Planting and Maintenance

Marijuana Horticulture

by Jorge Cervantes

Start clones off in rockwool, Jiffy, or soilless grow cubes for three weeks, and then transplant into four inch pots of organic soil mix. Water transplants heavily to encourage root growth. Grow under an HID or CF lamp for two weeks. harden-off before moving outside into the garden or secret garden.

One grower I know keeps a stream of plants moving from indoors to his outdoor gardens. He plants the first crop of clones in three-gallon pots in a greenhouse, hardens them off, and moves them t their final location. The second crop is moved into the greenhouse when the first crop is moved out. He repeats this process three to four times during the season.

A complete low-maintenance setup is the goal for most guerilla growers. Loosen the soil, amend it, and throw in a handful of polymers to retain moisture. A thick layer of mulch, early in the year, will attract water, keep the soil cool, and prevent evaporation. Bury clones deep in the ground to promote a deep root system that will not require a lot of additional water.

Some growers transplant one foot tall clones with smaller root systems by removing the first few sets of leaves and burying the root ball deeper with only six inches of foliage left above ground. Rots will grow along the underground stem in a few weeks. Deep roots will create more self sufficient plants. This is of particular importance in extremely remote areas that are hard to get to and in the mountains where the rainfall may be sporadic.

Pest prevention is crucial for guerilla crops because the patch is to difficult to maintain every day of the week. It is easier to keep pests from attacking plants in the first place than to try and do damage control later.