Opening up zoning for cannabis operations in Southern California’s desert and inland areas means cultivators must deal with dry conditions. How are growers dealing with this very real condition of growing in a dry, desert region? High humidity environments for at least part of the growing stages has become more common in this new era of commercial cannabis operations.

Land Grab: Evaporative Fog, Not Evaporating Profits

The rush to grab some piece of the recently legalized commercial operation has meant newly zoned areas in the Coachella Valley desert and its extreme weather conditions. Previously known for lower than average real estate prices compared to neighbors in coastal San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles counties, desert areas have become hospitable to growers and ancillary products and services within the cannabis industry. But for growers, dealing with the nearly ever-present and year-round dry conditions of the desert may not have been a consideration when first thinking of putting down roots for their operations in this part of the region. Now they are dealing with a very real issue but one that many developers, real estate agents selling properties and even growers themselves may not have foreseen.

Long History of Fog Use: Cultivation

Adding cooling and humidity to horticultural growing environments is nothing new to Mark Stanley from MicroCool. Focusing on irrigation, mist and fog for the horticulture industry beginning in the UK and Europe for the last 30+ years has made him one of the foremost experts in designing these systems for greenhouses and other growing environments. Cannabis is the latest industry to take advantage of the growing techniques and product optimization that come from using fog for cooling and humidity.

VPD & Humidity Systems

‘VPD is the buzzword in the cannabis industry these days. Those of us that have been working with traditional crops for years know that humidity affects the plants by creating an environment which strengthens viability by keeping the plants healthy and less stressed. The fancy way to describe it is VPD: Vapor Pressure Deficit. Really, it’s a technique to optimize the health and yield of plants. Our systems are set up for growers to manipulate the humidity in the environment and add cooling when needed. Growers know their plants and we can help them deliver cooling and humidity based on their guidelines.’

Desert Cultivation Demands Humidity

Using Humidity to combat VPD is a sophisticated cultivation technique. In the harsh dry conditions of the So Cal desert, humidity is not a choice but a necessity. Dry conditions can easily affect persnickety plants within a day. Cannabis growers are on the front lines taking on the extreme conditions of this desert that MicroCool calls home.

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