What would you do? (the buggy neighbor problem)

[gallaure]

Agreed, mx!!

There are some legal ways to grow cannabis, but I don't have a special permission card to commit vandalism.

Since I'm not the only one involved, landlady and hubby will be in on the decision. We'd be very easily implicated with any problems they have, so we must tread carefully. There is nothing illegal about me rounding-up trespassers and scattering lacewing eggs right on the border.

[jenn_sc]

Originally Posted by mx4inpa

This is why I suggested a direct approach. Cannabis growers are typically a paranoid lot. If they know they are attracting attention they will usually fix the problem or move.

They must be really dumb cannabis growers....they're already attracting attention! If they had any brains at all they would be the most polite, respectful neighbors ever!

I would call DHEC immediately. They don't sound nice enough (or smart enough) to reason with. I wouldn't put up with aphids, rats, and possible rattlesnakes (!) for one more minute Get the rest of the neighbors to complain too. There is strength in numbers! Good luck.

[Amigatec]

Originally Posted by mx4inpa

lol people crack me up

When perusing cannabis forums for the latest in tomato growing techniques I've seen this subject come up a few times. The advice always handed down goes something like this "do not steal from the power company, you will get busted".

Secondly, the ONLY way to steal electricity is to bypass the meter. Otherwise its getting metered, and youre paying for it.

The easy way to do that is to bypass the weatherhead. If done properly it is hard to tell. Just run a smaller wires from one side to the other.

[Amigatec]

Originally Posted by tjg911

2. california is a very liberal place but afaik growing pot is illegal. call the cops, i suspect that the cops care.

Pot IS legal in California, it is called "Medicine".

[tjg911]

medical marijuana is legal but i doubt that just anyone located anywhere in the state has the legal right to grow pot without some type of permit. if that were true then there's be no reason to grow it in the state and national forests. what a wacky state california is!

as to roundup solution, how can anyone blame you for spraying it? 1st they won't know what killed the plants and stoners probably wouldn't care or notice. personally i like the idea but if it bothers you don't do it.

sure seems the dept of health would be interested in such a rat's nest especially if having rats draws rattlers.

tom

[dice]

They don't sound like professional pot growers. They don't even
sound like talented amateurs. Most likely they are just some
"dudes" who smoke weed, with a few plants for home use
maybe. They don't maintain the backyard because they are
not interested in yards and gardening. They have no clue at all
about aphids, fruit trees and rats, rat poison and cats,
rattlesnakes, invasive weeds, or any other problems that start
with unmaintained yards and then become the neighbors'
problems.

If anyone complains, they are likely to think that the real
problem is "nosy neighbors who need to get a life instead
of bugging us about not becoming Sunset Magazine
Americans."

The multiple wires into the property could be a power scam
(sounds a bit too clever for these guys, but some previous
renter might have installed it), or maybe they have multiple
broadband Internet connections (I wonder if they have some
eBay business that both justifies and pays for more than one
broadband circuit, so that they have a backup if their primary
ISP loses a router or something).

"S*x, drugs, and rock'n'roll, baby. What else is there? Oh yeah,
booze."

[Mojo]

If they were being Good Neighbors, I'd say leave 'em alone. But it sounds like they're being Bad Neighbors.

Corn borers can wreck a hemp crop....

[dice]

One other thing that you could do is throw seeds of perennials
that attract beneficial insects like ladybugs, lacewings, and
predatory wasps over the fence. No one is going to notice.
(Look for drought-tolerant varieties.)

[gallaure]

Dice, you're reading my mind.

Picked up lacewing eggs, too. And a bottle of Ortho weed killer (systemic herbicide). I'm so sad that a bit spilt in the gap between the fence.

I'm sure that once the lacewings kick in, my problems will reduce on that tip of this iceberg. Landlady and hubby are deliberating...

[jenn_sc]

Just to be clear....

Ordinarily I wouldn't care if my neighbors grew pot. But if those same neighbors made my backyard a dangerous place (snakes and poison) and ruined my garden, and generally were neighbors from h*ll....well, then, I might not worry wheither or not they'd get busted when the DHEC people paid them a visit

I had a neighbor once with a couple of cannibis plants tucked away in a corner of his back yard. I never mentioned it to him. His yard, his business...he was a good neighbor overall.

I will say that the laws in California must be way more lenient than in SC. No one would dare be so brazen as to grow lots of weed outside and be such jerks. The cops here would decend SWAT-team style over a plant or two. I've known people who got caught with less than a joint and they not only went to jail, but then they spent THOUSANDS of dollars getting the legal mess straightened out. God help you if you get caught growing

[Barbee]

I must have misunderstood?
I didn't think there was any cannibis growing outside. Most I know that are growing something illegal do so inside in a foil lined closet. Goodness if they're growing it outside, they're not going to want all those weeds and bugs near it either. They baby those plants worse than we do tomatoes LoL.

[RonnyWil]

What if a fire accidentally started in the backyard and the fire department had to be called? The police usually show up also. The fire inspector might make them clean up the hazard.

[cdbva]

Why not call your county extension and see if they have any ideas? They know stuff. My extension here has been incredibly helpful the two times I've called them. They seemed really eager to assist in any way.

Re the marijuana growing, I think it would be rotten to mention it unless they happen to be serial killers as well. Property and assets are sometimes confiscated, depending on local enforcement laws; I don't know anyone I'd want to do that to.

Christine

[kwselke]

I'd call the local police non-emergency telephone number (not 911) and explain what you have explained here. They might not be out right away, but they will be out, and most likely tactful. Do not vandalize. That is a step below what you are complaining about.

[harleysilo]

I commend the many comments in this thread showing respect for the right to privacy and consideration for the well-being of the terrible neighbors.

I'd wait for a windy night and stick my pump sprayer nozel above the fence and let it drift over their yard. Blame it on lack of rain.