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The Lost Coast

Season 3 Episode 1

by Amanda Mackay

The cannabis industry’s number one show, Growing Exposed, is back with their most thrilling and inclusive season yet! Known for it’s exclusive tours of the biggest cannabis gardens in North America, and for taking viewers inside elite industry events, as well as growing tips straight from the pros, this new season also introduces more of the people behind the gardens. Their stories and their insight give a more personal view into the world of large-scale cannabis cultivation.

We kick of our third season by taking viewers to the beach. We will visit one of the most undeveloped stretches of coast in California, appropriately called the Lost Coast. This pristine coastline boasts some of the most spectacular ocean scenery in all of America and is not to be missed. Also, Amanda MacKay, moves out of the studio and comes to us from tourist hotspot, Santa Monica beach.

Growers paradise, Humboldt county has a lot of hidden gems in its 10, 000 square km of land. And today, our tour guide Justin Cooper takes us down a bumpy road to get an exclusive tour of Smooth Farms.

His journey starts at The Wildcat. The Wildcat is a windy 30mile road, which had its beginnings over a century ago, and it is an epic drive. Gorgeous coastline, rugged cliffs and vivid wildflowers surround this beaten path, which is not your typical Sunday drive.

However, we aren’t there just to play with cows and check out the local scenery. We are here because this area is known for growing some of the best cannabis in the world.

Our first stop is to meet the garden crew from Smooth Farms as they unwind after a hard day’s work and discover what brought them to Humboldt.

The next morning our tour begins! Now of course, not all greenhouses are created equally…there are a lot of options…similar to buying a car…and using that same analogy, the Nexus greenhouse at Smooth Farms is fully loaded. One of the most state of the art greenhouses Growing Exposed has ever seen.

We begin in the 3000 square feet nursery surrounded by clones with Aaron Johnson from Smooth Cannabis. He shares how using a Nexus greenhouse has performed for them and what growing in a place like Petrolia means to him. We check out some of the new flavors in the nursery before moving onto the bigger plants next door.

We get a closer look at their lighting system and the high tech and unique way of utilizing light deprivation, to stimulate season changes while respecting the local wildlife. Cannabis plants love consistency and this fully automated greenhouse provides them with an ideal temperature and fresh air at all times.

Humboldt is known for its world-class genetics. When you add that to an experienced grower and a cultivation facility like we are seeing today, it’s no wonder they are able to have strains like Gelato 33, White Tahoe cookies, Sour Kush and more flourish under the Californian sun.

One of the biggest challenges in a greenhouse climate like this is controlling the humidity in the space. At Smooth Farms, they use a commercial dehumidifier to produce high-end flower all year round.

Next on our tour we take a closer look at some of the plants themselves. There are three different stages of flowering in the greenhouse and the goal is to have a crop come down every three weeks.

In Teachings of the Garden Sage, David Robinson explains about the cloning process and how using good genetics will help maximize yield in your garden. Starting with dedicated mother plants is important and so is where we get our cuttings. Cutting from the upper level and in the same area produces a more consistent group of clones and protects from pests. David walks us through the stages of taking a cutting to a clone. High humidity, the right temperature and gentle lighting will help roots begin to develop between a week to 14 days.

Sustainable farming is becoming more important to cannabis famers and Smooth Farms prides itself on making that a priority. In a facility the size of Smooth Farms, water is a huge variable…how they get that much water and how they can store water…because of that they have a million gallon pond to collect rain water, and they also recycle rain water from the roof of their greenhouses. They then store and sterilize the water to get the PH and food levels just right. We get a closer look at how everything can be controlled by a computer at this high tech grow.

Finally we speak with Michael Beck, from Royal Gold, about why their Kings mix soil is used in some of the biggest and most successful gardens, including Smooth Farms. He shares why Royal Gold’s quality product, consistency and passion have made them a staple in the Humboldt community.

Our visit to the Lost Coast has been one of our favorites and it’s been a pleasure showcasing the beauty, the people, and of course, the cannabis at Smooth Farms.

For more exclusive garden tours from past seasons of Growing Exposed, go to growingexposed.com. We also love to connect on social media @growingexpsd @growgreenplanet @theamandamackay @thegardensagetm

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