CBD has become an essential compound for creating all sorts of products from cosmetic to medicinal. It is now used for variety of purposes like making pain killers, oils, creams, improving the quality of seeds and more. Many countries have now made CBD legal and its consumption has increased too.
It comes from cannabis plants like hemp and marijuana. There are various other varieties of cannabis plant, but hemp and marijuana are the popular ones. Out of the two, hemp-based CBD is legal in all states of America. The reason is that the hemp plant has less than 0.3% of THC and marijuana has more. THC is the compound that is responsible for making people high.
People can now harvest Hemp plant for personal and commercial purposes. But harvesting hemp the right way is very important.
Here is everything you need to know about hemp harvesting for CBD:
#1 Time is the Essence
When it comes to harvesting hemp, timing is everything. Harvesting is an important step of CBD production and needs to be done correctly for the best results. Timely harvesting is necessary to avoid the growth of molds and mildews. These two elements can lower the value of hemp in terms of quality. As a hemp farmer you need to watch out for visual cues like when the hemp bud starts to change from white to milky white, its tome to harvest.
#2 Weekly Testing is Important
Hemp farming is easy if you know exactly what you need to do. To know the exact timing of the harvest, you need to perform weekly testing of the CBD content. Along with that, you need to perform the THC test as well to comply with the hemp harvesting rules. You may need to perform tests for CBD, cannabinoids, terpenes, pesticide residue, mold, and heavy metals. The test can cost you around $300, which may be considered as a bit expensive but it is totally worth it. The right harvesting time will ensure that your hemp and CBD extracted from it is of high-quality. As a grower, you need to test your plant for CBD content frequently to ascertain the right time for harvesting.
#3 Mind the Weather
Weather is an important consideration for harvesting hemp. Usually, the harvesting time of the hemp coincides with the storm season. While there is no guarantee of the weather, it will be helpful if you could complete your harvest before the storm comes. make sure to know the weather update all the time so that you know what to do. Weather condition too can have a huge impact on the quality of the hemp plant and the subsequently the quality of the CBD.
#4 Labor Force
Harvesting timing as important as having the right labor force. You need to harvest the hemp in the right time and for that you need labor that can meet the requirements. Many growers complain that despite having high-quality hemp for the growing CBD market, they couldn’t harvest the hemp in time. The reason behind is labor force. Keep in mind to have the right team for the job. Have back-ups if you need to ensure that your harvesting is done on time.
#5 Strat with Small
Foe the first-time growers, it is important to start small with one acre or less. This will help you learn the important lesson of determining how much labor you need for the hemp harvesting. You need to keep track of hours the team has to put to ensure the harvest is done on timely manner. Make sure you have all the necessary tools for harvesting. It will save you both time and money.
#6 Drying Hemp
Drying the hemp is another important step that needs to be done correctly. After harvesting the hemp, it needs to be moved to a drying facility as soon as possible. Choose the facility wisely like a barn, which has a roof and is out of direct sunlight. Ventilation is important too. Set up several fans for the drying purpose. You may have to leave the fans on for continuous blowing.
The ideal temperature for drying is between 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity should be at 60%. Make sure that the drying process is not too fast as it may impact the quality of the CBD. Slow drying with continuous sir blow can help in curing the hemp and also help in creating higher quality of CBD.
The Bottom-Line
These are some of the important things you need to know about growing, harvesting and curing the hemp for creating high-quality CBD. Timing is very important for harvesting the plant as it can impact the quality. Make sure to remember important things like time, labor requirements, temperature and place to dry the hemp.