My question about this whole thing is whose property is it on? If the plant(s) are on your property and spotted by law enforcement, will they believe your story that the kids put them there? Same goes if it's your neighbors property...

Also, even if the police do believe you, isn't that sort of aiding and abetting?

Yeah, in these days of meth labs and such, pot seems pretty tame but there might be some liability to consider.

Knit Wit

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Why don't you try something really wicked while they're gone and sprinkle the plant with weed killer or something

I like this idea! Easy to do and easy to KEEP doing if they keep trying to grow it there. Eventually, they'll give up and go away.

Knit Wit

There is always the option of a covert operation...staking "it" out by day and sneaking in and pulling it by the dark of the moon!!!.....only to destroy it, of course!! May just be doing those kids a big favor of removing their handy source.

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sprinkle the plant with weed killer or something.

I loved this idea, until I thought of the following:

What if you put weed killer on it, then they come back and harvest some before it dies. Then when they light up, they're smoking weed killer, too.

DebBee, wearing her little black cloud like a crown

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What if you put weed killer on it, then they come back and harvest some before it dies. Then when they light up, they're smoking weed killer, too.

I wonder if that would matter to them. After all, people who smoke pot usually aren't doing it for their health to begin with! Might make it all the more exciting from them.

How high can one get from week killer? I can't imagine smoking a little bit would do anymore damage than lighting up some pot would.

-- Ryan, pondering the meaning of life

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How high can one get from week killer

Well, I was thinking more about death or brain damage!

I'm a mom. It's my job to think of what horrible things could happen. <g>

DebBee

Yeah...you really DON'T have to have 2 plants to grow well...
(I think that is correct)
just as you don't need 2 cherry trees to grow one...

you really wouldn't want some stupid kid to break off a bit and smoke some round-up now would ya?? it could be fatal and would definately be harmful. I'm not saying to condone the use but how bout...mixing a strong mixture of cayenne pepper and vinegar and using a watering can etc to really soak the entire plant. if it lives it will tast like crapola when they light up.

cayenne pepper concoction is what alot of people used to use as a pest deterrent in the garden before chemical but they would be careful to not get it on the part ot be consumed.

I know a man who was hospitalized from accidental inhalation of round-up!! On a breezy day the spray was coming back at him. That night he was in ICU...true story!!

please do not do the weed killer thing.

maybe hang a little sign that says...smile, you're on candid camera!!

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There is always the option of a covert operation...staking "it" out by day and sneaking in and pulling it by the dark of the moon!!!.....only to destroy it, of course!! May just be doing those kids a big favor of removing their handy source.

That's what I was thinking, but having them think it just died is better...can't connect it to that crabby couple in the log cabin having ruined their fun! ;-)

The S & H

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Well, I was thinking more about death or brain damage!

I'm a mom. It's my job to think of what horrible things could happen. <g>

Yeah, but I'm a teacher...it's MY job to make sure parents don't kill ME for letting their kids do stupid stuff. I'm for the weed killer. I'll soak the whole GROUND in it if I have to, but I'm not letting kids blaze up in my backyard anymore, that's fer durn sure! :-)

The S & H

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I know a man who was hospitalized from accidental inhalation of round-up!! On a breezy day the spray was coming back at him. That night he was in ICU...true story!!

please do not do the weed killer thing.

maybe hang a little sign that says...smile, you're on candid camera!!

But, see that 's the problem! If I let them know we're on to them, then we have them trying to find some way to get back at us. It's not like they don't already know we've seen them. THere's a can of spray paint in my creek and a tree stump that they've sprayed with it. There's little bits of their junk everywhere back there and that's RIGHT on our property, not in the back in the neutral zone is. And I've NEVER seen the kids actually on the property but that one time, so however they're doing it, they're spending a LOT of time behind our house without us knowing it. We both work too far away from home to be home much earlier than 7pm, so we're leaving our stuff exposed to middle/high school vengance, which doesn't physically hurt, but can cost quite a bit in broken windows, spray painted houses, etc. I really have to do something about this or risk more problems.

It's winter, so I'm hoping it dies on its own, but if it returns, I'll find the least harmful substance I can to kill it. How's that?

The (still determined to deal out justice sans death) and the (promising to keep her on the sunny side of vigilantism) Highlander

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I'm not letting kids blaze up in my backyard anymore, that's fer durn sure! :

Hey, I'm COMPLETELY with you on this one! I just don't want to see the CSI guys come haul you away for offing some juvenile delinquent! Can you just go dig it up by the roots now, while everything's dead, so it won't grow back come spring? Or maybe a good dose of Round Up now, to whatever's left of the plant, so it'll be gone, gone, gone by the next growing season?

DebBee

Oh regarding the 2 plant thing..I didn't mean it for genetic reasons or pollination or anything. I meant that I never saw a pot farmer that could stop at growing just one plant. :)

LW

Are you *sure* nobody owns the land where this mysterious plant is growing?

I would be mighty annoyed if some well-meaning neighbor ripped out my Japanese Maple because they thought it was a pot plant.

Goodness knows people get upset if people "improve" letterboxes that they don't own. The same might be said about plants.

Be certain what you're doing.

Lisa

or you could kill it organically.... "acidify" the soil with coffee grounds. or even better water it to death. overwatering kills faster than most herbicides anyway! hah!

Herbicides lead to cancer. Pot leads to junk food.

*shrugs*

yeah, i realized no one would want the kids to know that you are on to them...but still no weed killer...

pulled the dag nabbed thing up first...

i also used to be an EEG technician...I did "brain deaths"...oh my gosh, you can't imagine all the voices in my head screaming and the shuddering i do when I think of a kid smoking weed killer...oh my...what if that was the one time my kid decided to try it...

(not saying they would) just painting a picture of how horrible this decision could be on many people's lives...ya know...I am doing what I was always taught...trying to put myself in someone elses shoes.

pot smoking for kids....bad
weed killer smoking...much worse

just pull it up and get rid of it...they will always then be the possibility that other kids or someone wanting it to smoke took it.

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dig it up by the roots now, while everything's dead, so it won't grow back come spring? Or maybe a good dose of Round Up now, to whatever's left of the plant, so it'll be gone, gone, gone by the next growing season?

Marijuana is an annual...not a perrenial.

You must have a good seed to grow again next year...which could fall from the plant if it had matured and was of the right sex or could come from someone cleaning seeds from their smoke. The same roots will not come back next year. A plant can be kept alive longer than their "annuim" but it will be beyond it's prime and will not do well for long. same with most all annuals...such as tomatoes!!

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just pull it up and get rid of it...they will always then be the possibility that other kids or someone wanting it to smoke took it.

The Highlander is for using Round Up. He's found out that it has the toxicity of table salt. It's basically a dessicant that absorbs all the moisture, so that would do it, too. I'm going to try all the nonlethal methods, but I'm seriously NOT going to pull this plant up. I don't think I would have thought twice about this before we became home owners, but this house means everything to us and we're not going to jeopardize that for anyone. I don't want these kids taking out their anger on this place when we aren't around to protect it (or when we ARE around and don't know it), yet I don't want the authorities holding us legally responsible for that plant back there. I mean, if I pull it up, how would I even destroy it? Burn it (already the problem, right?) or bury it (so it grows again) or be caught dumping on someone else's property....all of these involve us messing with that plant.

Everyone, don't worry. I'm not going to kill anyone, I'm just going to try all the methods we've talked about that weren't poisonous (coffee, vinegar, etc). As it stands, it's probably dead and won't be around next year. But, I'm not going to post about it anymore, 'cause I'm pretty sure I've got a plan now. Thanks for the help, everyone!

The S & H

Sometimes turning a deaf ear and a blind eye (no disrespect to those truly disabled) is the best choice.........especially in the grand scheme of things....and I am one to take on a good cause. However, there are those issues worth a fight and those which are not. This may be one that is a NOT.

ok...I guess everyone thinks I'M crazy now 8-)
if ya didn't already.

I would not persisit here by no means except I want everyone to make sure they realize not to go be careless with round-up because it's safe as salt.

the phrase about Round Up being safe as table salt is a term used in the marketing by the manufacturers. This is misleading. the phrase refers to it being "biodegradable" and what happens to round-up after it hits the soil or gets washed away...and that's all. once it mixes with soil it, it breaks down. That's all it refers to...not inhalation or smoking it.

Round-up is like the 2nd or third most herbicide to send people to the hospital to seek medical attention.

the story about the guy I knew that went into ICU after breathing it in...TRUE...he survived it but he was VERY sick.

OK...no more!! Be safe with chemicals :o)

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OK...no more!! Be safe with chemicals :o)

Got it...vinegar & cayenne only! No more weed talk!

The (humming happily as she writes the words "vinegar and cayenne" on a baseball bat) Sprite & the ("I'm sure HITTING the children would be frowned upon as well, dear") Highlander

P.S.--Actually, the Highlander thinks it might be safer if we got rid of in by rolling it up in small pieces of paper and destroying it in a series of tiny fires! ;-)

I take it talking to the kids' parents about your concerns is not an option?? 'Cause that's where I'd start... I forget where you live, but most likely it's an annual, unless you're in the deep south, southern California, or Hawaii... which means it hasn't got long to live... but presumably the kids have harvested some seeds for resowing next year...

akindofmagick

Just dig them up and get rid of them somehow.... was thinking burning them, but you might attract unwanted attention if it's noticeable. Throw them out or even just on the ground.

The statement about the police finding them and believing you was accurate tho. Your property, your responsibility. And you'd be surprised at how they can find them. If they see the kids wandering into your yard/neighborhood into the weeds, they may just go and look to see what they're up to.

I live in an area where this is common, and you wouldn't believe some of the things people think they'll be able to get away with and don't. People cross the border almost daily with it on them, I was once pulled over right after 9/11 when the National Guard was there with their M-16's b/c I had a tire patch in the trunk in a very small baggie and they found it. Secondary inspections are not fun, especially when some have had too much to drink.

Bottom line, you'll get in trouble too, don't mess with weed killers or bleach, just get rid of it. And I hate to suggest this, but in the area of it, do a little orange spray paint on a tree and that'll scare them off for the future, like it's being watched.

Moonduck

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If I let them know we're on to them, then we have them trying to find some way to get back at us. It's not like they don't already know we've seen them.

Here's my idea. If you know they generally come about the same time (weekends after dark, etc) why not let the police know? Just explain that you found a pot plant on your property (reiterate that it is not yours!) and their are neighborhood kids coming to it. Maybe they can catch them at it and the police will know that you reported it and were worried about the kids vandilizing your place. That way, if the kids do try to get back at you, you have a police record that you are having this problem with them...

Just a thought...

Ever heard of round up?

While this particular pot problem has been "hashed" to death(pun intended) there is another problem with pot growers here in the forests of California. Kern county leads the way for illegal pot harvesting(Duh, I guess any pot harvesting is illegal). When hiking you should be aware of any unusual items you may find such as miles and miles of drip hose. Unfortunately these bad guys try to take over some remote ares of the forest, and if you run across any sign of them or their crops you should leave the area immediately and try to be alert to any boobie traps. Report your findings to the nearest Forest Service office. The Forest Service doesn't necessarily remove the drip hose, as they generally cut it in several places, so you could be in an old pot growers area and not in a current one.
Don

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When hiking you should be aware of any unusual items you may find such as miles and miles of drip hose. Unfortunately these bad guys try to take over some remote ares of the forest, and if you run across any sign of them or their crops you should leave the area immediately and try to be alert to any boobie traps. Report your findings to the nearest Forest Service office. Don

Same thing applies to Eastern Pierce County, WA. I specifically haven't planted more than one letterbox out that way because of the out-of-control problem there. I also hear it's pretty rampant in Southern Oregon, too. I presume it's a nationwide problem. I thought Kentucky actually had the worst problem in the nation (perhaps that's a percentage-wise statistic thing)? Who'd have thunk?

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I take it talking to the kids' parents about your concerns is not an option??

If I knew who the kids were, that'd be perfect. I've only seen them from 20-30 feet away in the yard, though.

The S& H