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

plants (girdling). If this is a problem, keep mulch a foot away from plants, and install a wire mesh around the trunks. Mice and voles make nests in large piles of mulch, and they are attracted to stored water. Cover all water sources to exclude them, but keep in mind that they might chew through the container if water is super scarce.
    The best mouse deterrent is a cat that is serious about hunting. Mousetraps also work well on smaller populations. Removing a large number of mice with traps can be tedious and unpleasant.
    DO NOT USE POISON! Scavenger animals will eat the dead rodents and may become poisoned themselves.
Moles

    Moles are minor pests. They are primarily insectivores that eat cutworms and other soil grubs, but their tunnels may dislodge cannabis roots.
    Repel moles with castor plants or gopher (mole) plants (Euphorbia lathyris). Castor bean leaves and castor oil, as well as applications of tobacco and red pepper, will repel moles if put into their main runs.
    Blend two tablespoons (3 cl) of castor oil with three tablespoons of dish soap concentrate and ten tablespoons (18 cl) of water. Mix in a blender. Use this as a concentrate at the rate of two tablespoons per gallon (4 ml per liter) of water. Apply as a soil drench directly over mole holes.
    Barrel traps, scissor traps, and guillotine traps are effective and kill moles instantly.
Rabbits

    Rabbits eat almost anything green, and they multiply like rabbits! Repel rabbits with a light dusting of rock phosphate on young leaves or dried blood sprinkled around the base of plants. Manure tea sprayed on leaves and soil may keep them from dining on your plants. Rabbits find plants dusted with hot pepper or a spray of dilute fish emulsion and bone meal repulsive. There also are a number of commercial rabbit repellents, but be wary of using these on consumables!
    A dog will help keep rabbits in check, but the only surefire way to keep rabbits out of the garden is to fence them out with one-inch (3 cm) poultry wire. The poultry wire should be buried at least six inches (15 cm) in the ground to prevent burrowing and rise two or three feet (60-90 cm) aboveground. Wrap trunks with a wire mesh or aluminum foil to keep rabbits from chewing bark in winter or early spring.
Rogue Pollen
    Rogue pollen from commercial hemp farms and wild or cultivated males can threaten sinsemilla cannabis grown outdoors or in greenhouses. Undesired pollen can drift from a few feet to hundreds of miles to pollinate flowering females and cause them to grow seeds.
    Large clouds of pollen blow across the Mediterranean Sea from the Riff Mountains in Morocco dropping pollen on Spain and Portugal. In fact, local weather reports always include the cannabis pollen statistics. The reports are directed at people with allergies but are also used by marijuana growers.
    Make inquiries into air quality including cannabis pollen. Some growers develop “allergies” in order to get the most information from officials. Researching wind direction relative toyour crop and closest hemp plants will help you select sites less likely to be contaminated.
    Wind-shadows (large divots in a hillside) protect plants from wind and anything it brings along.
    If rogue pollen is a problem, plant early crops or late crops that flower before or after male plants. Usually June and July are the worst months for pollen, but it could also spill into August.

A backyard garden is not always a security risk.

Remove the bottom of containers and plant in the garden to avoid transplant shock.
    You may be able to grow indoors until the industrial hemp is done flowering and males are no longer releasing pollen, or plant out of the wind pattern. If pollen is severe, keep plants in a greenhouse. Cover the intake opening with a moist towel–humidity makes pollen unviable. Put one edge of the towel in a bucket of water to wick moisture. Wetting down the exterior of the greenhouse will also help incapacitate any wild pollen.
Backyard Growing
    Lucky growers who live in countries that tolerate cannabis can safely plant a crop in their backyard and give their garden the tender loving care it deserves. You can pay close attention to your plants’ soil, water, and nutrient needs. Growing cannabis in your flower and vegetable garden is ideal because you can care for all your plants at the same time.
    Prepare soil in the fall; remove weeds and dig planting holes or garden beds. Turn it over and make sure it has plenty of amendments (see