Newbie outdoor grower. Suggestions/comments please

[japanjin]

Here is the basic rundown. I am a foreigner living in Japan so this is a big time outdoor stealth grow. Japan has a no tolerance policy with foreigners and ANYTHING illegal (don't get me started on that crap, along with the underlying racism) so my partner and I are in stealth mode. One strike and you're back to the country you originally called home.

Last year we planted a bunch of seeds, without knowing what we were doing and I still don't but I'm learning, and yielded perhaps 3/4 of an oz. to an oz. We planted extremely late and our main plant got to maybe 2 feet high. This year after reading about it on the net I think I can do much much better.

I have one main question right now and you can bet your bottom dime that there will be more.

1. I went exploring today and found what looks to be some good spots in the Northern Japanese wilderness for not being found out. The places, obviously, with the least chance to get caught are in the forest which is quite overgrown and dense with what I think are a type of bamboo bush. I am comfortable clearing a space to plant some green in the forest. The problem is that the trees will be blocking almost all sunlight. I'm not interested in a 6 foot high plant but something that will yield more than the obvious blunder of plant that we had last year. Can an outdoor plant grow sufficiently in almost all indirect sunlight? Has anyone had to do this before?

Also, I will be planting seeds directly into the ground. I thought about sprouting the seeds and getting them to seedlings before I planted them into the wilderness but decided the risk just isn't worth the reward. Taking seedlings out and about doesn't seem easy.

japanjin Reviewed by japanjin on 04-06-2008. Newbie outdoor grower. Suggestions/comments please Here is the basic rundown. I am a foreigner living in Japan so this is a big time outdoor stealth grow. Japan has a no tolerance policy with foreigners and ANYTHING illegal (don't get me started on that crap, along with the underlying racism) so my partner and I are in stealth mode. One strike and you're back to the country you originally called home. Last year we planted a bunch of seeds, without knowing what we were doing and I still don't but I'm learning, and yielded perhaps 3/4 of an Rating: 5

[FrostAie]

no bro plants wont thrive with that little of light they need at least 10 hours a day and a open sky to become monsters they will be skimpy in a overcrowded forest

[japanjin]

Thats what I figured. Was just hoping it wasn't true, but it's common sense that plants need sunlight I guess.....

I used google Earth last night and found some decent looking plots near last years spot. Have to do some hiking it looks like, similar to brwndirtwarrior. Going to go check them out now.

[japanjin]

Alright scoped out some more spots today. Using GE I found some more plots that looked like the would serve my purposes. The problem is is that its some kind of maintenance road and there were tire tracks that looked a few days old in the mud. Maybe 15 yards over the ridge running along the road there are some power lines supplying power to a nearby dam, hidden from the view from the road. Think its risky planting under the power lines? I figure people wont be checking them more than a few times during the summer months. If they do check the power lines for maintenance then hopefully they wont know what weed is, this is Japan after all.

About tying down plants...do you just kind of bend them over so they aren't growing straight up? Is it as simple as it seems?

Also about supplying water to the plants. Can you take a 2 liter bottle submerge it in the nearby soil and poke a tiny hole in the cap so water slowly drains out feeding the plant? You probably have to poke a tiny hole in the top as well right?

Sorry about the newb questions, its what I am.

thanks in advance

[ToKAlot]

Ok well bending it over is easy just do a little research on the site u will find out but the water idea would work:rastasmoke: but how often would you be able to go by your spot to check on things and bring water to it

[keeko]

under the power lines seems risky. never underestimate 'the man'.

[dgsgandalf]

I wouldn't recommend planting under power lines. There are all kinds of reasons people might be out in those cleared areas. And i would think most people know what cannabis is, even if they haven't seen one before. Japanese people are pretty smart, so you might get screwed.

If you do end up planting under power lines, don't bend the plants. That's a surefire way to get them looked at. Anything unnatural draws attention.

Let us know how things progress.

[jsn9333]

As far as the forest, if you can find a big enough clearing where the plants will at least get a few hours of sunlight at mid-day you at least should get some sort of harvest. One way to estimate the hours of light is to hold your hand, fingers down, out at arms length toward the clearing. Each finger is 15 minutes, and the sun will move "four fingers" in an hour. So count the number of "hands" across the clearing taking the same path the sun would take (generally east to west). Then you can see how many hours you'll get each day. Not all plants need direct sunlight, but marijuana does.

Another way is to look for clearings that are big enough is to look to see if wild grass grows there naturally. Marijuana has very similar sunlight needs to wild grass, ironically.

I would stay away from the power lines or anything man made. You want to find an area humans would actually avoid, not just a place humans hopefully will not not wander by. The chances of humans wandering by power lines is pretty good.

The place I found that is perfect is in swampy area way back in some undeveloped land on the outskirts of my city. It is nasty as hell back there. Last year I set the plants back in there next to a briar patch with some other bushes around all sides so that someone would have to walk right up on the plants to see them. And no one in his right mind would be walking through that swampy area anyway. In the early spring it wasn't bad, but by summer the place had 6-7' tall grass, snakes, ticks, etc. I had to cover my whole body and tuck my pants into my socks just to not get bit up (learned that the hard way). I also sprayed a high concentration DEET ("deep woods OFF") bug repellent all over my clothes before I went out. And as soon as I got home I had to throw the clothes in the washer, shower, and check myself for ticks. I got some chigger (mite) bites even with all that protection. But it was worth it to make as sure as possible I wouldn't end up in prison.

That is the kind of place I'm talking about. If you can find a big enough clearing in the woods, that could work. But I recommend a nasty, "hard" area as opposed to just anywhere in the woods any hiker might stumble upon.