Marijuana Horticulture: The Indoor/Outdoor Medical Grower's Bible

up the pump so that the intake will be able to gather water easily. Make a small dam only if it is discreet.
    A ram pump pumps water from a source of flowing water above the pump. The force of gravity is all the power needed. Ram pumps are rugged and dependable, but noisy. www.rampumps.com .

A gasoline-powered pump moves much water uphill, but they are noisy!

Build a baffle around gasoline-powered motors to muffle noise.
    The High Lifter Water Pump is water-powered and will work with a low flow of water. The unique design uses hydraulic pressure and is self-starting and self-regulating. If inlet water stops, so does the pump; the pump starts by itself as soon as water flow begins. www.realgoods.com .
    Manual-powered pumps require a lot of physical energy to operate and are impractical for moving a large volume of water uphill.
    Solar energy is an outstanding way to move water. On a sunny day a 75-watt solar panel supplies enough power to a pump to move 75 gallons (285 L) of water 35 feet (10.5 m) uphill and more than 400 feet (120 m) away to a reservoir. www.otherpower.com .

Cold-affected plants develop few calyxes but still frost with resin.
    Siphoning water downhill will move a lot of water. Finding a water source above the garden is the key!
    Lightweight hose will not disturb foliage. If you can find it in black, it will be more difficult to spot. Most garden hose is a bright green color!
Temperature
    The best way to control temperature outdoors is to plant in the right place. Normally hot temperatures are common during midday in full sun. Cannabis virtually stops growing at 85°F (29°C). If you are planting in a hot climate, make sure plants receive filtered sunlight during the heat of the day. Also, plant them in natural breezeways so a breeze will cool them during the heat of the day.
    You can create shade over your patch by bending tree branches and tying them in place.
    Cold temperatures can be avoided by planting at the proper times–well after last frost. Harvest before first frost!
    See Chapter Thirteen, “Air,” for more specific information about temperature.
    A shade house covered with “shade cloth” (synthetic sun-blocking material) or lath house, which is built from thin, narrow strips of wood, are great places to protect plants. Lath houses can provide 25 percent shade or more depending on the placement of the laths. Shade cloth is available in different meshes that filter out 10, 20, 30, etc., percent of the sunlight. Shade or lath houses are also a great place to pass summer days!

Cold temperatures turned this plant purple and curled the leaves.
Wind
    Wind is one of the strongest forces outdoors. Sustained wind will suck moisture from plants. Wind causes plants to draw moisture from the roots and shed it through the leaves in a defensive mechanism to regulate internal temperature and chemistry. It creates a problem if the water supply is limited.
    For example, Southern Spain and other arid regions are subject to strong desert winds that transport abrasive sand and other particles. We call it “kalmia” in Spain because the grit is mixed with saline air from the Mediterranean. These winds can destroy crops. If your climate is plagued by such abrasive winds, protect plants with windbreaks. Wash foliage with plenty of water to remove the particles after windstorms.
    Moderate sustained winds will dry out container- and field-grown crops within a few hours. Container crops suffer the most. For example, plants grown in five-gallon (20 L) containers on a terrace that receives full sun and constant moderate winds uses about two gallons (7.5 L) of water daily! Indoors, the same plant would use 75 percent less water!
    Plant in protected areas so the garden suffers little effect from strong wind.

Pests and Predators
    Once your plants are in the ground, well-fed, and watered, check them weekly (if possible) for pest and fungal damage. Inspect the top and bottom of leaves for stippling (small spots) from mites or damage from chewing insects and slugs and snails. First identify the pest, and then determine a course of action.
    Properly grown outdoor cannabis has few problems with pests. See Chapter Ten, “Soil & Containers,” for more information on a wide array of diseases and pests that attack cannabis.
    Low-tech, natural approaches to pest control work well. A few large pests like caterpillars and snails can be hand-picked from the foliage. Caterpillar populations can be reduced at the source