In many jurisdictions it is completely legal to grow marijuana for medicinal purposes if you have the right paperwork. Outside growing is a great way to approach medical marijuana cultivation. It's not without it's own special problems. One of those is the way in which you will water the crop.
Medicinal marijuana needs water. If you grow it in a confined space you'll be amazed at how much water it can handle with good drainage.
This isn't to say that marijuana likes swampy ground, or that it likes to be wet. It likes being well drained, and can take some drought if it's prepared for it, but a steady water supply is beneficial.
If you're planting around your residence it's not much of a challenge. Yes, it's outdoors, but it's close to a hose. You can water it anytime you like.
Except some places have watering restrictions. If that applies to you then you do have a problem, just like a guerrilla gardener. You have to store water and plan, because you can't just leave the tap running.
The best solution is a combination of things. Being situated close to a water source helps. Having a storage system helps. Having soil that holds water helps.
Being close to a water source can be as simple as being downhill from a pond, lake, creek or irrigation ditch. Close means within hose length, or within walking distance. It's even possible to dig irrigation troughs in some areas. It's all relative.
Water isn't easy to transport, especially manually. It takes up lots of space. It's heavy. The more time you spend transporting it the more chance that you'll be seen. Situate the garden close to the water supply.
A hose based supply system should run downhill. If you try to go uphill you'll need pumps. Pumps mean gas and noise unless you use rechargeable batteries. That's an option but requires ingenuity. Hoses must be hidden or else they'll lead right to the garden, and that means plant theft.
You could dig a ditch to irrigate your garden. The problem is that the soil may not cooperate (you could lose most or all of the water en route). Also, streams of water run toward creeks, not away, so disguising the ditch can be difficult.
Another challenge is delivery. You want water delivered on a regular basis. You don't want the plants watered only when you can get there. Also, you don't want to be chained to the plants. If you get sick, want to go somewhere, or need to stay away you want to be certain that the plants will get water and survive.
Two solutions offer themselves to the guerrilla gardener. Containers that store water and release it slowly is one. The other is improving the soil so that it holds water longer.
Containers that hold large amounts of water are critical to a storage system. The containers must be easy to hide, but must hold a large volume. There are different approaches.
One is a series of five gallon buckets. They are small enough to hide in vegetation and debris. They are easy to acquire. They are also easy to fill, either by hose or directly from a water source if it's close enough. Paint them black, green or camo so that they disappear into the background.
55 gallon drums are another option. Steel ones work, but lighter plastic ones are also available. They are harder to hide, but they can sometimes be hidden in plain sight as garbage.
Like five gallon drums, they're easy to fill with a hose. You can put a plumbing fixture in the bottom to make watering easier, or attach a soaker hose to make it self watering. A self watering system, especially one with an automatic filler, won't pass as garbage, though, and will need good hiding.
One advantage of bigger drums is that they can catch and store rainwater. This won;t solve the whole problem, but it will help.
Perhaps the best way to store water is an old waterbed mattress. They can be very low profile, and they hold lots of water. If you can fill it automatically from a creek and let it drip slowly over the crop you'll do well.
Water retention is the last tactic. This will retain water and moisture, and while passive has been used for millennia by farmers. There are also man-made compounds that can be added to the soil.
A hillside garden will drain quickly. If you terrace it you can retain moisture. Lots of mulch on top of the ground around your plants will slow evaporation. A circular trench around the base of the plant will keep water from draining away too quickly. You can also dig pools to retain runoff.
Hydrogels, or water retention crystals are now available. They swell up when soaked and hold water, slowly releasing it back into the soil. They are made of polymeracrilides or else of starch, and while their effectiveness is debated I think that they work. When I've used them they certainly swelled up when wetted down. I'm sure they'd help plants endure dry times.
Medicinal marijuana needs water. If you grow it in a confined space you'll be amazed at how much water it can handle with good drainage.
This isn't to say that marijuana likes swampy ground, or that it likes to be wet. It likes being well drained, and can take some drought if it's prepared for it, but a steady water supply is beneficial.
If you're planting around your residence it's not much of a challenge. Yes, it's outdoors, but it's close to a hose. You can water it anytime you like.
Except some places have watering restrictions. If that applies to you then you do have a problem, just like a guerrilla gardener. You have to store water and plan, because you can't just leave the tap running.
The best solution is a combination of things. Being situated close to a water source helps. Having a storage system helps. Having soil that holds water helps.
Being close to a water source can be as simple as being downhill from a pond, lake, creek or irrigation ditch. Close means within hose length, or within walking distance. It's even possible to dig irrigation troughs in some areas. It's all relative.
Water isn't easy to transport, especially manually. It takes up lots of space. It's heavy. The more time you spend transporting it the more chance that you'll be seen. Situate the garden close to the water supply.
A hose based supply system should run downhill. If you try to go uphill you'll need pumps. Pumps mean gas and noise unless you use rechargeable batteries. That's an option but requires ingenuity. Hoses must be hidden or else they'll lead right to the garden, and that means plant theft.
You could dig a ditch to irrigate your garden. The problem is that the soil may not cooperate (you could lose most or all of the water en route). Also, streams of water run toward creeks, not away, so disguising the ditch can be difficult.
Another challenge is delivery. You want water delivered on a regular basis. You don't want the plants watered only when you can get there. Also, you don't want to be chained to the plants. If you get sick, want to go somewhere, or need to stay away you want to be certain that the plants will get water and survive.
Two solutions offer themselves to the guerrilla gardener. Containers that store water and release it slowly is one. The other is improving the soil so that it holds water longer.
Containers that hold large amounts of water are critical to a storage system. The containers must be easy to hide, but must hold a large volume. There are different approaches.
One is a series of five gallon buckets. They are small enough to hide in vegetation and debris. They are easy to acquire. They are also easy to fill, either by hose or directly from a water source if it's close enough. Paint them black, green or camo so that they disappear into the background.
55 gallon drums are another option. Steel ones work, but lighter plastic ones are also available. They are harder to hide, but they can sometimes be hidden in plain sight as garbage.
Like five gallon drums, they're easy to fill with a hose. You can put a plumbing fixture in the bottom to make watering easier, or attach a soaker hose to make it self watering. A self watering system, especially one with an automatic filler, won't pass as garbage, though, and will need good hiding.
One advantage of bigger drums is that they can catch and store rainwater. This won;t solve the whole problem, but it will help.
Perhaps the best way to store water is an old waterbed mattress. They can be very low profile, and they hold lots of water. If you can fill it automatically from a creek and let it drip slowly over the crop you'll do well.
Water retention is the last tactic. This will retain water and moisture, and while passive has been used for millennia by farmers. There are also man-made compounds that can be added to the soil.
A hillside garden will drain quickly. If you terrace it you can retain moisture. Lots of mulch on top of the ground around your plants will slow evaporation. A circular trench around the base of the plant will keep water from draining away too quickly. You can also dig pools to retain runoff.
Hydrogels, or water retention crystals are now available. They swell up when soaked and hold water, slowly releasing it back into the soil. They are made of polymeracrilides or else of starch, and while their effectiveness is debated I think that they work. When I've used them they certainly swelled up when wetted down. I'm sure they'd help plants endure dry times.
About the Author:
Have you ever asked the question:how do you grow marijuana? Castulo Zane is well versed in the marijuana growing.. This article, Getting Water To your Outdoor Plants has free reprint rights.
