how can a copter spot you out?

the copters also look for trails that lead to your grow spot. a trail from the air is a dead giveaway. They look for trails that look like a lollipop from the air....------O

Ah crap, this about exactly what I have. Luckily the trail is not much of a trail and it is covered by many trees so I think I"m safe.

Let me throw out a scenario and see what kind of feedback I get. Say I'm growing on property that is not my property but right next to mine. Let's say there is a clear trail made in the bushes that crosses the ditch that separates the properties and that the trail leads to some plants scattered around. There are also trails leading in from the other directions as well, so it's not like my yard is the only way in. There is a house that owns most of the property with some old lady and there are other houses in the neighborhood that next to the property. So far no one that I know of has taken an interest to this little area besides me. What I want to know is if the cops somehow stumbled upon my grow, which leads to my backyard, what do you think they would do? I do have a garden and a greenhouse on my property so I would be the biggest suspect. I would blame the kids in the neighborhood without being specific. There are always loud parties in the back of our neighborhood that get police called to them so it would seem a logical explanation. I do have things that would make me a good suspect though, like foxfarms plant food and the fact that I do smoke, if they raided my house they would find a water bong and probably a some pot, which is why next year things will be very different.
Anyways, I think I would be fine, they might know I'm the culprit but I don't think they would have enough to arrest me. I'd probably receive a long lecture as they were ripping up my plants about how they would be keeping their eye on me.

hehe theyd set up a monitoring device to catch you caring for them, or cutting them down. And then arrest you on cultivating, maybe risk of injury due to the kids? Multiple charges you dont want, best bet pay someone else to go cut em down. My buddy planted his in the middle of a giant pricker bush to keep people out, there was only a small opening at the bottom he cleared to get in about 20'. Along the trail was traps, if someone finds it make sure they get trapped. Itll make the news and youll know to either harvest or forget about em. Sounds cruel but getting rid of risk brings in other problems, ying and yang maybe?

No need for that stuff, I am an artist so I work at home and I can see this spot from my back porch, so if someone was ever snooping around trying to set up a camera I'd know. We live in neighborhood that has only one street in and our house is at a dead end so it would be very difficult for Leo to catch me unaware. My biggest concern is really the trail that leads to my yard but like I said there are other trails over there that lead to other yards but mine is closest. I doubt I will ever have to worry because I'm doing a very small op but living in the state I live in you never really know. Next year I will make a much safer op with no trails leading to my yard. I can access the area from the street a few houses away and will do it that way next year. You have to understand this spot is right next to my house, no one can see it unless you cross a huge ditch which no one ever does so it's a perfect spot. I really could not have asked for a better place to grow pot.

Delta-9 said:

No need for that stuff, I am an artist so I work at home and I can see this spot from my back porch, so if someone was ever snooping around trying to set up a camera I'd know. We live in neighborhood that has only one street in and our house is at a dead end so it would be very difficult for Leo to catch me unaware. My biggest concern is really the trail that leads to my yard but like I said there are other trails over there that lead to other yards but mine is closest. I doubt I will ever have to worry because I'm doing a very small op but living in the state I live in you never really know. Next year I will make a much safer op with no trails leading to my yard. I can access the area from the street a few houses away and will do it that way next year. You have to understand this spot is right next to my house, no one can see it unless you cross a huge ditch which no one ever does so it's a perfect spot. I really could not have asked for a better place to grow pot.

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cops are not gonna moniter your grow. if they find it, it's destroyed right there, johnny-on the -spot.

That's what I keep telling my wife. She is super paranoid.

Bad advice on the traps. Do NOT booby-trap your grow, as this is actually a separate offense they can charge you with. If a law enforcement officer is injured by your traps, you're looking at some very serious charges. Not a good idea to booby trap your grow, whether you're growing indoors or out.

Infrared can't detect outdoor grows. The plants don't give off any more heat than the surrounding vegetation so it's impossible to distinguish cannabis from any other herbaceous plant. There is some sort of remote sensing technology that can "possibly" distinguish cannabis from other plants, but it doesn't work very well and AFAIK isn't widely used.

Growing indoors you should be fine as long as you aren't venting the heat from your grow room directly to the outside via a suspicous-looking vent, or aren't growing in a poorly insulated attic space with lots of super-hot lights.

Heat diffusion + insulation are key. As long as your grow room stays about the same temps as the rest of your house, you won't set off any red flags.

my plot is near my house, and a small air-strip is close by, so daily copters fly over my plot, but i live in such a country where are no searches 4 the air.
Anyway, couple of days ago i found 2 robust trails coming in to my plot-one was the entry and other one was the getaway-im really stressed, cas i its my only plant and now everything is fucked-im thinking of keeping the plant where it is and see what ill happen, no cops has been there and plant hasnt been raided yet-lets hope the best.

flair cams-is what they call them-those can detect heat coming form houses.

grow space said:

flair cams-is what they call them-those can detect heat coming form houses.

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Close. They're called FLIR (foward looking infrared).

yep-thats what i meant, im with some low level retardation, sorry.FLIR FLIR FLIR

Love to see this colaboration to get this info out to our RIU members, its much appreciated. I wish i had this reponse on my other threads lol, but good shit guys, glad to see we know wht the fuck we're talkin about.

About that newly discovered trails around your plant, sry to hear that shit. Try takin a rake and brushing the trails up to disguse it, or put some brush over it some how

doobnVA said:

Bad advice on the traps. Do NOT booby-trap your grow, as this is actually a separate offense they can charge you with. If a law enforcement officer is injured by your traps, you're looking at some very serious charges. Not a good idea to booby trap your grow, whether you're growing indoors or out.

Infrared can't detect outdoor grows. The plants don't give off any more heat than the surrounding vegetation so it's impossible to distinguish cannabis from any other herbaceous plant. There is some sort of remote sensing technology that can "possibly" distinguish cannabis from other plants, but it doesn't work very well and AFAIK isn't widely used.

Growing indoors you should be fine as long as you aren't venting the heat from your grow room directly to the outside via a suspicous-looking vent, or aren't growing in a poorly insulated attic space with lots of super-hot lights.

Heat diffusion + insulation are key. As long as your grow room stays about the same temps as the rest of your house, you won't set off any red flags.

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I'm not lying about what a deputy sheriff friend of mine is telling me, they used to use infared to detect mj grow in cornfields. where did you get your info from on this so I know for sure?

chalkie said:

What would you call unusual power consumption? At first i always thought it was power usage but now im hearing they can or do track times of large power usage, maybe they can nail it down to see its a light schedule?

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Now thats just paranoia to the extreme! Con-Ed, So-Cal Ed, PG&E, et al........have NO time, resources, or inclination to start tracking every bloody meter that spikes a few kilowatts now and then. Jeezzzz... get real
Good luck and good grow.......BB

Norcal14 said:

i thought it was the fertilizer that let of heat??

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No, not the fert! It is the indoor grow lighting, (HPS, MH, 1,000's of watts of heat!). If the grow is in an upstairs or attic space, the roof will "glow" infra red compared to other rooftops. A basement grow under same lighting would probably be O.K. These new CFL & LED setups give off less heat than a large screen t.v., though the jury is still out regarding their ability to really get the job done. Bottom line: Less watts = Less heat = Less infra red = Less chance of cops at the door!
Get the concept? Good luck and good grow..........BB

It isn't now and then... it is daily, scheduled, timed consumption. It is very easy to track. They can tell how many feet of cords in your house going to appliances. It is a very sophisticated "troubleshooting" system they have. They can tell what devices are drawing what (not what the devices are) on individual circuits, at what times. It is very easy to map.

However the power company has no interest in "turning you in". That data would have to be subpoenaed. If you go to jail, you aren't going to be able to pay your outrageous bills.

Space Angel said:

I'm not lying about what a deputy sheriff friend of mine is telling me, they used to use infared to detect mj grow in cornfields. where did you get your info from on this so I know for sure?

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Here's a study that was done on the possibility of using remote sensing (not infrared, because infrared can't distinguish between different types of vegetation, they ALL look the same under IR) to detect OUTDOOR cannabis grows.

where did I get my info from? Lots of reading, that's where. If your deputy sheriff friend told you they can see cannabis growing in a cornfield with infrared, he's full of shit. Period. You can see cannabis growing in a cornfield with the NAKED eye if you know what to look for... so why would you need infrared (even if it did work for that purpose, which it doesn't)?

Infrared basically shows you 2 things: What's HOT, and what's NOT. Cannabis isn't any warmer than any other plant, which is why it isn't detectable using infrared technology.

If cannabis growing outdoors WERE detectable with IR (it isn't, just suppose it were), then why would they need to develop alternative technologies to detect outdoor cannabis grows?

All that being said, it is possible to detect the irrigation systems used to sustain an outdoor grow using infrared imaging, but the plants themselves still have to be spotted the old-fashioned way (with your eyes!). I think that sufficient coverage of the irrigation systems could still confound this method of detection (burying the lines down far enough below the soil, using insulated pipes, etc), making it a less-than-foolproof way to detect an outdoor grow.

Read the summary of the study HERE
Download the full document HERE

And don't believe ANYthing a LEO tells you, even if he's your "friend". It's very rare to find a LEO that actually knows what they're talking about 100%. Basically they regurgitate whatever their "higher-ups" tell them, which is more often than not a load of pure bullshit.

doobnVA said:

Here's a study that was done on the possibility of using remote sensing (not infrared, because infrared can't distinguish between different types of vegetation, they ALL look the same under IR) to detect OUTDOOR cannabis grows.

where did I get my info from? Lots of reading, that's where. If your deputy sheriff friend told you they can see cannabis growing in a cornfield with infrared, he's full of shit. Period. You can see cannabis growing in a cornfield with the NAKED eye if you know what to look for... so why would you need infrared (even if it did work for that purpose, which it doesn't)?

Infrared basically shows you 2 things: What's HOT, and what's NOT. Cannabis isn't any warmer than any other plant, which is why it isn't detectable using infrared technology.

If cannabis growing outdoors WERE detectable with IR (it isn't, just suppose it were), then why would they need to develop alternative technologies to detect outdoor cannabis grows?

All that being said, it is possible to detect the irrigation systems used to sustain an outdoor grow using infrared imaging, but the plants themselves still have to be spotted the old-fashioned way (with your eyes!). I think that sufficient coverage of the irrigation systems could still confound this method of detection (burying the lines down far enough below the soil, using insulated pipes, etc), making it a less-than-foolproof way to detect an outdoor grow.

Read the summary of the study HERE
Download the full document HERE

And don't believe ANYthing a LEO tells you, even if he's your "friend". It's very rare to find a LEO that actually knows what they're talking about 100%. Basically they regurgitate whatever their "higher-ups" tell them, which is more often than not a load of pure bullshit.

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I'm beginning to believe that maybe he's a macho bullshitter more than anything. although I haven't seen or talked to him in 2 years, I always thought what he was telling me was true. now I've been doing some reading on this subject and I too have come to the conclusion that infared cannot detect anything from plant growth. I don't wanna go into great detail with this friend if we cross paths again, for fear of arrousing suspicion. he's a friend that is a cop, and I'll leave it at that. thanks for the great insight.

Space Angel said:

I'm beginning to believe that maybe he's a macho bullshitter more than anything. although I haven't seen or talked to him in 2 years, I always thought what he was telling me was true. now I've been doing some reading on this subject and I too have come to the conclusion that infared cannot detect anything from plant growth. I don't wanna go into great detail with this friend if we cross paths again, for fear of arrousing suspicion. he's a friend that is a cop, and I'll leave it at that. thanks for the great insight.

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I think most cops fall under the "macho bullshitter" category. I've had some run-ins with law enforcement, and in my experience they are a presumptuous and arrogant lot who don't really know much about the laws they're supposed to enforce. I had an officer tell me once that it's a felony in my state not to carry auto insurance (it's NOT, by the way). It kind of makes me wonder what they're teaching those guys in the police academy, or if they're teaching them anything at all.

anyways, you're welcome for the info. There are too many smartypantses around here who think they are all-knowing when it comes to IR and how it's used by LEO in relation to detecting cannabis grows. I'd rather squash the misinformation and the panic that sometimes results and give correct information when I can.

they can detect a group of plants outside. mj does emit small amounts of heat that can be detected by flir in concentrated numbers of plants in a small area. to defeat this plant tomato plants around your grow as tomato plants absorb heat. you have to have alot of plants in a small area or they cant pic it up on infared