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Can You Grow Your Own Hemp Plants?
If you are a fan of CBD-heavy herb and buy it on a regular basis, you might be wondering if it’s worth growing in your own backyard. Growing your own herb can be a rewarding process that yields many benefits from craft-grown plants filled with love and resinous flowers. Plus, even if you don’t have a natural green thumb, hemp plants can be incredibly easy to grow. This type is commonly referred to as “weed” after all and can grow like one too in the right conditions.
But is it legal to grow hemp plants in the United States? And can you grow it in your own backyard? What supplies and growing conditions are needed to get a good flower crop? Read on to learn where to begin when looking into growing your own CBD-heavy hemp plants for harvesting.
Is It Legal to Grow Hemp in The United States?
The 2018 Farm Bill legalized the industrial cultivation of hemp on the federal level in the United States. Technically, that means that hemp plants can only be grown in an agricultural setting as a cash crop or for research purposes. This type of industrially grown hemp is often used for the manufacturing of textiles, rope, paper, or other common hemp products. However, each state also has its own set of legislation regarding the cultivation and processing of hemp plants.
Is It Legal to Grow Hemp at Home?
Although the 2018 Farm Bill legalized the industrial cultivation of hemp, it did not legalize the personal cultivation of hemp plants. Each state has its own set of rules and regulations regarding growing hemp cultivation. There are only a handful of states that have legalized growing hemp in your personal home though, and include Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Maine, and Massachusetts. The list of states allowing personal hemp cultivation is continuing to grow though, and you should check your local state’s regulations to be certain before you start growing hemp. Also, if you are a medical patient growing plants then you might need a specific medical license to grow as well.
Legal Limitations
These states also set a limit on the number of hemp plants you can grow per household or legal adult. This is usually anywhere between three and five plants being grown at one time. However, if you are a licensed medical patient you may be able to cultivate more plants at once. Typically, the laws regarding growing hemp plants will default to the same laws regarding growing cannabis plants, since craft-grown hemp is still seen as an equivalent in the eyes of the law. However, the state legislatures may adjust these laws in the future. If it is legal to grow hemp in your state recreationally or as a medical patient, then all you need is the right supplies and growing conditions to make it happen.
What Are the Best Conditions for Growing Hemp Plants?
If you are not great at gardening, then hemp might be the perfect plant for you to grow. It is considered a weed in some areas of the world and grows like a weed too. The two key ingredients to growing a healthy hemp plant are light and space. If you have a good source of light and enough space for the plant to mature, then you are already halfway there.
Getting Started
To really get started though, you’ll need to understand what hemp plants are. Then get seeds from your favorite hemp strain, soil or some other growing medium, fresh air, water, and plant nutrients. Hemp plants prefer lots of space and sun, particularly southern sun exposure if they are being grown outdoors. In fact, hemp is the perfect outdoor crop when paired with flowers and vegetables to attract beneficial insects. This is known as using insectary plants and helps increase pollen and nectar resources for a more resilient ecosystem.
Outdoor Growing
An outdoor garden bed can be the ideal growing environment for hemp plants if there is enough sunlight and warmth throughout the day. Hemp plants also prefer to not be too hot or too cold, but instead in a temperature range of 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. This can be accomplished outdoors during the summertime or with heating elements in an indoor growing setup.
Indoor Growing
If you are growing your hemp plants indoors, you can provide them with enough light with the aid of LED grow lights. These are somewhat common and are available online, all you must do is find a good place to plug it in. When growing indoors you also have the option of growing your plants in a variety of growing mediums. This could be growing hemp in potting soil, or you could opt for using coco coir, rock wool, or peat moss instead. All these options provide the roots with enough space to expand and access to water, which is another essential piece of growing hemp. You’ll also want to make sure that your indoor hemp plants have access to fresh air to prevent the growth of pathogens or pests. The last thing hemp plants require is a bit of added nutrients, which you’ll want to consult your local garden shop on if you’ve never fertilized plants before.
Growing your own hemp plants can be a rewarding experience if it is legal for you to do so in the first place. You’ll want to check your state’s regulations regarding hemp cultivation before you get started. But if you get the all-clear from the government, then you just need to grab a few supplies and get growing.
