Getting Started
Getting Started
Planting requirements will vary based on two key factors, the application of your final plants (oilseed, fiber, or CBD) and the composition of your field.
The first decision you must make is assessing your final product. What do you want to grow, hemp for CBD, fiber, seeds, or oil? Setting these goals before you start will help you form a clear picture of how to work your crop. If CBD is what you’re after, then you’ll need to pay attention to row spacing, sexing your plants to eliminate males, and selecting seed varieties that have been bred for CBD production. On the other hand, fiber, seed, and oil fields will generally be treated similarly. Keeping an eye on the plant density, soil management, and seedhead height will be priorities of these industrial hemp fields.
The second decision to make is how you want to get crops into your field. This can be achieved through either seeding directly or planting clones. Seeding is necessary for both grain and fiber production, as high crop densities are needed to maximize the output of fields per acre. When planting for CBD production, cloning is viable, but a more labor-intensive option. A well-planted field that has a final plant density of more than 20 plants/sqft will suppress virtually all weed growth.
SEEDING PRO
- Low labor requirement
- Fields can be seeded much faster
- Better field coverage
SEEDING CON
- More seeds required for seeding
- Sexing the field for male plant is necessary
- Seeds may not establish well if planted too early or hit by heavy rain
- Seed phenotype expression can vary
CLONING PRO
- Consistent plant genetics throughout an entire field
- Guarantees that all hemp plants are female in your field
- Plants are established before they are put into the ground
- Jumpstart on planting season
CLONING CON
- Requires much more labor to plant fields
- Requires keeping many mother plants from which to cut clones
- May need additional intermediary planters before being transferred to fields.
