Excerpted from Invisible Marijuana by Robert Bunch, Published by Green Candy Press and available from Amazon, all good bookstores, and
alibongo.co.uk
Indoor Versus Outdoor Gardening Arguments For Both
If a person is about to undertake the felonious task of starting a marijuana garden, that person must first decide the method by which he or she is going to raise the crops. Even though the chemical marvels of hydroponics systems have made giant strides in the area of marijuana horticulture by producing more fruits per year than standard gardening, the grower must deal with another issue - accountability.
What most how-to hydroponics books fail to tell the grower is that, if busted, a hydroponics grower will usually be dealt with more severely than a soil gar- dener. Te reason for this is that a prosecutor can make a better case for intent to distribute, citing the “chemically advanced” methods used by a closet gardener. Te prosecutor can razzle-dazzle the jury into thinking the accused is some sort of mad scien- tist. Aſter all, how many people outside the growing industry have even heard of hydroponics? Imagine your lawyer trying to explain to twelve middle-aged news-watchers that your carbon dioxide-enriched grow room was for raising dope for your personal smoking needs. On the other hand, suppose you are caught with a dozen indicas planted in your back yard. Te heat is still on, but the chance of doing any real time is exponentially reduced. While not many people know about hydroponics, everyone knows someone who has grown and smoked some “home- grown.”
Now I know what all hard-core hydroponic enthu- siasts are touting. “My closet system is impenetrable to the sight of mortal man!” Not as true as one might think. Te DEA has hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of equipment specifically designed to find your little green treasure. Tose high-intensity lights that are now used in grow systems leave a radiation signature that a properly-equipped helicopter can pick up a mile away, hence “snoopervision.” With- out this equipment, the fuzz must rely on ground spotting, a simple look-around technique. Another advantage to outdoor gardening.
No matter how advanced the hydroponic system, it is still heavily reliant upon a human keeper. Let’s take a look at some of the contrasts between a closet system and an outdoor organic method.
It is well known that all plants need sunlight for photosynthesis. Te cannabis plant will assimilate all sunlight that it receives and turn it into food. Te sun supplies a complete spectrum of light for mari- juana plants throughout the growing season. Te most important frequencies for the cannabis plant are the blue (445 nanometers) and the red (650 na- nometers). When these frequencies are correctly supplied, the plant will achieve maximum chloro- phyll production and photosynthetic response. No matter how advanced the lighting system is, it can- not replicate the sun’s countless wavelengths. Even if the perfect lighting were supplied, the authorities have found another way to snare the evil marijuana grower - electricity usage.
Te electric company is not the benign regulator of power you may think it is. Te electric company is an arm of the federal government. I have very close relatives who work at the local electrical co-op and I can tell you, they monitor wattage consumption very closely. Unless you start your indoor garden at the beginning of summer or during the onset of winter to mimic regular energy usage spikes, they employ professionals who can spot a medium-sized grow room just from the 18-hour cycle the high-intensity discharge lamps use. Tree lamps on an 18-hour cy- cle shows up as 162 kilowatt hours per month! Tat is just the lamps. Add another 60 kilowatt hours per month for cooling and the grower has been marked. Tis may not be enough evidence to get your door smashed in, but I know quite a few people who are closely watched by the local police but have no clue. Te government is always looking for ways to keep one step ahead of the common man.
Water is another important factor in the growing of cannabis. Te difference between rain and wa- ter from the tap is phenomenal. Marijuana needs a relatively neutral pH to successfully take up all the nutrients needed to thrive. Rainwater, for the most part, has a neutral to slightly acidic pH to it. On the other hand, tap water can range from 6.3 to 7.5. Tis is unacceptable for the cannabis plant, which is 75% water by weight. Even if a grower could neutralize his own tap water, it is oſten impregnated with alka- line salts, calcium, chlorine, fluorine and sulfur.
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