Top 5 High-CBD Hemp Seeds

First off, let’s put your fears over hemp cultivation to bed. Hemp is federally decriminalized in the U.S. Under the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill, the federal government no longer considers hemp flower to be a Schedule I drug. As long as your hemp strains contain no more than 0.3% THC, they are fine to grow, sell, and use per U.S. federal law.

This doesn’t mean, however, that all states are approving of legalized hemp. While many local governments now have official farming programs, there are a few hemp holdouts in the U.S.

Visit your state’s Department of Agriculture for information on legal hemp cultivation before purchasing any hemp seeds. You should also check for any bans on planting or buying hemp seeds to ensure you are well within the law.

Even though it’s getting easier to find hemp seeds for sale, remember that hemp is far from a stable crop. Unlike tomatoes or corn, agronomists have yet to develop stable genetics for hemp seeds. Even if you’ve got your hands on the highest of high-quality seeds, you can’t expect uniformity in your hemp plants, as there are currently no completely viable hemp seeds for sale.

This lack of predictability isn’t all that surprising when you consider hemp was outlawed for much of the twentieth century. Scientists are only just beginning to study hemp’s unique growing pattern, and it will likely take a few years before you find hemp seeds for sale that have predictable growth patterns.

A big issue involved in hemp growth instability is that there’s no way to ensure the plants will consistently have THC below 0.3%. Even if your crop has an average THC of 0.4%, it will technically be considered marijuana. Farmers must weigh these potential losses against potential profits to determine whether hemp seeds are worth the risk.

Another question hemp farmers must ask before buying hemp seeds is why they want to grow this crop. As mentioned above, hemp has many uses besides CBD. In fact, for most of human history, farmers cultivated hemp primarily for its fibrous stalks. There are even a few farmers who collect hemp seeds to make oils, topicals, and dietary supplements.

Knowing your reason for growing hemp isn’t solely important from a business perspective. Indeed, high-CBD hemp requires a very different growing environment than industrial hemp.

While industrial hemp farmers don’t need to worry about spacing or male and female genetics, high-CBD cultivators can only use feminized seeds and they must be spaced out in the field. It’s impossible to successfully grow both of these hemp varieties in the same area.

For these reasons, you must be clear on why you intend to grow hemp before buying any hemp seeds.

First off, most professional farmers only recommend planting hemp seeds after the final frost in your region. The soil temperature should be no lower than 46°F, and the pH should be between 6-7.5 as you sow your first batch of hemp seeds.

As far as climate goes, hemp prefers mild temperatures in the 60-70°F range with plenty of sunshine. Like other cannabis varieties, hemp needs extra nitrogen during the vegetative phase, and then more phosphorus and potassium as it reaches flowering.

Another important consideration when it comes to growing hemp is the spacing. If you’re growing it for industrial purposes, you could get away with planting your seeds close to one another. High-CBD strains, however, need plenty of space to reach their peak trichome counts.

Recent estimates suggest farmers could plant as many as 30,000 hemp plants per acre if they’re growing fiber. By contrast, it’s never recommended to go over 1,500 high-CBD plants per acre.

Finally, those growing high-CBD strains must remember to research feminized hemp seeds for sale. Male hemp plants will not produce the resinous layers of trichomes you require. Thankfully, there are many pre-sexed hemp seeds now hitting the market.