Where Is Hemp Flower Grown?
Hemp is another word for Cannabis sativa, a leafy plant native to the Eurasian continent. It grows well in reasonably humid areas with plenty of direct sunlight. Rooting efficiently in almost any type of substrate, hemp is even a soil bioremediator.
For such an amazing crop, why don’t we know more about hemp, where it’s grown, and its ideal environment? At Secret Nature, we’ve made it our business to understand hemp from seed to cola, and we’ll share what we know in this guide.
Where is hemp grown? Quick Facts
- Hemp is grown around the world
- The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp growing in the United States
- Hemp thrives when grown indoors
- The most important factors to control are humidity, temperature, and lighting
- Outdoor-grown hemp is lower-quality
Is hemp grown outdoors?
Yes, hemp is commonly grown outside under the sun. Throughout 99.9% of its history on planet Earth, hemp grew outdoors. It’s only in the last 50 years or so that the advent of efficient artificial lighting technologies made indoor cultivation of any kind of plant possible outside greenhouses.
Most hemp is still grown outdoors, but a select few fan leaves have tasted the sweet indoor air of climate-controlled, perfectly lit environments. Sun-grown hemp is appropriate for extracts, but smokable hemp should always be indoor.
Is hemp grown indoors?
In some cases, hemp is now grown indoors. Cultivated in controlled conditions, the Cannabis sativa plant reaches a full potential that outdoor-grown plants could never dream of attaining.
With lighting, humidity, and temperature all under your thumb, you can easily maximize yields. Without airborne pests, contaminated groundwater, and transmissible diseases to worry about, hemp plants grow free of stress.
Is indoor hemp flower better?
Yes, indoor hemp flower is objectively better. Indoor-grown hemp plants will always be among the lucky ones since most hemp is destined to be grown outside.
Connoisseurs the world over are recognizing that at least one good thing came out of American cannabis prohibition: The new generation of indoor grow technologies pioneered by black-market cannabis entrepreneurs now keep today’s hemp industry accountable.
What climate does hemp grow in?
As a “chameleon plant,” hemp can grow in practically any environment. Hemp takes on the attributes of its environment more than practically any other plant, though, so your yields will directly reflect the environment they were grown in.
Divulging the exactly perfect environment for hemp would reveal our trade secrets. What we’ll say, though, is that hemp thrives the best when you can control as many environmental variables as possible. Here’s a brief introduction to what hemp likes:
- Humidity: High (but not so high that mold appears)
- Temperature: Below scorch temperature at the fan leaves, very warm otherwise
- CO2: Boosted
- Lighting: Multidirectional, multi-spectrum
- Substrate: Living soil
Where is hemp grown the most?
France may grow more hemp seeds than anyone else, but India is also a big supplier of the world’s hemp. The United States, though, is the world’s undisputed capital of smokable hemp, and it’s also the only country in which hemp is mainly produced for CBD.
The US federal government gave the green light to hemp cultivation throughout the country with the 2018 Farm Bill. Certain states, such as Colorado, Kentucky, and Montana, have given their growers special incentives, leading to thriving hemp economies.
Which state is the largest producer of hemp?
According to Hemp Industry Daily, Colorado was the biggest American producer of hemp in 2020 at 61,000 outdoor acres and 15 million indoor square feet. Closely following was Kentucky with 32,000 outdoor acres and nearly 5 million square feet of indoor grows. Other notable mentions include:
- Montana: 11,000 acres, 150,000 square feet
- Oregon: 30,000 acres, 7 million square feet
- North Carolina: 16,000 acres, 7 million square feet
Why is hemp flower so expensive?
Hemp flower is more expensive than processed CBD products since it’s high-grade. Some hemp flower is low-grade, and it’s used for extracts. Smokable hemp, however, is the cream of the crop, so it naturally commands a premium price.
If you’re looking for bulk biomass, the raw material for CBD extract, you can buy it for pennies on the kilo given the current glut of hemp agriculture in the United States. The price of high-grade hemp flower is unlikely to ever change, however, since the effort that goes into making it will stay relatively constant.
Is hemp legal in all 50 states?
The 2018 Farm Bill, which separated delta 9 THC from other cannabinoids and gave hemp cultivation special projections, applies equally to all 50 American states. Each state has remarkable latitude, however, to decide its own policies, leading to greatly mismatched hemp economies even in relatively similar ecosystems.
Some states have put restrictions on hemp commerce, either limiting production of hemp or sales of finished products. So yes, hemp is technically legal in all 50 states, but local regulations may apply.
Is it legal to grow CBD plants?
With the ratification of the 2018 Farm Bill, any previous prohibition against cultivating Cannabis sativa plants bearing less than 0.3% THC was eliminated. Now, all Americans have the permission of their federal government to grow CBD-rich hemp plants as long as they contain less than the legally permissible THC threshold.
State governments might say differently, though. Certain states have banned cultivation of hemp, so consult your local statutes before brazenly growing a plant that looks and smells just like an illegal drug.
Is hemp a drug?
The hemp plant itself, or Cannabis sativa, is not itself a drug, but certain substances that this plant naturally produces have been labeled drugs by the US federal government. Most notable are delta 9 THC, which is synonymous with the illegal drug “marijuana,” and CBD, which has, in at least one instance, been approved as a prescription drug.
Why was hemp banned in the US?
The exact motives behind wide-ranging efforts to criminalize the production and sale of Cannabis sativa products in the first half of the 20th century remain unknown. Corporate greed and racism appear to have each played their parts, and it’s now time to put that sordid history behind us and explore the impressive benefits of cannabinoids.
