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

Chapter Ten ). Always put a heavy layer of mulch on any soil that will be planted! A 12-inch-plus (30 cm+) layer of mulch will keep soil elements intact as well as attract moisture. Bare soil loses most of its valuable topsoil to erosion during winter months.

Small ‘AK-47’ plants are easy to move and give a 12/12 day/night schedule during the summer.
    In the spring, mulched amended soil should be well-mixed and ready for planting. You can transplant cannabis seedlings or clones in the garden just like you would tomatoes. If your soil is poor, or you didn’t begin cultivation in fall, dig large holes, three feet (90 cm) in diameter by three feet (90 cm) deep, and fill with your best compost, potting soil, or planting mix. Otherwise, break up the top six to eight inches (15-20 cm) of soil in a six-foot (1.8 m) radius to provide room for root branching.
    Bury containers in a garden bed so they do not stick out too much. They can be easily moved indoors at night or to a remote location.
Terrace Growing
    Growing in containers on a terrace, balcony, or roof is very rewarding. A small sunny location, good genetics, containers, and good soil are the basic needs.
    Your gardening techniques will depend upon the location of the grow show. City building rooftops, terraces, and balconies tend to be windy. The higher the garden, the more wind. Wind dries plants quickly. See “Wind” in this chapter.
    Patio gardens are most often protected from strong winds and strong sunlight.
    An automatic watering system is often a good idea in such gardens to ensure they receive adequate water, especially if you are gone for a few days.
    Pots will also need to be shaded from sunlight. Hot sun beating down on pots cooks plant roots. See Chapter Six “Grow Rooms & Greenhouses” and Chapter Ten “Soil & Containers” for more information.

Put pots inside another container to protect roots from being cooked by heat from the sun.

Beautiful plants line this protected Spanish terrace.
    Containers with wheels are much easier to move, especially if you are moving them back and forth from indoors to outdoors.
    Even with adequate security, the standard issues of water, soil, and fertilizer apply. For a successful crop, daily maintenance is essential during hot and windy weather.
    Wind can carry rogue male pollen or industrial hemp pollen creating problems for terrace growers. Plan ahead. See “Rogue Pollen” on page 145.

This cannabis plant is growing on a terrace between an ancient church and a high-rise office building.

Large containers require less maintenance and grow big plants.

This terrace garden obscures the door!

Avoid planting too early in the year or lower growth will be spindly.

This short crop was planted and harvested in just 3.5 months!

Basque growers planted this crop in a natural clearing in early summer.

Here is a shot of the same garden (above) a couple months later.

Coastal winds tend to flow inland during the day creating cool zones denoted by blue lines.
Guerilla Growing
    Guerilla growing, a term coined in the early 1970s, requires strategy, time, and most often, physical prowess. Depending upon your location and local laws, clandestine guerilla growing in remote locations could be your only option.
    Location and security are the main concerns for a guerilla grower. Choose a location that has limited public access. Check regulations for hunting and recreation, and think of who might be using the area: hunters, mushroomers, other marijuana growers, hikers, dirt-bikers, Boy Scouts, etc. Select a remote site unlikely to be used casually.
    Look for a site that already has big green stands of vegetation. Marijuana is a vigorous plant with a large root system, and a flowering female will stand out if surrounding vegetation dies back before harvest. Stands of thorny blackberry bushes, ferns, and meadow grass are good options.
    Prepare your marijuana patch up to six months before planting. Remove green vegetation in the fall for a spring garden. Clear a few patches to allow sufficient sunshine, cut back roots of competing plants, and till planting holes two- to three-feet square (60-90 cm 2 ). If possible, allow amended soil to sit for a month or longer before planting. Remote locations are hard to visit on a regular basis, so proper planning and preparation is important. If your home and guerilla gardens are similar, you can plant an indicator crop like tomatoes as a backyard guide to your hidden plants’