OregonBorn
Active member
I grew up in the emerald triangle and the reason it became the emerald triangle had nothing to do with climate or soil. Cultivation took off there due to it being remote, rugged, and isolated. Those qualities attracted back-to-the landers and disillusioned Viet Nam Vets who had a cannabis mentality. Cannabis will do well in most places. Most is not grown in native soil, anyway. I know growers who left Humboldt due to C.A.M.P pressure in the late '80s that took their shows to Georgia, Colorado, the Dakotas, and high altitude areas near Lake Tahoe that have all done well.
Perzactly. Climate is better in many other places in California. The soil is best in many of the inland valleys. The Central Valley has the most productive Class 1 soil in the USA and likely the whole world. IMO the Salinas Valley has the best top soil and climate for growing just about anything. A lot of that area has been paved over, built on, or planted in grapes though.
The key for growing commercially in California seems to be land cost and availability, water availability, county and city growing ordinances and bans, and county and city taxes on grow canopies. It will likely take a while to shake out the old paradigms and new regions will emerge as the largest marijuana producers in California. I would not bet on a lot of existing parts of the Emerald Triangle as lasting longer term. Trinity Co. is already rousting out grow operations on a large scale. Mendocino County has good prospects for valley floor growing areas, particularly places like Potter, Anderson and Redwood Valley. Monterey County is already booming in weed production.