Team Microbe steps into Guerrilla Country...

[Team Microbe]

Howdy all, it's that time of year again... so now that I've been doing some prep work I think I'll kick off the 2014 outdoor thread!

15 bales peaking out... hibernation is soon to be over!



I've been growing for 5 years now, outdoors only a few. We're still going guerrilla in my area, this will be one of the last few years for that thought so I figure I might as well give it a go and enjoy it while it lasts! There will be a day soon in the future where it will not be what it once was... we've gotta cherish this like the bootleggers cherished moonshining, you know? It's an art, and there are methods to this madness that are only taught through experience and literally blood, sweat, and tears. I've only gone guerrilla for a few years but I've been addicted since week 1 and the blood still pumps every time I step foot onto the battle field. Real recognize real in that sense too... if you're one of us you know exactly what I mean. It's the same reason LEO's do what they do... they're addicted to the adrenalin. Then they need more and more, and soon traffic stops aren't enough and they need to start raiding homes and busting doors down to get it. It's the same with us, once we were bringing out a few plants and a bag of soil with the shakes down to our bare bones. Then it doesn't get so bad... we harvest and you grow hungry for that rush again. Expand, harvest, eat, shit, get hungry again & repeat. It's a wonderful thing really...



Anyways -

This will be a 100% organic grow, grown in various settings both locally and out in the bush in remote locations. My local settings are taken on with the "under their noses" mind-set with an outside-the-box mentality, while my remote grow(s) are on land that is either up for sale or logging sites that are no longer in use anymore. Last year I got my feet wet and learned a lot, so this year I plan on taking those lessons and turning them into a prosperous season. I'll be taking on more patches and scattering plants rather than planting in bigger numbers at a few decided locations.

I can't remember where I saw this (possibly Gemini's thread) but it read:

Plant 1 for you, 1 for the cops, and 1 for the rippers



& it's so true. So many factors are coming into play outdoors that we need to plant 3x the amount we want to get back. Well said Gemini.

 

[Team Microbe]

cold frame made out of reemay and bamboo stakes

^ I've been hardening off my first batch of seedlings at Site #1 for the past week now... this is the site by train tracks that border a wetland. We'll call this site Terrapin Station for the dead heads out there

a few miles of tracks til I get to my drop-site


I can't park anywhere near the tracks during visits, but for late-night drops it's a must as I have several miles of hiking to do before ending up at my wetland of choice. I'll drop the bales under a tarp stashed in the woods, drive out, then return on bicycle to complete the hauls to the drop-site. It's a process, but the location is worth the work as the water table is only 2 feet underneath the top soil. I dug 5 big holes the other day after assessing the area on foot for a few hours... seems to be bordering a hunters land but there are some natural barriers between him and my area so I feel confident he'll be set to his one stand out behind his property and I'll have the acre of wetland back in the corner to my lonesome. Can't be too sure though, so my game camera will let me know if he does get too close. Been there, done that...

50 gallon(ish) sized hole


There's a small stream running through this parcel going to and from a few swampy & flooded areas. My area of choice is about 100 ft from this stream on the south side of some trees/shrubs. This hole filled up after about 5 minutes of digging... I'm really grateful for that water!

 

[Team Microbe]

These are the next rounds getting ready to hit the cold frames! I've only got a small indoor grow, but it's all I need to supply my head. I've got some girls that have been in veg for a few months there on the right as you can see... not sure whether I wanna risk them pre-flowering though as they've been shooting pistols for the past few weeks. Hmmmm....

Some supplies I've been gathering.....

I bartered some flowers for this chicken poop last week! They gave me 80 lbs and it's been composting for over a year they said. So stoked on this.

I used to use 5 gal buckets but the ergonomics were terrible - Brown Dirt recommends these because your legs don't smash into them and they actually feel lighter than 5 gals even though they're 6 gal. Go figure lol

Of course the Plant Toner rips in my car on the only sharp object in my trunk... Murphy's Law is a bitch! I always remember this when out in the bush.... if something can go wrong it will! Always prepare for the worst, and pretend like it's going to happen. If you're always prepared, there's no time spent in getting ready.

 

[Team Microbe]

I was thinking about slowly posting all of these updates but I'm just gonna fire away and get back with some hauling/transplant updates in the next few weeks after some discussion has been underwent. That is the glory of ICmag, isn't it?


Anyways, continuing on...

I like to dose out my amendments so I don't have to do any math while I'm tired in the bush after hauling & mixing soil. It's amazing how much your mental slips when you're tired and exhausted... I'm known for messing up my metric dosages lol. So now I toke and do it BEFORE I get into the bush. 2 of these bags for every 3.8 cubic feet (1 bale) + my other additives and it's game time. More on the soil mix later though...



Actually. Smoke break. Care to join me folks?

Goji OG dry-sift from a recent harvest... looks good in the sun!


Cheers everyone

 

[Team Microbe]

A great top-dressing or amendment that I'll be using this year.


Insect Frass naturally contains the nutrition plants require, beneficial micro-organisms, and the only immediately plant-available source of chitin (pronounced “Kite-in”). Chitin fortifies a plant from the inside out, causing an "auto-immune" response that signals a plant to produce natural toxins which fend off its natural enemies like pests and fungal pathogens. The EPA says that chitin and chitosan (see FAQ's) defend against botrytis (grey mold), powdery mildew, early and late blight, fungal pathogens in the root zone (root rot) and root-feeding nematodes. Insect Frass does NOT cause a plant to kill beneficial insects or beneficial nematodes.

Deer netting is good for long hikes into the woods when you cannot bring in chicken wire. I'll be staking this up in triangles around each plant with sticks I find around my patch.

I love doing all the time-consuming work and any work of that matter at home to cut down on time at my patches. The less time we're exposed, the less chance we have of being seen thus compromising our patches. Each of these are 7'x3' leaving a 3' high fence to deter pests the best it can. This stuff seems pretty thin however, I can see animals chewing through it no problem. We'll have to see what happens I suppose...

Now the trick of the trade I love the most - bale back packs!

Made out of 100% duct tape - one roll will make 2 if you don't fuck up. Usually I do though and 1 roll will make me 1 really good sling. I just do 3 loops - 2 for the shoulders and one going horizontal for the binding loop. Beats the hell out of carrying it with your arms or balancing it on your back/shoulders IMO. Then you have your arms free for balancing, especially if you brought your headlamp rather than flashlight...

shoulder straps

 

[atk7]

Pullin up a chair

 

[rik78]

looking fun, rolling a fat one, beer in my hand, pulling up a chair...

 

[Bleiweis]

Goodluck! Will keep an eye on this thread

 

[J.V]

Hell Yeah.....lookin good with the prep man, That dry sift looks sweet too, Smoke break sounds good.

 

[dannykarey]

Nice man, looking forward to the show.

Sub'd

Danny

 

[grow nerd]

That's some dedication.

 

[OvergrowDaWorld]

Subbed and pulling up a couch to lay back and watch the show on.....
Im a lazy lurker.
Fantastic idea with the duct tape back pack. You have serious inginuity.

 

[GEMiNi GENETiCS]

Looking good and ready out there TM....I like the duct tape....I used nylon rope ....just slips on and off so I just had to make 2 for quicker convenience.

I per measure my mixes too....just dump the bags with a quick mix toss leaf litter on and in it add water or I just let it rain.

Wow....I must say we really were thinking similarly....I have 3' bamboo poles about 80 of them and the same bird netting plus chicken wire.

Watch that chicken shit.....is honestly leave piles of it out at your plots and once the plants are well established start mixing it into the top soil from late june-july as its very hot and it will kill your plants so hopefully its as composted as the farmer said.

 

[unregistered190]

Going to join this thread.....sounds like it is going to be a good one! No outdoors for me....but envy those that are able.

 

[Team Microbe]

Pullin up a chair

looking fun, rolling a fat one, beer in my hand, pulling up a chair...

Goodluck! Will keep an eye on this thread

Hell Yeah.....lookin good with the prep man, That dry sift looks sweet too, Smoke break sounds good.

Nice man, looking forward to the show.

Sub'd

Danny

That's some dedication.

Subbed and pulling up a couch to lay back and watch the show on.....
Im a lazy lurker.
Fantastic idea with the duct tape back pack. You have serious inginuity.

Going to join this thread.....sounds like it is going to be a good one! No outdoors for me....but envy those that are able.

Thanks all

 

[Team Microbe]

Looking good and ready out there TM....I like the duct tape....I used nylon rope ....just slips on and off so I just had to make 2 for quicker convenience.

I per measure my mixes too....just dump the bags with a quick mix toss leaf litter on and in it add water or I just let it rain.

Wow....I must say we really were thinking similarly....I have 3' bamboo poles about 80 of them and the same bird netting plus chicken wire.

Watch that chicken shit.....is honestly leave piles of it out at your plots and once the plants are well established start mixing it into the top soil from late june-july as its very hot and it will kill your plants so hopefully its as composted as the farmer said.

Gracias man, I've still got 2/3 plots to prep but I'll bang this one out by the end of the week after I recover from last night's brutal haul. I like that bird netting bc it's so cheap for the amount you get, I compared it to chicken wire and it just doesn't compare. Now it's durability on the other hand, I'm not so sure about so we'll have to see if it's worth the price cut. How has it worked for you with the rodents and animals?

The chicken shit is growing little clovers in it because they raked up a bunch of grass and stuff in it too... I'll sift it out the best I can and see what happens. If the clovers are in it is that a good sign that it's ready you think? They look healthier than my plants indoors! haha

I'll take your word on the 1/2 strength mixed in. I'm glad I measured out in 1/2 doses now! Have you had trouble flushing at all at the end of the season? Or do you just time it out so your organic additives die out by harvest time...

 

[Team Microbe]

Quick update:

Quick update:

Last night was harder than expected, being my first time in a while getting any serious exercise. I made the haul, and now I'm trying to recover with some joints, food and stretching. Hot/cold showers work well too I'm hearing, so I'll try that too. I just wanna get back out there and transport everything away from my drop site ASAP, and I know today and tomorrow that won't be possible as I'm simply beat!


I'm going with contractor bags with holes poked in the bottoms to prevent leeching of my nutrients down into the earth. Brown Dirt also speaks of a process called "forcing" where the bags actually force flowering more rapid and vigorously with the roots being root bound to a certain extent. These holes will be no smaller than 30 gal each.


A few spots are pretty wet so I'm using swamp tubes in those locations. I'm scattering them in a huge field with fallen trees and shrubs to blend everything in, rather than what I used to do and plant in patches. This will be the swamp tube design I'm using... I built about 10 of these so far:

I'll stake these down in the muck with either a big tree branch or some bamboo... really excited to test these out as I haven't used em yet. Chicken wire + landscape fabric is all it is, I left the bottoms out for the swamp but for dry land they would work well too I suppose...

 

[Highcountry]

Sweet lookin tubes! Should work well. How many gallons do those hold? I've got 50+, 20 gal tubes in a swamp near me. It's definately the way to go if you don't want to water. Good luck this season man and thanks for sharing.

 

[Team Microbe]

Sweet lookin tubes! Should work well. How many gallons do those hold? I've got 50+, 20 gal tubes in a swamp near me. It's definately the way to go if you don't want to water. Good luck this season man and thanks for sharing.

Thanks bro! They hold about 45 gallons each, but will probably only toss in around 30-35 gals after I plop this on top of the mound it'll be on. Damn, respect! Next year I hope to have something like that up and going after I prepare a little bit more.

What did you make your tubes out of? 20 gal seems just enough, maybe I'll make some smaller ones after this batch of 45 gallon tubers...

 

[HunterJ]

Thanks TM. Feet up and watching the show. That's hard work hauling ...

Those tubes look good and got me thinking again about an abandoned site of mine.

Your duct tape must be stronger than my duct tape ... You get to reuse it too?