Pissing around the perimeter of your grow area keeps most animals away. I've also read on here somewhere that cat repellents work too. The stem thickens very slowly as the plant grows, so don't hold your breath. Can't help with the rest as I only grow indoors. Good luck.

peace
HvyFuel Reviewed by HvyFuel on . Stem thickness Hey, I'm new at growing and am probably going to be posting some questions about my grow throughout its course. I have eight plants growing right now in three different locations all with direct sunlight throughout the day. They were just transplanted into their permanent homes yesterday where i slightly buried the stems. They are each about 4 - 5" tall after burying them about 1". My first question regards to when their stems will thicken up because in all the pictures i have found online Rating: 5