Occasionally I'll post handy tips I've picked from decades of growing pot out in some of America's more popular Nat'l Forests.
Paths
It's very difficult to have a guerilla garden without leaving a path. In fact, there's NO WAY you can do it without leaving enough of a trace for an experienced person tracker to detect and follow.
Luckily, most search and rescue people aren't rippers.
Only twice have I been able to get to a grow without leaving a path.
Once was up a rock-strewn side canyon, the other I accessed by boulder-hopping.
I noticed, in the latter instance, that everytime I hopped from 1 boulder to the next my boots would leave a bit of sand behind.
Seeing sand on top of a boulder is a sign even I could pick up on, and I'm FAR from being an experienced tracker. So I carried a little whisk broom in my back. On the first boulder I'd stop and whisk off the bottom of my boots, and the top of that boulder on the way out.
It's always advantages to determine if someone is getting into your garden, maybe biding their time until your plants are flowering before they come back to steal them.
So I would leave about 3 or 4 dry brittle twigs in the path, somewhat noticeable. Then when I went to water I'd look not only at the twigs to see if any were broken, but also the area's AROUND the twigs because maybe someone noticed them and stepped around/over them. I would place these twigs in an area that was surrounded by sand or small brush, either of which would leave a noticable mark.
LOCATION
Of course you want to locate your garden in an area where people never go. There are many signs to look for.
The obvious one are cigarette butts/wrappers/beer cans. etc.
But also look for branches that are broken head-high, to determine if a deer or person broke the branches.
THEN, leave a trinket on the path of potential grow area.
A $10.00 compass on a broken lanyard dangling from a bush like it had been around someone's neck and got snagged was a favorite of mine.
Another tactic I used was to put a few shiny coins (JFK half-dollars are ideal) next to a rock, where they might have fallen out of someone's pocket when they sat down.
People will take the compass or coins, thereby leting you know that is not a good place to grow.
That being said, I have had gardens in unbelievably remote, extremely difficult to reach area's and got ripped off.
Once was in a trailless canyon where no one had been for at least 3 years. Approaching harvest time I went out with my partner to check to see if our six 7' tall Maui Wowie girls were ready. I used my glass and figured 2 more days til optimum harvest time. The next day we said **** it and went back to harvest.
In that last 24 hours, someone had cut all the branches off all the plants. No one for 3 years and they pick that day someone came down that canyon. It might have been hunters.
Another time on a solo grow, I had 3 plants in containers, very well-hidden. After 1 or 2 visits I noticed someone had been picking the leaves, so I moved them to an even more remote area miles away. Same thing. Someone found them and picked leaves.
In desperation I re-located them right off a road. So close you could even see them (if you knew where to look).
They remained unmolested and I got half a pound off each one.
Paths
It's very difficult to have a guerilla garden without leaving a path. In fact, there's NO WAY you can do it without leaving enough of a trace for an experienced person tracker to detect and follow.
Luckily, most search and rescue people aren't rippers.
Only twice have I been able to get to a grow without leaving a path.
Once was up a rock-strewn side canyon, the other I accessed by boulder-hopping.
I noticed, in the latter instance, that everytime I hopped from 1 boulder to the next my boots would leave a bit of sand behind.
Seeing sand on top of a boulder is a sign even I could pick up on, and I'm FAR from being an experienced tracker. So I carried a little whisk broom in my back. On the first boulder I'd stop and whisk off the bottom of my boots, and the top of that boulder on the way out.
It's always advantages to determine if someone is getting into your garden, maybe biding their time until your plants are flowering before they come back to steal them.
So I would leave about 3 or 4 dry brittle twigs in the path, somewhat noticeable. Then when I went to water I'd look not only at the twigs to see if any were broken, but also the area's AROUND the twigs because maybe someone noticed them and stepped around/over them. I would place these twigs in an area that was surrounded by sand or small brush, either of which would leave a noticable mark.
LOCATION
Of course you want to locate your garden in an area where people never go. There are many signs to look for.
The obvious one are cigarette butts/wrappers/beer cans. etc.
But also look for branches that are broken head-high, to determine if a deer or person broke the branches.
THEN, leave a trinket on the path of potential grow area.
A $10.00 compass on a broken lanyard dangling from a bush like it had been around someone's neck and got snagged was a favorite of mine.
Another tactic I used was to put a few shiny coins (JFK half-dollars are ideal) next to a rock, where they might have fallen out of someone's pocket when they sat down.
People will take the compass or coins, thereby leting you know that is not a good place to grow.
That being said, I have had gardens in unbelievably remote, extremely difficult to reach area's and got ripped off.
Once was in a trailless canyon where no one had been for at least 3 years. Approaching harvest time I went out with my partner to check to see if our six 7' tall Maui Wowie girls were ready. I used my glass and figured 2 more days til optimum harvest time. The next day we said **** it and went back to harvest.
In that last 24 hours, someone had cut all the branches off all the plants. No one for 3 years and they pick that day someone came down that canyon. It might have been hunters.
Another time on a solo grow, I had 3 plants in containers, very well-hidden. After 1 or 2 visits I noticed someone had been picking the leaves, so I moved them to an even more remote area miles away. Same thing. Someone found them and picked leaves.
In desperation I re-located them right off a road. So close you could even see them (if you knew where to look).
They remained unmolested and I got half a pound off each one.
