Grow Your Own: Buying Equipment

Well here we are with the first in this 4-part series. I thought to talk about security first. I want people to understand that good security habits are the first thing you need to develop if you want to grow marijuana in your home. Security starts with the first step you take which is reading this blog post.

Remember folks, you aren't purchasing groceries. Most of what you get will be a one time purchase so practice heavy prevention early on. The badged animals know they won't see you for another 4-6 months once you're stocked up, so they're looking closely all the time. ACT LIKE IT.

The Rules

1. Pay Cash
   This is rule #1 for a reason. Police will not hesitate to dig into financial records - legal or not. Police are known to lie on search warrants and that's all that's needed to turn an innocent life upside down. Don't give the badged criminals the benefit of paper trail evidence.
   
   
2. Diffusion/Don't buy everything in one spot
   The concept behind diffusion is that you have to spread out your purchases. The reason is that police stake out garden shops and that's usually the only place you can find everything at once. So, think creatively about the items you need. Find out a way to split up those purchases among 4-5 other stores and the internet. Also, spread it all out over a few days.
   
   
3. "Dead end" your trail
   There are some things you will have to get from the local garden shop. Expect police to be watching the location and expect to be watched and even followed for as little as bottle of plant nutrients. If you decide to include a friend, you can use their car or get that person to buy things for you. The reasoning is that if the police do try to follow, they will be lead to a home that isn't the actual grow spot. You can pick up your items at a later date.
   
   If that is unsettling to you because you don't want to USE a friend or you adhere to Rule #1 of growing marijuana - tell NO ONE, not even friends - make use of cabs, trains, buses, and so on. For example, if you're in NYC, drive to the train station. Take the train one, two, or three stops to your TRUE stop. Take a cab to the garden shop. If a cop is following you on foot, he won't be able to keep up in a cab. If he's in a car which is most likely the case, he can't exactly take it on the train. You can also go into another state if you're near the border.
   
   
4. Notice the time of year
   If you're at the garden shop buying Ocean Forest (soil) in the dead of winter, you better have a damn good reason and be able to back it up as well. Police will not hesitate to lie on a search warrant to get into your home to see what you're doing.
   
   
5. Quiet and Quick
   If you know what you need and it's small items, get in and get out as quickly as possible. For example, one day at the garden shop, a guy walked in to purchase a scalpel and rockwool cubes. I knew what he was doing (cloning) automatically. He came in, got his items, made his purchase, and left - not even a "hello" nor "good-bye". I found it funny because the cop standing there with the "concealed" weapon didn't even get a chance to turn around to try to ID the guy. Now, there will be times when you'll have questions and need answers. Ask those questions in the marijuana growing forums or ask me. I'll help you. Don't go into the garden shop not already knowing what you want.

I know it may seem like overkill. But think about the alternatives - break your bank every week sending some other prick's kids to college, possibly support those Mexican drug cartels, or getting caught by some cops who will only end up selling the stuff you spent so much time and effort growing.

Ok, now we're done with that. Next "episode" I'll discuss specifically what items you would get, how it all goes together, and a word on getting seeds.