I do have a few outdoor grows under my belt and am going to give it another shot this spring.I've never grown in our area before and we've only lived here 2 years.We live about a mile from a river and as is obvious we have a high clay soil.I don't believe digging a hole and planting is going to be good because it probably wouldn't drain well.i believe i have 2 options: either a raised bed or planting in a container.A container would be ideal except it's not very stealthy.Should i just use a raised mound for each plant and what would you suggest i do to keep the mound from eventually washing away meaning should i some how construct a barrier around the mound to prevent soil wash out?
Why dont you plant the "pot"(plant container)in the ground? Dig a hole,and bury a 5 gallon bucket under ground level with primo soil..That would work CG
I thought about that but 10 inches below top sil is pretty much pure clay which doesn't drain.I'm afraid in order to get the hole to drain properly my hole would have to be very deep with a layer of rocks....Lots of digging and clay is a bitch to dig in.That's why i thought a raised bed would be easiest and less chance of failure.
greenthumb, im gonna grow outdoors soon too. I also live in an area with ALOT of red clay, My plan is to dig a fairly deep whole, toss in a bunch of rocks, and bury a 5 gallon bucket just like CG said. I'm not sure if it will be too much of a hassel to dig the whole, but imma try it. Also are you gonna plant in open fields or what? I'm not sure where to plant because its either open fields, or woods with tall trees that block light?
greenthumb Dig a hole knee-deep and pour a gallon of water in it to see how long it takes to be absorbed into the surrounding soil. Often, the deeeper you go, the more poros the soil. Digging holes in the woods is the hardest part of an guerilla grow, much harder than digging a similar hole in the 'city'. But the better you prep your grow spot, the more rewards you'll reap. If the soil is so hard it retains water for a long time, all is not lost. When you water a plant outside, 3 things happen to the water. -evaporation from the top level of the soil, -transfererrence to the lower and surrounding soil, and -aspiration through the leaves, which in a big vegging plant outdoors can be over a quart/day (depending on ambient humidity). So if there is some drainage, you may be able to get by, just by using less water, giving the roots a chance to dry out slightly between waterings.
Hey greenthumb im gonna grow outdoors this year and im gonna put the plants in 5 gallon pails im gonna cover half the pail with burlap and glue sticks and leafs to that for camo then drill drain holes in the bottom and an inch from the bottom to ensure good drainage then put 2-3in. of drain rocks in the bottom then over that put a layer of gardening felt then fill with good soil mix, worm castings, asorted manures, bloodmeal, bonemeal, lime and some magic water crystals. then burry the pail half way in the ground. if more drainage is needed ya can put a layer of drain rocks in the bottom of the hole and then burry ya pail. Well thats my game plan hopefully with the magic crystals i will not have to go and waterem to often to keep a lo pro on the grow. and im gonna grow a tomato plant in the yard under the same conditions and that will be my guide to see if i need to make a trip to water or not. Good luck on the guerilla grow and let me know how it goes
USE SOME HYDROROCKS ON THE BOTTOM OF THE 5 GAL BUCKET, WITH PLENTY OF DRAIN HOLES ON THE BOTTOM, THEN PUT IN A GOOD SOIL MIX ON TOP AND PRESTO
Easy on the caps Mak...hard on a stoner's eyes bud Mr P that sounds like a sweet setup. The test tomato plant is great! You have spent some time thinking this **** up huh? Lots of these too.....
