If you have decided to cultivate a hemp plant (or its relative cannabis), we have some tips for you to explore whether a greenhouse is another good place to cultivate it. Why? Because a greenhouse is generally discrete and cost-effective for growing these plants in quantity. The sunlight’s natural energy (with some supplementation by LED Grow Lights) is sufficient to let the plants grow healthier than in totally artificial indoor light.
Growing a Harvest to Make CBD Oil
Apart from saving up a penny, a greenhouse can also be environmentally friendly by saving on electricity bills. Of course, if you are growing hemp instead of cannabis, then you are probably interested in CBD oil, either producing it yourself or selling it to a producer. Check out this post on making your own CBD oil.
If you are starting to grow hemp in your own greenhouse, here are some tips you should keep in mind:
Before building, picture the design you want.
It should be simple yet practical. In choosing between wooden and metal frames, it is always a wise choice to go with metal ones. Metal frames have a lower risk of catching fire. It is also durable enough to go through windy and stormy seasons in your region. Although it is more expensive than wooden frames, it still lasts longer than wooden ones. Initial planning and designing might be very crucial hence require your patience.
The best location will be somewhere facing natural sunlight. This cut down the costs of using electric or artificial lighting. Nevertheless, make sure that your greenhouse location is strategic to access both sources of light for substitutions. Further, make sure that the greenhouse is spacious enough for storage, working tables, and water supply access.
Apply a translucent covering to your greenhouse. A translucent covering helps to distribute the amount of light evenly. You can choose from glass or plastic. Although glass is expensive, it still provides impressive performance. But if you are on a tight budget, you can also choose plastic or fiberglass. It’s cheaper but also effectively distributes heat as good as expensive glass. Whatever you choose, you should add a new coat of resin every 10 to 15 years. You can also apply paint that will make it invisible to the world from the outside. Remember, it is safer to think of your greenhouse security ahead of time.
Provide ventilation for your greenhouse.
With direct sunlight, your hemp plant is still able to grow during winter. This is primarily because greenhouses are great at retaining heat when the season turns cold. The humidity that is a result of the temperature change also decreases the need for watering the plant. However, too much evaporation from the heat can affect the plants negatively. So, if you are creating your own greenhouse, make sure that it has its own mechanical vent – it takes off heat from the greenhouse when it’s too much. 65 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit would suffice. Here are our reviews of the best inline ventilation greenhouse fans you can use.
Adjust light levels in your greenhouse.
A source of light, whether natural or artificial, is essential in your hemp plants to grow healthy. With that said, when your hemp is in the stage of vegetation, it is great to provide your plants with 18 hours of lighting. You can easily have sunlight during the day, and provide a supplemental or artificial light at night to cover the 18 hours. Check out our 2021 list of Best LED Grow Lights if you want the best supplemental light for your greenhouse. LED Grow Lights for growing hemp not only optimize the yield but also provide you with year-round hemp production.
In the flowering stage, your hemp plants require darkness.
Unlike the vegetation stage, the flowering stage of hemp requires you to keep your greenhouse dark. Ensure 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness as it forces your hemp plants to flower based on your production schedule.
To achieve this, you can use paint that prevents the light from penetrating through coverings or use blackout curtains also known as light deprivation technology. This technology is famously used in greenhouse production of kalanchoes, poinsettias, mums, and other plants that require darkness or photoperiod adjustments. Blackout curtains can easily be used by covering flat roofs truss to truss on greenhouse gutters. Don’t forget to cover door openings, sidewalls, and exhaust fans to completely prevent light from penetrating.
Help your hemp plants grow with CO2 enrichment.
Here is a great CO2 supplementation tool. You can use a hot water heating system so that CO2 can be effectively pulled off the boiler, or you can just use liquid CO2 to dose your hemp crop. This one is best discussed with greenhouse experts like Industrial Hemp Farms. They will also help you with the steps on the proper ways of enriching your hemp plants with CO2 as well as its right amount.
Selling your low THC hemp.
Not only that, but if you are producing hemp with low THC content (not cannabis), Industrial Hemp Farms might purchase your product for their wholesale operation. We hope that these useful tips will help you in your journey of growing hemp in a greenhouse. Remember that aside from the above seven tips, the most important one is being dedicated and responsible for taking good care of your hemp plants. With that, they will then grow healthier with increased production each year!
MaryJanes Summary
Obviously, this is a sponsored post, produced for us by Industrial Hemp Farms. However, that does not make the advice any less reliable. I am an advocate of indoor growing for marijuana, and there is no reason that hemp for CBD couldn’t be grown with the same advantages. That said, the genetic consistency of hemp is of much less consequence than the genetic consistency of cannabis. In other words, if you were smoking the hemp, you would want it to have consistent quality, just like you expect the weed you grow to have a consistent quality.
I love to hear your comments, suggestions, questions, and advice. Give me your thoughts below. Photos are always welcome at MaryJane@420Beginner.com
