Texas Growers Advice

Ok so i live in Texas and right now it's extremely hot. 102 degrees some days. I'm having trouble keeping deer away from seedlings when I planted last. Also, is it too late in the season to start some seeds? I don't want to do anything crazy, just 6-8 plants. I bought a small mini greenhouse but I don't know if that will work.

tell me about it, hella hot in austin

It makes it impossible to use those peat pellets. Should I just plant them in cups and skip the whole greenhouse idea? Maybe if they had a bigger medium to hold more water. It's kinda difficult to grow in my area so if you could help me with any ideas.

i too have a greenhouse and use party cups with a white interior, i water in the morning and later in the day if needed. thus i have no problems with them drying out. if want to start with jiffy pellets you can start those indoors and then put them in party cups.

it is late in the season but the days are still very long, you should do ok

Born and raised in Austin, Texas!!! Gardening in Texas is always a challenge. I just recently moved north but I feel your pain with those damn deer, and the Texas heat. I remember a really bad drought a few years back and the deer ate EVERYTHING in my gardens-- even toxic plants that they never touched seasons prior. They're such a pain, and the only absolute way I found to stop them were physical barriers-- I had greenhouses, but a tall fencing will work too. Some swear by Liquid Fence for outdoor grows, though I've never used it myself.

What are the dimensions of you're greenhouse? I'm using a small one for my grow-- my wife wouldn't let me take over our larger one! You can also LST your plants to help maintain their size. Good luck with your grow. Cheers.

Well it's not a freestanding greenhouse, it's a small seed starting greenhouse. I figured I could grow them for a few weeks in there so the deer don't eat that shit. I guess I could just piss around the plants each visit. I don't live bymyself but I have acres of land. The problem is that all the open sunny areas are too exposed to plant there. The rest of the land is dense woods with that thick under-brush. I wanna clear out an area but wonder if it will be too easy to spot from the air.

If you live on a few good sized acres with some heavy trees no ones going to see a small op going, i plan on doing this next summer when i move back home from school.

If you can get a gooood friend you can trust and set up some fence be it wood or even a small clearing wi th a cage around it...you can figure something out

Planting in dense woods is fine as long as you have enough sunlight reaching the plant-- if they're getting a lot of shade the plants will get long and leggy. The only real way to notice them from the air is if you are planting in rows(which looks really unnatural with the rest of the landscape), or if you have a massive operation going. I don't know how many you're planning on growing but don't plant them all in one spot.

As for the deer, wire fencing is the only for sure way to keep them out. People have used urine, feces, moth balls, bars of soap too. My experience with deer in Texas has led me to believe if they're hungry enough, they'll eat your plants regardless of what is spread around them. Oh and make sure that acreage isn't an area leased out by hunters. A buddy of mine had his grow compromised by a group hunting deer a few years back.

I'm going to start preparing a 10x10 area where I can clear out the underbrush and trees to let light in. I agree, I think if I plant them in like groups of 2 I can fit 10-12 plants easy. If I don't have it done by august 1, then unwilling have to wait til next year. I live about 30 miles away from an AFB and planes and helicopters fly over my area occassionally.

Starting now will probably net you a low yield, but it's better than nothing and worth the experience IMO. Sounds good man-- good luck bud, and happy growing.