hello all, I've been reading up on growing and would like to take a stab at it, the past few days ive been looking thru a forest near where i live (ontario) i found what i believe to be the best possible spot, its not too far off a trail but its thru some low evergreens that appear unpenitrable, even if someone wanders thru, there is a 15 foot patch of these stick things that are covered in little needles that hurt like a bitch when they rub on you, my shins are hating me. I found a good site just beside one of the evergreens with good morning exposure to sun. where im having a problem is, when i started digging there were quite a few rocks, i got most of them out but the hole is only about a foot squared, i've read everywhere 3' squared minimum, deeper the better but i just cant dig any farther in any direction, theres lots of room for roots to find their way and the soil isnt that packed it doesnt seem. Could i plant even just a couple plants here? like 10 seeds an inch apart or something? and then after sexing if i dont get any females there, would it harm the plant to start it somewhere else and then move it to where i want it now? I dont have the option of growing inside, i can germinate but thats it. I plan to just plant a couple here and there and hopfully get a decent harvest, im not expecting much with my first grow, kinda just to see if i can do it.
Yea, I thought about pots, but sometimes it doesnt rain for a week or longer here (southern ontario) and I would be worried about them drying up too quickly, the most I could get out to where they are will be around once a week twice if I have to.
I'd plant about 6 seedlings if after sexing you get three females they should have no problems in a foot square. You wiil probably need to fertilise later on in the season and train them a bit. Roots will find extra space under the ground. Sure you can't dig it out more. Or clear a bigger space. Finding more places to grow will increase your chances of a good harvest ,in case of theft disease etc. If theres not enough room you can always remove a plant. But chopping down a flowering female would be heartbreaking.
thanks for the advice, i like the 6 seedling idea, unfortunatly i dont have the option of starting the plants inside, how many seeds would it be best to plant in this size? is it a two to one ratio or something? (seeds:number of plants) a buddy said he could give me about 100 seeds, so i would like to find a few places (3-4) so i have a better chance of harvest.
Why not get a seed tray with a plastic lid and hide it outside. Germinate your seeds in this when they are a couple of inches high replant as many seedlings as you want in different areas.
that sounds like a good idea, are you saying to plant the seed straight into the soil? would they do any better if I germinated inside in wet paper towels like I've heard so many times? or will the soil do the same job. thanks for all the help!
Its up to you. People have different methods. Personally i put them straight into the soil about half an inch deep then give the soil a good water keep covered with a plastic lid or something to keep the moisture in. All the seeds need to germinate is moisture and a reasonable temperature. I put them straight in the soil so as not to be handling them when germinated. Try different methods to see which is more succesful. Temp really needs to be about 70 degrees. If its not warm enough outside try the wet towel method. You can buy seed germinting kits with a tray/lid and seedling soil. There only small could be hidden under a bed to keep warm. Theres different methods to germinate experiment and see what works for you. I always find if the seeds are struggling to sprout increasing the temperature helps , remember to make sure they stay moist.
There are 2 reasons why you need a hole 3' deep for good growth. One is to supply nutrients to all the roots. Second is potting soils retains/transfers moisture much better than most soil out in the woods. If you dig a hole 6' deep don't expect good growth. No doubt about it, digging a holes is hard backbreaking work. But isn't it worth the extra 3 or 4 ounces of bud per plant? I used to use a breaker bar, a shaft of iron (maybe it's steel) about 3" think and 7' long. That loosens up the soil so it can be dug out with a shovel. Holes need to be 6' apart, 1 plant per hole. In my Guerilla Growing thread there are instructions for free mini-greenhouses.
