Growing outdoors

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Guerrilla growing of cannabis (early flowering stage)

Outdoor growing (also known as guerrilla growing or guerrilla growing ) refers to the cultivation of hemp (cannabis) outdoors, usually for the production of marijuana or hashish . It thus represents the counterpart to indoor growing . Outdoor growing is illegal in Germany , Austria and Switzerland (in Switzerland, however, smaller plantings of up to five plants were often tolerated).

Intentions

There are basically two types of guerrilla cultivation to be distinguished. On the one hand, there is the small-scale, mostly self-sufficiency of the grower, who can thus avoid the dangers of the black market and at the same time ensure the quality of the marijuana he consumes. In the Netherlands and Switzerland, such self-sufficient gardens are mostly tolerated, but not in Germany and Austria. Belgium and Spain have also created a kind of "plant tolerance limit" that is measured against personal use .

On the other hand, there are commercial plantings with up to several hundred cannabis plants, especially in Switzerland and the Netherlands, but also in Germany and Austria. These serve to supply the black market.

In view of rising black market prices and the sometimes poor quality of the marijuana available, the number of users who grow their own drug is constantly increasing. Even harmful additives in marijuana, which are used to simulate a higher weight or larger volume, lead to increased self-cultivation. Guerrilla cultivation is also becoming increasingly popular with young people who are unable to grow indoors due to their financial situation or lack of suitable premises. This can be seen as the reason for the increasing number of illegal plantings by the police.

requirements

The basic requirement of any planting is seeds of high quality. Since this is legal in almost all countries on earth (but not in Germany), the seeds can be obtained by post from the Netherlands, Spain, Austria, England or Switzerland or even smuggled across the border. Bringing forward with so-called is also cuttings feasible, which can be purchased ready rooted (in Growshops from Austria even legal) or during Vorzucht in the house of mother plants are cut. The plants are planted in places where they are difficult or impossible to spot. When choosing the location, the factors soil quality, incidence of light and the location of the groundwater level are also taken into account. Shading the area by trees is avoided. Like any plant grown in the open air, hemp is exposed to both the weather and the effects of wild animals, both of which are taken into account when choosing the location. It should also be noted that, on average, around one in four illegal outdoor cannabis plantations is discovered, usually by chance. Due to the illegality and the cultivation cycle of around half a year, this cannot be prevented and, conversely, means that many guerrilla growers plant several places at the same time.

Culture

Young hemp plants in an ideal location

Most of the time, hard-to-reach clearings, overgrown meadows or similar inaccessible public properties are used for guerrilla cultivation. Every now and then, however, private properties are also planted, which meet the conditions required by the plants such as good, loose soil, constant sunlight and the remoteness necessary for the planter. In guerrilla cultivation it is often necessary to replace the existing soil or mix it with more suitable soil. In most cases, the cultivation of the plants begins indoors, either from seeds or from cuttings cut from selected mother plants. When the young plants are stable enough to be able to withstand cold nights and gusts of wind, they are usually put outside after the ice saints . From this point in time, the planting does not have to be looked after until autumn, unless you want to select the male plants, as they would otherwise pollinate the female, which would then produce very little THC themselves. The male plants are selected shortly after the flowers have formed in July / August. Regular watering may only be necessary in very dry summers or in unfavorable, dry locations. The time of harvest can be determined by looking at the resin glands ( trichomes ) of the female flowers (ideally under the microscope ). If the resin glands are milky to amber in color, the plant can be harvested. In this phase, the plants contain the optimal combination of a high amount of THC and the optimal THC / CBN ratio, which is important for the effect profile (CBN, which is continuously formed from THC through oxidation , makes you tired and is usually undesirable). The plants are then stripped of the larger leaves, dried and fermented and either left as marijuana, processed into hashish or, more rarely, hash oil .

sorts

Early-flowering varieties are generally suitable for outdoor growing, as otherwise there is a risk of mold formation in autumn (due to increased moisture, e.g. due to fog). Since varieties that are more based on cannabis indica genes have a shorter flowering time and are much better adapted to cool climates, they are mostly used for outdoor cultivation in Central Europe. So-called autoflowering varieties are also popular, in which cannabis ruderalis was crossed and have a genetically determined life cycle of around three months and thus tend to bloom regardless of the light. Only relatively few sativa varieties or sativa-dominant hybrids finish their flowering in mid-October and can also be cultivated in Central Europe.

Legal

The cultivation of THC-rich hemp is generally punishable in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

See also

literature

  • Jorge Cervantes: Marijuana Outdoors: Guerilla Growing , Van Patten Publishing, 2000, ISBN 1-878823-28-0

Individual evidence

  1. Cannabis - Outdoor-Guerilla-Growing: Die Spotsuche (teaser from the new issue) - Highway - Das Cannabismagazin. Accessed June 1, 2017 (German).
  2. Top 5 Tips for Growing Cannabis Outdoors - Sensi Seeds . In: Sensi Seeds Blog . March 18, 2015 ( sensiseeds.com [accessed June 1, 2017]).