youre prepared and ready.

well im goin to be mining for gold at one of our MANY claims so I figured that's how id do my grow this year. they should do good seeing as how close or not so close I may be to take care of them. my spots are so out there that leavin a trail doesn't really worry me. except the damn deer follow any trail that looks walkable. and thanks for the luck, the more the better. good luck to you if I hadn't already said it

thekong said:

Ya know, I was living in MS and had some killer spots picked out and kicked around the idea, but unfortunately never went through with it. But, I did plant a hell of alot germed bag seeds(around 900 when i stopped counting, seriously) randomly on our hikes in the swamps and woods. I figured I would give some hiker a nice surprise if they were adventurous enough to go the distance. I also never planted more than two seedlings in the same spot, so when I say random, really random. Anyways, enough of my mindless babble. After hitting a few of those lovely deep spots in the mud, i was kicking around the idea of snowshoe-type gear to enable me to cross really boggy parts, does anyone think that would work or am I crazy? lol. Congrats on the setups, I will definately be watching your journal also, am fascinated.
K

Click to expand...

I hear that dude, I've been meaning to do this outdoor grow for literally 3 years now! I'd always just keep them indoors and suffer the lack of yield then regret it later on haha. I like your attitude by just tossin seeds all over, I actually did that with a few seedlings as a joke to my neighbor a few years back. They were like ?!?! YES! (she blazed)

The snow shoe thing may work, but I'm not completely sure bc I haven't tried it yet. Today I was stuck for a few minutes in a bog that I ended up deciding on to make my 2nd location (out of 3 total). I feel like they would probably work though, being that your feet won't be sinking down as far since the area is spread out. Just make sure you can get out of them if need-be incase you step into a false-floor or some really bad sludge! I like to take a probing stick to test the ground I'm about to step on.... can't say HOW many times I wouldve been up to my shoulders in water if I kept stepping blindly...

I'd go out and try them though, let us know if they work because God... I'd love an easier way to hike through these things. So much work!

420tycoon said:

well im goin to be mining for gold at one of our MANY claims so I figured that's how id do my grow this year. they should do good seeing as how close or not so close I may be to take care of them. my spots are so out there that leavin a trail doesn't really worry me. except the damn deer follow any trail that looks walkable. and thanks for the luck, the more the better. good luck to you if I hadn't already said it

Click to expand...

That's good that theyre that remote, leaving a trail probably won't do much then. Just be aware that heli's look for them from above if you have any fly-overs at all where you live. They call it the "lollipop" because the trail is the stick and they follow that to the grow (the candy). I read something like 75% of arial discoveries are based off the lollipop strategy.

UPDATE:


Was out alllll day today checking out some spots marked out on my map. Checked out 4 total, eliminated 3 and kept the last one because it's PERFECT. The rest are either too risky or aren't flooded enough to still retain moisture during the summer sun. I am SO STOKED on this site guys. It's a random road that veers off of a semi-main road and dips down into the forest out of view from the cars. The land is commercial and is up for sale too, meaning nobody will be going on it until it is sold... money. After dipping down off the road and into the woods it goes for a bit, and then I have to park because the trail stops. It looks like it was once used back in the day for hunting, but is very overgrown and the tire tracks are no longer there anymore. From there I follow a game trail (they almost always lead to water) and it let me straight to one of my new spots. This place is an awesome find because it's a 2 for 1: I ran into a forested wetland that's going to provide me a lot of cover from above, and 5 mins from that site is another great spot that's more of an open wetland. Both are bogs, because the pH of the water isn't acidic like swamps typically are. I'd actually rather have bogs for my plots now that I think about it; because I won't have to load my tubes with lime to balance the low pH that swamps offer. Anyways, here's my first find -




Plot 1: Forested Wetland



pH: 6.8
ppm: 170

This place struck a good cord in my gut. It has coverage from above. The foliage in it is flourishing. The pH is on like donkey kong. I love it so far, plus it's a 9 our of 10 on the accessibility scale since I can park my car in the forest; out of view, and semi-close to my site for when I haul in supplies/soil.


Here's what the ground looks like:





My boot sinks in about 6'' then the hole fills up with water. Also, the surrounding trees have moss that comes up to about a foot high on the trunks, meaning that'll be the highest the water will get all season long. I'll prolly use my shorter 2' tubes for this spot, they seem tall enough for my roots to poke their heads above the water line to breathe still.







^ I'm not sure what kind of plants these are, but if anyone can diagnose them it'd be greatly appreciated! It'll tell me more about this spot and what it'll look like come late-season. I'm not sure whether they're heavy feeders, and if I should uproot the ones around my tubes or not. If they're not I'll just leave em be!


I hike in a ways to get here though, and I've gotten lost in wetlands a few times (for hours) because I'd get turned around one way or another... so I started bringing a note pad with me. I'll rip off a sheet of paper and stick it on a branch, then do it again in about 50 feet or so. This saves me a big headache in wondering where the hell I entered from, so I won't get lost anymore!



On the way out I just grab them all so there's no evidence of me being there.




So that's the first plot, I loved this spot so much that I kept exploring and then I came to a clearing that's now the 2nd plot in this area. This whole area was an amazing find, I liked it so much I now call it "Guerrilla Gardens"



Plot 2: Open Wetland



pH: 6.68
ppm: 110


The pH here is even better than the forested wetland above, and with less ppm so this spot is better in the medium-aspect. There are way more options of where to plant here, because it's pretty vast. The only down side is the arial vulnerability. I will be planting next to trees and any natural foliage that's available here, in clusters of 2. That should be good enough, because in this area growing isn't too much of a problem. I'd be pretty paranoid if I were out west growing in a spot like this one. Will still use the best camo techniques I know of though. This place is a little deeper than the forested wetland, clocking out at about 2 feet in the parts that I'm considering. I'll be poppin my 3' tubes out here and probably my 4' tubes as well; that's if I don't decide to chop them in half to allow me more plants to put out! If I can get away with only 3 footers here then that's what I'll be doing. Surprisingly no ticks in this spot though, it was nice not to have to pick those bastards off my suit today; that's for sure. Lemme know if you guys have any input on this spot or the plants in it to help me out, it would be much appreciated!



That's about it for today, will be hauling out tubes this week so I'll post some pics of them in action and what they look like set up and camo'd out in their new homes. Be well everyone, peace!



Heady Intentions

great wide n open. yucky muck tho lol nice update! I like how thorough u are with them

420tycoon said:

great wide n open. yucky muck tho lol nice update! I like how thorough u are with them

Click to expand...

Super yucky lol. But thanks man, I try to give everyone an idea of exactly what's goin on pretty much. Hard to make it interesting until I transplant and start seeing progress but pre-season is the busiest time of the year for us so it doesn't hurt to cover everything I'm doin right now before all the action starts. That way I can get any advice now before I plant, and/or can give other growers some ideas that they haven't heard of yet. Everyone scratches each others back's on this site! Good vibes lol

subd .

Signed. I can not wait to see how it turns out. ONLY I wondered, how much direct sunlight in one day BE YOUR Babies get? At plot one SEEMS A little shade to me, am I right? Fellow guerrilla grower here, so I like to learn and share the "tricks of the trade", so to speak. . This will be my second grow this year.