Solar Powered Irrigation for Cannabis: The Ghost’s Solar Watering Hack

Solar Powered Irrigation for Cannabis: The Ghost’s Solar Watering Hack

If you want to grow 15-foot giants guerrilla but only visit your spot four times in an entire season, you have to stop being the “water mule.” Carrying buckets can get old fast; let the sun do the heavy lifting for you.

I’ve built remote systems using a cheap 12-volt pump and a small solar panel that kept my girls fat and happy while I was miles away. This is how you stay a Ghost: you automate your grows so you can focus on the harvest. In the Ghost’s world, every visit you don’t make is always a plus.

The 12-Volt Ghost: Solar-Powered Stealth Irrigation…The Ghost

The trick to this isn’t just the tech—it’s the camouflage. A solar panel is a “glint” in the woods that can be seen if you don’t hide it right.

The Ghost’s Solar Setup:

• The Submerged Pump: I use a cheap, small 12-volt water pump. I hide it right at the water’s edge, tucked under natural rocks or submerged in a “sump” so it’s invisible to anyone walking by. It is important to have a water level that does not fluctuate much.
• The “Vein” (Lines): I bury the intake and outtake lines. You want the ground to look completely undisturbed. Bury them deep enough they will not come up.
• The Aerial Panel: Instead of putting the solar panel on the ground, sneak the wires up a nearby tree. Mount the panel high up in the canopy if possible. I generally use a large Ponderosa pine tree, push the wire into a natural ‘crack’ in the bark, and install the panel on a large branch not that far up the tree. It takes time to hide the wire, but if not hidden well is a dead give away.
• The “Sun-Timer”: You don’t even need a battery or a complicated timer. When the sun hits that panel for an hour or two, the pump kicks on and delivers a drink. When the sun moves, the pump stops. It’s a self-regulating system that works on “Plant Time.”

Op-Sec Tip: I like to use small 1/4 inch line you can buy that has a dripper every foot or so. You can also use this line for the rest of the install as well, just solid line for the to and from the drip line. I always thought about using some kind of proportioner for injecting fertilizer in the line when it runs, but never did try it. If you ever have leave me a comment and tell me about it.

With a setup like this, I’ve had spots I only visited a total of four times through the season: once to plant and fertilize, once to check the pump and fertilize, once to prune and bloom formula, and once to harvest. Easy peasy….