SE's 2015 Guerrilla: returning to the roots

[SmokinErb22]

So I'm looking for other locations entirely, not just different sites. Here's where I'm at with that:

2 abandoned railroads nearby have a few spots that have some potential. I've spotted three areas I'll be checking out in the upcoming days. One of the lines seems pretty good, the other, we'll have to see about. Here's the spots I've isolated on these railroad lines:

This one is on the other rail line that I'm not sure about yet. Really like the ones above, though.

My next choice is along a riverbank. It's a fairly popular river/creek for kayak/canoe/fishers, but they all tend to stay up-dam. My choice is obviously downstream of the dam. There's miles and miles of that to cover so I won't even begin to post photos of potential sites. I'm also very interested in the land surrounding the dam, which is also state-owned.

 

[jackel]

As a relatively lightweight substitute for some soil, consider compressed coco blocks. Great for water retention, small to haul in, then expands when you soak em.
One block I seen on Amazon weighs 11lb, and makes 17gal not bad.
Also consider water crystals. Will save on those days you can't make it to your site.

Here's the link to the blocks
http://www.amazon.com/Kempf-Compressed-Growing-Potting-11-Pound/dp/B003MOD2HY

 

[SmokinErb22]

What's up jackel? I actually hadn't considered using coco, and that's definitely something I'll need to be looking into.

Gonna be headed out Sunday to get some boot-to-ground time and check out as many of these locations as possible. Spent the first bit of money on this outdoor project.... a $10 folding camp shovel. Gonna go dig a few small holes to check out the soil in each location to see what I'm working with. Hopefully there won't be much difference so I can just use the same amendments for each plant.

I have a good general idea of where I want to plant, as seen in the good earth images, but specific locations for plots are still unknown. So I'm hoping to be able to zero that down and mark my maps accordingly.

Once I've checked out the soil and have locations set, I'll be digging holes. Hopefully beginning no later than next weekend. I'll be going out every morning starting Sunday until this is done.

Found a place that I can purchase compost by the yard from.... a much more difficult feat than I imagined. Actually have to drive a little over an hour to get it. Should be a much higher quality than the bagged crap they sell locally though. Will pose some logistic hurdles (not as convenient as bagged) but I figure I can essentially bale it up and hike it. Won't be bad at all if I end up using bricks of coco rather than bales of promix. Still getting ahead of myself, though. Gotta check the soil composition first!

 

[SmokinErb22]

Alright, here's one location I visited today. Not going to plant where I initially thought I was, but I'm feeling okay about this general area. Dug a few holes all around. Looking like I'm going to be dealing with clay-type soil.

 

[SmokinErb22]

This one is just off (150 yards or so) of public land on private property. Requires crawling on your hands and knees a couple of times to get back there and/or fight through the thorns. Not sure if planting on that hill is advisable. It's pretty freakin' steep and not easy to climb in the mud for sure. Otherwise bottom of the hill is the plan. More clay here.

 

[SmokinErb22]

Just lookin' around. Found too many signs that the farmer who owns the adjacent fields had been around the area. Would have been a nice area otherwise. Might just try to sneak in a plant or three along this creek somewhere.

 

[vostok]

Lat 39 north and choppers ..? you ain't too hard to find chill ...?
..If I was you and I'm not, go get some seed from a seedbank Herbies or the tude etc etc ...make a great start ...germ and early veg in your grow room and plant out when right ..easy!

look to some KC Brains as a great and cheap strains esp Afgan special

 

[jackel]

That soil is crap. The problem with bulk composte or soil (I use it at home), is its heavy. It has a lot of organic matter with lots of moisture. Great for plants, but a bitch to haul. If you pick up a metal frame backpack, you can strap a bale of sunshine or promix to it. It's light and compacted.
Peat, coco, perlite. These things are light so u can haul a lot more. I think that's gonna a be your best bet.

 

[SmokinErb22]

My soil might not be as bad as I initially thought. Gonna be doing some checking later this week... I'm hoping its just fully saturated, but a recent (2014) government soil test states that nearly all the soil is a loam-silt-clay and not as bad as my initial impression.

 

[jackel]

Over 67% clay. That's no bueno. However, mixing some gypsum and drainage may help (key word is May)
I'm pullin up a chair tho.

 

[SmokinErb22]

Appreciate it, man. Critical feedback is the best feedback, that's what's gonna keep me from screwing up too much. I got next to no experience outdoors, and I really wanna make this work.

So worst case scenario (aside from LEO and rippers) is that I have to basically completely drag in my own soil mixture. Fine, that's cool. So I just have to amend the soil way more than I thought I was gonna have to. Less plants, more work. Whatever, I'll still get a little experience under my belt as well as knowledge of the land for next season.

Gonna go bag up some soil samples and do the glass jar test to try to get a more accurate count for how much clay is in the soil.

 

[jackel]

Try some sunshine #4 or something mixed in with the native. Might work pretty good, then u only have to haul in 50% of ur soil

 

[SmokinErb22]

Started digging holes today, didn't really have that much time (and I left my water bottle at home, d'oh!) so I only got 5 of them done. 2 individual plants (may not actually use these, more clay dominate soil here) , and a small plot of 3 plants (Need to do some clearing and plant a few more here) . Gonna be out there every day this week digging, though. Hard work for sure, I've been wiped out from these past few days.

Picking up some rice hulls from a home brew store next week (about an hour away, ugh)... grabbing 100 lbs instead of 50. Gonna be ordering the bricks of coco tomorrow. Everything I've been reading says this is a good combo for soils with too much clay. Sand + compost is better, just soooo much heavier. That'll be a last resort, I wanna see the consistency of the soil after I mix a couple things in there.

 

[jackel]

Take a baggy with you and bring some of the soil home. Then you can mix some at home, and put it in a pot and test it. Much easier to get an idea than doin it all in the bush. Then u can know before hand if u need a 50/50 mix or what.

 

[SmokinErb22]

Ugh, another delay. Was digging some more holes yesterday and planned on doing so again today.... but in the process of re-building my indoor grow room, I stepped on 2 freakin' nails at the same time. Hoping it doesn't get infected (went through my old nasty shoe...) so I can avoid the hospital.

Needless to say I can't be doing any serious hiking until this heals a bit.

 

[jay-toker]

.

 

[ghostmade]

Epsoma garden and flower tone are my go to this year and at 25$ a hole for the hole season (on the heavy feeders) is not bad at all

 

[SmokinErb22]

So my plans are rapidly changing. Been waiting to get a bunch of rain (we did) before trekking back out in the woods.

Looks like all of my eggs are gonna be in 1-2 baskets after-all. I chose my spots solely based on the soil in-place. If the holes were full of water, I'm not using that area.

So my hillside on the North-eastern most corner of the area is going to be my #1 spot. Gonna actually cut down a couple trees (One is dead, the other is dying) to clear a little more space to put more plants. It's the easiest place to access (physical exertion wise) but the spot is in the least accessed area of the land... if that makes sense. Not really hard to get to, but nobody goes back there.

Got some clones growing out in solo cups already, got 100 lbs of rice hulls sitting in the garage. Got a couple cases of coco bricks.... about time to do this.

 

[gorilla ganja]

any updates?
hope all is going well

 

[SmokinErb22]

Haven't really went back out, still kinda waiting for the weather to cooperate with planting.

Due to shitty soil pretty much all around, I'll be putting all of my eggs in one basket this season and just doing a single plot with several plants. The location seems to provide the best native soil of the locations I've checked AND has a nearby water source (few hundred feet).

Need to dig some more holes, remove a couple branches on some trees and really just get planting. Been focusing more on my indoor right now, trying to get it more automated so I can spend more time outdoors.

Bright side of my latest plan is I'll be able to spend more time with my plants, should result in better/larger plants.