Industrial Hemp Production Overview

Study Notes

Industrial Hemp Production

Scientific Name: Cannabis sativa (varieties include sativa, indica, and ruderalis)
Common Name: Industrial hemp
Family: Cannabaceae

Production Environments

Greenhouses:
- Advantage: Free photosynthetic light (sun).
- Disadvantages: Less predictable growing environment, potential security concerns, and older greenhouses are relatively inexpensive.
Indoor Production:
- Advantage: Greatest control over environmental conditions, highly secure.
- Disadvantages: High investment costs for lighting and electricity, expensive facilities not always retrofittable.

Propagation

Sexual and Asexual Propagation: Industrial hemp can be propagated both sexually (seeds) and asexually (cuttings).
Vegetative Propagation (Clones):
- Stem tip cuttings are the most popular method.
- "Clones" are identical to the parent plant.
Dioecious: Hemp is dioecious ("two houses"): male and female plants.
- Male & Female: Male flowers pollinate female flowers; this is acceptable for fiber and seed production but not for flower production.
Cutting Propagation:
- Stem-tip cuttings are best for preventing branch development,
- Dipping cuttings into rooting hormone to stimulate root growth.
- Warm substrate temperatures promote root growth.
Seed Propagation:
- Seed is typically less expensive than clones, especially "feminized seed"
- "Feminized seed" ensures offspring (99% probability) are female since no "X" chromosome necessary for female.

Production Systems

Hydroponic Systems: Ebb-and-flood hydroponic systems, using rockwool or LECA (lightweight expanded clay aggregates).
Soilless Substrates: Nursery containers filled with peat or coconut coir.

Cannabis Fertilization

Variable Fertilizer Rates : Fertilizer solution strength changes throughout the plant's lifecycle.
Nutrient Requirements By Stage: A table was provided detailing fertilizer rates (ppm N) and electrical conductivity (EC) for vegetative and flowering stages.

Canopy Development & Flowering

Pinching: To increase the number of flowers per plant, pinching occurs before flowering, a technique similar to "bifurcating" tomato plants. This technique increases yields without more plants per unit space
Photoperiodic Flowering:
- Cannabis is a photoperiodic plant. Its flowering is triggered by short days.
- Plants need less than 12-14 hours of light to initiate the flowering process.

Managing Photoperiod

Natural Day Length: Day length varies according to seasons.
Creating Short Days: Black cloth can be used to truncate the days.
Creating Long Days: Day extension lighting, night interruption lighting (interruptions to darkness).

Cannabis Harvest

Harvest Time: Ideal to harvest later in the day when THC levels are highest.
Post-Harvest Considerations: Remove dead leaves from buds to preserve quality before drying.

Key Points

Controlled-environment hydroponic cannabis culture is a method of producing high-quality, high-yield CBD cannabis.
Optimal female plant selection and high light levels are necessary for maximization of yields.

Description

Explore the intricacies of industrial hemp production, including its varieties, propagation methods, and suitable growing environments. Understand the advantages and disadvantages of greenhouses and indoor production. This quiz provides essential insights into the cultivation of Cannabis sativa.